I saw an ENT doctor this week

Not for nothing, before you confirmed the appointment with his staff did you mention the issues you are experiencing?

R1 my doctor referred me and I assume sent him my file and explained why I was referred.

Did he refer you to another specialist who does treat your symptoms? If not, the guys a quack. Also, you need to tell the doctor who referred you about this episode. He needs to know that the doctor he referred you to is an asshole.

I hope you leave a review on him

Maybe you need to see a neurologist.

R4 I thought about it but didn't.

R3 The ENT doctor didn't refer me anywhere else. I've seen a heart doctor, a GI doctor and now this guy. I'm seeing my doctor at the end of the month and will talk to him about this appointment.

R5 I agree but have no idea when that will happen because before Covid it took months to see specialists here in Canada, but now it's even longer.

Well, tell your doctor how useless the ENT was so he won't refer any more patients to him.

I feel your pain OP if not your condition; I went to a shrink once and in our initial session, she says I can't help you; you're too angry.

I thought..huh?

I've had other shrinks who haven't say that.

I thought about leaving a review or calling my provider; she also had her teenager daughter confirm something on a follow up (paperwork? don't recall).

Sounds like your doc failed bedside manner. Good luck finding someone who can help you.

Sounds like nascent multiple sclerosis.

It’s mental.

Perhaps he had enough when you did this:

Hi, OP.

My BF recently had severe vertigo - so bad he had to go to the hospital.

They will generally recommend a battery of tests/visits for those kind of symptoms. ENTs are among them but your ENT sounds dreadful. I'm not exactly suggesting that you have vertigo, per se, but you may be having one of a wide range of issues that either falls under vertigo or tempomandibular (I think that's right?) disorders. Basically, affecting balance.

Aside from or in addition to a neuro consult (which is a good idea to rule out MS or anything else like that) you may want to see if your nearby hospital or health network has something like a "balance clinic" or balance center - usually a few doctors that deal specifically with this kind of issue. We are in the US in a smallish town and they had it here, so I imagine it may be an option where you are.

Good luck, OP. I know it's terrible to suffer from this malady.

You need to see a neurologist. ENTs don’t treat balance issues and vertigo unless there’s clearly an ear problem that needs to be treated.

What r13 said.

[quote]before Covid it took months to see specialists here in Canada, but now it's even longer.

This is one of the big arguments against government-run healthcare in the US. It improves access to primary care and preventative services...but makes it more difficult to see specialists or get advanced treatment and second opinions.

R13 Yes, for the most part - ENTs are only pulled into vertigo issues if they think there's nasal or ear infections or similar issues. There's a specific type of vertigo called BPPV where an ENT *might* be part of the treatment.

OP, do you drink? How much? Is your gut health off? Sounds like a possibility of blood sugar issues.

R12 I wondered about things like MS or neurological issues. My doctor just shrugged off those ideas which pissed me off.

Thanks R13. I wish he had explained that rather than just dismissing me the way he did.

R16 I assume my doctor thought that when he sent me to this guy but the way he showed me the door clearly he wasn't interested in helping me with anything.

R16 I don't drink and I did a one hour glucose test and my blood sugar was normal.

Neurologist. Be direct with your PCP about the condition's severity?

I assume any consultation has included questions about time of day, issues when sitting up or standing, if you feel it lying down, etc.

MS does not usually initially present with these symptoms. Vision issues and motor problems are usual. I know.

Did anyone rule out an acoustic nerve tumor (benign - not as bad as it sounds) or chronic infection/inflammation (for fuck's sake)? And have you tried motion-sickness meds of the type used for travel issues?

Unfortunately only a certain number of specialists will understand this well enough, many primary care doctors will not. You have to be your own advocate and if one doctor shows you out of the room, see another.

I was sent to an ENT by my GP for dizziness and severe ear ringing, he demanded I have a hearing test, even though I told him I has having no trouble hearing but he refused to consider anything else until I had one. My hearing test came back just fine of course and he referred me to a Neurologist, going to the ENT was a waste. Turned out I had a non cancerous tumor on the nerve that runs from your inner ear to your brain. It is call an acoustic neuroma, I did eventually go deaf in that ear and had radiation that killed the tumor.

My brother had one of those tumors too, r21. They removed it through his ear canal, but the surgery made him deaf in that ear. He said it was worth losing hearing on one side to get rid of the tumor.

