That horrible floating feeling

Hi, I am so sorry you feel like this, I am exactly on the same boat. Since last Wednesday I have been having this floating feeling, my head feels heavy and am constantly tired, even when I rest. i am on betahistine 16mg 3x a day and Procholperazine 3x a day, but it just seems like they are not helping so that adds to my stress and anxiety about whether it's going to get worse. To top it all off am getting pressure from work not get sick or I'll keep getting warnings until I get dismissed, needless to say it is making me worse. I have an audiology appointment next week so hopefully they will find some solution for me.

Hey I know what this feels like and its really scary I understand. I'm 14 about to be 15 and I stress and worry a lot and I'm super scared of death. So when these happen I feel like Im about to die which makes everything worse bc I feel weak and I can't feel myself and it's just scary. I don't know what to do because my mind is just set on the fact that I'm going to die and I just need someone to comfort me and let me actually know that I'm not going to die. I really want that to cross my mind. This feeling is not a joke! It's horrible and makes me feel like a feather!

Hi guys,

I'm Mark, 30, from the Philippines and a month ago I (overate?) dinner to the point my tummy felt it was about to explode. I started feeling dizzy, cant breathe and wanted to vomit. My doctor friend suggested I take Omeprazole for 3 days since I've had an episode of heartburn once before. I've had terrible side effects to this drug (headache, dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, and anxiety). I went to a cardiologist and requested for a 2D Echo just to make sure my heart was fine. BTW, my mom died of myocardial infarction, a complication of her chronic kidney failure. So you see how scared I was to think that I may suffer the same fate.

Anyways, the test revealed that my heart is normal. The cardiologist extended my Omeprazole to 2 weeks and my symptoms were getting worse by the minute and so I stopped on the 10th day. My health improved and the symptoms are gone except for the dizzy/lightheaded feeling.

I've been trying to research online and have found out that Omeprazole may cause Vit B12 deficiency which may lead to nerve damage. I am on my 6th day of Vit B Complex and my dizziness have improved at 1-5% compared to before. Now my doctor friend, a pediatrics consultant, prescribed for me to take Betahistine for 1 day only (3 tabs). It is nighttime and I am on my first and although it has improved that dizzy feeling, I am starting to feel other symptoms too. My head feels heavy. I can relate to the floating feeling. It's been a month now and always I would tell my friends and family that I feel dizzy but not like the room is spinning. It feels like you're on a boat on a stormy day. I generally feel fine when I wake up but after 1-2hrs it starts all over again. Trying to get some sleep is hard too when you feel this way. Whenever I feel dizzy, I have these panic attacks and people would just dismiss this as a "mind over matter" thing. I usually feel like I would die too and it's hard to try and calm yourself when you know there's something going on! I quit from my job because the stress is making my condition worse and nobody seem to understand me. I don't know even know which is worse: the floating feeling + panic attacks, OR that nobody understands what you're going through?

If Betahistine don't work, I don't know if I should see an ENT or a Neurologist for this. And this worries me so much because I know it would be very expensive for me specially now that I'm unemployed AND there's a chance that I'll just be a guinea pig. I dont trust doctors (except my friend) since my mom got her kidney failure from a pulmonologist's prescription for her cough problems. The healthcare system here in the Philippines is not good unless you're someone rich or important, and that even adds up to my anxiety.

I just wish someone can give us the cure so we can all go back to normal. But thanks to this thread, it's reassuring to know I'm not alone. Trying to be positive here. Sorry for the long post.

Godspeed,

Mark

Hello to all,

New member here with probably MD... Now that I have this floating symptom, I can totally understand how you feel about the floating feeling. And I'm sorry for all of you.

Now about my case. I'm a 27 old male from Lithuania and today is 24 of August 2017 that I write my story.

First symptom that started to me was rining in the right ear that started in evening of 2014 december 10 right out of nowhere, I was just sitting by the computer on the chair and I wanted to strech my back (felt tired) and I heard like a little bone crack I don't know where it came from maybe my back, neck or head maybe and then the ringing started. I felt very uncomfortable with it, went to sleep thinking that it would go away the other day. But when I woke up in the morning, the rining was still there. Went straight to the doctor, but everything was fine with me physicaly at first glance, the next few months I had multiple tests and nothing showed that something was wrong with me, it was just the rining, the next year it eventually came to my left ear as well, but I have accepted it as my fate, and it did not bother me anymore.

Until the next symtptom kicked in. 13 days ago I started to feel very low syptoms of floating, and again I thought maybe I'm tired and it would go away, but the other day I felt it too, and during the next few days from the start it just grow a bit more and more everyday. Now 4 days in a row I think I have reached a peak, its not getting worse, but it's bad enough to make me feel depressed.

As many of you mentioned I have the same feeling that I'm standing on boat on a windy day. Or that I'm underwater and water flow moves me straight and back, up and down.

I dont have any other sypmtoms, except tinnitus and floating sense, which is constanst and stable, I dont get attacks. The feeling is just constantly there.

