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Dizziness, Fatugue, Weakness & Fainting

Posted , 6 users are following.

Milele
Milele

For nearly 2 months now I have been feeling dizzy constantly throughout the day, no more than 5 minutes go by without me feeling really dizzy. Along with it I have been feeling extremely exhausted even when I wake up in the morning. Then there's the feeling of weakness I get really tired even carrying my 20 month old up the stairs for his nap...though he is solid this has never been a problem in the past. I have been having fainting spells which last up to 10 minutes. I am forced to stay indoors as I am worries that going for walks with my baby is a danger. I recently requested my doctor for the following testes: Vitamin D and Cholesterol. He has requested these specialists appointments for me: ENT and a neurologist. Anyone out there know what I could be having? Or going through the similar symptoms cry

0 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • chris1971
    chris1971 Milele

    Posted

    virtigo or labrynthitis your symptoms sound the same as what i had luckily mine only lasted a week with strong medication but not to scare you if you have labrynthitis it can last for years but there are exercises you can do google it it really doe help and work
    • Milele
      Milele chris1971

      Posted

      Good thing yours didn't last. I'm not sure whether it is virtigo or labrynthitis, hopefully after my tests tomorrow the doctor will get to tell me more in the course of the week or two. Thanks for sharing though, fingers crossed for you, hope you don't have to go through it ever again.
  • marlene21102
    marlene21102 Milele

    Posted

    Hi Milele As you will see there are many here and on other sites ,suffering with this condition,none of us have an answer. Think we all take a stab at it,don't know how many of us have thrown our hands up ,drs can't find the cause  none that I've read here and elsewhere  get the bloods done ,well worth a look ,never let drs fob you off .

      Yes and get eye test  let optitian have a look ,they pick up on all sorts ,I've had 3/4 now all been fine ,but go book a test won't hurt any 

      I've had balance problem going on for 4 yrs ,but not giving up  at present Im looking into autoimmune system ,maybe a food being eaten etc and doing this ,as Dizzyness is a symptom .I look into everything ,don't pooh. Pooh anything. As something is at the bare roots of it .Keep going till I find it .Do you have any neck ache/pain,some have that ,any ear ringing / hissing going on. If so that would be tinnitus  not unusual i pregnant women to get that ,being you have young baby ,just a thought .

    • marlene21102
      marlene21102 Trevis

      Posted

      Hi still the same Rocking and Rolling ,how this keeps on going ,every day the same  I've just got a book on its way to me on Autoimmune system ,as that's what Dr said in beginning  my immune system was low .Did check my kidney and liver out via blood test ,that was fine ,Dizzyness is a sign  one of that,that can be a sign .

        What Rocksolid put up  is interesting  go have a look SMC .

        So when I get this book. Will see what that says .How are you ? Getting out more ,or still restricted as myself .🎆

    • Milele
      Milele marlene21102

      Posted

      Oh I am so sorry for what you've been going through and I hope that the docs clear it up soon. I have my entire body hurting from time to time and yes my neck down hurts too. 

      Thanks for the advice I will certainly book an appointment with the optitians...won't hurt and you never know, they might just point out the problem.

      It's very scary especially as I have a 20 month old baby. We are home all day till hubby arrives after 7pm. I have felt extreme dizziness while on the stairs with him and had to sit suddenly to avoid passing out. It's a very bad and scary feeling. Unfortunately I do not have relatives around and my husbun's siblings live 6 hours away...so that leaves just us. We've recently moved so I'm just trying to make new friends, but even so, it takes a while to get 'that friend' if you know what I mean. I won't give up though, I'm sure somthing will come out of the tests and if not I will request for a full check. Thanks a lot for taking the time to share, I hope you feel better soon.

  • rocksolid
    rocksolid Milele

    Posted

    Hi Milele,

    I have been dizzy for 4 yrs non stop, so I know how it can be a problem. A bunch of us talk to try and figure out the problem. Being dizzy is tough because it can be so many things. Just don't let it freak you out. Stay calm about it. I would have your doctor check you Iron, Magneseium, and B12 along with the other test you are having. You can also look into the SCM mucle, which is a muscle in your neck. It can give you problems when it is not right. Going to the ENT and Neurologist is a good start, they can rule out a bunch of things. You can also get a blood test for Lyme Disease.

    • Milele
      Milele rocksolid

      Posted

      Oh dear, 4 years is a long time, so sorry. Have your doc's found out anything yet? Have you had to be on long term medication? I feel for you and hope all will be well soon.

