Dizziness brought on by visual movement, headaches

[PetiteMac]

I am a 45 y.o. causasion female. I don't smoke or drink. I recently had some dizziness, especially when seeing quick movements. I also had tingling on top of my head and a headache, usually on the left side of my head in the front. With a feeling like someone has their hand on top of my head. My vision seems a bit off, but not much. Seem to have new floaters in my eyes, but I could just be more aware of them now. This isn't all the time, but comes and goes. I have had mild headaches, but no dizziness or pressure in the past week or so. I also have a twitching in my lower eyelids, and had slight swelling in my left eye and on the left side of my face but just for 1 day. The swelling was obvious, but had gone down by time I saw the neuro 3 hours later. I have no ear or sinus problems, no nausea.
I have a strong family history of intracranial aneurysm (mother and aunt had them rupture). I have been hypothyroid since I was 13 and take armour thyroid. A year ago I was in a car accident and have 2 herniated disks in my neck/back. Between C4 and 5, and 7 and 8, I believe. I go to a chiro who really helps with the pain.
I have always been very healthy and this is really scaring me. Neurologist did all the in-office test and said I check out very well, but he wants an MRI and MRA with the dye thing done just to be safe becuase of my family history. I had a slight temp at 99.6. Any ideas of what is going on? I go for the mri/mra today. Can anyone give me some idea of what may be happening to me? Thanks so much!
Scared In Georgia

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

MRA or angiograms to screen for aneurysms is a controversial subject and no clear answer exists. In patients with a strong family history(like you have) or certain conditions that perdispose to aneurysms like polycystic kidney disease, it may be reasonable to do a screening MRA or angiogram. Depending on the size of the aneyurysm, it may just be left alone rather than intervened on if small (usually less than about 7mm)

I cannot confirm if your symptoms are due to an aneurysm or something else - there is no clear statement in yoru history thatindicates so. Like wise I cannot benmore specific on the fever as this is more commonly due to non-neurological reasons like an infection. However, fever can beassocaited with neurological diease.

Symptoms to be wary of are, theworst headache of your life, a stiff neck, weakness or tingling of one side of thebody, or a lapse consciousness

The MRI/MRA will hopefully answer some of your questions

Good luck

[bassadict69]

I have been having some of the same symptoms. What did your tests show?

[PetiteMac]

I just got back from the neurologist. My mri came back normal, as did my bloodwork. I don't have the results from the mra yet but the dr said he fully expects it to be normal, too! All this makes me feel great, except it does not explain why I was dizzy or the other symptoms I was having. And I can tell you now, I am not one of those people who look for something to be wrong. I try and explain away everything. On that note, I asked him if the problems could have come from the 2 herniated disks in my neck and he said yes, it could very well be from that. So, I am waiting on the call about the mra. I hate it that anyone else is having problems, so I hope you are better and nothing serious is wrong. It is so scary when things happen you can't explain.

[jan]

"I am a 45 y.o. causasion female. I don't smoke or drink. I recently had some dizziness, especially when seeing quick movements. I also had tingling on top of my head and a headache, usually on the left side of my head in the front. With a feeling like someone has their hand on top of my head."

This is me, except I am soon to be 49.  I actually fell into my husband and didn't even know I was falling!  I am glad he was there and I didn't hit the deck.

I told my eye dr. and he said to tell my neuro.  I, too, have herniated discs in my neck (stenosis, nerve damage, etc).  I had an MRI and there were 3 lesions, but I don't think that they are related at all.  I've known about them for 7 yrs.  (I was once misdiag. with MS).

I was thinking maybe my head feelings, which are the same as you described (except the tingling can be anywhere and travel around head), are atypical migraines.  I will ask my neuro about this possibility.  At one time she wanted to keep me on seiz. med due to this.

I am going to wait until my reg. 6 mos. check up to tell neuro.  I will be interested to see the dr's response here.

[sombok]

i have been feeling very dizzy and imbalanced lately. have not idea what is causing this. this has been going on for more the 2 months. i also have severe pains in the upper part of my neck as well as headaches. i have done an MRI and blood tests and they all came out negative>where sould i go to have this diagnosed?

[mtchina]

I'm having really strange symptoms, and very similar to yours. I'll post the following. Sorry it's so long, with the strange symbols due to the cutting and pasting. I've been posting this everywhere trying to get some help. Am scheduled for an MRA next week. Condition getting worse:-(

Please help! 30 year old male, US born, currently living in China. It has been almost two months since these strange, almost unbearable, symptoms suddenly appeared. They are testing my career, my marriage, and my sanity.

