Brain fog, dizziness, vision problems, head pressure, headache PLEASE HELP

Are you sitting on your computer for long every day?

Do you think a computer could cause such symptoms? I do spend lots of time on computer but even after having 3 weeks away nothing changed so didn’t think that could be it?

I think this has a lot to do with neurotransmitters in the brain/optical nerved.

How do you do vestibular rehabilitation?

Have you always suffered with migraines?

No never before this started. Never had many headaches either before i got dizzy.

We have been suffering about the same amount of time.  Curious as to why your doctors may say that migraines just started out of the blue.  How did it all begin for you?  Mine began with extreme vertigo and vomiting.  Severe off balance lasted probably most of a year.  I now have issues in large store settings and in environments that are large open areas.  I am prpbably 90% recovered from where it began but still have issues where I can feel a drunk type feeling. Loud sound and stress gives me headaches.  I also have a lot of sinus issues.

Hi Terry!

I also suffer from form that “drunk feeling”.. The only thing that has helped me with that feeling is Acupuncture and massages.. I’ve gotten all kinds of blood work and brain MRI’s and thank God I’m healthy:.. 

what’s your condition..? 

I’ve seen all types of doctors that don’t know what makes me need that drunk sensation or dizzy.. I got tested for vertigo but I don’t have it.. I’ve always suffered from migraines but with the Acupuncture I don’t get them anymore...

I still haven’t been able to figure it out..; but being in markets and malls make me a bit dizzy...

I never got a difinitive diagnosis.  Had all of the tests, MRI, ENG, blood work, etc.  I saw 5 ENTs, 2 GPs, a Neurologist and a Neurotologist.  I gave up on them helping.  I too have had a form of accupuncture (dry needling) and massage therapy.  No great change in the drunk feeling in environments that challenge my vestibular system.  I've never had migraines but, barometric pressure changes bother me now as well.  I just make the best of each day that I can.  I don't think that doctors have a clue about what the issue is and even if they did I'm not sure that it is something that could be fixed without making it worse for some of the options that they may offer.  The Neurotologist wanted to do intratympanic steroid injections into what he hoped was the deficient ear.  Didn't make sense to me.

Some days are better than others for me and some of the challenges are exacerbated by the anxiety that it creates when you feel like your head is loose.  Even at 90% there are still challenges that it poses.  I do believe that the neck muscles play a role in the remaining symptoms that I still feel.  I had a similar occurrence several years ago but, I completely recovered with no residual issues at that time.  The incident 4 years  ago was somewhat different.  

From what I have researched the issue that it poses in large stores and large open environments is called the vestibular occular reflex.  With damage to a vestibular nerve there is a time gap between what the eyes see and what the inner ear tells the brain.  Sort of out of sync.  This causes the eyes to want to wander.  The vestibular occular reflex is something that we take for granted until it is out of balance.  The balance of the head and eyes and muscles throughout the body through the vestibular occular reflex is supposed to take milli-seconds to occur.  With damage to a vestibular nerve it delays the signal co-ordination needed for perfect balance.

Derealization and depersonalization this what might make you feel drunk!!! I feel drunk too, looking in the mirror is hard , coz i feel even more drunk and detauched ! But what cause derealization idk, eithet major depression, or generalized anxiety , may be both together its like a cycle that hard to break they all connested one to an other.. panic attack- anxiety- depression - derealization, and all this dizziness , and heavy head, tremor, insomnia, headaches, fog  in between, never feel myself!

Hey Terry

I saw you on here and wanted to say hello. Sorry to read you are still not 100%. I'm not either. What has really changed for me is the white noise in my damaged ear. It is much louder than ever before and constant. I haven't had any dizzy episodes just the occasional wonky feeling when i turn my head too fast. I also notice more wonkiness when i have a bad headache or feel stressed. My bad ear feels full or plugged most of the time as well but it's not something i can't live with.

I was in Vegas back in May and had no issues on the plane! Yahoo! I attended two concerts there and just wore earplugs to protect my bad ear from the noise. It all went well.

Take care. Debbie

Wow.. we have sooo much in common. All the doctors I’ve seen are clueless.. they all say I’m healthy according to the countless tests I’ve had. I saw two neurologist and they both said it “might be anxiety”.. of course they wanted to put me on meds but I REFUSED! I’m not a fan of meds.. they cure one thing and have worse side affects..

