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Labyrinthitis, Anxiety, and Depression

Posted , 6 users are following.

Lockerby
Lockerby

So I've been deal with what's supposedly Labyrinthitis since around Valentines Day, I wasn't diagnosed with it until the 19th of this month. I'm also dealing with anxiety and what seems to be depression in some cases. I traveled to Michigan and back and the entire time I felt dizzy and anxious, I went to 2 emergency rooms out there and they told me it was nothing but anxiety and vertigo. They also told me I was dehydrated, and pumped me full of 2 bags of fluids. I got back here to Arizona and couldn't handle it, I went to yet another emergency room they did a cat scan, urine, and blood samples, and they told me yet again just anxiety. So a little later I went to an urgent care office, he did all the testings that the ER did, except of course the cat scan. The urgernt care doctor instantly diagnosed me with Lab, gave me z pak, presidone, and ativan. I took all of the z pak which made me feel horrible (unless it was just my anxiety acting up) I did not take any of the steroid presidone. I was really nervous to do so. Well, so far I've had good days and bad days after I finished the antibiotics. Some days I felt very less dizzy than I have been and others like last night I freaked out and my vision was blurry with a fuzzy and dizzy head, everything seemed fuzzy but my brain felt like it was moving uncontrollably. I didn't take the ativan mostly because I don't like taking pills and it was already late and I had to be up early. So I decided to go to the urgent care doctor again, I've felt pretty dizzy all day. I wasn't able to eat this morninng because I rushed out the door. (When I got back I ate and felt less dizzy than I did) so the doctor did the same tests, said it looked as if I was a little better, although I really don't feel better. I told him everything and told me to take the steroids, and gave me another script of z pak. This time I took the prednisone and it was terrible, it gave me horrible anxiety. So much worse than it has been, now it's been getting worse. I saw a nurologist and they did a EEG on me, that came back normal. They told me I am describing somewhat the beginning of migraines. They did another eye test and that showed envoluntary eye movements. So I am waiting for an MRI and to see an ENT. I've gotten to the point where it's hard to sleep. My .5 ativan works but I'm still anxious with it. I'm thinking maybe I need to double it. My brain feels like it's moving in my head, weird head sensations, distorted vision, very bad anxiety, depersonalization, derealization, it's hard to sleep at night, I'm starting to get to the point where I get depressed and don't want to put up with this anymore. I have bad thoughts but I don't want to die, when I'm in the ER for example everything is so over whelming that I want to rip my ears off, my left ear constantly rings either tolerable or so loud and obnoxious that it starts to make me go insane. I'm so scared that I am losing my mind. The thoughts start and I can't cope, they go so fast and makes my head spin and makes my anxiety so much worse. I feel like this will last forever. The stress and anxiety makes the dizziness worse and it's a vicious circle of hell. My heart rate goes crazy, I get super restless and can't sleep. I really need to figure all this out. My girlfriend is pregnant and due in December. Does anyone know how this feels? I really need advice and help. Please

2 likes, 26 replies

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  • SkyeBeth
    SkyeBeth Lockerby

    Posted

    Sorry Lockerby, I had to look up Labyrinthitis because I have never heard of it before but it seems a lot of the symptoms you are describing, especialling the ringing and dizziness, is part of it.  It is understandable, especially when you have been fairly healthy, to suddenly have anxiety when you are hit with  an illness.  All I can say is follow the Doctors orders and hopefully it would settle down.  Also, go through and read the posts on this forum, a lot of fantastic coping mechanisms have been posted and you will find others as well going through a similiar situation with their health.  Wishing you the best.
    • SkyeBeth
      SkyeBeth

      Posted

      PS. I was just wondering whether you feel anxious about your girlfriend's pregnancy?  You have some big changes coming up in your life which could be causing some anxiety as well.
    • Lockerby
      Lockerby SkyeBeth

      Posted

      It's been horrible, headaches, dizziness, empty depressed feeling. It's so hard to cope with this because the dizziness and the ringing in the ear doesn't go away, so if I can some how calm the anxiety down.. the dizziness and tinnitus brings it back shortly. It sucks. Yeah, of course I'm anxious about her being pregnant and it could indeed be adding to it, yet I think that it's only a small part because this has been going on before we found out. I'm just hoping I can sleep tonight without taking any meds. Thanks for your reply though. (:
  • kathy73461
    kathy73461 Lockerby

