HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

What Causes Extreme Tiredness?

default
Posted on Sat, 10 Jan 2015
Question: ENT specialty

Ears Nose, Eyes



I wrote this to my brother who is trying to help me diagnose my extreme tiredness on a daily basis. So I am thinking of everything I can and may be a little wordy, but I can think of no other thing to describe my situation. HELP, this condition is over a year, it's not recent and is consistant



Again I'm laying low (har, laying low as in "down"), sleepier than the day after an amphetamine trip. My ears are plugged )slight ringing, tolerable) and stuffed with soft Styrofoam, dragging my eye lids to meet half way. That type of fatigue and relationship to stuffed ears and slight pressure on t Get this pressure in the ears and wrapped around my head and across my eyes, my ears fill up with numbing filler and lose hearing. If I look up and pinch my neck like looking at a light bulb, the sensations get exacerbated as well as dizziness and slight ringing in the ears. When I stop looking up it takes a while for the sensations (dizziness, eye pressure) to go away, but the ringing stays for a prolonged time. Sleepiness can come upon me suddenly and sometimes overwhelmingly. It doesn't appear to be tinnitis or just ringing in the ears, but the dull but full pressure in the ears seems to be the fatiguing culprit. I feel the same loss of hearing when I'm asleep and woken up, takes a few moments for my hearing to clear the pluggedness from them. The HEAVY eyes always with the tired/sleepy feeling the same time as the slight pressure in the ears that FEEL like they are 80% filled with cotton or Styrofoam or THICK liquid, filtering the sounds from outside. There's the slight loss of equilibrium when the ears are full and the focus and sleep come upon me. Again, not tinnitis and just ringing, because the ringing is muffled a bit.



The "focus" AND concentration go in direct proportion as the fullness and heavy sleepy eyes. And I can obviously go to sleep, still doing it 11-13 hours per day/night/morning on top of laying down sometimes 3-4 times during the day and early evening, can't focus or do anything else.



I thought of the thyroid last year and had them test for a problem there, but there wasn't anything that came from that. I even took some thyroid supplements (ordered through Amazon) that I ordered when the symptoms I had led me to think the thyroid could be the problem. I took them faithfully because I was "sold" on that was the problem. After 60-90 days | didn't feel any change.



Now I'm back to the fullness in the ears and like a mask around the face like the Lone Ranger around the ears, eyes and the upper neck that is bad (has been major source of pain and instability for many years, feel like I can't hold my head on my shoulders, cracking sounds with x-rays to show vertebrae damage).



As I say if and when I'm forced to look up, either at stars or light bulb or ceiling/shelving and lift past 45 degree's I immediately get the symptoms fast and with great intensity. But if I don't have to tilt my head up and don't unless the situation calls for it because the affect is 100% guaranteed. Pinched nerve triggers it and all the symptoms come from there, but again I don't tilt it often on purpose and I get the symptoms almost daily, some days worse than others, but seldom do I miss a day.



I can sometimes alter the intensity with my favorite pill cocktail, the Tramadol remedy. Take 2 around 8-10 am to get me hopefully to become awake in a couple hours, at least to anticipate the wanting to get up and have the energy to do so, even if meekly. I can struggle to stay awake, sometimes more easy than others, especially if I have a good sitting session and I open my eyes and I feel a cleanliness and more crystal vision and less "fog". I stall until around 2:00 pm and used to take 2 then 1, and now back to 2 more 50 mg of Tramadol and that does more than anything else to get me through the day with as little sleepiness and forced "lay down" as possible. If I can stay attentive I can then go into the night til closing, 11pm to 12 AM if I'm lucky. I don't usually have to pass out as much in the evening than during the mid-day to late afternoon. Today I had 3 episodes of having to lie down for over 30min to an hour.

As the GP didn't understand as he said the Lexapro caused my sleepiness, he didn't see the problem, I had the problem way before I started taking anti-depressants or tramadol to RELIEVE 5% of the symptoms, they aren't the cause.

I need an Ear, Nose, Eye and Throat specialist.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Abubakar Siddiqh (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
NEED EVALUATION WITH VESTIBULAR TESTS AND BLOOD TESTS.

Detailed Answer:

Hi,


I had gone through your question and understand your concerns that you have ringing sensation with ear block.


I would like to ask you few more details.

Is there any head-ache or painful neck movements ?
Is your dizziness is associated with hearing loss ?

Kindly get back to me with the details.


As per your clinical details, it appears to be Cervical spondylitis or due to systemic diseases.


I suggest you to to consult ent surgeon and give detailed history, get detailed ENT examination, vestibular tests (to differentiate between central or peripheral cause of dizziness), audiometry (cause for ear block), x-ray cervical spine (spodsylitis), BP monitoring, blood tests- variation in blood sugar, variation serum electrolytes. If necessary CT scan brain (age related ischemia). Depending on the examination, treatment can be started.


As such, Tramadol, is an analogue of morphine, long-term use of high doses of tramadol causes tinnitus with insomnia.



Hope this answers your question, if you have additional questions or follow up questions then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your questions.


Wishing you good health.

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Abubakar Siddiqh

ENT Specialist

Practicing since :1994

Answered : 2038 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
What Causes Extreme Tiredness?

Brief Answer: NEED EVALUATION WITH VESTIBULAR TESTS AND BLOOD TESTS. Detailed Answer: Hi, I had gone through your question and understand your concerns that you have ringing sensation with ear block. I would like to ask you few more details. Is there any head-ache or painful neck movements ? Is your dizziness is associated with hearing loss ? Kindly get back to me with the details. As per your clinical details, it appears to be Cervical spondylitis or due to systemic diseases. I suggest you to to consult ent surgeon and give detailed history, get detailed ENT examination, vestibular tests (to differentiate between central or peripheral cause of dizziness), audiometry (cause for ear block), x-ray cervical spine (spodsylitis), BP monitoring, blood tests- variation in blood sugar, variation serum electrolytes. If necessary CT scan brain (age related ischemia). Depending on the examination, treatment can be started. As such, Tramadol, is an analogue of morphine, long-term use of high doses of tramadol causes tinnitus with insomnia. Hope this answers your question, if you have additional questions or follow up questions then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your questions. Wishing you good health.