2 days ago I went to the doctor and the doctor thinks that it may be Meniere's disease. I have been prescribed for betahistine 16mg 2 times a day. 0 effects far now, and no side effects.I made multiple blood tests, urine test, Cardiograph. And tommorow I'm seeing a doctor again to check the results.

If it's MD, the only thing that bothers me that it is incurable, so will I have to live the rest of my life.... floating...? And I'm only 27 years old.

I'll try to keep updating about my illness and progress, maybe somehow it will help for someone.

BTW sorry for bad english, its not my native language.

I also have the floating feeling, it's like you're in constant movement even though you're stationary. And it's so hard to explain to colleagues and family, specially because they can't imagine what it is like or I just don't know how to put it in to words. I have a meeting with HR and my manager because I had another period of sickness in July. To be honest reading the experiences on this forum helps me to explain what I have been feeling. My treatment path has been very slow as my first episode was in November/December and only now am starting to see anything being done. I am finally going to be referred to an ENT, but in the meantime I am on Betahistine 3x a day and if I get an episode I have Procholperazine.

Hi Brookiana,

YES, the floating feeling. That's exactly it! I can't really describe it either, but I HATE it. I'm going through a terrible attack right now, and have been crying uncontrollably all day. I'm so glad I found this forum, and your post! I'm no longer alone in this.

Hope you feel better really soon. Take care of yourself, and remember to never doubt what you're feeling. Doctors often know nothing.

Hello to all, I am new to this forum

I was diagnosed with Meniere's 5 years ago, after multiple severe spinning attacks over about a year.  I had pretty much diagnosed myself, based on researching the symptoms on the internet.  My regular doctor did not believe I had Meniere's, but eventually referred me to an ENT, who referred me to a doctor who specialized in Meniere's and other hearing an balance disorders.  I started taking betahistine and triamterene daily, and the severe attacks went away for several years, although the floating feeling still bothered me occasionally.  I also have the problem in large stores, which I agree is strange.  

Over the last several months, the severe attacks have returned, regardless of medications, vitamins, etc.  I have now been referred to an ear surgeon.  I had my first steroid injection last month, and after several days of feeling very lightheaded and tired, I started feeling much better.  Until today.  Ironically I was on my way to the doctor for a recheck and possibly another injection.  On the freeway going 70mph, I had a drop attack, which I had never experienced before.  It was like being hit in the head with a bat.  My vision disappeared for a few seconds, and I felt like the car was violently rolling over.  By some miracle I was able to get the car across two lanes to the side of road, although I did hit a guardrail pretty hard, and the car has been towed to a repair shop.  Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt, and no other vehicles were involved.  I don't see how I can take a chance driving now, even if I'm feeling fine, which is a big problem because I have a long commute to work.

I made it to the doctor a couple hours late, and he was still able to see me.  He strongly recommended endolymphatic sac decompression surgery, which is supposed to preserve (although not restore) balance and hearing in the affected ear.  He says about 80% of patients get relief from the severe attacks and the surgery is minimally invasive and destructive compared to other surgeries.  Has anyone else tried this?   Up until now this disease has slowed me down and humiliated me, but there is no fighting through a drop attack.  

Hello, Brookiana.

My name is Maurice and i suffer from long time anxieties and paranoia, Derealisation and Panic attacks.

Few months ago i also started to sense the vertigo feelings. I have also the weird feeling as if i float. Its maybe crazy to say but, if i drink coffee i get this alot. Only if it is 2 cups a day.

I understand u and there a thousands of people living with these symptoms.

The trick is to have answers, if people dont have answers they are mostly afraid ( like me ) for me it is very hard to live with myself sometimes, and often almost feel like i loose myself in derealisation. The worst thing is that i always feel, like, you know the feeling as if someone scares you, and you have that burning stingy feeling inside of you? Thats what i have everyday and it makes me very upset. I have always the anxiety of standing up and afraid i will faint... yes i know, its a lot to handle.

I lived with anxieties from my teens till now. And i saw your post on google, so this is the reason i wanted to join this conversation. I'm sorry if my grammar is abit strange, thats because i live in holland.

Greetings from Holland

Maurice

I had the endolymphatic sac decompression surgery three days ago, and am recovering.  After I woke up, I felt fine until the anesthesia wore off, and then severe vertigo started, probably due to post operative swelling.  It was so bad I had to crawl to the bathroom.  I took valium every six hours, and the vertigo slowed down and stopped.  I was able to sleep, and the next morning the vertigo was gone.  I have had minor pain, which got better with a couple Tylenol.  So far, no more vertigo, and the floating feeling seems a bit better, but it’s still too early to tell whether the surgery was effective.  My ear is packed, to protect it until it heals completely, so I am almost completely deaf in that ear for the time being.  The tinnitus is still there, and I can hear it vary with my heartbeat, but it’s not too bad.  I’m planning to return to work next week, so I am hoping everything goes well.  I have read that the old symptoms may continue for up to a month, even if the surgery works.  So far I am optimistic.