    Posted

    I do  know what it feels like. My story is very similar to urs. I thought my life would be this way forever. I did not believe any of the Drs. which is normal if u have anxiety. My Dr. is our best friend and he and his wife came over and he tried to convince me to take the meds he perscribed a mood stabilizer and anti depressant as well as xanax. He told me I had to take the xanx every 4 hours to stop the circle I was in. My dizzy and wierd feelings in my head and fatigue and depersonalization wouldn't stop, but I still wasn't sure whether I could believe him or not. Crazy, but anxiety makes u so nervous and fearful when u are dizzy and it won't go away. And every Dr. u go to tell u something else. It wasn't until I really began to understand what anxiety was and capable of doing to the nervous system that I began to believe it was just anxiety. I was dizzy or woozy or just felt awful for months. My eyes were wierd they would get blurry (which is typical of anxiety). Everything u are feeling is only anxiety, but I know it is hard to believe. Quite going to Drs. for a while except primary care Dr. and tell him u are suffering horribly from anxiety and need something to calm u down and get u off the loop u are in. Do not google at all. People with anxiety scare themselves to death and are very suggestive to anything they read. And we are terrified to ever take meds. I get it. U may want to   read up on all the effects of anxiety spend ur time on the computer (not looking up scary symtoms) learning to understand  panic and anxiety. U may email me anytime u are freaking out. I will keep u in my prayers.
    • Lockerby
      Lockerby kathy73461

      Posted

      Thank you Kathy, and yes I know it's anxiety. (When I'm not freaking out) if I am in mid panic or having those dark thoughts of just wanting to die but still scared to die set in.. I feel everything under the sun is wrong with me. I took the generic Lexapro for 2 days and couldn't get passed the side effects and quit. I'm considering taking it again or maybe talking to my mental health doc about starting a different medication. Ativan works but only so much, I'm actually starting to feel anxious while on it. How I do not know. I do know that I have a inner ear disorder I'm just not sure what type until I see an ENT and get an MRI. I just really want to get back to being myself again. I need my life back, I have a baby on the way. Thanks for your reply!
    • kathy73461
      kathy73461 Lockerby

      Posted

      I remember the deep despair and darkness and the aching feeling of just wanting my old life back. I guarantee u will have ur old life back I promise. U could never of convinced me of that during the darkest moments of my life.I only began to get better with the drugs and really understanding that all these feelings are sensations we feel. How do u know u have an inner ear problem? Not to say u don't but I have tininitus but it was so bad and my vertigo and dizziness as it turned out was not my inner ear  as in most cases, it was just anxiety. U need some drugs, I felt like any drug I took made me feel wierd which is so common with those of us who suffer with anxiety we are afraid of how they make make us feel. I also know what u mean  when ur not in total panic, u know it is panic but then in the middle of it u tell urself " Oh my this can't be anxiety this feeling is really bad". or it is different,Then u tell urself oh my ,I am never going to feel normal again.

      We scare ourselves. U ARE GOING TO FEEL NORMAL AGAIN VERY SOON

    • Lockerby
      Lockerby kathy73461

      Posted

      Thank you, every word helps.

      I know I need something I just need to find the right one. I'm scared to take Tylenol and ibuprofen it's horrible. Every time I think about going to town, to a store, or moving things around in my house gives me anxiety and makes me dizzy. It's horrible.

      I know I have an inner ear disorder because I was tested for it. My constant tinnitus yes, and when they do eye tests on me I have involuntary eye movements which is one of the main symptoms. Plus there are days where I feel good. No anxiety at all, but I'm still semi dizzy. I attempt to do VRT and they help and make me dizzy while doing them. Things that shouldn't make you dizzy. I've been tested by 3 doctors and they tell me that it's an inner ear disorder. I'll know once I get my MRI done. I see an ENT next week. Thank goodness!

  • kathy73461
    kathy73461 Lockerby

    Posted

    i was told that also and weather I do or not I am not sure. I have had vertigo on 4 or 5 different occasion but the last time scared me soo bad that I felt like I would never get better. I was overseas and when it hit I thought oh no how can I fly home from Australia back to Idaho, I got so anxious over taking the flight I thought I would die as I had the vertigo and then  I had dizziness every time I moved or did anything. I would wake up and feel ok and I remember telling my husband I thought I was better and I went to wash out the bathroom sink and I got dizzy again.

