anxiety/dizziness taking over my life

[mrslala]

Hi Everyone

I am glad I have found this forum. Basically I was diagnosed with 'labyrinthtis' an inner ear problem causing dizziness and vertigo in September. I was never anxious before this, would go anywhere on my own, loved shopping and flying abroad.

Since having the labyrinthitis, i started to become scared of shops, going upstairs in shops, lifts, going to someones house, being too far away from home, the motorway and generally scared of things you would never imagine to be scared of. Even getting money out I start shaking and sweating and feel like i need to escape.

The labs took months to go, and has now returned... im sooo dizzy and spaced out 24/7 its even hard to have a bath and lay down as im so bad. I have been to my normal GP who said i have anxiety and dizziness and I would 'have to get on with it' didnt prescribe anything to me, but did mention free CBT locally on the telephone.

Anyway, so on thursday i had had enough of being dizzy and spending my life in this bed!!!! So I paid £350 to see a private ENT consultant, who didnt seem to think my dizziness was inner ear, and said that he thinks i could have a thyroid problem? I will get my results for my blood tests tomorrow, but i am so scared now... and then i am thinking, if the bloods come back all clear, people will think i am making up these symptoms i have even more. Would anxiety make you dizzy and spaced out feel like your floating 24/7 even when not anxious at home etc??

I am sooo fed up and feel like I cant cope with life anymore :(
please help
sorry if this is in the wrong forum
xxx

---------- Post added at 14:54 ---------- Previous post was at 14:52 ----------

and i was so scared in the ent consultant appointment my BP was something like 150/100 thought i was going to explode sitting there :(

[LAURA48]

Hi - you have come to a welcoming place here:welcome:
Totally understand what you are going through as my mum is suffering from it, but from what you had lab.... the aftermath of it can affect you in the way of anxiety/dizziness.

My mum suffered with Menieres Disease in the late 70s - she went through exactly the same sort of symptoms - that cleared up but left her nervous and loss of confidence. Eventually she got better and got on with her life. However, 3 years ago the symptoms return - said her head was wooshing, felt drunk and spacey just awful, as if she was on a boat. Went to GP who referred her for CT scans, etc, gave her Stemetil all to no avail. Like you with paid private to see a very unsympathetic ENT consultant - just said nothing he could do - get out as much as you can and get a good antidepressant! Disgusting isn't it. Well my mum was in such a state and was getting no better - antidepressants made her vomit so they had to be stopped.

Eventually looked on google and found a Balance Clinic in Leicester - about 40 miles away who were supposed to be experts. Well the consultant said he could do something? She had numerous test costing a total of £1,500! and found she had burnt out Menieres Disease and crystals in her ear and did an Epley Maneouvre - did this a few times which was VERY distressing, and sent her for Vestibular exercises. To cut a long story short she is no better. It is a very distressing illness which later causes anxiety. Personally, I think you have been treated badly by your GP could you ask for some diazepam - to help with your anxiety? as you could take these on really bad days.

I am so sorry but don't waste any more money, she even tried acupuncture. She is on Stemetil and Arlevert but think she has developed a tolerance to it.

If you want to talk anymore I am here.

Take care Laura x

---------- Post added at 16:54 ---------- Previous post was at 16:53 ----------

ps re your thyroid make sure they checked your T3 and T4 levels as this is important not just the TSH levels.

[vicky23]

hi,
I'm sorry to hear about your suffering and the bad treatment by your Dr :(
Well I don't know about medical stuff much but anxiety can cause you to feel dizzy and spaced out even when you're not in an anxiety provoking situation. I think this is down to subconcious workings of the mind that our bodies sometimes produce anxiety symtoms before we conciously start to 'feel' anxious.
It could be a mix of both a physical problem and anxiety making it worse.

so you've just got to wait and see til you get results back I guess, if you have trouble with thyroid you can get treatment for that alongside working on your anxiety issues with the telephone CBT hopefully leading to a full recovery.
If the thyroid is clear and the ENT specialist can't find any other physical reason for dizzyness then you can start to work on your anxiety in the knowledge that this is the cause of your dizzyness.
best wishes