Gent Injection--anyone had this done yet?

My ENT wants to give me the gent injection. Basically I am starting to have daily attacks again, and they are new types of things (I have the suspicion I have BPPV on top of Menieres; the doc does not believe this).

My understanding is that this will basically destroy the balance part of the inner ear.

Has anyone had this done? Does it make matters worse or better?

 

I have had 3 gent injections done and was able to get relief for about a year from 2 out of the 3 injections I had done. You are correct in saying that the Gent's purpose is to kill out the vestibular on that side, Gent is a toxic antiobiotic and is being used more and more now instead of Vestibular Nerve Section's (which is cutting of the balance nerve) with what should be the same results as receiving gent but with a MUCH less recovery time,etc.

The 3rd gent I had done was this past june and i only got 4 months of relief and my symptoms returned... i went back to my ENT in Milwaukee and he suggested doing the VNS then because he felt the gent was not fully working because he had done 2 inner ear fistual repairs prior to trying the Gent and he felt there was scar tissue covering that nerve and that would be why the gent didn't work 100%. After having several tests done, ENG, ECOG and a Rotary Chair it was confirmed that I still had vestibular function in the bad ear and I should of had NONE or very little after receiving 3 gent injections... and we did the VNS. I am 3 weeks post today from surgery and although it has been a slow recovery I am hanging in there.

I would absolutely try the Gent first before something as radical as a VNS. It has worked for many ppl and your recovery isn't bad at all, I believe I took 4 to 5 days (1 week) off of work after each injection and I noticied a difference right away.

I hope this helps.... good luck and if you have another questions please feel free to IM me or post on here.
Take care
Gina

 

It tells me there is a significant recovery time--which I can't afford, at least not this year!

Thanks!

Anyone else have a story to tell?

 

yes....I had 2 gents in Sept. 2003...I was so sick on day 3 of each shot I couldn't move from the chair. I opted not to continue and got the meniett pump.

 

Hi Steve ~ how are you adjusting to Colorado, did you find a new job there? Sorry to hear that you are more symptomatic and are requiring this procedure. Could it be that you are still adjusting to your new environment? Just wondering............. being exposed to new allergins there.

Sparrow

 

You've got me confused with someone else--I've been living here uninterrupted since 1989. First lived here in 1970 but had a two and a half year interlude in Southern California. (The longest six years of my life.)

 

I am considering Gent if I do need it in the future, but only if I am at the point where 5 days of recovery would be a blessed event! I think if this seems like a long recovery time then maybe you're not bad enough to get it.......I don't mean to tell you what you need, not at all, but I think the gent is a destructive treatment and possibly a more last resort treatment. I also as Toni above had great luck with the meniett pump, have you looked into this? Good luck with what you decide! Lisa

 

Steve... when your symptoms become bad enough... 1 week recovery will not matter, and please keep in mind... that was me, some ppl have felt well enough to have the gent done on a friday and back to work on a Monday, that's what I have been told... i took the week and needed it, but the results were worth it at that time.

I am on a 3 month leave of absence right now because I got bad enough and went with the VNS.... hopefully it never gets that bad for you. Gent might be able to save you from having to take it to that limit. Just my advice. I would do more research about it and ask your ENT how long s/he thinks you would be down for recovery... trust me... gentamycin is a much better way of taking care of this than what I have been through.

Good luck!
Gina

 

Hi Steve

Have you seen Dr Rauch´s excellent video clip?

Intratympanic Gentamicin Treatment

I know several meniere patients who have got rid of their attacks after gent. According to my ENT it's is quite rare to have severe balance problems after the treatment. I have never had anything but mild dizziness.

It usually takes 1-3 treatments before the attacks subside. I've had 11 injections so far but this has something to do with my round window permeability. My ENT strongly believes in this treatment and so do I. My attacks are far less severe than before the treatments and I'm capable to do my normal activities during my attacks. Although it took 8 injections before I noticed any difference

Mari

 

Steve,

I had Gent treatments a couple of times and there are a few things that you should know. One is that it is very non-evasive and you actually go on with your life right after receiving the injection. Two is that it is not a permanent solution and usually gets you a year or two of relief at best. Three is that this procedure will probably cause some hearing loss and can also speed up your hearing loss. The more often you have it done in the same ear the worse it will be on your permanent hearing loss. If you only have Meniere's in one ear then it may be worth the risk but if you have it in both ears you need to be very careful at risking hearing loss. Just a few words from a frind and swine.


Piggy

 

Hi Steve

First of all Howdy neighbor.

I just had my third treatment last thursday! The first one I had was 6 weeks ago it was the worst I was getting motion sickness just walkin from my room to the kitchen, I started to feel a bit better and then went for 2nd injection It didn't seem to bad my symptoms were no worse than they were originally but the tube they placed in my ear on first appt fell out so I am assuming that had something to do with it. Third treatment last week was pretty much same as first treatment although motion sickness was not to the same extent.

