1. Community
  2. Ears, nose, throat and mouth
  3. Vertigo and Dizziness

weird cant explain dizziness?

Posted , 4 users are following.

lyn10936
lyn10936

Hi. Hoping for some answers cry.il start at the beggining. back in 2015 i suddenly started having weird dizziness attacks,iv had them on and off ever since,i would say in the last  two years i have probably had them happen 5 or 6 times evenly spaced out during the year.

Now for the hard part ,trying to explain what happens,i have seen my gp and she thinks its vertigo but the room does not spin ...I have had vertigo many years ago which was a inner ear problem and the room was spinning for days i was given stemitell tablets which did help but i felt very unsteady for weeks after that episode.This however which i get now is nothing like vertigo. I can be sitting watching tv one minuete and then when i look away at something else moving my head its like everything takes a second to catch up ,it happens both ways when turning my head.is their anyone else had the same thing happen to them and has anyone ever been told what it is .please help x

0 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

  • eleftherio33095
    eleftherio33095 lyn10936

    Posted

    Did your GP check your eye movements?

    Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

    Clinical Neurophysiologist

    Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

  • gillian76726
    gillian76726 lyn10936

    Posted

    Well firstly 'Vertigo. Isnt a conditon. It is a verb which describes any kind of dizziness. You can have BPPV vertigo symptoms. This is 'crystals in the inner ear,,Vestibular system that become displaced and can cause problems.  You cannhave Migraine Associated vertigo, MAV for short, of which you do not have to feel,the pain of a migraine. 

    I have that 'delayed' thing too . My dizziness is me, not the room spinning feeling. The reason for this as has been explained to me by consultants and research is we use three main things for balance, vision,hearing and our vestibular system.  Some people,get it due to their ears, eg a problem in eardrum,,damage etc. But if these arent in sync for whatever reason,mthen the messages to,our brain are confusing and, we get symptoms,,if that makes sense?

    i,suggest you go,to the following website:- Vestibular Associated Vertigo (Veda). They are the best, as far as i'm concerned, site,for all things dizzy. Detailed descriptions of all the various kinds, treatments, even lists of Specialists in Uk and rest of world.

     

    • gillian76726
      gillian76726 lyn10936

      Posted

      You're welcome. Hope,it helps. I had to,learn to research as drs etc were not much help! I now know more than they do for the most part!! (Which isn't  that hard)? guess they don't  do Vestibular,system on much detail when it,comes to,our problem!

  • eleftherio33095
    eleftherio33095 lyn10936

    Posted

    I would like you to try something for you.  Find a large foam or something similar to stand on, stand with your feet together, and close your eyes.  Have someone nearby to catch you just in case.  When you do the above, do you consistently fall to the same side?

    Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

    Clinical Neurophysiologist

    Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      Hi.i tried what u suggested and I did not fall either way but I was swaying
    • eleftherio33095
      eleftherio33095 lyn10936

      Posted

      It therefore appears that you do not have unilateral vestibular dysfunction.  I agree that what you have is not "vertigo".  All things being equal, I would suggest going to another GP for another opinion, as the first is clearly wrong.

      Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

      Clinical Neurophysiologist

      Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      Do I need to stand on something to do what you suggested because I stood in kitchen floor why does it have to become?
    • lyn10936
      lyn10936

      Posted

      Why does it have to be foam like you suggested?
    • eleftherio33095
      eleftherio33095 lyn10936

      Posted

      Without the foam, you are using proprioception (touch) to stand.  With foam, you are dependent on vestibular (balance) sensation.

      Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

      Clinical Neurophysiologist

      Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      OK thank you .I will try with foam. I have a memory foam pillow will this be OK?
    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      hi. i tried the foam test . i put two memory foam pillows together stood with feet together ,closed my eyes and i began falling to the right side .i did this again a few times and i do fall to the right side so much so i have to open my eyes to stop me falling.what does this mean?
    • eleftherio33095
      eleftherio33095 lyn10936

      Posted

      This means that you have vestibular dysfunction with respect to the right ear. I suspect that you are suffering the consequences of poor compensation for a vestibular neuritis that you had at the beginning.  You therefore need vestibular rehabilitation to help you compensate better.

      Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

      Clinical Neurophysiologist

      ​Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      Thank you for your help ..should i go back to my gp with this new found info?
    • eleftherio33095
      eleftherio33095 lyn10936

      Posted

      Yes. I would also recommend doing a caloric test to confirm this.  This should also show hypofunction with respect to the right ear.  Also, ask your GP to test your eye movements in the dark in the absence of visual fixation (using a flashlight).  He or she should see nystagmus beating to the left.

      Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

      Clinical Neurophysiologist

      ​Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology 

    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      Thank you i will ....can you just explain what a caloric test is and how this is performed ?
    • eleftherio33095
      eleftherio33095 lyn10936

      Posted

      Hot/ cold air/water in the ears, and the eye movements are recorded.

      Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

      Clinical Neurophysiologist

      ​Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • lyn10936
      lyn10936 eleftherio33095

      Posted

      Hi. Thanks for explaining caloric ...my partner did the foam test just to see if the same thing happened to him and it did he consistently fell to one side and he has never had a balance issue in his life so this don't make sense. I guess if most people did this foam test the same would happen.but thank you for trying to help

    • lily65668
      lily65668 lyn10936

      Posted

      Hi Lyn,

      It's not true that most people fall to the same side when doing the foam test. We all wobble a bit from side to side when doing it, just like when you stand on one leg on the floor with your eyes closed. But we don't all fall consistently to the same side, it's more random than that. In fact, someone with adequate vestibular function doesn't fall at all doing the foam test, we just wobble very slightly. I'd suggest that you (and maybe your partner) try the test several times in succession, to see whether you're really starting to fall, as opposed to wobbling, and whether it's consistently towards the same side.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.