someone, please help.

[ItWillPass]

I am seriously losing my mind here. I cannot believe that this is just anxiety. There has to be something seriously wrong with me. I have had a somewhat clogged ear for a little while, and I just blamed allergies. However, for the past few days I have been getting these terrible vertigo spells. I cannot keep my head up, but even when I lay down I still feel a spinning sensation. I cannot keep food down, because I am so nauseated from feeling so dizzy. I cannot cope. I went to the dr, and she said my ear drum was a little red, so she is treating me for an ear infection. But, my ear barely hurts. I am just spinning. I cannot live like this. Has anyone ever had an inner ear issue like this? I am dizzy almost every day, but I have learned how to cope with being just dizzy. This is something else. The back of my head feels like it is buzzing and stationary objects appear to be moving. I feel so sick.

[EebyJeeby]

Hi there. No you're not losing your mind, it sounds like you do have an ear infection. Part of the inner ear is responsible for balance and when it is inflamed, it can produce all the symptoms you mention - a bit like being sea-sick on dry land!

Trouble is that because it's within your head, it makes the symptoms difficult to live with. All I can suggest is to try not to move around too much, if possible, and give the antibiotics a chance to kick in. They should work quickly. Don't let your anxiety run away with this - it's a purely physical condition which would unsettle anyone at the best of times, honest.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Eeb x

[Dying_Swan]

Hiya.

Just to agree with Eeby Jeeby really. Yes, you can have inner ear infections which would cause those symptoms. They generally don't hurt either, which is why you wouldn't realise that's what you have. They upset your balance systems, which is why you get so dizzy.

I had a nasty inner ear thing which made me so dizzy I passed out. It was hard to distinguish from anxiety. But, the big thing that was different was the buzzing head that you mentioned. It was a different type of dizziness to anxiety. Also, with anxiety, it was only certain situations where I felt dizzy. With the ear infection, I could be totally relaxed, but my head would buzz like mad, literally as if my brain was a big bumble bee! (Try explaining the bumble-bee analogy to doctors - it puzzles them a little :winks:)


Please try not to worry. Inner ear infections are unpleasant but treatable. I had some special Balance Therapy which put me right again, but the Anti-B's should do the trick :)

Hope you are feeling much better soon xxx

[ItWillPass]

eeby and dying swan,

Thank you so much for your replies. I cannot even tell you how good it feels to know someone is out there. My husband is trying to care, but he does not get the torture I am going through right now. I think that I do have an inner ear issue going on, but because of the anxiety, it is a million times worse. Honestly your replies have saved me. I have never in my life felt suicidal, but today for the first time I understood the feeling of suffering so much, you just want it to end, regardless of how. But knowing there are other people out there who have gone throuh this, and survived it very comforting. Thank you so much.

[Dying_Swan]

No problem. Glad to hear it helped :)

You will be fine! I know it's really frightening and difficult to understand, but it will get better and you'll forget how horrid it was.

Good luck and keep your chin up xxx

[mofcat]

Hi, I know exactly what you are going through. I have spent the whole of the last year trying to distinguish between labs and anxiety. It can be terryfying but when you know labs wont do you any harm you can relax a little and learn to tell the difference. if it is labs it could very well settle quickly, i was unlucky it carried on for a while, but usually it lasts between 3 and 8 weeks and then its over. But try not to worry about it as anxiety will extend the dizzy spells. It is also usually started by an infection.

Please PM me if you want to or you could go to dizzytimes.com for more info as they all suffer with that type of thing and understand completely. It was a huge help to me

Sharon xx

[Lissy43]

Deffinetly sounds like an inner ear infection, the dizziness and sickness are the main symptoms and you feel so off balance.

I have awful ear problems and I often get the buzzing noise, I have it badly today along with a clogged up right ear. I am off to my ENT dr tomorrow (I have glue ear) so its good timing, lol!

Hope you feel better soon.

[Brandy snap]

Hi, My husband suffers from vestibular neuronitis. This causes rotational dizziness and nausea. He usually has one bad day then two or three less bad days in each attack. There can be several weeks or even months between attacks. If he gets a cold this can trigger an attack as apparently 'debris' can bang into the vestibular nerve and cause it to be inflamed. We are praying he doesn't get an attack in 3 weeks time as it is our daughter's wedding and he has got to give her away and make a speech! Brandy Snap

[ItWillPass]

Thank you everyone so much for your replies. I am not sure why, but it really helps to know you are not alone in this. I have managed my anxiety for a little while now, and I just feel like I have lost everything I have gained. I do not ever remember feeling so hopeless. I just do not feel that I have a chance at a normal life. I know this is terribly negative thinking... I have to stop it. I am trying to just pick up the pieces and move on, but at the moment I am scared to leave home.