Hi - I've booked a diving holiday for next month (four weeks' time), and have been diagnosed with labrynthitis today. What are the implications for my holiday - will I be able to dive at all?
Thanks!
ferret
Labyrinthitis is usually a "diagnosis of exclusion" - basically means that you are dizzy, and the doctor thought that it was an inner ear problem. Some doctors investigate this more than others - if an ear specialist (an otologist) says that it is labyrinthitis, then he or she might have done specific tests of the inner ear. Many general doctors will just label any dizziness in an otherwise healthy patient as labyrinthitis, as long as there is nothing suggesting any neurological disease, heart disease, medication reaction, etc...
So it is not a real diagnosis in many cases, but rather a description of symptoms and physical findings. There is such a thing as viral labyrinthitis in which the inner ear is stimulated by inflammation, presumedly from an upper respiratory tract infection, but this can rarely be "proven".
As far as diving is concerned, the bottom line is to make sure that there isn't any more serious ear disease mimicking viral labyrinthitis which would cause a problem with pressure changes (such as an inner ear fistula). Did you see an ENT doctor? If not, I would recommend that, specifically an ear specialist. The bottom line is that you want to make sure that your vertigo/dizziness doesn't get worse at depth. Might be smart to try a shallow descent in a pool first. Hard to give you a schedule for recovery, as I implied, the devil is in the details, and recovery depends on what is actually causing your symptoms...
Good luck! If you want to PM me, I might know someone in your area...
Best,
Mike
