Whooshing in ears/dizzy when he moves his head

Hello

i'm new here and have joined on behalf of my husband who is nearly 80. We are in the UK. He had a pacemaker fitted 4 days ago and came home the next day. Everything was fine for the first 3 days, but today he is getting whooshing in his ears, especially when he moves his head to the side, and also when he moves his eyes from side to side. He also feels slightly dizzy when that happens. 
 

He's had a/f for a few years. He had open heart surgery last year to replace the aortic valve and at the same time they did a by pass, which was unscheduled.  Following the surgery he suffered a cardiac tampenade and in emergency surgery they removed 1 litre of fluid from his pericardium. Recently he was experiencing shortness of breath and after having a 24 hour heart monitor it was found his heart rate was dropping alarmingly, sometimes stopping, hence the pacemaker  

I tested positive for Covid today and am feeling pretty ropey so I was hoping he could look after me, but it's ended up the other way round as he is quite distressed!

 Is this whooshing common after having a pacemaker, or should we be worried about the symptoms he's experiencing?  I'd be grateful for any advice  

Edited to say he now tells me it's more of a quick psst than a whoosh!

4 Comments

Covid

by Penguin - 2023-04-15 02:27:38

Just a thought - could he have caught Covid in hospital and passed it on to you? The whooshing in his ears could be connected to this perhaps. 

With his complex health history I'd ring the GP for advice or 111.  

Sounds like you're having a bit of a nightmare with all this going on. Please keep posting here if you need any further support after speaking to a medical professional. 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for you both. 

Whooshing sound

by Rch - 2023-04-15 02:30:17

Sorry to hear about your husband's recent bout with heart surgery and postoperative complications, and also that you tested positive for Covid! Hope you have some help to take care of both of you. As to the whooshing sounds, is it in both ears or only one? Do they impair his hearing? I suggest you call your provider to discuss this. Also, hope your husband won't catch the Covid. I wish you both well. 

Covid etc

by Amanda1954 - 2023-04-15 07:42:03

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to me.  I tested my husband yesterday and he was negative. I thought I might do it again each day as we're living in the same house and inevitably closer than would be advisable. 
 

I'll update when I've spoken to the doctor on Monday hopefully.  

Vertigo

by Persephone - 2023-04-15 12:06:26

From NIH (US): There are two types of vertigo, peripheral and central vertigo.

Peripheral vertigo is due to a problem in the part of the inner ear that controls balance. These areas are called the vestibular labyrinth, or semicircular canals. The problem may also involve the vestibular nerve. This is the nerve between the inner ear and the brain stem.

The Epley maneuver may help - check with your doc. Best wishes to you.

 

 

 

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So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.