Hello,
I'm a British expat living in Qatar, and until recently did some diving out here.
On a diving trip about 6 months ago, I experienced discomfort in one of my ears, together with some vertigo, tinnitus and a sense of fluid in my middle ear.
The vertigo subsided after about a week or so, but 6 months have now passed, and I still have a loud tinnitus and also a high frequency hearing loss.
I have been seeing a doctor at the local ENT clinic in Doha regularly since the symptoms began. Initially, the doctor prescribed a course of steroids, which didn't seem to help. I also had an MRI scan which didn't show anything. Since then the doctor has only been monitoring my hearing. The high frequency hearing loss has improved very slightly, but has now stabilised and doesn't seem to be improving further.
The doctor suspects that I had a fistula of one of the inner ear membranes, which has since healed, but has left some permanent damage.
I will be returning home to the UK in June for 2 weeks and would like to see a specialist for a second opinion on:
1. Cause of hearing loss and tinnitus
2. Treatment
3. Advice on returning to diving
Does anyone have any recommendations on a clinic which I can visit, or a specialist to consult?
Thanks,
Tom
I'm a British expat living in Qatar, and until recently did some diving out here.
On a diving trip about 6 months ago, I experienced discomfort in one of my ears, together with some vertigo, tinnitus and a sense of fluid in my middle ear.
The vertigo subsided after about a week or so, but 6 months have now passed, and I still have a loud tinnitus and also a high frequency hearing loss.
I have been seeing a doctor at the local ENT clinic in Doha regularly since the symptoms began. Initially, the doctor prescribed a course of steroids, which didn't seem to help. I also had an MRI scan which didn't show anything. Since then the doctor has only been monitoring my hearing. The high frequency hearing loss has improved very slightly, but has now stabilised and doesn't seem to be improving further.
The doctor suspects that I had a fistula of one of the inner ear membranes, which has since healed, but has left some permanent damage.
I will be returning home to the UK in June for 2 weeks and would like to see a specialist for a second opinion on:
1. Cause of hearing loss and tinnitus
2. Treatment
3. Advice on returning to diving
Does anyone have any recommendations on a clinic which I can visit, or a specialist to consult?
Thanks,
Tom