|
Subject: Re: vestibular problem of some description
Forum: The Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum
Topic Area: Neurology - General
Posted by CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS on April 08, 1999 at 08:55:46:
In Reply to: vestibular problem of some description posted by Adam Whitehead on April 07, 1999 at 10:26:20:
Heya,I've been suffering from some very elusive problem for the past 1 1/2 years. Noone knows what it is as yet -- I hope you can give me some insight. I believe the problem is vestibular. I will post the info that I was going to give my doctor below (sorry it is a bit long): History: - Sudden attacks of vertigo (room spinning). These would come on at any time. They can be induced by (for example) playing a three dimensional computer game for a short period of time (20-30 minutes) or spinning in a chair. The symptoms are similarly severe whether the attack is induced or not.
- Had 5-6 of these attacks in the past.
- No known head/ear injuries.
- Attacks started at about age 9 and most recent was March 28, 1999. Have never been able to go on rides, walk in circles etc. since this age.
- Only interesting thing I can think of is this permanent sickness came on 3 months after the second most recent attack (around September) and was after 7-8 months of weight training to build strength (so it was very heavy weights). I mention this because of what I have read about fistulas. Symptoms: Attacks:
- Sudden vertigo. Usually early in the morning (as soon as I wake up or shortly after).
- Lasts for a few days, but any head movements after that still cause nausea.
- Constant nausea, vomiting for the first few hours, sensitivity to bright lights or noise.
- Completely disabling, cant get out of bed, can sit up aided but feel very nauseous.
- Spinning is usually in a clockwise direction.
- No hearing loss at all.
- No headache at all at the time of the attack or after. Constant (never changed for the past 1 years):
- Feel very unbalanced while walking. Sometimes have a strange gait because of it.
- Pressure around the eyes and on the sides of the head (near the temples).
- Often neck aches (dull) which arent relieved by massaging the muscle.
- Vision problems that are very obvious to me (but are not eye problems been fully tested by an Ophthalmologist). Cant really look at two objects close to each other at once.. both eyes dont seem to coordinate with each other. Also floaters in the vision (I have been told again and again not to worry about these.. but they are VERY apparent and can often get so bad as to nearly obscure my vision.. come and go all the time.. different places in my vision). The vision/gaze problems are without a doubt the most debilitating symptom.
- Still cant.. eg. Walk in circles.. cant maintain my vision and feel very nauseous.
- Cant focus on things.. eyes stray from what Im looking at
- Resultant problems (from all the vision problems etc) include a near-total inability to concentrate, remember recent events or numbers/messages etc.
- Feel a slight tremor in my head at times and feels like head is swaying in a circular motion (noticeable with eyes closed).
- Anxiety (not severe).. contrary to what most doctors would like to think the anxiety IS a result of this unknown problem rather than the cause of the problem. It only came on after this started and it is generally because it is difficult to live a normal life.. daily things like walking up stairs and sitting and concentrating on work become a chore.
- Occasional strong headaches in the sides of the head.. where the pressure usually is.
- These symptoms do generally feel worse to me after strenuous exercise. Im not totally sure about this though.. it may be the way I feel after doing this exercise is just being exacerbated by the symptoms. Hope you have some insights from this info. I have just about had it with being labelled by doctors as a hypochondriac or just needing to resolve my anxiety. Thanks very much. -Adam
Dear Adam: Sorry to hear about your ordeal with vertigo. Overall, I think you need to see a good neurologist who deals with perpherial etiologies of vertigo. There things that it is not likely to be, one is migraine headaches. A migraine does not last 1-1/2 years so a Bickerstaff type migraine is likely not what is going on. Since there is no hearing loss, I doubt that you have Meniere's disease (what Alan Shepard the astronaut had). You might either have vestibular neuronitis, benign paroxymal vertigo or a process occuring in the CP angle (I doubt the latter because you do not describe any cranial nerve deficits). The neurological examination and some laboratory test will hopefully give you the diagnosis. I would add, that you really need to see someone who deals with these problems. Best of luck and sorry that with this type of disorder, without the physical exam it is almost impossible to give you an accurate diagnosis. Sincerely, CCF Neuro[P] MD
Follow Ups:
| 