Ear symptoms with first MS attack

Hi, During my verigo before my VI nerve plasy came on during my first servere MS attack I had ear symptoms… These were fullness, pressure, felt like something moved in the ear, pulsating ear heart beat speend and warmth inside left ear.

I would be interested to know if anyone else who had vertigo or a brain inflammation as part of their first servere MS attack had similar symptoms?

thanks

Hi Anon,

MS pretty much is brain inflammation, so I would say most people have experienced that as part of an attack, except a very small minority who have only ever had inflammation of the spinal cord (typically, that would suggest a different disease - similar to MS, but not MS).

However, the exact symptoms you get depend on the location of the inflammation. There’s no rhyme nor reason to it. MS can affect the auditory nerves causing tinnitus and/or hearing loss, although this is not as common as visual problems. I get a spasm of a very tiny muscle inside the ear, which causes a sort of beating or pulsating effect - a bit like a moth being trapped in there. I don’t know if that’s the same thing you’re describing. The drug Baclofen, which eases spasms in general, tends to calm this one down for me too.

I’ve never had the heat sensation, though, and wonder if it’s possible this was not an MS symptom, and you were just unlucky enough to have an ear infection at the same time?

Sadly, MS is no protection against other health problems, though if there was justice, you’d think it would be!

Tina

x

Hi Anon,

the symptoms you mention about your ear are exactly the same is mine, which got worse late summer and finished with a terriable Vertigo attack in October ( I have hearing loss and tinnitus too in my right ear) since this attack the Vertigo has subsidied but left me with dizzy spells and balance problems, I can look and feel like I am swaying from side to side sometimes. I was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease and given Betahistine.

Hi I might have well had an ear infection the same time as my first MS attack. Its annoying as ever since this vertigo/ear infection/first ms attack I’ve had occasional pulsating now and then in my left ear. I think its Eustation tube dysfuction from the ear infection… The pulsating goes on for a few weeks then fades. I’ve got it today. I ws thinking of going to the GP tomorrow and getting referred to an ENT.

I am having Tinnitus therapy at the moment and when I described this pulsating much like having a heart beat in my ear the Tinnitus specialist said this is part of Tinnitus. hope this helps, the therapy I am having is really good and it aims to retrain my thoughts to ignore the tinnitus