Saturday, September 17, 2011

Vincent van Gogh

Mystery Diagnosis #1!


Vincent van Gogh
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear 
About 10 years ago my mom woke up a sudden onset of ringing in her right ear.  This ringing was constant, very high pitched, and proceeded for several months.  She was also experiencing bad episodes of vertigo, which became so severe that at one point she had to go to the Emergency Room to stop the nausea and vomiting.  After about 6 months of these symptoms, my mom had enough!  It was time to figure out what was going on!  She went to her PCP and he referred to to a ENT (Ears Nose and Throat) physician, who did several tests including an MRI.  The MRI was negative and ruled out a potential brain tumor, but she did experience hearing loss in her right ear due to the constant ringing.  


The ENT was stumped and  about a year went by until they finally figured out what was going on.  


Do you know what disease my mom has?!


Let's review the signs and symptoms:
1) Constant ringing in her right ear
2) Vertigo
3) Nausea
4) Vomiting
5) Severe headaches 
6) Hearing loss


What's your guess?! (No cheating).  


Hint: Some believe Vincent van Gogh had this disease and that's the reason why he cut off his ear!
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1 comment:

  1. DeaconSeptember 20, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    My grandfather has this too! He's had it for about 30 years and doesn't wear a hearing aid because it makes the constant ringing so much louder. He's also been told to cut out as much sodium from his diet as he can because that can cause an attack. The doctors would even give him Valium to ease everything haha

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