View Full Version : Vertigo
Christ Alive...
Was just walking into work and leant back ever so slightly to look into the reflection of a car window and woah! I started spinning... like I had to bend down and hold on to the step to stop myself from falling over!
It felt like I was trying to stand up on a rollercoaster!!
Where on earth has this come from!? I haven't felt like this for months now and its just set me off badly for the day ahead :(
I have been diagnosed with MdDS but this was completely out of the blue and really scared me :( I didn't have tunnel vision but my eyes did go blurry! I feel ok now just a bit shaken up...
I am worried that these vertigo spells are in fact a seizure of heart problem happening :( That really wasn't very plesant... I have had 2 mris which were clear so I don't understand whats happening :(
Are you dehydrated? Eating balanced? Dehydration and/or low blood sugar can cause dizzy spells.
Hi Leslie,
The thing is I had drunk a glass of water and had a decaf tea this morning and my breakfast... and it literally hit without warning, it wasn't like a normal dizziness I get with my anxiety which are my zaps and a general off balance it was full on vertigo. (I think) I just started spinning!
Well the good news is that it passed quickly. Vertigo itself is usually not serious just an inner ear problem. Your balance could just be off. If your overly anxious that can cause those type of symptoms as well. My anxiety has been through the roof lately and I've had several dizzy spells. I hope you feel better!
Thank you... I wasn't sure whether anyone else suffers with these vertigo spells... I want to know whether they are different to a seizure or fainting :(
I don't think it's seizure activity. My older brother has seizures sometimes and it's most definitely not the same thing.
fedup, as Leslie says benign vertigo is a pretty common thing. The fact that it came on when you leaned is pretty common--a change of head position will be enough to confuse your ears if they're "off."
Thank you for your replies... It's gettin really frustrating now, I'm dizzy just lying in bed :( it's like this spell I had earlier has caused my dizziness to get much worse :(
I have had this for over a year now and I'm finding it hard to cope as its ruining my life :(
Have you spoke to your Dr. about it before? I get vertigo that can last 3 weeks from traveling in an air plane or motion rides at an amusement park, especially if I was previously congested before doing them. My last airplane ride was only an hour and 1/2 and I spent the next 3 weeks dizzy. It wasn't enough to make me sick just enough to make me want to lay down an close my eyes. I had to get anti dizzy meds from the Dr. until it passed. Those helped keep me balanced and take the edge off enough so I could still go to work and function. Is it constant or does it come and go? I really hope you feel better soon!!! :hugs:
My history of this is quote long, went to Japan November 2012 - started suffering with a tingly head and panic attacks every night for 3 weeks whilst I was away... flew home and had awful issues with dizziness as soon as I landed... Convivnced myself I had MS/BT so went to doctors and they ordered an MRI which came back clear other than a benign cyst. Saw 2 ENTs who couldn't figure out what was up with me, the only thing that helped me to feel better was movement so being in a car! They then diagnosed me with MdDS - i'm not convinced by this diagnosis... but im now having balance therapy and that's pretty much where I am now...
Last night I ended up getting partial hearing loss and tinnitus so went to the doctors this morning... He said there's not much more they can do, I have been technically given a clean bill of health... I am awaiting CBT to see if that will help as I have 2 types of dizziness, one which is like an anxiety dizziness which I get when shopping/eating out or when I am stressed then I get this true vertigo which happened yesterday morning...
I am feeling a bit loss and can't believe how this has ruined my life :(
I'm really sorry you cannot find a reason for your dizziness and a treatment. I can imagine how hard it is. The longest I dealt with it a couple years ago was 3 weeks and I didn't think it would ever end. Are you dizzy all the time? Like 24/7? When I went to my Dr. about it they didn't really give me a diagnosis either just said I had a sinus infection and put me on antibiotic and gave me anti dizzy meds. I did have a cold at the time it happened so now sure. Either way I'm terrified to travel again because of it. :(
No not dizzy 24/7 which is why I always question the MdDS... There are days where I don't feel quite 'right' but I have to remember that my dizziness started when my anxiety was severe which sort of shows you more than likely where its coming from :( I have flown a couple of times since having this and taken Sudafed just before I fly which has worked a treat actually...
Good to know about the Sudafed, I might have to try that the next time I fly. I wish I had more advice for you, but I know know how you feel. I've had dizziness on and off through my adult life.
Errr my vertigo is bad again tonight :(
I can hardly move without it being set off :(
I'm trying not to worry about it and just 'get on with it' the phrase I hear most in my life!!
Sorry to see you struggling with this again, vestibular disorders are so difficult to deal with :(
By any chance do you ever get migraines? Or does anyone in your family have a history of migraine?
Hi Honeylove, bit frustrating as I thought great new year and I'm feeling good and then bang just as I was walking through the door to work it hit me again and it's set me off big time! My mum suffers with migraines and I've had a couple of doctors investigate whether migraines could be the reason but there not sure... I went on a preventative medication which seemed to work for 2 days then went back to normal... So they didn't think it was migraines... I do have a history of them though...
I have noticed something though, when I'm eating and chewing my ears keep getting blocked, no idea if that is linked? X
The ears getting blocked thing happens to me too, it's part of TMJ I've learned. Drove me crazy for ages, I thought I had really bad food allergies, now I realise it's just muscle tension. Sometimes I feel a bit dizzy when I chew too.
Have you taken any steps towards getting the TMJ looked at? I had to stop using my nighttime mouth guard, it was making things so much worse.
