And…The Results Are in

It was results day. I was sitting on a hard plastic chair in the health centre waiting-area, muddling through the Spanish sentences in my head that I wanted to make sure I remembered to say to the specialist. There was an echoey buzz of noise from the conversation of other patients and the rattle of metal trolleys; full of medical folders, being transported to the consultation rooms. I tried to focus on breathing deeply to calm myself. Waiting rooms, the act of waiting, speaking in Spanish about health topics, and the worry of not understanding or hearing the specialist, are all things that make me feel nervous. 

After a short time, I was greeted with a “hello” by a doctor who I immediately recognized from a previous appointment. I smiled and replied “hello”, instantly feeling much of the tension in my body melt away at the realization that we would be communicating in English.

She asked me how I was doing and I told her that I was OK, although I still felt dizzy every day. I explained how I believed that the dizziness was influenced by many things –  crowds of people, tiredness, loud noises, salty foods, changes in weather etc. She said that all these things can cause dizziness, though doctors are not always quite sure of the reasons. Next, she asked me whether I’d had any more vertigo attacks since the last time I had consulted with her, and I answered, telling her I hadn’t.

She then looked at the results of my vestibular tests. “This is good,” she said. She told me that the results showed that my ear was working well to keep me balanced.  I asked her if she meant my right (hearing) ear. She replied with regard to both my ears, saying that my balance system was working to a satisfactory degree. She explained that she was reading some numerical results and that the graphical representations of these results were not currently available – there had been a problem with the printer part of the test-machine when I had taken the test. She said she would need to see the graphs in order to have more understanding of how my vestibular system was functioning. She had a surprisingly positive tone to her voice; something I wasn’t accustomed to hearing in a consultation room.

She conjected that perhaps the diagnoses of endolymphatic hydrops or Meniere’s disease were incorrect, and suggested an alternative reason for my dizziness and unsteadiness being vestibular migraines. I paused for a moment to consider this. I had witnessed my mum experiencing symptoms of traditional migraines for most of her life; something which still continues to affect her almost daily. I wasn’t however, particularly informed about migraine due to inner ear disorders. During these few seconds of contemplation, the specialist had already started to question her new hypothesized diagnosis. She said that although the test results noted a good result, it was probably more likely that I have endolymphatic hydrops or the early stages of Meniere’s disease. She backed this theory up with the evidence that I have pressure in my ear and the fact that consuming salty food also makes me noticeably dizzier and exacerbates the feeling of ear pressure. I had become accustomed to this kind of fluctuation of opinion concerning my diagnosis. Inner ear vestibular disorders are difficult to diagnose, and I was aware that my symptoms could be associated with more than one condition. She said that regardless of the diagnosis, she was happy because the results were good and showed that my brain and ears were working together to keep me balanced.

She then asked me about my experience with vestibular rehabilitation. I told her that I hadn’t noticed a difference in my everyday life, as I still felt dizzy in many situations. She responded unexpectedly by telling me that I had made a lot of improvement during the sessions and that I had almost doubled my test scores, following the treatment. I was happy about this as I had worked hard, and I secretly congratulated myself on my efforts. It seemed that although I was managing my balance more successfully, this didn’t equate to feeling more stable. I was still regularly feeling off-balance and dizzy, yet this was part of my condition. The therapy couldn’t cure these factors, it could only help me manage them more effectively.

I would consult again with the specialist in a couple of months. She reminded me to go immediately to the emergency department of the hospital, should I have any issues, however small, regarding my ears. She also told me to make sure I get plenty of rest, continue to drink lots of water, and keep my salt intake to a minimum. She wrote down the phone number of her receptionists and told me that I could phone them and ask to see her if I ever had any issues with my ears.

I left feeling comforted by the quality of care I had received, and confident that I was doing the best I could to support myself with this condition, whatever it may be.