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Back on Solid Ground
A fall on the ice left this man unable to walk without feeling
seasick, but corrective surgery put him back on firm footing.
In early 2007, when John Feehan of
Manchester slipped on the ice while
working and hit his head and shoulder,
he was taken to the Emergency
Department, treated for a concussion,
and released. But John continued to suffer
persistent dizziness. "I had these vertigo
spells and couldn't walk straight," says
John. "Rooms would move, and if I tried
to watch TV I'd get seasick." When another
emergency visit and a full checkup by a
neurologist still didn't reveal the problem,
John decided to seek the help of Thomas E.
Brandeisky, D.O., an otolaryngologist — or
ear, nose, and throat specialist — affiliated
with Ocean Medical Center.
Dr. Brandeisky diagnosed that John had
a fistula, which occurs when the stirrup
bone in the fluid-filled inner ear pushes
through the small, thin membranes that
separate the inner from the middle ear. This results in a leakage of fluid, causing
a pressure change in the inner ear
and problems with equilibrium. "We
see problems like John's following head
trauma, or even after someone has
lifted something too heavy," says Dr.
Brandeisky. Although uncommon, the
condition can lead to permanent hearing
loss or an infection, such as meningitis, if
left untreated.
"The test for a fistula entails recording
eye movements while pressurizing
the ear canal with a small rubber bulb,"
explains Hugh Ferguson, M.A., CCC-A, an
audiologist at Ear, Nose, Throat, and Facial
Plastic Surgery, Inc. According to John, as
soon as Hugh administered the test to his
right ear, he almost fell off his chair. "It felt
like someone had slapped me," says John.
Due to the risk for permanent
hearing loss and possible meningitis,
John was scheduled to undergo surgery
the very afternoon he was diagnosed.
The corrective procedure performed by
Dr. Brandeisky involved a middle ear
exploration, followed by a fat graft to
seal the leak. The tissue was taken from
John's earlobe.
After the surgery, there was an immediate
improvement in John's vertigo. "His hearing
was preserved in the normal range, but
unfortunately his tinnitus, a ringing noise in
the ear, has persisted," says Dr. Brandeisky.
Looking back on his experience, John
feels very lucky. "Dr. Brandeisky was very
patient and spent a lot of time explaining
everything to me and my family," he says.
"I really appreciate him recommending
the surgery be done immediately, and I
realize now how serious things could
have gotten."
 – Diane Gribbin
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