Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Neurology (Expert Forum)
Dizziness, nausea and headaches for two years
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury
Dizziness, nausea and headaches for two years
by Dakotagirl, Jul 09, 2002 12:00AM
Please help me. Will try and keep this as short as possible. I am 42 year old mother of two children (13 and 11).
Problems started in early 2000. Waking up dizzy and nauseated (like morning sickness and a hangover) which lasted til around lunchtime every day. Dr diagnosed labrynthitis and gave me stemetil which worked but put me to sleep. Not practical! Dr suggested eye tests, which were normal, but left me so disorientated, I couldn't get in the car for two hours.
Dr referred me to ENT specialist. Five month wait. He said it wasn't labrynthitis as hearing tests were normal (although balance ones weren't). Had discovered ginkgo biloba by then, which reduced the dizzies enough to get me out bed in the morning. He said keep taking them and come back if any more symptoms.
Learned to live with it (just). Stopped walking into door frames by reaching out for frame first.
Two weeks ago, woke up deaf in left ear and left side of face numb. Dr gave me a week of antibiotics which did nothing. Different Dr suggested seeing Dentist, who pronounced teeth 100% ok (after exam and x-rays)and suggested MRI scan. Dr then called ENT specialist at a different hospital, who saw me immediately. Balance checks were dismal. Then he sucked my ear out which restored hearing and gave me steroid tablets and ear drops.
Felt wonderful for 24 hours and then back to 'normal'...ie dreadful. Now - very much worse dizziness, nausea and constant sick, pressure headache. Have had to go to bed several times due to severe dizziness and nausea.
What do I do now??? Please help!!!!!
Mary
Problems started in early 2000. Waking up dizzy and nauseated (like morning sickness and a hangover) which lasted til around lunchtime every day. Dr diagnosed labrynthitis and gave me stemetil which worked but put me to sleep. Not practical! Dr suggested eye tests, which were normal, but left me so disorientated, I couldn't get in the car for two hours.
Dr referred me to ENT specialist. Five month wait. He said it wasn't labrynthitis as hearing tests were normal (although balance ones weren't). Had discovered ginkgo biloba by then, which reduced the dizzies enough to get me out bed in the morning. He said keep taking them and come back if any more symptoms.
Learned to live with it (just). Stopped walking into door frames by reaching out for frame first.
Two weeks ago, woke up deaf in left ear and left side of face numb. Dr gave me a week of antibiotics which did nothing. Different Dr suggested seeing Dentist, who pronounced teeth 100% ok (after exam and x-rays)and suggested MRI scan. Dr then called ENT specialist at a different hospital, who saw me immediately. Balance checks were dismal. Then he sucked my ear out which restored hearing and gave me steroid tablets and ear drops.
Felt wonderful for 24 hours and then back to 'normal'...ie dreadful. Now - very much worse dizziness, nausea and constant sick, pressure headache. Have had to go to bed several times due to severe dizziness and nausea.
What do I do now??? Please help!!!!!
Mary
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Jul 11, 2002 12:00AM
Dizziness in the absence of other symptoms is extremely common and usually not a serious condition (although sometimes quite disabling to the patient). However, dizziness with neurological symptoms such as face numbness on one side and sudden deafness is worrisome for something going on in or around the brain. Not sure what the brief resolution of your symptoms meant with the ENT visit, but this certainly warrants further investigation with an MRI of the brain and a neurological consultation. In the meantime, contact your ENT doc and let them know that you did well initially but the symptoms returned. It is possible that it's a problem with the inner ear and that you may need further investigation in that respect. If things get suddenly worse like that again consider going to the ER for evaluation. Talk to your primary care doc about the MRI and referral. It's important to make sure that everything is ok up there. Best of luck.