I am much the same as you and suffer from vertigo daily if I don't have three or four small attacks a day I have one Great big one. My ENT seems to think it will work but I will probably need all five injections. I hope it will give me some releif. right now I am a bit dizzy and have to stay aware when walking because of balance but it is a bit better than being bed ridden most of the time. I don't know if this helps you but this is the symptoms i have had.

Deleah in BC

 

Hi Steve....As you are reading and already know we are all apt to respond differantly. I have been given my life back after gent. I had my first over a year ago, had 3 within 3 months...then another 2 this year. Yes, sometimes I get a little dizzy, but NO MORE vertigo. I drive regularly now, work and can actually go to the YMCA on a regular basis. My hearing was already the pitts prior to the injection, and has not really gotten any worse. Maybe for a day or two after the actual injection, but then business as usual.
One negative, if I'd even call it that, is I tend to have more ear pain. Usually if it's cold out, or I've had the window down on a long drive. Certianly not enough of a problem to interupt my life!

Good luck to you what ever you decide.

Peace~
Laura

 

Thanks everyone for your responses--and I'd like to hear from as many others as possible!

 

Steve-I have not posted in a while, I don't have MM, my mom does. She had the shunt surgery back in 85 and got more than 20 yrs relief from it. This summer she began to relapse, and had 2 gent treatments. She is 69 yrs old so I expect her recovery is a bit slower than others. It has been about three months now, and she is going through VRT. She has lost almost all hearing in that ear from the gent. She had a very rough time adjusting, feeling very tired and having balance issues. She is doing better and her attacks have been far less severe, although she does have them maybe once or twice per month, with tiredness being the worst symptom.
Gayle

 

There is important info here--the doc did NOT say it would trash my hearing, only that it wouldn't help. Trashing what is left of my hearing in that ear, even though it's pretty bad now, and the potential for a long recovery time are both telling me "Don't Do This."

But I'd still be interested in any more info from anyone.

 

The more injectios you get the bigger is the risk for a hearing loss. If you need only one injection it's very unlikely to have a hearing loss. But after four injections the risk increases.

About the recovery time. Those who I have met have all been fully capable to work after the treatments. It takes 3-5 days before the stuff kicks in and after two weeks your balance is as bad as it gets. The more active you are the better for your balance.

There are few different protocols to have this procedure done. My ENT uses a single dose technique (one injection at a time and more injections only if needed, always at least four weeks between the injections). A friend of mine had three injections in three days and spent two weeks in bed because of severe balance problems. Well, her ENT uses a different technique... Some have a series of treatments e.g. one injection every two weeks, 3-5 injections total. But the truth is the more injections you have or need the more likely you'll get balance problems or a hearing loss. So I would be careful and start with one injection. Many patients never need more than that. Unfortunately they are not here to tell us about their success

It's true that sometimes your attacks come back after 6 months or a year. Nobody knows why this happens but this can be easily treated with more gent. According to my ENT's experience if you are free of attacks for two years after a gent treatment it's very likely that you'll never have a vertigo attack again.

Gentamicin was a huge step for me. I was fortunate to find an experienced ENT and I only wish I had started these treatments earlier. Keep asking questions Steve!

Mari

 

Mari, are you bilateral? ......

Can low dose gent be successful if you're bilateral?

 

Cheese,

I'm not bilateral (at least not yet...). Actually low dose gent can be successfull even in bilateral cases. But first you have to know which ear is causing the attacks or is more active.

Intratympanic gentamicin in bilateral Meniere's disease

One of the authors is my ENT

Mari

 

Steve.... do you have any hearing loss now in that ear? I had a substantial loss before I started Gent so that is why I wasn't as worried about hearing loss but I will tell you that even after having 3 gent injections they tested my hearing again shortly after each injection and my hearing did not decrease much at all.... it stayed about the same. I highly doubt 1 injections would trash your hearing completely.... just something to think about.

Also, you have to weigh out how bad you are feeling... are you having vertigo every day? or every other day? once a month, etc.. to be sure if you want to take the risk with Gent. I did because I couldn't handle attacks anymore... and I'm glad I did them.. like I said before Gent worked for me but only for a short time but that is because I had 2 inner ear surgeries... had I not had that done before then Gent I am sure I would of stayed vertigo free.

I want to address the potential of "down time" again with the Gent injections..... The way I look at it is this: if you feel bad enough that you can't handle your life, and are missing work because of attacks or missing out on your life then the possibility of recovery after Gent being maybe a week or so is NOTHING compared to living your life like that. Does that make sense at all? I ended up with a Vestibular Nerve Section and that is a LONG recovery, I am over 3 weeks post and cannot stand without a walker or walk without one... I am looking at probably another 2 to 4 weeks before I will even notice much of an improvement... that's just my story.. not everybody gets to that point...but trust me, had i been able to continue to receive the Gent and only be down a few days after... I WOULD OF DONE THAT IN A HEARTBEAT compared to this. I hope this helps some.

Take care and best of luck with your decision.
Gina

 

It makes perfect sense--and it hasn't got to that point, yet. And for all the rest you (and everyone else) has said, thank you.