The hardest part of getting a diagnosis for me was that my main problem was “inner ear pain”. I have the ringing, the aural fullness, the dizziness, etc… I went through 5 ENT, 3 audiologists, and several MD’s before I went to a neurologist who ordered the MRI that diagnosed me with Chiari I. This process took over 4 years from the time my first symptoms presented themselves.
I was curious if anyone out there has had this group of symptoms. Over the last few months I have been getting actual headaches along with the inner ear pain. I believe this has been a big reason why my diagnosis took so long.
It is crazy how its different for everyone how their symptoms present. I was just curious since the majority of us have sever headaches as a first indicator.
Hello, I had to chuckle a little when I read your post...for more than 10 years I went to doctors and ENTs, had allergy tests, almost had tubes put in my ears and was on allergy medication for years! Now I know that there was nothing wrong with my ears at all, it was just the Chiari. I have had ear pain, sharp pain, fullness/pressure, ringing and itching in my ears for as long as I can remember. I use to think that my balance problems and clumsiness was caused from my "allergies" too. In all those years of doctors not one of them ever thought of looking at anything else for my symptoms. I always considered myself perfectly healthy. I'm shaking my head at all the allergy pills that I took! I was diagnosed with CM in 2009 with a 13 mm herniation and had surgery on Oct 10, 2010. I am still dizzy, still have pressure in my ears, sharp pains, still have the ringing and itching. I didn't realize my ears were ringing so loud until I started asking other people if they could hear the buzzing and ringing and they looked at me like I was nuts! I just assumed that everyone could hear it! So you are not alone! Good luck with your CM journey, this is a great place to get information.
My daughter became profoundly deaf in one ear. The headaches started soon after and she also suffers from tinnitus, buzzing, ear pain. Her 10mm chiari was diagnosed after several months of pain. The pain was very bad for her, but since then we also had her tested for food allergies found lots of allergies and since these have been addressed she hardly ever gets any ear pain on just occasional tinnitus. Headaches also only occasional where they were every day all day before.
I have this problem and have had it for some time. Symptoms are worse since I had a cervical fusion done in 2010. I'm still in the process of getting dx with CM. I'm waiting to see a specialist. Hopefully soon I will have my appointment. I'm in constant pain - my ears feel like I'm under water, when I lie down the rooms spins, and when I get up the room spins, I have a lot of face pain on one side of my face that radiates up the side of my head. I didn't sleep well last night due to the pain in my right arm and my hands are burning constantly... At least you have your dx so you can move forward to a right course of treatment. I struggle every day with these symptoms. Please pray that I will have my dx soon.
Have you had an MRI done?
rosebud said:
I have this problem and have had it for some time. Symptoms are worse since I had a cervical fusion done in 2010. I’m still in the process of getting dx with CM. I’m waiting to see a specialist. Hopefully soon I will have my appointment. I’m in constant pain - my ears feel like I’m under water, when I lie down the rooms spins, and when I get up the room spins, I have a lot of face pain on one side of my face that radiates up the side of my head. I didn’t sleep well last night due to the pain in my right arm and my hands are burning constantly… At least you have your dx so you can move forward to a right course of treatment. I struggle every day with these symptoms. Please pray that I will have my dx soon.