Hi Accurist,
Thanks for the info. It sounds like you received appropriate treatment.
In a perilymph fistula, the inner ear can be permanently damaged. From your description, it sounds like that's what has happened to you. The inner ear consists of two parts: the cochlea, which is responsible for hearing, and the semicircular canals, which regulate balance. Your initial symptoms indicate that both parts were injured. The brain will eventually compensate for damage to one set of semicircular canals, which you experienced in your gradual recovery from the vertigo.
The problem arises if the other set of semicircular canals is injured, either through decompression sickness or another perilymph fistula. While this is unlikely, if it does happen, your brain will not be able to compensate and you will likely suffer from permanent vertigo - think of the "whole world spinning" feeling you experienced when you first had the injury.
The conservative approach, and the advice we give divers in your situation, is to stop diving and eliminate that risk altogether. The less conservative approach is to dive VERY carefully and always be mindful of your ability to clear and your dive profile/risk for inner ear DCS. The bottom line is that you do not want to risk injuring the other ear, since doing so would likely result in a profound disability and alteration in your lifestyle.
I'm sorry the news isn't better. I hope this information helps. Please feel free to PM me or post here if you have any other questions. I'm going to PM Dr. Mike, who's an ENT physician, and ask him to weigh in as well.
Best regards,
DDM