AboutDina Q Goldin, Ph.D. Expertise Information and advice for Acoustic Neuroma patients who would like honest patient-to-patient interaction about their symptoms or about treatments and related medical procedures. If you are unsure if your experience is "normal", or are wondering whether your information is complete, feel free to ask.
Experience I am an Acoustic Neuroma patient and the founding editor
of the Acoustic Neuroma Patient Archive (http://www.ANarchive.org).
Question QUESTION: Hi,
About 2 Months ago i fainted and lost consciousness, it happenend totally out of the blue but I had suffered from a sinus infection a couple of weeks previous, a week after the first faint i fainted again and had bad pain in both ears and at the base of my skull. I was admitted to hospital and had a ct scan but they found nothing and said it was probably a viral labrinthitis, I have since had an mri and am waiting for the results. I am taking stemetil to relieve the dizziness but constantly feel unwell and weak and dizzy a lot. I woke up one morning with a stiff neck, the base of my skull felt swollen and fluidy, it went away by the next day. I have slight ringing in my ears and numbness in my face but this passes very quickly. I feel confused a lot and get irritable when people talk too much. Is this likely to be more than labrinthitis?
Any advise is greatly appreciated.
ANSWER: Hi Barbara,
In my opinion, it is likely to be more than labirinthitis, but hopefully, an MRI will establish a definite diagnosis, and there will be no need for further guessing. Should you have further problems with establishing a definite diagnosis, or determining the best course of treatment, I recommend you see a neurologist rather than an ENT.
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QUESTION: Hi,
Thanks for your reply, Have had MRI results and was told they were clear and it's nothing to do with brain. Ran out of Stemetil last week and fainting spells came back within hours of not taking tabs. Am now referred to an ENT as my ears are always in pain but there's no infection also booked for a "tilt" test to check blood pressure i think, i can understand why i would feel faint and dizzy with low blood pressure but doesn't explain ear pain and numbness in face. will prob have to wait months to see ENT!
Answer It is still possible that the problems have something to do with brain, if the MRI was not done properly with the right contrast. Also, other tests are possible that do not seem to have been considered, such as a BSER. As I said before, please make sure to be seen by a neurologist instead of, or in addition to, an ENT.