      Thanks a lot for the advice, I'll have my gp request the tests if they find nothing. Good thing I decided to share on here coz I am getting a lot of advice and encouragement too. It's amaising how many people are going through what we are. 

       

  • ben99468
    ben99468 Milele

    Posted

    Ms. Milele,

    You do not mention it so I will ask you for any kind of testing you have had done already.  For example, I had visits with neurologist, ENT, a sleep study, MRI and CAT SCAN with contrast.  My case is that of an inflamed nerve called the Vestubular nerve, which confuses me and made me see double for a couple weeks, and makes me feel fatiqued quickly as well as the usual dizzy feeling.

    Two months is a long time to wait for help, and you could be suffering from something totally different from what most of us on this site are.  Please seek medical attention and follow the recomendations of the medical professionals.( as long as you can be reasonably sure they are competent)  You and I and rest of us are only aware of what we have found out due to those very medical professionals.  

    So please seek the professional opinion and if you are suspect come back and post what your concerns are, we might be able to help with that, but we are not doctors and although we wish you all the best and a speedy recovery, we cannot tell you what is wrong with just a couple of symptoms stated.

    Please stay under the supervision of the professionals and see what they have in their repetroire, but please don't wait, if you have something other than what most of us have here on this blog it could be life threatening.

    Ben 

    • rocksolid
      rocksolid ben99468

      Posted

      Hi Ben,

      Which test told you that it was a vestibular issue? Also what are you doing to make it better?

    • ben99468
      ben99468 rocksolid

      Posted

      Hi, a lengthy answer:

      I had so many tests that I can't tell you exactly which one(s) helped make the diagnosis.  After Epley, Canalith,Semont, 1/2 someresault, and others, they did tests that blew hot and cold air into my ears alternately, then pounding sounds into each ear alternately while recording eye movement, and finally they did a simple hearing test.

      I live in the U.S., our health care system is one of individuals each with their own practice, and then there are those institutions where several doctors are under the supervision of a controlling body, much like a very large company, with sitting board members and executives etc.  and so when I first had symptoms I went to a general practioner ( family doctor) and he felt that I needed to see a specialist, an ENT, again, just a single doctor in his own independant business.  

      That ENT diagnosed me with Ménière's disease, which is a thickening or excess amount of fluid in my inner ear.  He prescribed Lipo-Flavonoid and asked me to go to a physical therapy unit in a local (small) hospital where I did many many differnt physical exercises.  I went through their entire repetoire, from laying back and to one side quickly and rolling over to the other side then back up again, to bending over and back and letting them "catch me" from falling over or backward.  We did eye exercises: looking at things close then far and doing it while moving my head from side to side and  up and down.  I did these things sitting, standing and while walking.

      Although I thought at the time we were making progress, when my employer began to ask about returning to work I realized that we were no where near that kind of revovery level, so I went back to the gp and he said lets get a 2nd opinion.

      Next I went to a very large College Hospital ( University of Michigan Medical School Hospital in AnnArbor Michigan only about 20 miles away) and went under the care of a whole group of doctors and another ENT. They looked at the MRI, CAT SCAN and all of the other data from the previous doctors and asked me to have some further testing.  

      This time they did a test where I was strapped into a chair that spun around with the lights off recording my eye movement.  I went Right then Left and we tipped Forward and Backward in the chair.  Then I went into a booth, like a small closet, where the floor moved as if I were on a balance board.  The floor moved like a teeter-todder Left and Right and Back and Forth, while the walls  moved Up and Down, recording all the movements. ( I don't know what these tests are called ) and finally they ran cold water and warm water into my ears alternately.

      They said that I have Vestibular Neuritis and prescribed Physical Theapy  that amounts to a lot of eye exercises.  Looking at a letter up close and far away while moving my head up and down and left and right,  sitting, standing and walking.  They're prognosis was that I am recovering and it will take more time and I am to just keep doing the exercises and I should get better.

      I hope this helps, I can find out what the medical terms are for the tests if you need the actual names.  

      Also, at one time I saw a Neurologist, who asked me to have a sleep study done.  The  Pulmonologist said I have sleep apnea and I have been sleeping with a mask on for about 6 months.  I don't notice any difference in the dizziness, or quezzy feeling, but it did stop my throat from feeling raw because I was snorring.  The cpap machine, if set properly, will not let you snore.  It pressurizes the whole air intake system, opening up the airway and actually pushes the air into your lungs, although you still have to do the breathing.  Then it lowers the pressure some to allow you to breath out easily, but it does keep some pressure on your airway to hold it all open to allow the air to escape without obstruction.  I know it sounds mechanical, and weird, but I am willing to try anything to stop the drunk feeling, and get my ability to concentrate back.

