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I have been lightheaded and ears ringing for one year now

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brenda71967
brenda71967

I started having symptoms a year ago. I was driving and all of a sudden I thought I was having a stroke. My vision went blurry, my ears started ringing and I got so dizzy I had to pull off the road. To this day, it has not gone away and has gotten worse. I have pressure in my ears, like they are full and they both ring constantly. My vision has changed in my left eye and it's blurry and I have double vision in that eye. It is so bad that it causes me a lot of anxiety. I have made an emergency trip to the hospital because I thought I was dieing. I have had MRI, CT, ENT, ENG, VNG tests done. I have seen 18 doctors and the only thing they can tell me is that I have lost my balance sensation in one ear that is causing my dizziness and unstableness. My legs are weak and shake and I would not dare stand on a ladder right now. I have been thru Vestibular Therapy exercises and they did not help. I am miserable and it has affected my daily function in life and is causing me to lose time at my job. My family is feeling the replicutions of my sickness too. I just want to feel NORMAL again. My brain is not working right and I have the sensation of falling all the time in my head. It is such a weird feeling and I can't fall asleep unless I take a sleeping pill and even now, I am waking up like I am falling. The ENT doctor has not made a diagnosis but I am taking some medicine to try to dry up fluid in my ears. Its hard to walk in a busy store without feeling dizzy or unstable and my vision is so off I can't see. I have had thoughts of not wanting to live like this anymore, that is how awful this disease or whatever this is I have is. Does anyone else have these symptoms or a diagnosis or maybe some ideas on how I can control it? 

Thank you 

2 likes, 138 replies

138 Replies

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  • brenda71967
    brenda71967

    Posted

    Hi Isabel . Thank you so much for your information. I have read something about that thru all my google research. Does your husband have visual disturbance? My vision is so messed up. Everything is blurry I my left eye. It started when my ear problems and dizziness started. I have also seen a Nuerologists and nothing has shown up. My ears ring real bad and I have horrific headaches over that left eye. My world spins and I am so unbalanced. All of these posts no one really mentions that their vision is messed up. I was just wondering if he has vision problems?
    • marlene21102
      marlene21102 brenda71967

      Posted

      Hi Brenda, yes my vision has been messed up,since my tinnitus became worse ,after a head virus,.Ive had 3 sight test,l had MRI,I thought if I had a bleed anywhere that affected my vision that would have shown up,all clear ,sight test no 1 was fine ,eye pressure fine,but still fuzzy eyes,number 2 test fine,18 months later ,optitian didn't know the cause,then  no 3 test in January this year ,all fine again ,no prescription change,she said my eyes at the back again were really healthy.So I'm at a loss

        i can only think as I've allergies since head virus 9 yrs this December ,has caused these eye problems,I know my tinnitus changed after I was put on meds that following year July ,never got back to where I was previously coping with the tinnitus,as virus left me with chronic rhinitis.

          On Tinnitustalk I learnt about allergies and tinnitus,I will ask those on that site about vision with the Tinnitus ,along with allergies. Today I just cope with fuzzy eyes

        interesting as to what's being said.Question I've sufferered with bad neck ache since all my problems began ,I often think, this has maybe where infection began ,as my head was like a solid ball of cement it was that heavy.had to use both hands to prop head up,like that for months after,even now 9 years on still feels heavy side ,not as bad  but I still notice it.So yes my vision has been a problem on going,but no answer as to WHY.Just put it down to how that virus left me,and I've got to live with it. When I read others have sight issues it grabbed my attention straight off.

        Wishing us all a recovery from it all.dragging on that's for sure ,my ears hissing like crazy typing this ,and yes fuzzy eyes,hence spelling up the duff,got job to see the commas,and dots close up.

    • marlene21102
      marlene21102 brenda71967

      Posted

      Hi Brenda ,don't know why the reply to your post not gone through. I have vision problem ,since tinnitus and now the balance started ,saw your earlier post regarding  vision ,grabbed my attention .

         So yes I've had this for 9 yrs ,and 3 eye test later all fine ,but still got the fuzzy eyes .think it's rhinitis doing the vision Allergy's .

