Unexplained dizziness for 3 months no definite diagnosis yet.
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hi all,
I've been browsing these forums a little bit on and off for a while and finally decided to post as I am at wits end. I am currently living abroad teaching ESL. About 1 year ago I had an ear infection. After the ear infection resolved I noticed the sensation of fullness in my ear lingered. I went to an ENT who thought it was "E-tube dysfunction". She gave me some medication which I took, but I saw no improvement. Then I more or less gave up on it as it was just an annoying feeling, not anything serious. Now about 3 months ago I was teaching and had a random attack of dizziness. I went through the rest of the day just waiting for class to be over because I felt so ill. I figured it was because I had some drinks the night before and my body was coping with that. I went home went to bed early and woke up the next day still dizzy. This time I left work early. I have had constant dizziness ever sense. After the initial attack, the dizziness was always present ,but was manageable (I didn't feel comfortable unless my hand was resting on some solid surface, which was annoying but tolerable) so I went about 2 months without seeing a doctor. Then all of a sudden it got worse. I ended up going to see an ENT who did some hearing tests and said my hearing was normal. I then went to work and half way though my first class got extremely dizzy and left straight to the ER. The ER doctor told me it must be "some ear or brain" problem gave me 2 injections (no idea what they were he just said "to help your dizziness" and sent me on my way with little follow up advice and no testing. Two days passed and the same thing happened again. This time I made it through work, but went directly to the ER after. This time I went to a different hospital (I also discovered the hospital I had been going to had a bad reputation among locals so, this time I went to a new hospital.) This ER actually did blood work and a CT scan which were both normal. They recommended I follow up with a neurologist. I went to a neurologist 2 days later. The neurologist said he didn't think it had anything to do with my brain but, that it was probably something to do with my inner ear. He prescribed me diphenidol and betahistine and told me to come back in a week if I wasn't better (this neurologist worked out of the same hospital that had a bad reputation but I had already made an appointment there so decided to keep it). A week passed and I did feel about 50% better with the medication, but still not great so I went back. I saw a different neurologist this time because the one I saw the first time wasn't in that day. This neurologist told me dizziness usually only lasts a day and goes away. I reminded him that this had been going on for 2 months. He told me that the medications I was taking were not to be taken for the long-term. but represcribed the betahistine suggesting I try and stop taking it if I could. Well I waited until I had a vacation to stop taking it (because I was nervous it would affect my work) and found no improvement at all. Now this week (going on 3 months now) I am noticing that the medicines don't seem to be helping much at all anymore. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? So far I haven't been diagnosed with anything except "we think it's your inner ear" and on my receipts, it says "unspecified vestibular dysfunction". I was concerned initially that it was meniere's disease especially with the doctor prescribing betahistine ,but he didn't mention that one. From my understanding Meniere's consists of aural fullness (which I feel that I have) hearing loss (subjectively I have hearing loss ,but objective testing at the ENT showed no hearing loss) tinnitis (I don't have tinnitis) and vertigo spells (I wouldn't call what I have vertigo or spells it's more of a constant unbalanced feeling and feeling a little "woozy"
. After researching I'm wondering if it could be labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis. I started doing some VRT exercises I found on youtube today and I'm hoping that will help. I do go see a new neurologist at a different hospital in two days, but am nervous I'm going to have the same thing happen (be given symptomatic medications with no diagnosis or long term cure/treatment). Has anyone had a similar experience? How long did it take you to feel better and did VRT help? The exercises I found online definitely provoked dizziness (made me nauseous to the point that I vomited) should I keep trying them until I find out if there is anywhere nearby I can see a VRT therapist? Sorry for the long post (that was also a vent session). I'm completely overwhelmed with this and it is starting to make me depressed as well so any help is appreciated!
0 likes, 46 replies
tonya81770 socah
Posted
VRT did not help but made my symptoms worse. It depends on how severe your episode is when you walk in. I do not do any exercise even when I have minor dizzy feelings just in case it will increase the discomfort. When I feel it coming I try to rest, drink fluids (if possible)and pray it recedes quickly! Antiemetic and sprite are a staple in my home!
My first major attach lasted 1 year with short days of non dizziness periodically. Episodes of vertigo lasting hours to days for 9 years now. 3 months in on my latest horrible attach, Not being able to walk without assistance for 1 month in the beginning progressed to being able to drive short distances and hopefully returning to my job as an RN this week!
Good luck and Godspeed. Keep looking for answers and don't let the drs make you feel it and s your fault or that you are crazy in some way. I have felt it all over the years with the latest neurologist saying it was post pardon depression! My youngest is 10 years old, hahaha.
