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It's almost 6 years and things are looking up !

Posted , 7 users are following.

DizzyDarren
DizzyDarren

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would today. The good news is I am feeling a lot better than I have done.

The turning point for me was when my anxiety got so bad I had a bit of a melt down back in October/ November. I went back to the GP and insisted that he gave me something for it and refer me back to ENT. Anyhow he put me on Fluoxetine and it's been brilliant. Those horrible fight or flight feelings we get with Labs or VN has completely gone.

Now that I was starting to feel better, I decided to take the plunge and buy some varifocals. I was really worried that they would make me more dizzy but they had had the opposite effect. Some of you may remember me saying my eyes felt like they were playing up so I used to deliberately hamper them by wearing a weaker prescription or just wear my readers. These varifocals have been brilliant. Why didn't I do this before?

I've also given up coffee with caffeine and the 3 or 4 sugars I used to have with each cup. I now just drink Decaffeinated and sometimes I'll put some whiskey in it if I want a good night's sleep.

I am pleased to tell you all that those horrible foggy headaches have gone and I am not fatigued the next day. I'm getting my confidence back, I've been out in my car more and visiting a few of my customers.

These varifocals seem to suppress the visual stimulation you get while driving or when you are in a busy store. I don't seem to sway in queues like I used to either.

Anyhow you know how long it takes for appointments take, I did finally have some tests back at ENT this week. Apparently there is now nothing wrong with my ears. My left ear is 10% stronger than my right ear which is well within the limits. The consultant also concurred with me that it's now my eyes that have been given me these weird feelings due to over compensation so he is going to refer me for some VOT ( Vestibular Ocular Therapy ) for some specific exercises which should fix things.

I hope all my dizzy friends are getting better too.

2 likes, 47 replies

47 Replies

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  • anne05147
    anne05147 DizzyDarren

    Posted

    Good news Darren.  I'll get my eyes retested as i wear my old varifocal lenses which are now about 4 years old.  Let us know how you get on with Vestibular Ocular therapy.  Great to hear you sound so much better.  I've had stinking cold for past 7 weeks and the other night couldn't breathe at about 2 am in the morning, my ears were totally bunged up, my nose too and my throat felt as though i couldn't swallow.  I woke my husband saying i felt scared as i couldn't breathe and then felt as though i was going to pass out with the fullness in my ears.  I was on the verse of a panic attack cos of not feeling able to breathe.  I went see a GP today who has px me antibiotic for sinus infection and hoping it will help cos' with the vertigo and blocked ears and sinus it has increased all my dizziness.  I'm hoping the antibiotic will resolve everything, ever the optimist.
    • DizzyDarren
      DizzyDarren anne05147

      Posted

      Nice to hear from you Anne and yes I will let you know how I get on. Good luck with the antibiotics. My Doctors practice won't even dish them out. Theres a big sign on the wall saying "Don't Ask". Me an the wife had a cold which wouldn't shift and hung around for a few weeks. Hope it shifts soon for you. All the best :-)
    • marlene21102
      marlene21102 DizzyDarren

      Posted

      Hi Darren ,sent you a post ,don't know why with held a mystery ,nowt in it to warrant a Why ,see if it comes through later .Will pm you if not Good going by you SORTED .xx

       

    • anne05147
      anne05147 DizzyDarren

      Posted

      thanks Darren, no i wouldn't want to take them if i didn't need them either, but sometimes they might be what's needed if it is actually a bacterial infection of course they are no use for a cold, but think mine is more than just a cold as it has been going on for so long now.  I was a bit surprised that i got them to be honest, i just wanted a steriod nasal spray to help me breathe as all the over the counter stuff wasn't working.  My husband went out and bought me the full works cos' he's not use to me waking him up saying 'i'm frightened', so he knew it must be bad.  It is good to know that after 6 years you are turning a corner.  I much prefer varifocals to single lenses but spec savers gave me too strong a lense on the last px so i went to see another optician who said i didn't need such a strong lense.  I am going to see if i can get a referral back to see someone again about my balance.  I also only drink decaff coffee now and find it probably helps, as when i use to drink too much caffeine i noticed how tense it made me, like a cat on a hot tin roof.
    • DizzyDarren
      DizzyDarren marlene21102

      Posted

      Hi Marlene, I dont recall seeing a recent post by you unless I missed it :-( Yeah PM me if you like :-) Nice to hear from you.
    • DizzyDarren
      DizzyDarren anne05147

      Posted

      I often think that if Specsavers had their way, they would want to give us a prescription that allows us to see 2 ants mating at 50 yards...lol

      I'm actually loving my varifocals. If anthing with these, the distance aspect, isn't as great as my single vision lenses but who needs to see a mile down the road in high definition...Not me ! 

      Yeah definitely try and get a another referral Anne, if its been a while since your last one. 

