Long term vertigo? Dizzyness and brain tumor

[BubblegumUK]

Hi

For over 3 years i have had a dizzyness problem. It started with an intial room spin which lasted for about 10 seconds and then stopped. For about 6 week after that inccident i felt woozy a lot and a bit tipsy, eventually it stopped.

A month later it returned again, then went, then came back, then went, then...

you get the picture.

All this time the doctor has said its benign positional vertigo. It's my ears.
I've always believed, and still do believe its a brain tumor.

Anyway, about 3 weeks ago everything was fine until i got up off the sofa and went into the kitchen, the room was spinning really bad, worst i've had it, and it lasted for 2 hours, if i would move my head in a certain way the room would spin. I got to the doctor and he said it was a viral infection that was causing this bout of dizzyness, brought on by the cold/fluey thing i had that was going around. He said it will stop in a few days.

A short while later when i got home from the doctors, the room spin when i moved my head in certain directions had stopped. But like before i am left with tipsy kind of feeling, its worse when i look straight down and then look up, makes me feel like wooooaaaahhhhh. Left to right or right to left makes me feel dizzy but not as much as up and down.

Why am i still having all this dizzyness?!!! Surely it cant just be my ears, i am convinced i have a brain tumor despite the fact i have no symptoms of a brain tumor according to my GP.

Is it possible to have long term vertigo? if thats what it is?

Its doing my head in. It seems to be worse when i'm tired or when i've been moving around a lot. It's also more noticeable when i am sat down doing nothing than when i am moving around, in fact when i'm moving around i don't really notice it at all although sometimes it does happen and i have to sit down or just slow myself down.

I can't see how anxiety can make me dizzy.

Please has anybody else suffered this?

I am soooo paranoid about my health :( as soon as i wake up my health is on my mind and its getting worse :( Feeling like i want to s/h again because of it :(

Thankyou

[almamatters]

Hi, got a bit of experience with these symptoms. Since May have had burning side of head, weird blurry vision eyes, dizziness, brain fog etc. Convinced had brain tumour, even told the GP which kind I thought I had. GP said brain tumour very very unlikely but eventually agreed to send me for MRI as I was visiting the surgery weekly and breaking down. MRI came back clear (much to my surprise) but I STILL have the symptoms. GP thinks it is down to adrenalin/anxiety. I am suffering so badly at the moment with my Health Anxiety have now managed to believe the scan could have missed it. If you are concerned I would still ask for a scan for your own peace of mind , I had 4 months of hell until I got my all clear results and would not wish the stress on anyone.

---------- Post added at 21:11 ---------- Previous post was at 21:07 ----------

I also struggle to see the connection between anxiety and dizziness, but it is true apparently and is very common

[Laura123]

I can relate, been dizzy since June. Seeing ent next month. I believe it started as labrynthitus and now it's the anxiety keeping it going. Have you asked to be referred to ent? X

[BubblegumUK]

Thankyou both (((hugs)))

I don't think my GP would send me as from what i've described to him is what he calls classic BPPV (benign paroxymal positional vertigo) To be honest, although i'd love to find out, i'm absolutely terrified that they migt actually find something.

I just don't understand why i keep getting it, hence why i am convinced i have a brain tumor.

I haven't seen anybody from ent before. I have had ear problems when i was a youngster, once had a gromet inserted and then i had a t-tube also as it something to do with the fluid in my ear, had what i think they call glue ear once, a continuous discharge of quite smelly glue like fluid, sometimes with blood in it. I am now half deaf in the same ear (all my ear issues have been with the right ear) although the last time i had a hearing test they assured me i could hear normally!!! wtf!!!

Its such a hard feeling to describe, the room is not spinning, nor do i feel drunk, its just like a weird kind of feeling like its an echo kind of thing but visual, my vision isnt double or anything, its more the sensation. When i sit down after moving around all night at work, i feel like im moving and it takes a while to settle down. Sometimes the dizzyness is better then all of a sudden, bam! i start feeling it again :(

[Smellsofroses]

I think if it's making you miserable you need to get your GP to refer you, but as a health anxiety sufferer I also have classic BPV from time to time. Sometimes I think an ear infection causes it but other times I think it may well be stress. I also find during these periods (the longest lasting 8 weeks) I could not drink alcohol as it magnified the dizziness the next day. I have read quite a bit that alcohol makes the symptoms worse - not at the time but later.

I hope you get the reassurance you need soon as I know what it's like.

[Laura123]

If its bppv then google epley maneuvre, that should help you, bppv is more a sudden attack that lasts 10 mins or so then goes, not do much of a constant dizziness. X

[Smellsofroses]

Yes my vertigo was always shortlived but the longest episode i had was over 8 weeks. if I got up from somewhere quickly - especially from lying down. It felt like my eyes were going round in my head like a cartoon character. I'd have to hold my head to stop it.

The only time it lasted longer was when I overdid it with the wine and it was really prolonged (2 days and I had really not drunk that much at all).

The other thing is meniers but you normally get ringing in the ears and other symptons.

[Mrsg12]

Hi

I've posted about my recent struggles with vertigo/dizziness. Mine comes and goes as well. Last week I was told I had fluid in my ears, probably viral following a flu thing. I've been ok this week, a little unsteady some days but had started to feel that maybe it was getting under control. Anyway, I've just woken up (1.30am) and felt really dizzy. I lay in bed for a while but felt as though the left side of my head had pressure in my heart was pounding. In the end I've had to get up. I'm too scared to go back to sleep in case I wake up with vertigo again. Every time I've had it I've woken up with it. I feel so unhappy just when I start to think I'm ok it comes back. I'm also convinced I've got a brain tumour. I've been convinced for years, ever since I had uveitis when my son was just a few weeks old an the dr at the hospital said I could have a brain tumour. I had an MRI which was clear but that was 20 years ago and I'm convinced they missed it and it's been growing ever since hence the awful symptoms of vertigo now.

I do get some ringing in my ears and as a child had a perforated ear drum. I also get lots of back and neck problems and when I'm being rational I think both of these problems are contributing to the dizziness now but when the anxiety kicks in its just all consuming.

I send you lots of hugs and hope you feel better soon. I wouldn't wish these feelings on anyone.

Take care
Xx

[Flossie11]

I have struggled with the super motion sensitivity and feeling unsteady ( like on a boat) both when walking and being still. What it has come down to is yes, it is caused by my anxiety. whether an inner ear issue originally set it off is debatable. There are many theories why this symptom happens, tmj, so tension in your neck, jaw and areas near your inner ears, ove breathing and hyperventalation, over stimulated nervous system..
Whatever the cause, I know it is very frustrating and uncomfortable. It is the symptom that is hanging on th longest for me.
My doctor said something wise to me once though, if something is bothering you, then gets better, even if it returns then it isn't likely to be the serious condition you're concerned about.
That said, I feel for you. I fight this vertigo type stuff daily, and it's no fun.

[BubblegumUK]

Thankyou all so much for replies.

I went back to the doctor, told him about it and what keeps happening, he said it most likely is the bppv but the added unstableness i feel like the echo sensation, he thinks is down to my caffeine intake. I do drink a lot of caffeine and he thinks that is playing a big part. I'm not sure.

It went away for a few days, then last night i was at friends house, looking down at the sceeen on my camera, looked up and felt a bit woozy/dizzy, room span slightly for a few seconds and now i have the ecvho sensation again, not as bad, but just a bit.

I've tried to covince myself that i have bvvp instead of a brain tumor, worked a bit, but now i'm getting paranoid again!

Seeing somebody on wednesday for cbt assesment