In early October I woke up one day (regular night's sleep) with a really stiff neck. Didn't think much of it, except that maybe I slept on it wrong. Tried to shake it off and get through the day. Following morning woke up with a mild headache (over the eyes and into the right side above the ear), and even worse neck pain. The pain was more pressure than throbbing. This continued, non-stop! A few days later, sick of feeling, well...sick, I decided to go out with friends. Had a few beers, nothing out of the ordinary, and woke up the next morning with a horrible migraine (I'm not a chronic migraine sufferer). I began vomiting for the next few hours, finally could take took a short nap and awoke with that same mild pressure headache and neck pain, but no more vomiting. Went to the doctor the following day and explained everything. Told him I have bad sinuses and he prescribed an antibiotic for a sinus infection?? This didn't help at all! Then, the lightheadedness began!! Ugh, this was even worse than the damn headache. Kind of like a floating, on a ship, foggy head feelingˇKreally weird. Once again, let me stress, this never subsided! Woke up with the headache, lightheadedness and neck pain and went to sleep with it. Funny thing though, didnˇ¦t usually wake up in the middle of the night with pain (only when my eyes first open in the morning). Was really tender at base of skull, mostly left side. Pressing on this region made symptoms worse, I thought. Most recent neurologist said it could be occipital neurologia. He gave me a nerve block. Didnˇ¦t seem to help at all. Next day I was on a plane back to China, so it was tough to tell, really a mess knowing that things were not getting better and that I was returning to work in China without a true diagnosis.

Flash forward to today, almost two months later and the same symptoms continue, except that the headaches are always in the morning and now usually go away after a little while, only to be replaced by horrible lightheadedness, stiff neck (tenderness has subsided) and nausea. A definite decline as the worsening symptoms are really scaring the hell out of me! About a month ago I began having shooting, nerve-like pain up to the top of my head where it literally feels hot to the touch. This usually happens after an hour or two into the day, after the headache has gone down. Then this crazy shooting, tingling pain on the scalp, then the lightheadedness comes on with, of course, nausea. Thatˇ¦s the order and itˇ¦s unrelenting until I go to bed. Laying down or standing up does NOT make anything particularly better. Moving at work constantly, though, does increase the lightheadedness and nausea. Docs said it could be a ˇ§stuck migraine,ˇ¨ which I highly doubt, seeing that the headache seems to be only a small part of the problem. Never a fever since all this began. Take a few meds., listed at the end of this rambling, desperate letter.

Iˇ¦ve left out lots of information with doctors, neurologists and others. Iˇ¦ll list the tests and results at the end. Iˇ¦ve ruled out environmental factors (I think) because I lived in China for two months before this all started. Also flew back to the States for a couple of weeks for tests and no let up while home. Iˇ¦m a fourth grade teacher and am really struggling here. Any help, advice or possible diagnosis would really help. I feel like this will never end. I canˇ¦t believe pain like this can be constant, never letting up, and doctors canˇ¦t seem to find whatˇ¦s wrong?! Can something last two months non-stop, and not be serious?? Getting worried that the doctors will never figure it out.

Doctors Seen
*Family Physician here in China (from California)
*Five Neurologists (most in the States)
*Four Neurosurgeons (two here in China, two in States)
*Chiropractor

Tests Done
*Brain MRI w/contrast in China revealed a possible brain lesion
*Brain MRI w/ contrast in States (much higher quality) revealed no brain lesion, but normal abnormality (what is that?), doctors not worried
*Chest X-Ray - normal
*Neck X-Ray - Chiropractor thought top vertebrae might be a little close to base of skull, no relief during adjustments, stretching. He ruled out a pinched nerve.
*Neck MRI - normal (received info. over the phone, they said I was moving a bit, some parts a bad scan)
*audio testing - normal
*vestibular testing - normal
testing - normal
*CBC - said blood tests were normal (amazing how I have nothing to bring with me to the next doc. appts.)
*doctors did not see evidence of intercranial pressure, but the location of my "strange abnormal abnormality" is where the docs said my spinal fluid is "formed."

Medication Taken
*over the counter pain meds - don't even touch this pain - discontinued
*muscle relaxers - no relief - discontinued
*prescription pain meds - very little relief - discontinued - except..
*Oxycondin - this is the ONLY pain med that helps a little ˇV still taking, but only a half dose of 5mg with 325mg of aceptimophen (sp.?) - I know, I know...addictive..Ktrying not to abuse but the only thing that works
*Nortriptyline - anti-depressant doc said is used for chronic pain - lasted five days but stopped taking after insomnia (reverse from danger of making drowsy?) and sores suddenly appearing in my mouth
*Valium - taken only a couple of times when I was flying -discontinued
**Only taking the Oxycontin now (half dose, I think very small compared to what I've read) and my usual Lipitor for mildly high cholesterol, 10mg