    • brenda71967
      brenda71967 marlene21102

      Posted

      Hi Marlene,

      Thanks for your insight on the vision. I have been to 4 eye drs. One was even an Opthamologist Nuerologist. They all say my eyes are healthy but my left  eye that I have lost some vision in, needs some help. So they put me in glasses to make the left eye stronger than the right but it makes me more dizzy and off feeling. I have tried contacts too and nothing is helping me feel steady. My legs shake inside all day, I guess that is from feeling unbalanced and lightheaded. My ears are hissing like crazy too right now, but then again, that never stops !!! My neck is also an issue, it's very tight and my  head feels like it weighs 200 pounds. I try to do those exercises where you lie down on one side and then sit up and lay on the other side, when I do this I can actually feel the fluid rolling around behind my ears. I feel horrible now and I am trying like crazy to stay at work but I just want to lay down and never wake up !!! I hate this, it's miserable!!!  No one thinks you are feeling so crappy because we don't look sick on the outside and we keep pushing thru our days of misery so we don't give up. But I want to give up !!!!! This disease is so debilatating!!!!!! My anxiety is ALL DAY and I am so sick of that " weird sensation" in my head.

    • isabel66326
      isabel66326 brenda71967

      Posted

      Hi Brenda

      Yes, my husband had some visual disturbance as well. On the left side

      of his head he also had some pounding.

      Isabel

    • veronica20125
      veronica20125 brenda71967

      Posted

      Brenda

      Get check for Meniere's

      I have tinnitus, lost of hearing, vertigo.

      In between I have head pressure, mild dizziness, blurred vision and extremely fatigued.

      Do you have hearing lost ?

  • isabel66326
    isabel66326 brenda71967

    Posted

    Hi Brenda,

    Initially, 7 months ago, the doctor (specialist) also thought my husband might have Menieres disease BUT not all the symptoms fit. Then it was Vestibular Neuritis then it was vestibular something. OK, maybe it could be. Certain things didn´t fit either. He also did "Rehabilitation Therapy" but that didn´t work. Just like you his vision was also affected and he felt lightheaded and the pressure in his ears was one of the symptoms that bothered most. He new that when the pressure got worse an entire episode was close, including the nausea and dizziness. Then we proceded to cervical spine. That was more in line with the symptoms BUT even with specific treatments the results were not what we expected. So, what the hell??

    I know you don´t want to hear this and my husband didn´t either and disregarded the INITIAL diagnosis by a very excellent, mere General Practitioner. Here goes.......... Reactive Depression, accumulated stress, anxiety. All his symptoms were physical! He was in a good mood, no sadness, no mood changes, etc. We went in a completely different path. The truth is that he is finally getting better! At least it´s worth looking into the matter. See a neuropsycologist.

    I hope this feedback may help you.

    Isabel

    P.S. By the way, many people think they have Menieres Disease because of the dizziness but they don´t. In fact Menieres is a rarity if you can believe this!

    The problem is that the symptoms are all very similar to vestibular problems.

     

    • brenda71967
      brenda71967 isabel66326

      Posted

      Thanks Isabel for your info on your husband. I too have had a MRI on the spine and back and nothing out of the ordinary showed up either. I have all the symptoms of Ménière's disease down to the wire and my ENT said it could be the start of it. When the pressure in my ears get worse and then the ringing is even louder, I know I am going to have an episode too. It gets really bad. I have had a few doctors tip toe around the Anxiety

      issue and they have told me to talk to my GP about getting on an anti

      depressant but I haven't yet. I am not opposed to the idea but it's hard to believe that ALL of the symptoms I am feeling can be all Depression. I

      definitely have Stress and Anxiety due to no one can tell me why I feel so

      bad. It's those weird "brain" sensations that are the worse. One dr told me that stress is part of it. Unlike your husband, I do feel depressed and I'm

      not happy nor am I ever in a good mood anymore. When your world is spinning around you and you can't see very good out of your eye, you

      seem to be somewhat depressed thinking that you will have to live the

      rest of your life like this, because no one can help you and you know that

      you have never been this bad in your life.  this is not how I want to

      continue on. What did the Neuropsycologist give your husband to make him start feeling better? And did he say it was all stress???