I am a 25 year old mom of 3 boys and suffer from identical symptoms. My dizziness only recently presented itself though although I have suffered from the severe pressure headaches and nausea for several years and was diagnosed with Pseudotumor Cerebri also known as Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. (High Pressure on the Brain). Have you had a Neurologic work up? I have ringing in my ears and dbl and blurred vision associated with my headaches etc. I almost always throw up with my headaches and for a long time they told me it was migraines and/or tension headaches. My MRI and CT scans were normal and also my blood work was normal which is consistant with Pseudotumor. They finally did a Lumbar Puncture which showed an elevated Pressure. It is commonly found in women between 20-50 years of age and 8 times more likely in those who are overweight. Which I am. I have it severely. You may not have this, but I only mention it because your symptoms sound so much like mine. I am often confined to the bed or couch for days and sometimes weeks becuase the pain is so bad. And the pressure behind my eyes is often so bad it feels like they are going to be pushed right out of the sockets sometimes.
I would get a good neurological work-up if you have not already had one.
I wish you all the best.
Also if you do not get an anwser you are looking for here I would suggest going to www.allexperts.com There are some really good Dr.'s on there as well and they can sometimes refer you to good Dr.'s in your area. They refered me to my Neurosurgeon that did my LP Shunt placement.
Again I wish you all the best of luck and please post again to let me know how you are doing.
Sincerely,
Smokeater
I have been having very similar symptoms although I am a 22 y/o male. I have been very suspicious that I may have some kinda of pressure imbalance on my brain. I have had 2 MRI's normal, all bloodwork normal.
I have yet to get a spinal tap, b/c I am scared it may do worse than good. Was it the only sure-fire evidence of your diagnosis (btw I have yet to be diagnosed over a year)?
What treatments are you taking/doing? Are they helping, reducing, or even curing your condition??
What else can be done for someone with what you have (MRA/V)?
Thanks a bunch,
aces
Thank you so much for responding. No, I havn't had a neuro work up as yet. Went back for a follow-up hospital appointment yesterday and Dr now wants me to have full balance testing and an MRI. So I will keep you posted. I wouldn't wish these rotten symptoms on anyone - but it is SO nice to know that others feel the same. There are times when I wonder if it is all in my mind...although I KNOW it's not.
Take good care and thanks for replying,
warmest wishes
xxx
Sorry your suffering too. Men too can have this although it is rarer and much more rare in thin men. And yes to be absolutely definately sure that this is what you have you must first have the MRI and B/W and then if all is normal you need a Lumbar Puncture also known as a Spinal Tap. It is the only clinical way to FOR SURE diagnosis this. It doesnt hurt to have it done. They usually give people consious sedation for that becuase if you are nervous it can give you a false high reading so they want you to be calm as possible to be assured that the reading opening pressure is accurate. The procedure takes all in all about 45 minutes and your on your way home. You are usually sore in the back a few days but nothing more than like a pulled muscle. Sometimes you get Spinal headaches form it too but they go away in about 48-72 hours on average.
As far as me I am a complicated case. I have it REALLY bad so dont get scared when I tell you what I have had to go through and still face becuase most people with this are usually treatable with medications and duretics. I take several medications daily including Topomax which is a seizure drug which works as a 2 part drug for my headaches and GREAT for weightloss. I also take welbutrin which technically is an antidepressant but also helps with the headaches. And then I take Diamox which is a water pill and that is supposed to help take the pressure down some but in my case it has not worked. In April I went in and had an LP Shunt placed in my spine by a neurosurgeon to constantly remove the fluid off the brain.
2 weeks after having that, I was accidentially kicked in the back at a little league game and was rushed back in for surgery to have the shunt removed and a muscle graft done over my spinal cord to cover the hole it tore in it. I still face another surgery this month called an OPTIC NERVE SHEATH FENESTRATION. What that is , is where they take your eyes out and make rectangular cuts in your optic nerve sheaths to allow the fluid to drain off the optic nerve thus relieving the pressure off the optic nerve itself, Then allowing you to preserve your eyesight.
The main risk of this condition is blindness. The pressure gets so high on the brain and it presses on your optic nerves causing damage. When the pressure on the nerves is high you get what they call Pappiledema(swelled