vertigo testing?ENG? HELP!

i have been really dizzy for about 6 weeks now...went to dr did bloodwork, all came back normal.....started taking sea sick meds and that helped.

went back to dr, she said she "see's" some kinda linging in my ear, but not an ear infection...gave me nasonex for allergies and said if something wrong with my ear that will help as well.....helped for a few days but the dizziness came back.....

went to ER 2 days ago cause the dizziness was just so bad, nausea....horrible....they did cat scan of brain and sinuses...everything came back fine.....discharged me with some meclizine for the dizziness....which helps ALOT!

today i went to and ENT....looked in ear, nose and throat (obvisously!...lol)...said nasal passage seemed a little inflammed, but other then that everything looked good...said its vertigo, now i guess just need to figure out weather it has to do with my ears..now he called for and ENG (dizzy test), allergy test and hearing  test.......

has anyone had to deal with this?.....vertigo *****!!!...... what should i expect from the ENG test, he said have someone drive me cause i will be very dizzy after, he said they will put some kind of goggles on and put me in different positions...... im just nervous they arent going to find something with all this testing..... kinda nervous...would just like some input from someone who has been there done this.....ya kno....

thanks!

[Nancy T]

The ENG is painless but parts of it will make you pretty dizzy (temporarily) so it's a good idea to have someone to drive you home if you can.

The ENG should give the doc some more information on what might be wrong, or if normal might rule out some things. Hopefully they will be able to figure it out and give you a diagnosis and correct treatment.

In the meantime, there's lots of good information on Dr. Tim Hain's pages, including info on the ENG:

www.dizziness-and-balance.com

Also see www.vestibular.org

Good luck!

[turkee23]

so now its been going on for about 10 weeks and still i have no answers and im really frustrated and scared and over all depressed.....the ENT cancelled my appt for the balance test and hearing test, so i will be having the VNG balance test this friday.....

dizzy, clammy,lightheaded, ALL the time, unless i take sea sick meds.....just really upset feeling like they are never going to have an answer, or the drs are going to say im just crazy and im going to have to live like this for forever.....i would hurt myself before i did that......so serious ( i know i shouldnt say that but thats how i REALLY feel)

[Nancy T]

Sorry you had your VNG delayed. Good luck with it on Friday. It is an essential step in figuring out what's wrong.

It's true that people don't always get a diagnosis for their dizziness, but it's WAY too early for you to lose hope of a diagnosis. You won't have to live like this forever, and they won't tell you you're crazy.

It can all take time and some trial and error to find the correct diagnosis and treatment. Make sure that you see an ear specialist (otologist or neuro-otologist) if  you aren't already (although give your current ENT a chance even if he/she isn't an otologist).

Even if they can never give you a definitive diagnosis, your symptoms will probably abate or you will find what helps them. Hopefully they will go away completely, but if not you CAN still learn to live with them.

Be aware that anxiety can greatly exacerbate dizziness. This is because the vestibular (balance) system is "wired into" the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight response. Don't let anyone tell you that anxiety is the (only) cause of your dizziness, unless you have a preexisting history of anxiety. BUT, if your doctor suggests an anti-anxiety drug such as Valium or Xanax or some other one, definitely give it a try (and be willing to try a second or third drug if the first one doesn't work, as one may work for some people but not others). MANY people with dizziness find great help from such drugs.

And try to keep your anxiety in check by telling yourself that you will be OK, things will get better. Take a deep breath and try not to think about the dizziness all the time, because that does make it worse.

Don't despair... get the ENG and see what your ENT says. Stay positive, educate yourself, find a super-specialist for dizziness and get a second opinion if necessary. It is not unusual for someone to be dizzy for weeks like you have been, but you WILL get better!

There are many treatments to try depending on what the doctor finds out. For example, diuretics and low-salt diet, vestibular rehab therapy, drugs as mentioned, migraine treatments (a lot of dizziness is caused by migraine), possibly surgery in rare cases.

How did your dizziness start? What makes it better or worse? Do you spin or just feel woozy?

In any case, these things almost always get better in time.

Take care,
Nancy

[Nancy T]

I saw you were on a yacht--also be aware that if you were on it for a longer period and the dizziness started when  you got off, something called mal de debarquement could possibly be the cause.

[Nancy T]

It always amazes me how people post with terrible problems, fear, etc. and you take time to give what you hope will be a helpful answer and then it's as if the problem suddenly disappeared, or your answer wasn't even read or acknowledged. I figure only about 10 or 20 percent of people who post questions here ever acknowledge replies to their "Need help!!" posts. So why do I keep wasting my time answering their questions and offering information and advice when it all goes into a black hole.