If your ears/nose are getting blocked regularly then it's important to remember that this will absolutely affect your balance too. It's an important part of the balance puzzle.
I think that you should read a bit about migraine associated vertigo (MAV) and see if you feel it fits you, especially with your history of migraines. The thing about migraine meds for MAV is that there can be a lot of trial and error before finding one that actually works, sometimes they can even make symptoms worse for a while. Usually people with try a small dose of a preventative and keep building up the dosage until their symptoms have totally gone. They'll then stay on that dose for about two years before they taper off them again. So a couple of days on one drug is no way to figure out if this is a solution for you.
MAV is tricky, some people (like me) have migrane symptoms on a chronic basis without any real migraine headache. Some people have obvious migraine headaches with vertigo that comes with the headache, or afterwards when the migraine appears to be gone. Many people have ongoing balance issues that seem unrelated to migraine, but it's all a part of it. Migraine is a disruption of the central nervous system, it can cause many strange symptoms that you'd never really know about until you start experiencing them.
I know your doctors didn't think this could be migraine, but since you have a history of them (and migraine can evolve throughout your lifestyle) I think it would be worth reading about.
Did you know that TMJ, stress/anxiety and travel can all be triggers for migraine/MAV? And also that anxiety is often a part of migraine, many sufferers (like me!) are misdiagnosed as having anxiety at first.
These links might be helpful for you to read:
http://www.mvertigo.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2392 (this is a survival guide, but it's very detailed - when I first read it I realised that MAV is probably my diagnosis and I've been suffering from migraine symptoms for years without knowing).
http://vestibular.org/migraine-associated-vertigo-mav
The last two links have information on chronic migraine and how you can treat it, including first steps you can take at home yourself!
http://www.ukfibromyalgia.com/conditions-mistaken-for-fm/migraine.html
http://www.follylane.gpsurgery.net/Webdesk/documents/gpsFollyLane/Photos+and+Documents/chronic_migraine.pdf
I don't know if any of this will apply to you, but it would be worth looking into. I'm not saying that mdds isn't your diagnosis, but MAV may go some way towards explaining some of the symptoms you get that aren't related to mdds. It would be worth having a chat with your VRT physio about it, it was my physio who first recognised my symptoms as migraine and when I read about it afterwards it suddenly all made sense. I haven't gotten an official diagnosis yet, waiting to see a neurologist in February.
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I should mention that if light sensitivity and sound sensitivity are two of your main symptoms then that's a big indicator of migraine. I have had both of these on a daily basis for the last year - they vary at different levels depending on how bad the whole migraine thing is every day.
Thanks Hun, I will have a read through them...
Things like bright lights set me off which is why certain supermarkets make me feel bad and also I'm wondering if the fluorescent lights at work are making me feel bad. I have a real sound sensitivity with low pitch noises, I can't stand them like a low lorry rumble makes me feel ill...
I will speak to my VRT therapist and see what she thinks :) thanks again for those links :) x
Praying you feel better soon!!!!:hugs:
Have a read through them and let me know what you think.
My sound sensitivty is for loud and especially high pitched noises. I had a hearing test a few months ago and the sound sensitivty showed up on it, was interesting to see. Apparently it's a big indicator of migraine. Somedays I can handle more noise than others.
The light sensitivty for me makes sunny days tough going, and things like car headlights and street lamps look dazzling. Again, some days it's better than others, it all depends on how the migraine fluctuates.
That is me!
Maybe I should print this off and take it to my balance therapist and doctor!?
It all started with me after a very stressful job and a big event i was working on. you see, my mum started getting migraines the same age after her Grandad died...
I also get the face tingling to you see and thinks like the whole watching your fingers type set me off and blinds and lights etc etc!! I also get the head pressure to... And thinks like just before and when I'm on my period makes me much worse!!
Thank you Honeylove... I may have found the answer!! X
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Also I have had the whole... "I think it's my neck" issue... As I have really bad neck problems...
I do however think anxiety has a big part to play as well!
I'm really glad you identified with this stuff, I was cautious about posting links for you in case it freaked you out! My reaction was similar to yours, I felt like I had finally discovered what was going on with me.
Anxiety is definitely a big trigger for many people with MAV, but the symptoms themselves often cause anxiety which makes us more stressed and it goes on in an endless cycle. I found when I learned about MAV and settled into the idea of having it that most of my bad anxiety died down.
I also believed that it might be my neck because I had a tonne of neck pain, I was seriously thinking that I must have slipped a disc or had a trapped nerve in my neck. But as a large amount of the symptoms have died down the neck pain has melted away all by itself.
Be aware that TMJ is a big trigger, I've realised myself that my nighttime clenching often makes symptoms so much worse. Anxiety will also make muscle tension and TMJ worse too, so keep that in mind.
On the mvertigo forum they did a poll to see how many people were badly stressed before their MAV began and about 93% if people said yes! Isn't that a big hint as to what triggers this stuff. I was definitely going through a really stressful time when it triggered for me too. That's why working on things like meditation and relaxation to help soothe the nervous system are so important here, especially for migraineurs.
Within those links there are a lot of lifestyle measures that you can put in place, like drinking lots of water and getting regular sleep - doing these things will often help the symptoms to fade away again, and it's the first thing any migraine doctor will ask you to do anyway. So maybe give it a try as well as printing out the info and taking it to you doc/VRT therapist.
I'm not getting as freaked out which is good :) I am/was just getting frustrated with it all as it can be so debilitating and take over your life...
Hope your feeling well x
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