I was diagnosed with labyrinthitis, doctors aren't helping, and I don't know what to do
This is my first post on reddit, never thought I'd be posting here but I figured I needed some advice and support that I'm not finding otherwise right now. Apologies for any mistakes I make.
I am 24(F), 5"8, roughly 126 pounds, based in the UK. I don't smoke or drink, and my blood tests came back completely clear.
I was diagnosed with labyrinthitis about a month ago and am currently five and a half weeks in with no improvement. Medications (prochlorperzanine, betahistine, and cyclizine) have done nothing to manage symptoms and have only made me feel worse so I stopped taking them. Only other medications are ibuprofen and paracetamol, taken once or twice daily at the moment. My GP is either unable or unwilling to help me further, and the wait list to see ENT is a year long, or £200 for a private initial consultation. I was told that I should start to feel better on my own, but I feel that I'm being let down by the system, and I don't know what to do.
My symptoms are ear ache in both ears, though nothing could be seen in either of them and I have no discharge, minor headaches, dizziness/vertigo like I'm on a boat, and awful fatigue. Honestly the fatigue makes it impossible for me to go for a short walk without needing a nap afterwards. I have tried to return to normal tasks where I can but even doing the dishes or the laundry can make me feel so much worse and need to rest for the remainder of the day. Nausea and lack of appetite have been symptoms, and they were really bad for about a week, but haven't been bothering me nearly as bad as of late. Overexertion feels like a tight headache, lightheadedness, dizziness, and heat coming out of my ears, which fade into a bone deep fatigue that makes it so hard to function. The ear ache has gotten worse since this all started, but varies in severity - sometimes I don't feel it at all, sometimes it's sharp and comes with a feeling of fullness in the ears.
I'm not entirely sure how I got it, as I don't think I had a cold or anything before hand. I did, however, definitely overwork myself beforehand, as my part time job was rolling onto the new rota so the day I would previously have off I was now working, and my apprenticeship split my singular work day into two half days, which culminated in 8 days straight of work. Since it would have a decent number of half days I figured I would be able to handle it, but the second half of the week really got to me as it was 3 back to back 8 hour shifts (I work at a hostel). I made it about an hour into the 7th day before feeling very lightheaded and told to go home. Recovered after taking the rest of the day and the day after off, felt back to normal, and then the same exact thing happened the next week. Worked Sunday and Monday just fine, but an hour into Tuesday and I needed to go home again, lightheaded and just feeling that something was wrong. Again, I recovered after a couple days, even went into my apprenticeship the next two days and felt mostly fine, but come that Saturday I felt as I do now: dizzy, headache, bone deep fatigue. Five and a half weeks later and I haven't been able to go into work, I can't drive or get my own groceries, and struggle to do more than step out into my back yard to get some fresh air most days.
I guess I would just like some advice on what further actions I should be taking. My GP is only willing to prescribe medications to ease symptoms, none of which have worked for me, and otherwise seem happy to wash their hands of me. I know that steroids can be considered but it's not something that any of my doctors have brought up - they seem happy to leave any further treatment to ENT, even though it leaves me high and dry for a year. Should I go ahead with the private consultation? I can afford to do so, I just worry that they'll tell me what every other doctor has, that it'll go away on its own and I just have to be patient.
I'm tired of being patient. I'm so sick of not being able to do anything for myself. I miss living my life. I have birthday plans in the next three weeks that I'm trying to figure out how to tell my friends that I won't be able to go unless I feel better. I hate that wait lists are so long and that none of the health professionals I've spoken to have been able to actually help me. I'm so scared this is just going to be my life for the foreseeable future. Everyone keeps assuring me I'll be better before I know it, I still have weeks before my birthday, but I know that I won't be better by then. I can just feel it.
I'm sorry if this was quite rambly. Thank you in advance for any advice, I'm happy to give any more info as needed.