    • isabel66326
      isabel66326 brenda71967

      Posted

      Hi Brenda,

      In the very beginning, the doctor also said it could be the the first symptoms of Meniers but it actually wasn´t. After going through it all and to make a long story short the truth is that he is suffering from either anxiety or depression or possibly both. The doctor hasn´t been able to determine this yet.

      BUT stress leads to anxiety and then possibly to depression. Between the stress and the anxiety stages I was surprised to learn that a very, very long time can pass before anxiety starts kicking in. He had nausea, terrible pressure in BOTH his ears (extremely rare for vestibular) a little numbness

      on the left side of his head, tingling and dizziness (not vertigo) and  constant anxiety. All his tests revealed only excellent health. He´s is now being treated, at his expressed request, by a psychiatrist (a few surprising skeletons in his closet). He still has the anxiety but not a constant anymore and the other symptoms rarely surface. If and when they do they are very mild and do not last long at all.

      What really helps and relaxes him is a very hot water bottle in his stomach. What the doctor prescribed was ALPRAZOLAM MYLAN 0.5 mg

      for the anxiety and ATARAX 25 mg for relaxation. On the internet you can find the equivalent names for the same meds in different countries. I live in Portugal.

      Poor guy, sometimes he looks stoned and gets very sleepy. He takes the meds at night. He never takes medication, not even an aspirin so you can imagine how this hits him. It´s a normal reaction until the body adapts.

      Although this treatment is in the initial stages, I have to tell you that so far we are pleased with the results. This is all I can tell you for now but I will certainly keep you posted.

      Isabel

    • isabel66326
      isabel66326 brenda71967

      Posted

      Hi Brenda,

      In the very beginning, the doctor also said it could be the the first symptoms of Meniers but it actually wasn´t. After going through it all and to make a long story short the truth is that he is suffering from either anxiety or depression or possibly both. The doctor hasn´t been able to determine this yet.

      BUT stress leads to anxiety and then possibly to depression. Between the stress and the anxiety stages I was surprised to learn that a very, very long time can pass before anxiety starts kicking in. He had nausea, terrible pressure in BOTH his ears (extremely rare for vestibular) a little numbness

      on the left side of his head, tingling and dizziness (not vertigo) and  constant anxiety. All his tests revealed only excellent health. He´s is now being treated, at his expressed request, by a psychiatrist (a few surprising skeletons in his closet). He still has the anxiety but not a constant anymore and the other symptoms rarely surface. If and when they do they are very mild and do not last long at all.

      What really helps and relaxes him is a very hot water bottle in his stomach. What the doctor prescribed was ALPRAZOLAM MYLAN 0.5 mg

      for the anxiety and ATARAX 25 mg for relaxation. On the internet you can find the equivalent names for the same meds in different countries. I live in Portugal.

      Poor guy, sometimes he looks stoned and gets very sleepy. He takes the meds at night. He never takes medication, not even an aspirin so you can imagine how this hits him. It´s a normal reaction until the body adapts.

      Although this treatment is in the initial stages, I have to tell you that so far we are pleased with the results. This is all I can tell you for now but I will certainly keep you posted.

      Isabel

    • mark82232
      mark82232 isabel66326

      Posted

      Hi, i also have those same symptoms that your husband has, how's your husband now? Was it really just stress, anxiety or depression? Thanks

    • mark82232
      mark82232 isabel66326

      Posted

      Does your husband also have nystagmus or eye jerking movement? Thanks
    • veronica20125
      veronica20125 isabel66326

      Posted

      I have Meniere's

      I was diagnosed in September and surgery in October

      Doctor never tried anything before surgery

      The surgery changed my life forever

      It's horrible

      Now I'm in vestibular rehabilitation

      And the doctor there said it's because my doctor thinks I have anxiety

      All I know itvthe surgery changed my life forever

      I have no spouse to care for me or family

      I'm going to end up on the streets because I can't work like this

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