       

    • marlene21102
      marlene21102 DizzyDarren

      Posted

      I've asked moderator WHY was placed .Nice to see old mates at this stay in touch with good news for a change ,hope it rubs off .You sound so much chippier .Glad work going good .One day at a time ,all Weve been doing hey for such a long time ,poor Anne having it rough .Think of you both often .Feel like we're veterans at this .Could teach its behaviour to ENT 's I do believe .Nice hearing from you to .x
  • paula59
    paula59 DizzyDarren

    Posted

    Hi Darren - Im the same as Ive been for the past 2 1/2 years but thats good cos I recently had a bad cold and my dizziness was awful.  Now the cold gone Im back to how I was.before.  Not too bad thru the day but very dizzy in evening.  The not too bad thru the day is good though.  Would love to get back dancing but I cant see that so struggling with the weight problem.  Saw neurologist and hes changed the tablets.  Couldnt tolerate zonisamide.  Made me dizzy , sick and very depressed.  Waiting for next ones whch are going to be beta blockers.  Joy. Would love to be normal again.  I remember now how it started and it was from having really bad sinuses and a migraine and its just never gone. 
  • nikki1978
    nikki1978 DizzyDarren

    Posted

    Hi Darren,

    I'm glad you're doing better.  I wanted to ask you, did you ever feel like you were also in a dream?  Like you were not real or that you were stuck inside your own head?  I've heard of other people having this symptom with dizziness and problems with inner ear or anxiety. 

    Did you see a neuro-otologist?  I had testing done, the doctor said that my left ear is not working properly, but that my brain could not compensate because it's stuck in the anxiety mode.  Does any of this sound like what you went through?

    I'd really appreciate your insight. 

    Thank you!

    Nicole

    • nikki1978
      nikki1978 anne05147

      Posted

      Hello Anne,

      Yes, I've looked that up a lot.  I've read it can be caused from inner ear disorders and anxiety.  The dizziness can bring on anxiety, which can bring on derealization.  Then the derealization can cause more anxiety and just keeps adding fuel to the fire!  lol  Fun, isn't it.  smile

       

    • anne05147
      anne05147 nikki1978

      Posted

      i have that feeling a lot sometimes with this problem, as if i'm in the room but not quite in it. Everything around me is moving at some strange speed.  It definitely, under these circumstances, is connected to our neuro senses because of this compensation malarkey.  Onwards and upwards hey!smile
    • DizzyDarren
      DizzyDarren nikki1978

      Posted

      Hi Nicole

      Yes I used to get that dreamlike feeling. A couple of examples. When I was driving my car, it was like me watching me driving my car. When people used to talk to me, I can see their mouths move but all I can hear is noise and I'm not even listening. It's like my brain used to switch off.

      This seems to be path for the course when you get labs or VN. Your brain is so knackered trying to balance you, there comes a point when it doesn't fire on all cylinders. I think its this also causes those horrible foggy headaches.

      Most of the people I have spoken to that have an inner ear problem do get anxiety as a secondary problem. The problem with anxiety it causes all those horrible fight or flight feelings which exasperating the underlying condition.

      I think I made the mistake of thinking I could fix my balance and the anxiety would go away. I was wrong !! I realised only recently that what I had to do was fix the anxiety first.

       No I haven't seen a neuro-otologist but I do agree with yours and being in a state of a anxiety will hamper your recovery. Since he has acknowledged this, has he given you anything for it?

       

    • nikki1978
      nikki1978 DizzyDarren

      Posted

      Hi Darren,

      I've been given Imipramine to help me.

      I've had this problem for almost three years now.  I thought I was getting better in summer 2013 until while in the grocery store I felt very detached and in a fog and like I was stuck inside my own head looking out.  It freaked me out so much and scared me, I thought I was going to die or pass out.  I think the dreamy feeling brought on a panic attack possibly.  How long were you stuck in this horrible feeling of dizzies, dreamy and stuff?  I'm glad the Fluxotine is helping you.  Do you feel that is what has stopped the dreamlike/derealization?

       

    • anne05147
      anne05147 nikki1978

      Posted

      Hi Nikki

      Thanks for asking,

      pretty much up and down. I keep getting recurring bouts of BPPV which then takes me ages in between to recover my balance.  I had to take another week off work recently because i was having trouble with my balance and vision, following a bout of BPPV a week or so before.   I went back to see my GP who is referring me to the 'dizzy clinic'.  I have been trying my own exercises which i think are helping (even if only in my mind), trying to walk with my eyes closed, standing on one leg with my eyes closed,  since i've been doing them briefly most days I feel less 'spaced out' with the vision problems, wonky eyes etc., but i do feel i may have more than BPPV going on and my neck is also involved.  I'm  OK driving, except if i have to turn my neck to reverse and then my vision goes wonkly,  but it's when i plant my feet back on the ground everything goes wobbly through my legs and my vision goes blurry,  so i think my neck/spine is involved.  I hoped that this problem would go away but now i think i am probably stuck with it for good but am trying to stay positive becasue it fluctuates and i have good days more often than bad.  I no longer feel there's much the doctors can do to help me because i think it's just one of those conditions, that no matter what diagnosis they give you, there isn't much they can do to help you.  It's very much a case of doing the best you can to help yourself and stay positive as far as possible, because i had reached a point where i felt what's the point of even getting out of bed, but thankfully that has passed when my mood lifted, but i think also the pain relief i had for a trapped nerve in my neck can cause depression..

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