      I am feeling better and better I think.  I am beginning to drive again as part of my  own personal therapy and although difficult and fatuging, I am able to do it.  I still have a lot of difficulty keeping track of everything especially traffic, and with so many things moving I am not a very good driver, but if I stay out of heavy traffic, I don't feel like I am a menace.  I still do the eye exercises while walking, looking at things up close and far away, moving my head up and down and sideways.  I can't tell you that any of it is helping, because it may well be that just passing the time and allowing "it" to heal is all that is happening.  I desperately want to get back to work, so I am doing all the stuff they asked me to and then some.

      I hope I helped you.  

      Ben

          

    • Milele
      Milele ben99468

      Posted

      Thanks Ben and sorry for your condition, I hope it comes to an end soon and that you'll be back on track.I haven't had any scans but the doc did mention that he would request the ENT to have one done for me. He also mentioned having an ECG done should they not find anything. I have had scans (head), ECG monitor and the treadmill test done too in the past when I was fainting but nothing came out of it. I've been having an ongoing problem with my left submandibular gland but the doctors haven't concluded anything hence the ENT appointment. My gp feels that it might be connected. The last time I spoke to the ENT specialist, he seamed to think that the gland duct was blocked causing me the excruciating pain I get from time to time. They tried a scan by injecting die into my mouth then taking an x-ray/scan pic but for some reason it was lost. I did it a second time and the results showed that it was not done correctly:-( That was all before we moved so you can imagine I had to start all over again.

      I have fibroids and have had them removed twice in the past and polyps too so I was thinking maybe low Iron but that was tested in January and it was fine.

      I'll push for proffesional help asap as I cannot carry on like this with a baby around the house. Thanks a lot, I'll keep you posted on my progress.

  • philippa11328
    philippa11328 Milele

    Posted

    Please be aware of the condition superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome as most ENT doctors are not!  it is a balance disorder.

    If you google 'scds uk' you can find my story about the condition which I wrote for the Guardian. There is also an information site scdssupport.org

    Good luck in your search. 

    • Milele
      Milele philippa11328

      Posted

      Thanks ever so much. I will have a read through and possibly bring it up in my next ENT session, it won't hurt.
  • paula59
    paula59 Milele

    Posted

     Hi - sorry youre not well.  Ive been dizzy now for two and a half years.  I think the extreme tiredness is thru your body trying to struggle with the dizziness and compensate.  I was the same but Ive improved a lot since the beginning.  Its not gone though Im afraid to say despite loads of different medication.  I have found that getting stressed makes it a million times worse, and hence your symptoms get much worse.  They should be sending you for a scan and blood test to rule stuff out, then go on to see an ENT who will perform some tests and prob wont have a clue.  The neurologist should be able to throw some light onto it.  Youre doing the right thing staying in if you dont feel safe outside.  It took a year for me to get diagnosed and it was silent migraine but then I have all your symptoms apart from the fainting.  I did have a couple of panic attacks which made me nearly faint.  I have trouble with lights and PC screens so I suppose thats what led to my diagnosis.  I had trouble with sounds too, everything sounded too loud.  I went to the Migraine Clinic in Harley st and they gave me botox which stopped my eyes jumping about and resolved the fact that I couldnt nod in conversations.  But the dizziness stayed.  I have over time improved but it hasnt gone.  Try and not to get stressed, that makes symptoms much worse.  I know its hard cos its so scarey.  They will be able to rule stuff out, so you will get nearer to finding out what it is.  Most of it isnt life threatening its just very annoying.  So many things include dizziness and unfortunately, all the tablets have side effects of dizziness as if you didnt have enough.  Hopefully something will work for you.  Dont panic be calm and write everything down that you need to tell the specialists. 
    • Milele
      Milele paula59

      Posted

      Sad that it had to take so long before they could get a diagnosis but at least they did eventually. I hope you're on the mend.

      I get migraines on and off, I would say especially round my menses but then after that it clears. Interestlingly I seem to feel worse when under a lot of stress or when I haven't had enough sleep...which is most of the time because of my baby. I do try to sleep when he does during the day but I find it more relaxing getting on with my crafts and turning in early. 

      Thanks a lot for your help and advice. I will keep you posted and hope that you get well soon.

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