Anxiety after severe vertigo?
Posted , 3 users are following.
HI all,
I think I'm basically here for some peace of mind, or to see if there are any kindred spirits out there who have had a similar situation to mine!
I'm generally healty, like to excercise (tennis & squash mainly), walk a lot (at least 10,000 steps a day) etc. I'm quite thin, but never really had any problems. For quite some time now (6+ years), I've been having the odd dizzy spell, maybe once a day, where everything starts to spin .. but then it fades and goes away. Initally I thought it was a symptom of PTSD after my dog bit off 2 of my fingers a few years ago (long story, they got put back on, and everything is fine).
Fast-forward to February this year, where I woke up at 7am and the room was spinning uncontrollably. My eyes were also darting all over the place and I couldn't get it to stop. Clearly, this was terrifying, but getting up and focusing on the TV made it subside. Went to bed that night, hoping to sleep it off ... but woke up at 3am and it was even worse. I had NO IDEA which way was up and which way was down. I went to the A&E (ER) where they pumped me full of valium and who knows what else, and that seemed to solve the problem.
Things seemed to be ok after that. I had an MRI on my head, and that was fine. The ENT doctor checked me out and confirmed positional vertigo, so I was happy to know what it was, and expected it to go away.
Fast-Forward another 2 months, and suddenly I am light-headed and dizzy almost 24/7. I can be at my desk at work, when my heart starts racing, everything starts spinning, and I just get a sense of "dread", for want of a better word. The slightest thing seems to make these symptoms worse, and I really don't know what to do about it.
I went and had a full blood exam done, and everything there checked out fine. That's obviously a relief, as it rules out any sinister underlying condition, but it doesn't help me out of this permanent dream-like state that I am in.
I am a very calm and easy-going person. People always comment on how they have never seen me angry or stressed. I never shout, and I avoid confrontation at all times. But internally I know I am going through a pretty stressful period, both at work and in my personal life. Silly things like giving a speech at a wedding in 2 weeks have me filled with dread ... but I've been giving speeches and presentations for years at work, and it's never bothered me. I am terrified that something will happen, or I will just pass-out infront of all these people!
The doctor has told me to go back to the ENT again, and this light-headed sensation can easily be caused by ear, or even uppper-back problems, but I am fairly convinced that this is an axiety thing! It seems to have all of the hallmarks, and the more I think about it, the worse it gets .. the classic catch .22.
I want to do some sport, or some excersise, but each time I do, I get so lightheaded that I think I am going to pass out. And afterwards, I am pretty much on the sofa for the rest of the day, trying to recover and get my head to settle down. Again, that just makes me feel worse about myself and wonder if I will ever be back to normal again.
I don't know where this came from, and I always thought I would be the last person to suffer from something like this. But I think I just feel like talking about it and seeing if anyone else can relate and provide advice?
I'm sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get as much of this written down as I can to see if it rings any bells with anyone!
Thanks, Ori
0 likes, 7 replies
jan34534 Orias
Posted
I have had the vertigo not as often as you but I know what it feels like and mine is definitely caused by anxiety over years and years. I too am a very calm and easy going person but I think the problem is that I never expressed myself enough and kept everything bottled up inside. I never talked in school I was lacking confidence and never assertive.
oh my tests also came back good. That's how I know it's all stress and anxiety related. The brain and nervous system can only take so much before it basically wants to collapse. That's what happened to me in my late 20s. I was terrified because I had all kinds of anxiety symptoms and thought I had some terrible disease which I did not. you know the old saying the straw that broke the camels back. So that's why it's important to address the anxiety and stress issue. The brain and nervous system needs to be calmed down on a regular basis.
I ended up going to regular counseling sessions which helped me get going and made me realize what all that deep down anxiety and fear was about.
I started listening to meditative audios on YouTube for stress, anxiety, depression, sleeping. They are excellent and completely relax my mind and body. I do them a couple times a day and there are many to choose from. I specially like them when I'm laying down to sleep and I put my earbuds in.
I think you may really like them! Just search for guided meditation for anxiety. A couple really good ones are called detachment from overthinking and clearing subconscious negativity.
Another thing that's very important when you feel anxiety coming on is to use proper breathing technique. It brings you to the present moment which is important.There are short meditations for this on you tube also. You can search mindfulness breathing guided meditation. Or 10 minute mindful breathing meditation.
if you can get a copy of a book called Mindfulness, it's excellent for teaching you all of this and showing you how to regain your peace of mind. it was a white cover a book with a ball of string on the cover .
anxiety can sneak up on us even when we don't feel anxious. It's really strange but it happens to a lot of people.
I do anything I can to calm down my mind and body including taking walks in nature, doing simple things I enjoy etc.
are you believe you will notice a huge difference in how you feel if you begin to practice mindfulness. It is helped me a lot. I hope you feel better! ??
Orias jan34534
Posted
Thanks for taking the time to post such a lenghty response! I will certainly look up some of those videos you suggested. I do adopt the whole breathe in through the nose for 7 seconds, hold and breathe out through the mouth for 10 seconds thing. It does help to calm me down somewhat, so if I can expand on that, then great.
I tend to fall asleep listening to audio books anyway, so listening to something else shouldn't be too hard. The thing that kind of made the doctor assume that it was something stress/anxiety related was when I told him that having a beer will usually make the symptoms subside a bit. I told him that it wasn't a great solution, seeing as I have this feeling 24/7, which means I need a beer 24/7 to counteract it! But the fact that a beer calms me down, and somewhat relieves the symptoms, was quite telling of what it might be!
Thanks again for the response! I'm willing to try anything I can at this stage!
Italia06 Orias
Posted
Ménière's disease?
Orias Italia06
Posted
Ciao Italia! Thanks for the reply! Actually, Meniere's disease was mentioned! The doctor assumed I knew nothing about it, as it is relatively rare. Unfortunately, I am very familiar with it. My Father had it when he was 22, and they had to remove everything inside in left ear, so he's been deaf on one side since then. That was 50+ years ago now, and he's fine .. but I am all too aware of the disease. As far as I am aware, it's not hereditary, but certainly something I am keeping a close eye on. Right now, I have no problems with my ears. No aches, no pain, no hearing issues, no tinnitus .. so I am hoping that it's not that!
Italia06 Orias
Posted
jan34534 Orias
Posted
Yes , I knew it was anxiety for me when having a glass of wine calmed everything down. But you're right we can't be drinking all day! LOL
Orias
Posted
Actually, one thing I forgot to add was the medication that I was given.
Firstly, SERC .. which is used to combat the vertigo. I think it increases the blood flow to the inner-ear to help with balance issues. Each time I go back to the doctor, he tells me to start taking it again.
They also gave me Valium. I still haven't taken one of these. The idea was to take one before bed to help relax my muscles in case the dizziness was being caused by upper-back problems. As I said, I still never took one, as I see Valium as something as a "last-resort".
And lastly, they gave me 50mg Dogmatil pills (these are also known as Sulpiride or Dolmatil). Initially I was told to take one of these per day, but the ENT doctor said that I should only take one if I was actually suffering a vertigo attack at the time.
Again, I've only ever taken about 2 of these! But with the way I am feeling, and what I am reading, I am thinking that I should maybe try to take these each day. As I understand it, the 50mg dose is very low ... and if it has an effect on my light-headed/dizziness, then I am more than willing to try it.
Does anyone else use these? I try not to take any pills if I can avoid them, but I'm starting to think that maybe I should at least try them if it will help my day-to-day life!
Cheers!