Dizzy or faint?

[MOJO]

Hi everyone!

I too suffer from terrible dizziness. Although I would describe mine most of the time as feeling really off balance, as though I may fall over. I've had it a lot during the last two years that I've had panic/anxiety. It lasted 24/7 for months then eased off and I only had it for a day or two here and there. However I have had it nearly every day for the last few weeks. It makes me so anxious which I hate as anxiety was much better for the last few months. Not great, but better. I have had quite a few stressful events over the last few months and think this may have started it up again?
I have seen ENT docs and my own doc and no one seems to have a proper answer for me. I had operations on my ear years ago so do have some deafness and have this year also developed terrible tinnitus which they can't treat either. I was just told it's hardly surprising you have these problems it's only to be expected with the previous damage to your ear!!! That helps me a lot...not!
I was also given balance re-training exercises to try but like you Basil cat, was told it would make the dizziness worse before it would help and that scares me to death too as I'm bad enough anyway. Why would I want to make myself dizzy?! Just can't bring myself to do it.

I sympathise with all you other sufferers. It has to be one of the worst feelings.

Judy.xxx

[BasilCat]

Hi Judy, Apart from my positional vertigo in bed, I have suffered with a lot of dizziness/loss of balance when I have had anxiety - I have just got over anxiety that lasted 3.5 years - and those two things are always my main symptoms, along with unreality. Its awful isn't it. It scares me to death too. You are not alone. Yes I wonder if your stressful events have started it up again for you.

Sorry to hear about the damage to your ear following your operations. As you say, that is no help is it.

Like you, I cannot bring myself to do those exercises either. I am terrified of dizziness, really I am. I sympathise with all you other sufferers too.

It makes me wonder if this dizziness/loss of balance is to do with hyperventilating Judy. Would it be worth practising breathing exercises because if you are hyperventilating with the anxiety, it can make you feel 10 times worse and dizziness comes into that too. I am not saying that you are hyperventilating, just that its a possibility and correcting your breathing so you are breathing slower and calmer may help.

Shirl

[sugarplums]

hiya Basilcat , i had tried replying back to your post earlier on but i think i must've written too much because i got logged off and then lost all i wrote! ( this keeps happening to me alot )
Then i decided to have some lunch but now i feel really lightheaded and dizzy. So im sorry to take so long to get back to you , i will reply properly again when im less dizzy, i just wanted to say thanks for your post and i will reply again as soon as i feel less dizzy...xxxx

[BasilCat]

Hi Sugarplums. I have had that happen before today too. Its so maddening isn't it. I am sorry it happened to you today.
Sorry you are lightheaded and dizzy again - I hope it soon gets less for you.

I look forward to hearing from you when you are feeling a bit better.

Shirl

[sugarplums]

Hi Sugarplums, Well at least I did not have much dizziness or lightheadedness in bed last night. Thats the strange thing. It doesn't always happen. Sometimes I am just laying there and my balance starts going or I feel giddy. At least I have not been as bad as that first time when I actually woke up extremely dizzy! It was the scariest thing ever. The problem with lying down in bed and waking up dizzy was, what do I do now, because when you feel dizzy, if you are in a place to do so, you automatically want to lay down. And given that I already was, I didn't know what on earth to do next. Anyway I wasn't as bad last night so thats a relief.

How are you this morning?

BasilCat

hi Shirl , yes it is so frustrating when you have written so much in reply then you realise it wasn't sent because you have been logged out for taking so long to write it
Thanks for your understanding and patience, I had woken up feeling so dizzy and lightheaded yesterday but I somehow managed to get the kids to school and back home again.
This morning I felt much better and i managed the school run this morning alot easier without feeling dizzy or lightheaded...

How are you feeling today? that's great you felt better the other night.
I'm not surprised you dont want to try out those exercises to reposition the crystals in the ear , if it makes you feel even more dizzy at first !!

I agree with what you say when you mentioned that you wouldn't wish dizziness on your worst enemy !! I have said that many times too !!
I think some of the dizziness is inner ear and some of the dizziness and the feeling of being off balance or feeling faint, is due to anxiety as you said.
Sometimes it's like there's no rhyme or reason for the dizziness, it just comes and goes , or it can feel constantly there somewhere.
Yes , i have had the same thing as you Shirl , where I've woken up feeling dizzy in bed and think ....great what now ? 'cos as you said when we usually feel dizzy, we tend to sit down or lay down , but when you're already laying down in bed waking up in morning.. you think 'crap, what do I do now?'

The dizziness is so scary, and i wonder how we lose fear of it?
There is a video on you tube where a hypnotist very briefly describes what causes the fear of dizziness and how to lose the fear of it.
I've never really liked the idea of hypnotisim, but it was intresting points of what mentioned. i will look it up again as i had saved the link on my phone and i will try to send the link on here.


I've had times where I've randomly felt dizzy in shops, cafes, just standing talking to people, at home , in bed, waking up to it, dreaming of it ,
some days are better and dizzy free so I just really try and make the most of these days.
My family arent supportive or understanding at all, the anxiety and dizziness is too messy for them, and because they cant put it all into neat tidy boxes with a label for a diagnoses , they have just left me to it.
Im trying to realise not to take it personally because they are this way to each other and everyone, except their dog who gets V.I.P treatment and when their last dog had vertigo, they wouldn't leave it alone in the house for even 5 mins, but they were quite happy to leave me alone with the vertigo !

My doctor refered me to ENT a couple of years ago and they sent me for an MRI scan and my mum said she hoped they found something and that
it wasnt all due to anxiety!!
The result of the mri scan came back normal and i was told from a doctor i had viral labyrinthitus as i had to be treated for a really bad ear infection.

I've always had alot of ear infections, but the dizziness started in my teens, im 31 now.

I do sympathise with all of you who suffer from dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling faint etc, it really makes you feel so scared and bewildered.

xxx

[BasilCat]

Hi Sugarplums, I will make this a short one for now. I have a lot to do as I am going to see my mum in Yorkshire tomorrow - that is a 60 mile drive. I will be back on Sunday tea time - hopefully. Mum has not got a computer so I will not be on line till Sunday evening or Monday late afternoon but I will definitely get back to you.

Many thanks for your long and interesting message. No wonder you were mad you lost it. I have done it myself a lot over the years. Thanks for starting again with it.

I had the vertigo in bed again last night. I just get comfortable and then I can feel my self getting all giddy! Or I feel like I am moving to the side, or like I am falling "Through" the bed! I can just about handle it so long as it doesn't get any worse, and of course that is what I am scared of.

I also dread it starting when I am away from home too, like at my mums for the next couple of nights. At least here, if it keeps me awake I can come downstairs and set up bed on the sofa and watch TV. Cant do that at my mums. So its a bit awkward really.

I dont know how you got up and got your kids to school yesterday when you were feeling dizzy and lightheaded. I think you are very brave.

Will stop here as I am busy sorting out for the weekend.
Take Care

Will get back to you Sunday or Monday.
Shirl