[helpme22440]

I would LOVE your insight. Thats what I have been saying. I posted a question weeks ago and have gotten no response. Thats why I am here to try to find answers. I have been experiencing dizziness, headaches, tingling in toes and fingers, tightness in chest, fullness in ears, nausea, eye pain and have been to numerous ENTs and Neurologists and have gotten ZERO answers. I am VERY frustrated to say the least! I have had hearing tests, pressure tests, VNG, EKG, Blood work and all came back normal. I also had an MRI of my brain which found my Pituitary Gland is enlarged which the Neurologist just glossed over like it was no big problem cause it couldnt be causing my symptoms. He also told me it was all anxiety related and I dont believe that cause I have had no previous problems of that. I am a healthy 25 yr old female and this came out of no where about 6 weeks ago. I have been unable to drive or work. If i dont find some kinda diagnosis soon I will lose my job and my insurance which is MOST important so I can cont. to search for answers. PLEASE HELP ME!!! :( anyone

[Nancy T]

Hi there--I just saw your post. I see you posted earlier in the Neurology forum, but (despite the stupid Medhelp thing of designating people as "top answerers" in certain areas, which makes no sense because I never post in the Neurology forum, though I used to post a lot in the MS forum) I did not see that post until now either. Thank you for asking for help. :)

But I'm sorry you are having such dizzy trouble and such frustrating results with the doctors, getting passed from one to another. That is unfortunately a very frequent story. Neurologist says "not my department" and passes you to the ENT, and ENT says "can't find anything wrong with your ears" and leaves you hanging. I think this happens among many specialties. Certainly it does between ENT and neurology.

It is true that many of  your symptoms CAN be caused by anxiety, but since your dizziness started out of the blue like that, anxiety is highly unlikely to be the underlying cause. Unfortunately, once they pin the "anxiety" label on you (which just makes you more anxious, because of course you need to find out what's going on and get better instead of being dismissed as simply anxious), it is harder to get taken seriously. Still, if a doctor suggests you try an anti-anxiety drug, don't reject the suggestion. Most chronically dizzy people (which hopefully you will not become--six weeks, I hate to tell  you, is very short in the scheme of things, but since it has been "only" six weeks, even though it seems like a lifetime, you do have a very good chance of recovering fully) have been prescribed anti-anxiety drugs and for many of them it DOES help their symptoms, even if something else is going on.

The reason is that the vestibular system is "wired into" the sympathetic nervous system, as I mentioned above. My explanation may not be very good,, but I'm sure you can find more info on this on the Web.

If you did have an attack of vestibular neuritis, it CAN take weeks or even months before you feel normal again (as the brain has to "rewire" itself around the area of damage to the vestibular system).

The ENG is a very important basic test and should help the doctor figure out what is and isn't going on. But often it is normal and no definite explanation can be found.

Even if you cannot get a definite diagnosis for your dizziness (and lack of a definite diagnosis is actually very common in such cases), vestibular rehab therapy--with a specially trained PT--can be VERY effective in getting over an injury to the vestibular system, such as vestibular neuritis. Ask your ENT about this, especially if your symptoms continue unabated for a few more weeks. If your ENT does not "believe" in VRT or doesn't seem enthusiastic about it, I would push for it, or find another doctor. Once a "lesion" (injury) to the vestibular system is stable (that is, not an ongoing disease but a onetime injury), VRT can be extremely effective--but it's essential to find a trained VR therapist who treats mostly dizzy patients and designs a program SPECIFICALLY targeted to your vestibular weakness, as this will vary among people, and generic exercises handed to you on a sheet of paper by the ENT may not be very helpful, certainly not as much as being evaluated individually by a vestibular-trained PT.

The "haze" or "brain fog" affects virtually everyone with dizziness... since your brain is expending so much effort on keeping  you upright, compensating for the bad input from your vestibular system, it does not have enough resources for normal concentration. Fatigue is also a big part of this. All this should improve as your underlying condition improves.

If your ENT cannot help you (give him/her a really good chance), look for a neuro-otologist (see a recent post by me on that subject). These are ENTs with extra training in the inner ear and its connections to the brain.

Best of luck with ENG and with getting a proper diagnosis. Do follow your ENT's suggestions and don't give up hope--most people DO get over this kind of dizziness, given enough time. Please try to keep up your daily routine as much as possible. Like other longtime dizzy folks, I can tell you from personal experience that directing your attention outward, staying strongly focused on WHAT YOU'RE DOING, makes it easier.

That doesn't mean that if you just didn't think about the dizziness it would go away--by no means. But it's like if you have a mild headache or a cold--if you keep going with what you're doing, you don't NOTICE it so much and therefore it is not so INTRUSIVE in your life.

Also, keep moving to the extent that you can without provoking excessive dizzy symptoms. If you are sitting still or lying in bed, your dizziness won't improve. The brain needs input (i.e., movement) so that it can "learn" to work around the damaged area. This is what VRT is all about, but daily activity and fitness are important too.

Take care & good luck & let us know what happens.

Nancy

[Nancy T]

I forgot, you mentioned headaches. If you have a personal or family history of migraine, please check out migraine-associated vertigo (MAV). Lots of info on the Web about this now, and MANY doctors, ENTs and neurologists included, don't take it into account very well.

[helpme22440]

Thank you so much for your input Nancy! I am also worried about the enlarged Pituitary. I'm going to see an Endocrinologist Tuesday morning and see what they say...

[Nancy T]

Best of luck! I hope you get some answers. Feel better soon. :)

[turkee23]

thank you so much for your answer nancy

im still very worried, i took a leave of absence from school.....going to see a neurologist on monday.....

helpme, you and i seem to have the same story except the pitutary gland part, im still trying to find some kind of answers

i have a feeling it has something to do with my ears, but wouldnt they have seen that at the ENT?.... everytime i swallow my ears click, might not have anything to do with the deizziness but maybe. would an ear problem make me feel dizzy 24/7??

[helpme22440]

yea you would think that the ENT would find something like that. My ears constantly hurt as well..mainly my left but they said nothing is wrong with my ears..so who knows. they are all idiots!!!! thats what i think!!!