    One thing that a good Dr. will tell u is, inner ear problem or not it is  aggreavated and irritated by anxiety and u need to get ur anxiety in check and calm down ur central overacted nervous system. I know that is easier said than done when u feel like the world is moving around u,it make u so anxious. The best thing I did was to take zoloft and lamectil as well as xanax 3 or 4 times a day. I could not settle down on my own. I needed the drugs but were afraid of them, and finally I said o.k. but I was sure they were making me feel wierd. I am so suggestive it isn't funny, and so are u and whatever u do don't read the side effects because u will get them all. That's what happens with anxiety. U may have an inner ear problem but it is ur overactive nervous system that is exagerating all these awful SENSATIONS u are feeling. I had to keep telling myself all these horrible feeling are only a sensation even though they scared me to death. Oh I felt awful I cried day and night. I so understand.

    • Lockerby
      Lockerby kathy73461

      Posted

      Wow. That's crazy that you are going through the same exact thing as me. It's horrible and terrifying. I have constant dizziness, it's not a spinning sensation though. It's like my brain is moving in my head. I have only seen things actually moving a couple of times. I do know that when I took the prednisone, before I started having anxiety and feeling how it effected me, the dizziness was pretty much gone. What the steroid does as I'm sure you probably know is bring down the inflammation of the inner ear. It's all up in the air. Who knows!
    • kathy73461
      kathy73461 Lockerby

      Posted

      Good luck with the MRI . I can only explain my dizzies as this woozy feeling after the vertigo subsided but I knew my head was not right. But as it turned out, the maybe yes or no inner ear problem turned into an anxiety disorder and I had to have drugs to calm my systemdown let me know if I can help anymore
  • SkyeBeth
    SkyeBeth Lockerby

    Posted

    Wishing you the best with the MRI.  Please keep us all informed about how you are going.
    • Lockerby
      Lockerby SkyeBeth

      Posted

      I will for sure. I am terrified of pretty much everything so I am horribly scared of getting the dye injected in me for the MRI. Just like I am terrified of getting my eyes checked because I don't want to get my eyes dilated.. I am big baby. I just want to feel better. Does anyone get worse anxiety at night by any chance? I notice that when it starts to become dusk and the sun starts to go down I get a lot more anxious.
    • kathy73461
      kathy73461 Lockerby

      Posted

      I was terrified of the night . I think it was because I couldn'[t sleep more than a coup;e of hours and I would pace and cry most of the night away. I am not sure why but the still of the night scared me to death.
    • Lockerby
      Lockerby kathy73461

      Posted

      That does make sense.. hmm. I don't know. It's like you're all alone. Everything is calm except you.
    • SkyeBeth
      SkyeBeth Lockerby

      Posted

      You'll be fine.  I have had about seven MRI's and Renograms over the last three year's requiring the dye and it is no problems at all.  You don't feel anything. Goodluck!
    • Lockerby
      Lockerby SkyeBeth

      Posted

      That's good. Phew. It's just a scary thought and then dreadful Google doesn't help! Google is a bad drug haha.
    • SkyeBeth
      SkyeBeth

      Posted

      Oh and yes about the anxiety at night.  I've been getting mini panic attacks for about an hr after I take my meds at night.  I've come to expect it and try to distract myself by watching a funny show or reading.  I'm actually starting to time my meds with Big Bang Theory.  It's become a ritual for me.
    • Lockerby
      Lockerby SkyeBeth

      Posted

      That's a funny show.

      What are you taking?

      How do you change pictures on this site?

      Yeah I start to feel better after a couple hours when the sun goes down, lay here and watch TV or play on my phone. Starting to get a headache though.

    • SkyeBeth
      SkyeBeth Lockerby

      Posted

      Sorry for the delay in responding, just picked up my daughter up from school.  I'm taking 50mg of Quetiapine and 20mg of Paroxetine, but thinking of upping my Paroxetine to 30 at end of 2nd month.  It's only been one month and I think they have helped me.  

      I just went into my profile settings to try remember how I changed my picture and I couldn't work it out.  

    • SkyeBeth
      SkyeBeth Lockerby

      Posted

      I live in Australia. Are you in the UK?  I know you can get Quetiapine in the UK but I'm not sure about Paroxetine, it's one of the stronger antidepressants.
    • SkyeBeth
      SkyeBeth Lockerby

      Posted

      I know they are both pretty strong medications but they are working and I am in a much better place mentally then I was a month ago.  I'll probaby have a rough ride when I eventually come off them in a couple years but it is worth it.  I feel like I'm starting to live life again instead of watching it go by from my couch.
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