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Any tricks or tips for relief ???

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hayhue
Hayhue

Does anyone know of any ways to find some relief? Anything at all? And epley maneuver doesn't work for me as it's not my crystals in my ear.

I am one hundred thousand percent over feeling this way. Literally from the moment I wake up till the time I go to sleep, I am dizzy and feel sick.

Even people in pain find moments of relief! This is relentless!!

A few weeks ago, my ENT said chronic sinusitis - I don't think that's right. I'm calling him tomorrow. Went to ER few weeks ago too - fluid behind ears. My ear is full and ringing and I'm dizzy and feel nauseated.

Antibiotic I tried (Z-pack) didn't work. Been taking Claritin off n on for months. It made me feel better but kept having random vertigo attacks (sweating, spinning, nausea) so I'm afraid it's related to that. It probably isn't but I'm trying to find a reason those randomly started. Been using Flonase religiously.

Anyone have any advice to share, PLEASE! I am exhausted from this and so miserable!

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • lynne85105
    lynne85105 Hayhue

    Posted

    I'm the same as you...I don't know how to exist anymore

    I've just about given up on my life. Hope you hope you can find some relief.

    please share if you do.

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue lynne85105

      Posted

      I'm so sorry. I know it's so horrible. I hope we both find relief. I've given up too, my mental health has declined so much I don't even recognize myself anymore.

      This is torture.

  • frances72228
    frances72228 Hayhue

    Posted

    It's a long shot but try magnesium. A deficiency can cause dizziness, it can cause other symptoms, different people seem to have different symptoms. It's an incredibly important mineral in our bodies, but hardly anyone talks about it. If you do a google search and find out the sorts of foods that have magnesium, it's the usual healthy stuff, you know, like fruit and veg, nuts and seeds, wholemeal bread, all those things that people tell us we should eat more of. If you don't have much of those sorts of foods in your diet then taking a supplement might help, or you can have a nice bath in magnesium flakes, which can make people feel very relaxed, and it does no harm to eat a better diet and have more of it anyway, so even if it isn't the cause it might make you feel a bit better anyway.
    • Hayhue
      Hayhue frances72228

      Posted

      My blood work seems fine they didn't mention a magnesium imbalance.

      I'll look into it tho, thank u!! smile

    • frances72228
      frances72228 Hayhue

      Posted

      it doesn't show up in blood tests, but magnesium is very important for nerve health, so it might be worth it.
    • Hayhue
      Hayhue frances72228

      Posted

      I have some I was given for calcified tendon before. I'll try it out! Thank u!
  • DizzyLizzy68
    DizzyLizzy68 Hayhue

    Posted

    That sounds pretty intense for chronic sinusitis! Maybe a second opinion is in order? Are your symptoms in one ear only? An accurate diagnosis will help determine the proper treatment.

    Have you tried decongestants and do they help? Did the dr recommend a steroid pack? One thing you could try for the dizziness is dramamine, which is a motion sickness medication. But it can be sedating so be careful when first trying it. Some dizziness and ear issues are helped by a lower sodium diet, so you could try to limit sodium. I personally take a prescription drug, Klonopin, when the dizziness hits. It stops it most times, but my problem isn't sinusitis. Many drs don't like to give benzos because they can be addictive. But it's helped me tremendously, and allows me to function in my job.

    I am not saying your Dr is wrong and it can't be sinusitis. But a second opinion might provide a different diagnosis and treatment plan.

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      Yes, only my left ear that high pitched rings and feels full. That's what I'm saying too there's no way this is chronic sinusitis. I also have small fiber neuropathy so I think some of the dizziness comes from that but there's no way it's causing this. I think both of these together is feeling like torture.

      I've been taking Claritin off and on for months. This last week, it did help me, made me almost feel normal! But then I had a "vertigo attack" where it comes out of absolutely nowhere except I start to feel weird and my face gets really hot then I sweat and shake and I get horrible vertigo for the rest of the night. I have to lay still or I'll vomit. That's why I quit taking it to see if it's from the pill or not.

      Nope no steroid pack. Only antibiotics and Claritin.

      I've been limiting sodium to see if that will help. Actually, one of the best ENTs in the US for balance disorders prescribed me Klonopin back in 2007 when I was suffering from chronic vertigo. It didn't work. But I never had the ringing in my ears back then or fullness in only 1 ear. I actually called his office Friday for an appt.

      I have some klonopin now due to anxiety but Im sensitive to medicine so .5 mgs has to be cut in half 4 times and I take that small piece. So I take 1/4 of .5 mgs. It makes me tired and then the tired makes me dizzy. I also have Valium but it does the same. I haven't taken either in a while. I stay away from anything that can make me dizzy.

    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 Hayhue

      Posted

      I was sensitive to the klonopin at first too. I had to cut it up and get used to it. I will say that if u are taking 1/4 of a 0.5mg tablet, that us probably too lw of dose to help the dizziness. Migraine can cause dizziness, so can Menieres. And they often coexist together. Have you had a vng/ calorics test recently? I also have the ringing in one ear that increases when I am having a dizzy spell. They are calling my issue migraine, but one dr says it could be atypical menieres.

      Claritin without the D is only an antihistamine not decongestant. Why does the Dr think chronic sinusitis? From ct scan?

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      Really? I never thought of it being too low to help. The first time I ever took it, I took a half of one and it made me really drunk feeling then when it wore off I had a headache and was dizzy. After that I switched to the 1/4 and it helped w my anxiety enough that I could function.

      I had a VNG/caloric 2 weeks ago. I got sick during the caloric so the doc stopped me short and we didn't finish. Upset me he did that tho cause I would've continued.

