Sudden high pitched whine in right ear.

[Tomcat]

About a week ago I was lay on the sofa and very suddenly got really sick and dizzy, also had a high pitched whine in my right ear. The dizziness was so bad I literally couldn't sit up without falling over. Spent about ten minutes with my head over a bowl on hands and knees as I felt like I was going to vomit. Thankfully it eventually passed. Had blood taken and I'm waiting to be re referred to a specialist.

[Manofmendip]

Hi

I have had similar things happen and was referred to Peter Savundra (Audiovestibular physician) by Prof Hughes. Peter was fantastic and explained that the blood vessels in the inner ear are only 0.1mm in diameter and that this is smaller than some platelets, which means that the platelets have to squeeze down to get through. In Aps, where our blood is sludgy, this can cause momentary ischemia in the ear, which causes the dizziness and in my case a sense of being pushed or turned or the floor bouncing but he also explained that the brain becomes confused by the ear ischemia and makes chemicals inappropriately, which gives other unpleasant symptoms for up to several hours after the attack.

Who manages you APS/Hughes Syndrome?

Dave

[Tomcat in reply to Manofmendip]

No one does at the moment, I'm being referred back to a specialist next week. Been about 5 years since I last some someone.

[MaryF Administrator]

I echo what Dave has said to you, he really does know about this area very well. I hope you get better soon. MaryF

[Tomcat in reply to MaryF]

Thanks Mary, hope whichever specialist I see can help

[Lure2]

I have read that a "doctor" did not find that you were enough "bad" to have warfarin.

You have no APS-doctor but I think you should ask to be referred to the Specialist that Dave is taking about.

We have too thick blood. That is the reason we feel so bad and the Neurologists do not understand our illness so well. We need blood-thinning!

I have had Eye/ear/balance problems before I started warfarin. I saw a Specialist here in Sweden (the best we have and the type of doctor Dave is talking about) and he told me I had microembolies so tiny and not seen on MRIs but I had a lot of TIAs and small strokes from it. They found a leftsided otolite-damage.

Get yourself an APS-doctor and ask to be anticoagulated at an INR of at least 3.5 and I think you will feel much better. Hope you live in England.

Kerstin in Stockholm