Through the ear canal wasn't an option, they wanted to saw a hole in my skull, move the brain out of the way remove the tumor, which would destroy my hearing, make my face droop on one side, plus there were all sorts of risks, like stem fluid leakage, so I opted for the radiation. I will always have dizziness, ear ringing, and balance issues, but at least the tumor is destroyed. Of course the radiation makes me more likely for cancerous brain tumors but most likely something else will get me first.

I am sorry to say, you have seen far too many doctors to still be in the dark about your issue. Because you are telling us that ALL these doctors were unable to point you to a somewhat clarifying medical professional.

I think you need to explore the possibility that you are neurotic and need a shrink.

OP you have left out parts of the story to make it sound more dramatic. Sad.

Google ear crystals - many new treatments

[quote] I will always have dizziness, ear ringing, and balance issues

How do you deal with these issues R23?

[quote]I think you need to explore the possibility that you are neurotic and need a shrink.

I'm sure you think you're being cute R24, but I saw a psychiatrist because my doctor thought I was having anxiety and she told me that I do not have anxiety. She sent a report to my doctor telling him that my issues are physical and not emotional or mental. She even told me that my doctor, in the referral to her, claimed I was having "imagined medical symptoms".

For some reason he absolutely refuses to let me have a CT scan or even ahead x-ray.

What R26 said. Those small crystals can create havoc with balance. Also look up BPPV.

This never happened.

OP- How old are you?

Interesting article

I’m sorry if this has been said or asked in some way before, but I think your primary care physician doesn’t want to help you, whether he knows it or not.

For whatever reason he is not hearing you or taking you seriously enough. If your insurance requires you to have a PCP and/or referrals to specialists, you need to get a new doctor. I realize this means starting over from scratch, but this might be the only way to get someone to “hear” you.

But did he check your prostate?

I also have had massive issues with ENTs, they're the laziest motherfuckers in the world, at least in this area. One guy had his secretary call me to tell me "you've never had a sinus infection in your life!" and cancelled all my tests, and I asked her why she thought my general practitioner was wrong, since he referred me, and she went, "Uuhhhhhhhhh" for about 5 seconds before hanging up on me.

The second ENT I went to just started yelling and saying he pulled my records and the first one had told me I had trigeminal neuralgia (he did not) and "you should go bother a neurologist with this."

My partner has tinnitus and his ENT walked in, said, "Well, there's nothing that can be done about tinnitus" and walked right back out.

R32 here again...

I know you have seen several specialists already. It helps to document your symptoms yourself in a log or diary. Don’t rely on just the doctor’s referral, his notes or lab work. Have your own notes including what happens to you, how long it’s been occurring and what you feel like. Bring old lab work if you have it, old records etc. and always ask for copies of the new tests. You are paying for them.

This way you can present your symptoms clearly, concisely, quickly and consistently between physicians.

If your PCP is trying to shrug this off as psychosomatic then you need a new PCP, especially if they're not doing basic tests to see which specialist you need to go to. It sounds like they're shoving you off on random specialists.

You probably have tinnitus or BPPV and there are treatments, despite what some lazy doctors will say.

I had dizziness and balance issues. It turned out to be TMJ. My dentist diagnosed it and sent me to a specialist. Fine now.

[quote] How do you deal with these issues [R23]?

You just learn to live with them, it really sucks but basically you have no other choice, you just adapt. The dizziness I have actually adapted to, like they say when you lose one of your senses the other ones become more aware, over time I think my vision has adapted to make up for the lack of balance from my inner ear because when I am in the shower and close my eyes to keep soap out is when I have the worse balance issues now, when I open my eyes up the balance improves.

The ringing tends to drive you nuts, but I have periods where I hardly notice because it is constant, then all of a sudden I realize it is there again. Having some sort of sound like music or the TV on all the time helps me. This isn't just the common ear ringing which I have had as long as I can remember, when I got the tumor the ear ringing was 10 times as loud. BTW for those who don't know, ear ringing is not a noise but a sensation, or an acoustic illusion. I am deaf in my right ear but the ringing is louder than ever and never stops.

It sounds corny but I do think deciding to just have a positive attitude about it helps, it was a tumor but it wasn't cancer and for that I am extremely grateful. So many have it so much worse off than me, this will never kill me, it is just an issue I have to deal with.

I don't have this balance issue. I do have mild constant ringing but as of now I only notice it at very quiet times.

OP if you feel like this, things aren't going in a good direction.

Are you blackmailing the ENT and are you 15?

If yes to both, BE CAREFUL.