Waffalobill tonya81770
Posted
I have seen so many ppl say there docs blamed it on depression, anxiety, menopause. If they don't know what's causing it I wish they would just say " I don't know" . Think there egos gets in the way sometimes.
gillian76726 Waffalobill
Posted
If I had a £ for everytime i've heard this i'd be a millionaire! As i make a point of sayng before a dr gets the chance to say it i tell them it's strange how before this happened i was not depressed or anxious. It is the condition that causes it therefore the condition needs treating first!,that usually shuts them up,haha!
lily65668 gillian76726
Posted
Totally agree Gillian. I went down with nothing worse than BPPV at the start of this year. I didn't feel it made me depressed, and I certainly didn't get anxious about the condition itself as I'd had it once before and knew immediately what it was. However, it made me really anxious about going out on my own, even in the two months I was suffering from it, and generally put a damper on everything. Once I'd got it fixed (Epley manoeuvre) I really felt as if I'd got a new lease on life!
Interestingly, a close friend was quite honest and said she owed me an apology the other day. Mystified, I asked her what for. She said it was because my behaviour during the two months I'd had BPPV had been so out of character, she'd actually believed I was becoming mentally ill and was using the vertigo as an excuse! Like many people, she'd always thought vertigo was a purely subjective feeling of light-headedness.
I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to have it all the time.
gillian76726 lily65668
Posted
In reply to,your latter paragraphs about the apology etc. All,i can say is you find out who your real friends are, and family come to,that! Drs just,do not realise how,having this condition on a daily basis affects relationships. Those who have not tried to understand,,I have just dropped.
to be honest i have forgotten what it,s like to feel normal Lily. My whole,life revolves around what i am going to be capable of on any given day. I will push myself when i need to get things done (the ' miraculous' disappearance of people,who cld help out here and there is amazing!), be it all as i had on Wed an awful head that felt,like it was a wasps nest, nausea (On the bus!), fatigue and too much walking,just about did me in!! But these,people who,dont believe you have a problem are never there at these times are,they?
just have to,switch off and not think bout otherwise it'd drive you mad!!
lily65668 gillian76726
Posted
That's tough, Gillian. In fairness, my friend realised the error of her ways, especially when she saw the sudden transformation as soon as I'd had the Epley. She's now done some research on vertigo and understands what it is, so at least my temporary indisposition served a purpose.
That's two friends I've educated now. The other one never said she didn't believe me, but I could see she was having a problem getting her head round it. That was a couple of weeks into the BPPV attack, when the spinning (and therefore the nystagmus) was at its worst. I deliberately did the Dix-Hallpike move on the living-room rug and told her to watch my eyes carefully. She let out a little shriek - said it looked like something from a horror movie! Obviously that's only going to work with BPPV, where you can set off the nystagmus at will. It must be much tougher when you have generalised vertigo, with no end in sight. I don't know how you and others cope with that.
tonya81770 Waffalobill
Posted
Thank-
I know I would be rich if I had a nickel for each time a practitioner said it was a psychological problem and not a physical one. Dr. eleftherio33095 told me to get a CT because to was probably SCDS, which I have suspected for awhile and the doctors won't do it because I have had previous MRIs on my neck and head that showed nothing other than terrible discs.
The VEMP tests are bad in both ears so I am sending my results to another specialist at UCLA this time instead of University of Washington! Frustrated because I did a ton of research to find one of the top dr here in Seattle and he said I needed a psychiatrist before I could be fixed because my anxiety was so great! No sh@@, it had been 6 weeks since I had gotten off the couch other than crawling to the bathroom! Then I had to manage to get to his office in a crazy busy hospital. WTH.
Anyway thanks for the reply and Godbless
Waffalobill tonya81770
Posted
Omg they sent me to another hospital for my VNG. It was like trying to get threw a maze to find the special diagnostics unit. Up a elevator, down a dozen hallways. Then the place they sent me up north is a university hospital. It's a monster complex the size of a city.
tonya81770 Waffalobill
Posted
Yah and you walk in the office and there's 3 tv's and crazy carpets! Thank god I had my brother in law nearly carrying me or I never would have made it! Lots of antiemetics that week! Now my FMLA is up and I am supposed to go back to work or lose my job. I'm a RN in a busy cardiac unit of the hospital! This should be interesting 😐
Waffalobill tonya81770
Posted
tonya81770 Waffalobill
Posted
Yeah my short term disability was denied because my chart had vertigo in it prior to my latest bout!
They can't see a disability so it must not be real!!! Good luck on the legal stuff. I hope you are getting some kind of assistance. I know my credit union has some programs for disability payments prior to receiving any payment. Like they pay the Morgage and car payment while I am waiting.
I hope you get some help soon! I would be drowning if my husband didn't work.
Waffalobill tonya81770
Posted
Tryed for assistance. So far only thing i qualified for is 10 bux a week in food stamps. Lol. Can't even buy peanut butter and jelly for 10 bux a week.