Random positionnal-ish dizziness and random swaying-ish imbalance

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hello there!

I seem to be a puzzle for doctors... Or maybe for myself.

I'm a 32 years old woman with a VERY long history of HIGH anxiety... Like as long as I can remember. Always anxious of dying. I have been diagnosed psychotic although it may not be entirely true. I've spent my life suffering from psychosomatic symptoms: fake stroke, fake heart attack, stomach cancer, back issues... The list is endless and it's always been in my head, one toy after the other.

Latest toy: dizziness and imbalance for four months. I'll be short and brief.

Start: Mid-april, what was diagnosed (without tests) as BPPV. Last for a day: I felt non-vertiginous dizziness when I turned my head left, and my body felt attracted to the right. It'd stop when I sit and disappeared over night.

It slowly came back and by mid-june I did tests and movements for treating left ear BPPV. I had an immediate reaction. Things were temporarily worse.Now it's

Now:

- Dizziness: non-vertiginous, usually associated with random head or neck movements. Ever changing intensity, and is really totally random. It may feel as my head has to catch up with my eyes, or a bolt of electricity somewhere in my head, or pressure, or tickle, or just off or weird, or detached from this world. Sometimes it's an ongoing feeling and it just feels like I'm sleepy or tired. Better when I sleep: I actually wake up at night and notice I don't feel anything weird and start turning my head left and right, half-asleep, all joyful it feels normal. I usually feel worse in the morning.

Overall, my dizziness is a lot weaker and more random than what it used to be.

Imbalance: It's mostly swaying or veering a little on the side. Totally random, no pattern at all. Sometimes I feel attracted to the let, or the right, always for half a second. I veer here and there. May be worse when I turn my head, or when I put on shoes or take my shower. I am definitely less well balanced but it's barely noticeable. People actually don't see anything.

Thing is: it's a LOT worse at night, like when I wake up to go the the toilets. I may wobble a lot, hang on walls... Or just I sway. Darkness does play a small part.

Exercising can either make me feel a LOT better or a LOT worse.

Interesting fact: I was feeling better lately but a few days ago I rolled my neck and got vertiginous dizzy FAST... And now my symptoms are worse like what ai describe.

My legs and feet are sore and weak, I'm tense to the point I shiver and have brain-freeze like headaches.

I'm told it's a minor inner ear problem and a lot of anxiety. I'm positive it's a brain tumor and I'm on my way to hell. Any input please?

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Posted

    The fact that your dizziness gets worse when you turn your head points to the possibility you could have an issue with your neck. You may not be getting enough blood through your vertebral arteries to your brain. I was just diagnosed with Bow Hunter’s Syndrome, which has caused my dizziness these last 14 months. Do some research on cervical vertigo, and go see a neurologist. Good luck. 
  • Posted

    I think you should look at side effects for the medications you are taking for your diagnosis of psychosis. Have you recently changed medication or discontinued one? 
    • Posted

      I do that all the time. Yes I have. I also change my lifestyle frequently despite me, or the place I live in. Be it from a biological or psychological point of view, my life is always changing very fast.

      As for medications, my psychiatrist is at a loss, we've tried so many things and none of them have worked, she doesn't know what to do.

      As for the cervical problems: yeah I'm pretty much sure there's some of that. I'm hugely stressed and it's a recurrent issue.

    • Posted

      How long have you been seeing the same psychiatrist??  And have you seen an ENT? Have you taken mecclizine for your dizziness? I wouldn't do this unless your doctor is ok with it.  However, it could explain some things to an ENT. Veering to one side is a sign of vertigo.

    • Posted

      It's never the same side either. And sometimes it's neither. Today it's mostly some kind of dizziness when I turn my head but not that much imbalance.

      I changed my psychiatrist a few months ago after 4 years with my previous one. My current one is aiming at reducing my AD and all intake as she thinks it plays a big part in all this.

      I've seen several GP, none of them impress, all of them blaming my insane anxiety and fear of life and some neck problem. The last one I had a proof yesterday: I wore a dress which hangs by a knot at the back of my neck. My balance was worse than usual, I was disoriented when I bent my head down, like I was in space. It stopped when I took my dress off. I still have slight balance issues though of course, the dress just made it worse.

    • Posted

      Did you have a significant med change when you changed doctors 4 months ago? I really think you need to rule this out first.  I'm sure some of the meds you've been on are strong and if you stopped abruptly or even tapered and changed your meds it could cause a serious reaction.  

    • Posted

      I was shuffling around medications at the time but nothing groundbreaking. Doctors think it was BPPV and then a LOT of anxiety which keeps it kind of alive one way or another.
    • Posted

      If it's BPPV you can get some treatment from a chiropractor or physical therapist that has training in Vestibular issues such as BPPV.  But I would make an appointment with at least an ENT.  They can test you to see if you have the nastigmus.  So why don't you think about making these appointments.  Obviously you need to disclose your medical history.  But I would caution you on leading the conversation with I have anxiety.  I think when that happens-doctors just shut down and don't hear anything else.  So tell them your physical and mental symptoms first.  I don't know if you have the brain fog- but that is important, and the dizziness shuffling. You can also see a Nuero or neurontologist- they should do an MRI and catscan to rule out things.   Why don't you look up the symptoms of BPPV to see if it matches what you have been experiencing?

    • Posted

      The initial attack was diagnosed as BPPV. I did the maneuvers. It altered massively my dizziness.

      It disappeared little by little but never totally went away.

      I have some brain fog, or rather I feel like I'm dreaming... Some of the time.

      My doctors have taken me very seriously. That's how I ended up with knowing about neck issues because one of them told me so. As for the nystagmus, I have next to none.

      Anyway... Thank you.

    • Posted

      Do you have access to physical therapists ones that specialize in Vestibular issues? Because my PT who specializes in this said that when working on my eyes and balance my neck would bother me-shake.  And sore from trying to keep upright and steady. She said it was because I was over compensating to keep focused and it caused tension in my neck.  I had the awful brain fog too. 

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