[livingwith]

I’m 16, and have had dizziness and ringing in my ears for a little over 2 years now. I’ve been to a lot of doctors and specialists and none can find the cause, even after numerous MRI’s, CT scans, stacked ABR’s, and who knows what other tests that I’ve had.
My dizziness and ear ringing is always present. What I call episodes are when the dizziness gets worse on a scale of 1-10 it’s normally a 3-4 and “episodes” go from 5-7, I usually make 7 my ...Read the full article

[djv_1301]

Hi Hillary. You most definitely are not alone. I too have the same problem of tinnitus and occasional episodes of vertigo. My vertigo, however, doesn't last for days. The episodes usually last for a few hours and are accompanied by severe nausea and vomiting.

I've had tinnitus for many years (I think it was triggered by loud music in nightclubs) but it was just a nuissance at the time. In 2001 I had my first vertigo episode and since then I've seen many ear, throat and nose specialists. Most have not been able to give an accurate diagnosis because the tests and scans cannot confirm any theories. Meniere's disease was ruled out because I do not have any hearing loss, but sometimes I wonder whether I just have a variation of the disease because all the other symptoms are the same.

My episodes come and go at irregular intervals. I can go for over 18 months without one. The only warning sign is that the tinnitus suddenly gets louder and sounds more like a whistle than the usual scratchy hum. Soon after that the vertigo sets in. The toughest part is that as I'm dizzy I have to lie down but lying down makes me feel even more nauseous so I have to run to the bathroom to throw up. It usually lasts for about 4 hours and then I just crash and fall asleep.

The only ongoing problem I have between episodes is difficulty with equalizing pressure in my left ear but like the tinnitus this is more of a nuissance than a big problem.

All the medications I have tried that are designed for people with vestibular problems do not work for me.

I hope your condition improves.