      I had no idea they could exist together. No he didn't even look at my CT scan. He said it was that from my symptoms and he stuck one of those little cameras up my nose and into my throat where he saw some puss. I asked about Ménière's but he basically laughed and said no way.

      I just want a dx so badly so my family quits telling me I'm making it up all these years. So that I can get disability to help me pay my school loans back as I've never been able to hold a full time job because of this. No employers accepts "dizzy" as a reason to call off. So that I know I can take care of myself in the future. I'm so nervous all of the time because I don't know how I'm going to survive when my parents pass away. I have a degree in pre-law but can't utilize it as I can't sit on a computer w/out being dizzy or drive myself anywhere or walk around anywhere by myself or even be in fluorescent lighting. I'm having to suck it up and go back to a trade school online to get a job from home so I can have employment with vertigo.

      I'm so scared I'm never going to be able to live my life and one day I'm going to get sick with something bad and it'll be too late. That they never even figured out what the heck was wrong with me to give me the chance to travel and live my life before it was too late.

      I wanted to join the peace corps. I wanted to go to school far away. I wanted to have a career. I had so many dreams for myself just swept away by this stupid dizziness!! I can't do it anymore. I gave up from 17 yrs old to 28/29 to this dizziness. I don't want to give any more years of my life to this without knowing why it has plagued me for so long.

      Sorry to emotional vomit on here to you but I'm just at the end of my rope. I know I could have it worse and I'm thankful I don't but no one understands how horrible dizzy really is until it's you 24/7.

      That's why I come here.

  • eleftherio33095
    eleftherio33095 Hayhue

    Posted

    If you could describe one symptom that stands out from everything else, which would it be?  Is it the intermittent episodes with a spinning sensation, or something else?

    Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

    Clinical Neurophysiologist

    Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • Hayhue
      Hayhue eleftherio33095

      Posted

      I feel so bad you always try to help me lol bless you, thank you so much. I know I'm a walking mystery.

      Stands out as in it is consistent, doesn't go away?

      - That would be the dizzy feeling. That feeling where you feel "off", "not right". Like where it feels you're 50% normal and 50% sick all of the time. That has been persistent since my vertigo came back in 2013.

      But if you mean stands out as in doesn't seem normal with everything else:

      - it would be the weird vertigo attacks I've recently been having with the sudden sweating, heart palps, and spinning. The sweating and heart palps subside after the "attack" but the vertigo stays until I fall asleep and then I wake up feeling better without the spinning but still dizzy.

      My vertigo from 2004-2012 consisted of mainly vertigo. I'd randomly wake up with it or it would come on throughout the day. I could also feel it coming on a few days before it would actually happen, at times. It was mostly unpredictable. It also consisted of heavy head and messed with my vision (light sensitivity in stores; couldn't watch movies in the dark, sit on computer too long, read a book). It was also worse at times when it rained. Not sure if it was from the grey color outside messing with my vision or the change in weather. Naps worsened it as well so I avoided napping. The only time period the vertigo barely existed was from 2011 to Summer of 2013 when I exercised twice a day and took prescribed phentermine for weight loss.

      Fall of 2013 is when I got the eye infection and is when my vertigo returned with a vengeance. The infection had no dx. The eye infection (right eye) caused horrible eye migraines and ice pick headaches (still have ice pick headaches). At first I didn't have the vertigo but then I felt it slowly coming on. Then I woke up one day and everything was spinning. The vertigo/ off balance didn't go away for months. I never went to doc because I figured it was my regular vertigo returning. The initial vertigo wore off but dizzy/ off feeling remained until August of 2015 when I started having the heaviness in legs, 1-2 second black out spells (never lost consciousness), "brain zaps" (electrical shock), horrible anxiety etc.. I also started having flash of light in left eye & blurred vision dx as ocular migraine. Ringing in 1 ear (left) and fullness. Heavy head. Found out I have hypothyroidism, took medicine, anxiety went away but dizzy/off feeling stayed. Started having numbness & muscle spasms so went to neuro who dx me w small fiber neuropathy and occipital neuralgia; and here I am. Now I'm having "vertigo attacks" (3-4 of them the last 3-4 months).

      That's my entire story, beginning to end minus the constant tests and docs seen. Also once was told back in 2011 by ENT clinic did 3 hr testing that I have slight nystagmus in right eye but nothing wrong w ears or CNS.

      That's everything. Sorry to write a book lol

    • Laurie34
      Laurie34 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      #1 Brain fog.  Far and away the absolute worst.  It makes you confused.  Causes exhaustion and makes living daily life unbearable at times.  
  • c4013
    c4013 Hayhue

    Posted

    Are you taking betahistine? This helps me I think in a high dose of 32mg x 3 a day. It takes a while to work. Last time I had this I only took 16mg x3 a day and I gave up. But I have since been told that higher levels are the only ones that work by ent.?!?

    I wish there was an answer to this too. I share your worries and fears and frustrating. For sinus conGestingthorpe eating a clove of raw garlic usually helps me a bit. As far as help with balance or respite I don't know. I had a 3 day course of antibiotics and as I've said I thought that helped but I'm trying them again and it's no change in fact probably a lot worse as I have gone back to feeling unsettled and as though I'm on a lilo.

    I listen to stories on a kindle app..When it's too much to read.

    If the camera work is smooth I can watch TV. But I'm sorry I don't have the miracle cure. We are all searching for it but if I do find something that makes this better I will be in touch straight away.

    Don't lose hope. We have each other

    • c4013
      c4013

      Posted

      Sinus congestion try raw garlic. It might make you sick but it does clear them. Not popular however with my family!!! But needs must!!
    • Hayhue
      Hayhue c4013

      Posted

      No, I've never even heard of it until I read it's name on here. No ones ever given me anything other than some meclizine which didn't work and then some klonopin.

      Thank you for your kind words.

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