Labyrinthitis and sailing.

[salticrak]

Hi all,I have just come down with Labyrinthitis. Basically a viral infection that affects the inner ear and your balance that also involves feelings of vertigo. I was hospitalized for this on Friday and am making a feeling better but still wobbly as hell.
My question to you,has anyone on here gone thru this and has it affected you sailing in the long term?
Thanks.

[Sea Dreaming]

salticrack, first of all I hope you get better soon. That does not sound like fun. But perhaps you will appreciate a recent realization that I had. I was in the shower and lifted my leg to scrub the bottom of my foot. My balance wobbled a little and I had to lean against the shower wall. I though "good grief, how am I going to sail anywhere when I can't even balance?!"
But then I realised, the boat, in constant motion, heaving and yawing, I won't need to have great balance, just the mental where with all to make sure I keep a grip when I need too!

[MarkJ]

I only get it in bars. I think its the airconditioning.


I hope you get better real quick and the hosp stay wasnt too bad (its politically incorrect to say "I hope the nurses were good!")

[salticrak]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I only get it in bars. I think its the airconditioning.


I hope you get better real quick and the hosp stay wasnt too bad (its politically incorrect to say "I hope the nurses were good!")

You are spot on with that analogy Mark, unlike the booze tho you start spewing first.
Funny you should enquire regarding the nurses. The young woman who was most effecient at her job looked like one of those golden northern European lasses in the summer time.She had a daisy chain alice band in her flaxen hair. I asked if she was of that heritage but no,she came from South Africa as a child,her accent now full aussie. We had a long chat. I was wired up like a condomaran to every bleeping machine known to man and was enjoying her company when her demeanor changed and she said with a devilish grin that she needed a stool sample and that I was to remain hooked up like a lab rat to the machines. She wheeled in a chair with a bucket thing that I promptly got my ass stuck in. I wobbled out of it and she returned with a bigger chair All the male machismo had flown out of the window, or bucket and chuck it.
All jokes aside they do great work over here the medicos, much respect.

@ Sea dreaming

[JPA Cate]

Salticrak,

Best wishes for a speedy --and complete--recovery. Check with the doc about complete recovery, we did know one guy who was given an antibiotic for an ear infection who was left with a permanent lack of balance. Sorry, don't know which antibiotic, but the side effect was well known, if uncommon.

Ann

[salticrak]

Anne thanx for the heads up and well wishes.

[sestina]

Laast year I had labyrinthitis. Not fun for a couple of weeks, felt like I was drunk, but I hadn't had a drop!

The Docs gave me some bucal anti-nausea pills, which I took a couple of times. AFAIK it's a viral problem, so anti-biotics are a complete waste of time and money.

It cleared up by itself and I have had no recuurence of the symptoms.

[mikeod]

I had it on and off for a few years. Since i moved aboard never again. So have faith. Mine would occur after a long nights rest after being still for 10 hrs when i got up i wpuld be dizzy foe a few hours. I figure on the boat my ears a never still for long enough.
Good luck

[mikereed100]

Labyrinthitis usually clears up within a few days to weeks. If it doesn't, check back in with your doctor. Here is a good site I use for patient information.

Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis | Health | Patient

FWIW, mikeod's symptoms are more consistent with the much more common benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or "BPPV".

[Gadagirl]

I've experienced it twice now! Back in August of 2010. I actually posted and asked questions here about it back then. And again this past August.

I was very concerned first time as it went on for days while I was on vacation, on a boat, in California. Decongestant and Eply maneuver mostly cleared it up. The total cure was flying , atmospheric compression, between Monterey and LA. Totally gone once I landed.

This August another episode. I immediately goggled eply maneuver. Went through the motions, felt ok, was only 30 minutes late for work. Took it easy for a couple of days and began using nasal spray daily. Not a problem since.

[salticrak]

Thnx all,the symptoms have greatly reduced,nausea is way down,but it sure knocked the stuffing outa me.

[sv.antea]

I had a serious bout of it 12 years ago. Lasted three weeks or so, slowly got better. The doctors said it was a viral infection of the inner ear and that it if their diagnosis is right, it should never come back.. They scheduled me for a large number of bizarre tests but by the time that happened, I felt normal. Still, the results showed 40% loss of functionality of my right ear labyrinth. The one thing I noticed since then (after a trip from Florida to Turkey and back 2010-2012)is that I don't get sea sick any more. My guess is that on a rolling sailboat, you need to ignore your vestibular system anyway and concentrate on visual and muscle load input. Mostly just hang on, lol.

[goat]

Originally Posted by Gadagirl

I've experienced it twice now! Back in August of 2010. I actually posted and asked questions here about it back then. And again this past August.

I was very concerned first time as it went on for days while I was on vacation, on a boat, in California. Decongestant and Eply maneuver mostly cleared it up. The total cure was flying , atmospheric compression, between Monterey and LA. Totally gone once I landed.

This August another episode. I immediately goggled eply maneuver. Went through the motions, felt ok, was only 30 minutes late for work. Took it easy for a couple of days and began using nasal spray daily. Not a problem since.

Epley maneuver (believe it or not, I didn't, but I do now) magnesium supplement and plenty of water worked for me. If course I'm too stupid to go to a doctor and I just googled vertigo, so it might not have been labyrinthitis. I'll admit I was pretty dehydrated at the time

[Cdreamin]

I have experience with this subject. I was (originally) diagnosed with this about 12 years ago. It really sucked and for me was very debilitating.

Finally went to a specialist who is "the best" according to my primary doc. After $3500 worth of testing ( insurance paid) he told me I didn't have Labyrinthitis but some other syndrome which the name escapes me, and there wasn't anything he could do for me. Yeah. Thanks Doc.

Anyway my balance did slowly get better but never fully. I basically always feel like I am on a ship when on ground. Weird thing is I feel back to normal when on a boat. All I need to do now is get the wifey to agree to live aboard.

[Ronald258]

Originally Posted by salticrak

Hi all,I have just come down with Labyrinthitis. Basically a viral infection that affects the inner ear and your balance that also involves feelings of vertigo. I was hospitalized for this on Friday and am making a feeling better but still wobbly as hell.
My question to you,has anyone on here gone thru this and has it affected you sailing in the long term?
Thanks.

Go see your doctor. I had an ear infection a few years back after which I was diagnosed with BPPV where I had episodes of sudden and severe dizziness associated with head movement. Some antibiotics cured it but the doctor said that it would probably come back and recommended me to take the BPPV physiotherapy treatment (BPPV Physiotherapy Services & Treatment Toronto | Physiomobility ). I may be taking the treatment shortly.