I truly don’t believe it’s anxiety. When my situation is at a 10 (the worst) it does give me anxiety, not knowing what’s wrong with me.. but after all these test I’ve had it brings me comfort knowing I’m healthy and whatever is making me feel dizzy.. won’t kill me lol.

I might say that Acupuncture has made my symptoms 90% better.. and I try and get 2 massages per month.. I also take black seed oil and magnesium vitamins... (not that I’m low in magnesium) but I heard it helps.. lol

I’ve been suffering from this for 2 in a half yrs.. starting right after I had my son...

My neck gives me trouble.. I just had an MRI of neck and the doctor said there was some type of MINOR damage.. and he asked if I had ever been in an accident.. I said, no. The only thing I can think of is I crack my neck a lot and I carry my son in that side a lot.

The doctor said the only things that will help is what I’m currently doing.. Acupuncture and massages.. 

I asked him if that’s why I feel “off, or drunk” and he said it’s not related.. who knows..

My last step.. on mtrying to figure this out is going to a Holistic doctor.. my insurance won’t cover it so I would have to pay out of pocket... it’s pricey but maybe he can help my “drunk feeling” and my neck.

If I miss my Acupuncture I feel the dizziness and drunk feeling more.. I’m learning to live with it.. so I kinda have learned what makes me feel better.

I’ve also seen two eye specialist and I have 20/20 vision.. lol and I’ve gotten hearing test and everything is ok..

One thing I feel often is my ears feel pressure as if I’m in a high altitude.. ENT is clueless.

Hi Vanessa , i started to have this same problems 2 years ago too right after i had my son ...  i done all of the tests too, and all clear. I am currently going to a Chiro and he is working on my neck C1 is misaligned , he is saying the neck is causing my dizziness, ears pressure and drunk feeling, i did it 8 times so far , no difference  Can i ask you if it effected ur appetite in any way, coz i totally can not eat, anxiety gives me bad nausea, and i keep on losing weight!  Do you think the hormonal disbalance could cause us feeling what we feel? Have u done ur blood work to check ur hormones levels? 

Hi Lanvyn,

I’m sry you’re feeling this way.. have u had any test done? Form reading everyone’s post on here I’ve found that we need to be persistent with these doctors.. so we can get the test or see the specialist we need too. There are also times we need to seek second opinions.. it’s soooo frustrating when you’re not feeling “normal”..

Like I was telling Terry.. what’s helped me 90% is Acupuncture and massages.. I noticed that every time I got it done, the next day I would barely notice my “drunk feeling”.. 

I do get anxiety from the dizziness or fatigue feeling but I’m able to give myself the pep talk and reassure myself that I’m healthy.. that’s one of the reasons I refuse to take any anti anxiety meds.. or any type of prescription.

Yes all of the possible tests, Mri’s, x-ray,blood work,many many blood work, and ultra-sounds. ENT’s. And psycologists. Who is really pushing me for antidepressants. .. which i do not belive in. I been such a heath freak all my life. No drugs, no alcohols, work out eat clean. I just do not get what is it that went wrong..... thanks for ur reply. Best of luck to you!!! 

Lanvyn, honestly you need to follow your gut instinct.. if you don’t feel like you need those antidepressant DON’T take them.. doctors are so quick to fill our mouths with prescription pills.. like I said, be your own advocate and think outside the box.. try Acupuncture.. massages.. oils... and maybe it’s time you look into maybe seeing a holistic doctor, it’s a lisenced doctor thatnuses natural herbal remedies and checks out vitamin levels and things that western doctors don’t think of looking at or believe in. That’s my next step but Acupuncture and massages help my “drunk feeling”.. 

best of luck to u too! Make sure u pray, through God we will all be healed, in the name of Jesus Christ.

I was vastly overweight and on a lot of mental health medication and went to the gym. After only 10 minutes in the gym I was very ill. Dizzy, weak, sweating and I was violently sick for 2 days. I recovered after a few days. About 2 weeks later I sneezed and I have been dizzy ever since. Some things were seeing improvement on and off but for more than 6 months now I am worse than ever. Very dizzy, head pressure, pulling/twisting in my head, very fatigued all day every day, hyperacusis tinnitus on and off, ear pressure, earaches. Migraine/headaches 2 to 4 days a month. I get mild shooting mains that come and go in my head everyday. I take ibuprofen 3 times a day and ibuprofen and co-codamol when i have a bad migraine. I don't leave the house for weeks at a time. I feel more dizzy, and disequilibrium is worse outside.

I saw my ENT/NEURO-OTOLOGIST this week. I have been seeing him every six months for a few years. He said he can't treat me and has tried all the medication he would like to try. After telling him that I have been worse and can hardly cope he then asked if I work. He has asked this every time I've seen him. Shows he doesnt listen or understand the severity of this illness. He said he only wants to see me in 1 year and said hopefully I will be better by then. He sure is a specialist in something! No bedside manner or compassion. First I was given Propranolol (made me more fatigued), then Amytriptyline (made my heart pound constantly and made my blood pressure high) then Nortriptyline (made headaches worse and made me more fatigued) then Gabapentin (hit me for six and made my headaches much worse). Don't be put off by these drugs. They have worked wonders for some people. I have come to realise that I am very sensitive to medication. Maybe they did also not mix well with the mental health medication I am on too.

So good to hear from you.  Yes, I'm still stuck at the level that I have been at for the last couple of years.  Some days are better than others.  I'm sure that the ear fullness, and especially the tinnitis, can get to you at times.  Have you decided to have the other knee issue taken care of or is it still doing well?

My main issues are still environment driven.  Large spaces still cause me to have a disoriented feeling on occasion.  It is so odd that at times I have no problems with them.  Barometric pressure changes always cause issues for me and we have had a lot of dramatic swings in the pressure over that last few months.

I remember you telling me about your trip and I know that your girls keep you busy.  I'm so glad that you have been able to get this issue behind you.  Hopefully, after two occurrences you are through with it.  That is enough for a lifetime.

It does sound like we are at an identical point.  I can manage with the symptoms that remain for me but, some days it can be a challenge.  I tried magnesium and the migraine diet and it helped marginally.  I truly believe that the issue is related to issues that I have with my neck.  So many people that I see post all seem to relate that they have neck issues.  I had a neck MRI and found that I have stenosis, degenerative discs and some bone spurs.  When you consider that the eyes, inner ear and muscles all work in unison to balance the body it makes sense that the neck can relate bad signals causing the other two to perceive that something is out of sync.  I have quit seeing doctors because they are clueless as to what is going on.  I too experience anxiety but, as you state, I know that the anxiety is driven by the feeling of the body being out of control (balance).  All medications have adverse effects for me so I try to take the very minumum that I have to.  My belief is that medication just masks the real underlying cause of illness.  I strggle with a lot of sinus issues as well and I know that adds to the symptoms.

So good to share with you.  Maybe we can continue to correspond and we can find the answers to the last steps to get back to 100%.  I'm always open to trying new things that others find that helps.  I need to start back on the needling and the massage as well.  The neck has been bothering me for the last few weeks.

Please keep in touch and let me know how the osteopath treatment goes.  One thing that I did find after pushing my GP to check is that my ferratin is extremely low.  Most doctors just check for anemia and do not look at ferratin levels.  Ferretin is what provides energy reserves for the body.  I have been working to get mine back up for a couple of months.  It is a slow process but, I am in hopes that once resolved it may provide some relief to my symptoms as well.  Low ferratin can cause dizziness so hopefully getting it back up will relieve some of the remaning symptoms.

Are you in the US, UK or Canada? Great talking with you.

Since having this illness I am very sensitive to medication as well.  Seems like everything that I take will cause me to experience the side effects listed.  I took Gabapentin for almost a year and found that it helped little.  I've tried a couple on anti-depressants and both caused intolerable side effects.

It is a joke that a doctor would tell you that they have tried all that the can offer.  Basically, just writing you off by telling that they will see you in a year.  Without any treatment I wonder what he/she expects to miraculously occur within that year.  I had one tell me early on that he could not help me and that I needed to go home and pray about it.  They are truly clueless.  I learned more on here and Google than any doctor helped me with.  All they want to do is to prescribe a pill and then send you on your way.  When they cannot determine what is going on it the becomes something that there is no test that can confirm or disprove their diagnosis.  i.e. MAV, PPPD, anxiety.

I would recommend what Vanessa has related, as it helped me as well and if you haven't had any, vestibular rehabilitation therapy.  Getting any anxiety under control will aid as well as it just adds to the symptoms (doesn't cause them).  I know that is easier said than done, though.

I would seek out another Neurotologist.  Never stop looking for the answers because, there is one out there.  One book that I would recommend to you is Heal Your Headache by David Bucholz.  There is a lot of information in the book that is an eye opener to the symptoms that we suffer from.

Stay in touch.

Hi Terry

Good to hear from you as well! Sorry you are not 100%...i doubt we will ever be!

I'm not sure why barometric pressure affects us but it does! Some of us more than others!

Other things that affect my ears are loud noises (such as loud music and vacuums and blenders and mixers) as well as the cold, my salt intake and quality/quantity of sleep I get! If I get a headache, it is sure to affect my wonkiness! Thankfully, i have learned ways to get around some of these things!

Thx for asking about my knee. The operated one is great but the other one needs to be fixed too...not sure when but likely within the next two years.

Please keep me posted about your health and write me if you find something else that gives you relief from your remaining issues!

Take care

Debbie

Have you had a dignois my ears and head pound all the time light makes me dizzy and feel constantly of balance or when I’m standing feel like I’m moving but Im not like pushing feeling x

Hi Naomi if you scroll all the way up. Terry says its all in his prevoius posts. And yes most of us get this pushing , pulling sensation in our head, and moving feeling when we r not moving.  I hAve it too, and i hate it. But interestingly i noticed that if i look at the hole place( room , store) i feel like i am moving, and totally dissolve in that enviroment. But if i put my eyes just in one object, and stay on it, i feel a little better, it helps a little to get my head back together .if that makes any sense to u....

With the pounding feeling and sensitivity to light it sounds more like migraine to me.  I don't experience that sensation but, I do get occasional headaches under stress and that makes the dizziness worse.  Have you ever had migraines or do you have family members that have them?

The symptoms that you mentioned are in the below detail.

Symptoms of migraine:

Prodrome:

One or two days before a migraine, you may notice subtle changes that warn of an upcoming migraine, including:

Constipation

Mood changes, from depression to euphoria

Food cravings

Neck stiffness

Increased thirst and urination

Frequent yawning

Aura:

Aura may occur before or during migraines. Most people experience migraines without aura.

Auras are symptoms of the nervous system. They are usually visual disturbances, such as flashes of light or wavy, zigzag vision.

Sometimes auras can also be touching sensations (sensory), movement (motor) or speech (verbal) disturbances. Your muscles may get weak, or you may feel as though someone is touching you.

Each of these symptoms usually begins gradually, builds up over several minutes and lasts for 20 to 60 minutes. Examples of migraine aura include:

Visual phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light

Vision loss

Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg

Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body

Difficulty speaking

Hearing noises or music

Uncontrollable jerking or other movements

Sometimes, a migraine with aura may be associated with limb weakness (hemiplegic migraine).

Attack:

A migraine usually lasts from four to 72 hours if untreated. The frequency with which headaches occur varies from person to person. Migraines may be rare, or strike several times a month. During a migraine, you may experience:

Pain on one side or both sides of your head

Pain that feels throbbing or pulsing

Sensitivity to light, sounds, and sometimes smells and touch

Nausea and vomiting

Blurred vision

Lightheadedness, sometimes followed by fainting

Post-drome:

The final phase, known as post-drome, occurs after a migraine attack. You may feel drained and washed out, while some people feel elated. For about 24 hours, you may also experience:

Confusion

Moodiness

Dizziness

Weakness

Sensitivity to light and sound

 

Terry,

Very interesting.. I’m sure docs have checked my ferritin levels but I’ve never asked or been told about them.. all I know is my hematologist said that even when my iron saturation is low.. I’m NOT anemic.. which is odd bc  usually that goes hand to hand.

One thing that I totally forgot to mention.. is my platelets are always HIGH.. my “normal” is usually always in the 480-500.. the hematologist doesn’t know why there always high., usually it’s when the body is trying to fight off an infection but I’m healthy.. (for the most part). At this point he’s clueless on to why the platelet levels are high.. 

Yes, I will definitely keep you updated when I got See this  Holistic doctor.. 

I live in the USA 🇺🇸 

But the neck theory is by far the most interesting one.. the only thing that helps my neck issues is Acupuncture and massages..

The massages work instantly.. if the person is good.. if the massage person isn’t as good.. I’ll feel Instant dizziness and like “vertigo symptoms”..