Columbus Standard

Lizzy Yarnold, a British skeleton athlete, battled a sinus infection and inner ear problems that almost prevented her from winning a gold medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Yarnold was going for the gold for the second time, and she never imagined that common diagnoses could get in the way of her achieving it. 

A vestibular disorder that affects the inner ear caused an ear infection. She also said she was having trouble breathing in a new, much colder climate than she was used to, while experiencing vertigo and sinus headaches without congestion, according to The Sun.

According to Wikipedia, Yarnold won the gold medal for skeleton in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. She is the most successful British Winter Olympian and the most successful Olympic skeleton athlete of all time from any country. 

After Yarnold arrived at the Olympics in PyeongChang, she noticed she was developing a chest infection, which grew worse to the point where she was having trouble speaking and breathing.

Yarnold tried many home remedies to dull the symptoms of her illness. After falling to third place, she was able to somewhat tame her symptoms and take home the winning gold medal for skeleton in 2018.

"Labyrinthitis" is a term used for vestibular disorders that affect the inner ear. Labyrinthitis is caused by inflammation of part of the inner ear known as the labyrinth, according to NHS (National Health Service) Inform. The inflammation comes from an infection that is usually bacterial, or in some cases, viral.

“It waxes and wanes and comes and goes, and then a little bit of nasal congestion will seem to exacerbate it. It just really bothers (patients) quite a bit, and when it gets worse, they have fluid behind the ears and bigger problems,” Dr. Nicholas Hollenkamp of Indianapolis Sinus Center told Columbus Standard.

Many bacterial infections will clear up within 10 days and are mostly caused by the common cold, according to Mayo Clinic. Schedule an appointment to visit a doctor when things do not clear up after several weeks, symptoms get worse or you have a history of recurrent or chronic sinusitis and a sinus headache.