So, just as my commuting season was about to begin, I suddenly got knocked over by some kind of inner ear infection the ENT doc is calling "labrynthitis." Essentially, for the few hours I am able to get up from my bed, I stumble around like a drunk, unable to maintain my balance, constantly at risk of crashing to the floor. They tell me it's a 6 to 8-week recovery, but that I should start seeing improvement "sooner."

My question: Has anybody here experienced this horrible condition? And can I realistically expect to get on a bicycle anytime soon? It's been eight full days at this point. I can barely hold my head up, can't drive a car, and am constantly nauseous, but all I care about is when I will be able to ride.

PS: Not looking for a Pity Party here. I really just want to plan my next few weeks!

I've had mild vertigo induced by an ear infection. It hit me during work so I left my bike, took the train to the nearest station to my house and walked the last mile home. Then I spent a couple hours in bed watching the ceiling spin before my wife got home and took me into the clinic.

It sucks for sure. Once I got the antibiotics things cleared up pretty quickly so I don't really know how long recovery will be for you. It's no fun being off the bike but I consider balance to be something critical for a successful ride and would make sure you're good and ready before you attempt a commute.

Here's hoping it won't be too long.

tj: Mine is apparently viral, so antibiotics are useless. In fact, they tell me there is no treatment at all, except to avoid salt and spices (I am vegetarian and eat Chipotle 4-5 times a week, plus Indian food on weekends!) and get a lot of rest. My wife has been away this weekend (I insisted that she go to a retreat she'd been looking forward to) so the "rest" part has been easy. But I need to get back to work before they wreck the place and, most importantly, I've been waiting for commuting weather so long that I can't stand to lose a minute of it.

one of the guys I ride with had something like that several years ago. I can not tell you the details cuz they are not mine to tell and I'd probably get it wrong anyway, but I can tell you he has serious balance issues but can still ride a bike, and does, quite a bit.
As I understand it, you don't actually balance a bike; you keep it upright by steering. Unless you're riding no hands, balance isn't really involved.

One way or another, I wish you a speedy recovery.

You Need the Eye Ear Medical Forum .. And Keep pushing your politicians to Nationalize Health Care , care so you can ask Doctors affordably.

Drink plenty of water. Might help till it clears up!

- Andy

Even though it's probably "viral" as diagnosed, I wanted to add my two cents. Years and years ago after many years of inactivity my cholesterol went up and my triglycerides went off the charts. I was prescribed Zocor or cholesterol and Zetia for tryglicerides. About a month later I stood up in the evening and couldn't catch my balance. The next day it happened right after dinner. The next day it happened after lunch. I looked on the internet and found that the #1 side effect for Zetia was "dizzyness" which most people on the forum said came on about a month after taking the drug. So I cut it out and in a couple/three days the loss of balance subsided.

I mention this because I had always though of "dizzyness" as room spinning, nausea, or like motion sickness when in fact I wasn't nauseated and the room wasn't spinning, I just couldn't maintain my balance. I suggest you reconsider the viral angle if you have begun any new medication or upped dosages. I'm also prone to seasonal sinus problems, which cycling and exercising help, by opening my sinuses to drain. But on a handful of occasions I have had sinus or eustachian pressure that began to affect my balance.

Whatever the cause, I, too wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

While this is true, I suspect that your sense of balance is involved in telling the rest of your body how to control the bike. But of course that's a bit of biology that I have no way of testing.

+1

Hi Tom,

Between 2012 and 2014 I got knocked down twice by vestibular dysfunction caused by a viral infection. Both times it came on ridiculously fast. I knew it wasn't a stroke (several years as a medic and pretty okay at it) but I was alarmed nonetheless. Anyway, the first time an ER doc (wife (former nurse) insisted on ER) put me on a prescription antihistamine (plus IV for fluids) that worked quite well.

The second time I was out of town with my wife when it suddenly hit. I was able to get a generic 50mg benadryl and an over the counter nausea suppressant on board before I got too wiped out by the spinning. With those two drugs in my system I managed to tough it out to morning until I could hit up a local doc in the box for a prescription of the aforementioned antihistamine.
Sadly, I can't remember the name of the particular med right now but I can check and post the info later Mon. morning, if you like. It may be of some help to you. It definitely helped me.

All in all everything had calmed down within a couple weeks and I was back on my bike within three weeks at the latest.

Hope it helps. It's an unpleasant state to be in.

Hi BobbyG,

That reads like a hypotension trifecta.
Part of what you're describing sounds like orthostatic hypotension. Dizziness or loss of balance caused by a drop in blood pressure when standing up.
Generally hypotension can also be a common side effect of some cholesterol drugs especially when combined with other medications.
Another consideration is that blood pressure drops after a meal (blood going to organs used in the digestive process).

Did you ever experience anything like "tunnel vision" during these episodes? Vision getting dark around the edges then narrowing?

Standing up quickly + meds that cause hypotension + a recent meal combined can result in a sudden drop in blood pressure that could cause loss of consciousness followed by succumbing to gravity and kissing the carpet. That is if one is lucky enough to do their header into a carpet and not something significantly harder and more destructive to human anatomy. Like a major appliance or down a flight of stairs.
Then there's that whole "maintaining a patent airway." Unconscious people generally suck at that sort of thing.

Definitely cause for concern.

My girlfriend had a very similar thing: a viral inner ear infection that caused dizziness, vertigo etc. Had to take a week off work, several weeks off biking, and several months off flying (she was learning to fly airplanes at the time). But it healed without a trace. If your case is similar, just give it time, rest, and try to avoid stress -- and it'll resolve itself eventually. I don't know the severity of your symptoms, but based on the girlfriend's experience, I'd say 3 weeks before you can safely bike again, give or take.

Thank you very much, everyone. I am amazed at how common this condition is.

I am in my 11th day now with no improvement. Even when I've been incapacitated by back spasms for weeks at a time, there were signs of "light" every few days. Plus, by laying in bed and taking medications, I felt like I was working toward recovery. With no treatment prescribed for this current ailment, I have no idea where it's going or when it's going to let up.

I like the prognosis of three weeks back on the bike, though. That means I'm only ten days away!

Okay, first time around I received a prescription for 30 tabs of Betahistine, 16mg. One tablet twice daily increase to three as needed if tolerated. The second time was Teva-Betahistine (same thing, I think) 24mg.
Betahistine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia