Can Epidural Injections cause chronic Vestibular Neuritis and chronic migraines?

Hi,

I am new to the forum and decided to create an account to seek help.

Currently I am suffering from what I have been told as chronic Vestibular Neuritis. Aside from this I also suffer from chronic, severe migraines. However none of this ever happened until about two years ago. Hopefully someone here can give me insight or possible answers.

About 2-3 years ago I had a bulging, partially herniated disc in my L5. Pain doc wanted me to try epidural injections. I agreed. Upon getting the shot, the following day I was so dizzy and my head hurt so bad I could not get out of bed for two weeks. Doc said it was possible I had a spinal fluid leak. Doc conducted a “blood patch” (Same as epidural, but they inject your own blood into your spine instead of a steroid). About two days after the blood patch I was good as new, back on my feet. No more dizziness or headaches. However, the pain in my back came back. Doctor convinced me to get another injection (worst decision of my life).

I agree and get the shot. Low and behold, two days later same exact thing happened. Severe, throbbing headache and dizziness that is only relieved by lying flat in bed. The doctor did not believe me refused to give me another blood patch. So he ships me off to an ENT. The ENT does all kinds of tests. One was a vision test with goggles and watching lights moving around and another was placing cold and hot air in my ears (That was an absolute nightmare, by the way). They cannot come up with a diagnosis and give me every kind of medication you can think of.

I went back to pain doc and begged for the blood patch, he agreed and conducted another one. However he did it wrong. Recovery after a blood patch is to lay flat on a table for 45 min – hour. After the procedure he had me walking and sitting in a chair. Thus, the procedure failed and the symptoms continued. I begged for another, re again refused. After explaining to him how I felt he did the procedure wrong he dropped me as a patient. So I went on to another pain doc, who agreed to give me a third blood patch (Mind you, at this point I have been in bed, bedridden for a year). Blood patch is completed and the symptoms start to fade in about two weeks. I was finally able to go back to work.

Now, after all of that I suffer from daily sever migraines and reoccurring dizziness. The ENT continued to treat me for the dizziness and I was sent to two different neurologists for the migraines. I have had numerous MRI’s and CT scans. All come back normal. The Neurologist just throws medications at me and tell me to go away.

The ENT’s final diagnosis is Vestibular Neuritis. Which I’m guessing is now chronic? I will be fine for several months, then all the sudden I wake up dizzy and sick for the next 2-3 weeks. The only cure is to take valium to help subside the dizziness.

My question is. Is this even VN? How is it possible this happened from two steroid injections? I have never had any of these symptoms until the day I had a needle stuck in my spine.

Now for the past several months every single morning I wake up, I feel drunk and hung over. I bounce off the walls as I make my way to the restroom. The drunken, feeling never goes away and I always feel like im in a “haze”, kinda like the world goes by and I don’t even notice.

Does anyone have any clue as to what the h%%% happened to me? Seems none of the 9 doctors I have been too, do.

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