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genital herpes and dizziness
i am having recurring episodes of dizziness since April 2006. It starts out with general tiredness, followed by dizziness (more like unsteady gait) and general aches and tiredness. (seems to get agravated when i do physical exercise ie. treadmill) I have been checked out by my internist with blood tests and everything came back negative. I also consulted a neurologist and did an MRI, which also came back negative. The consensus was that i had some kind of inner ear virus. The dizziness lasted for 3 months and eventually went away. The exact symptom returned in Dec. 2006 which also lasted for 3 months. I had 3 weeks of feeling good, then the episode came back again in late march 2007. I am wondering if herpes virus could be the cause. (i have had herpes for about 20 years, and am taking acyclovir periodically as a preventive measure, or when it happens). I am 54 years old and am still menstruating normally.
i'm a 42 yr-old male and with hsv II and I usually get the dizziness before the outbreak. somtimes, it feels like i'm heading into a seizure but then I bounce back. i get several episodes on the way to an outbreak and sometimes a more severe one at the end of the outbreak. i also have other sensations that I believe are related to lymph nodes such as burning sensations in my upper thighs and a whirring sound in my ears. bottom line is hsv causes my body to act very strangely.
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My pre-outbreak blackouts promoted my Dr to order MRI and a host of other tests, which concluded I was one of the many unlucky people that just tend to have a slight migraine, dizziness, blurred and often completely blacked out vision for a few servings to a minute a couple times a week/day leading up to an outbreak. The hsv virus hibernates in your lower spine, waits for a state of weakened immune system and/or stress, and flares up. The spinal fluid surrounding the nerves in your lower spine can carry that virus directly to your brain causing irritation and/or inflammation, and in some rare cases, full blown encephalitis. I've never blacked out/fainted in my life till I started having outbreaks. But now I can always tell when I'm about to have one, due to the blackouts. They have gotten fewer, farther between, and less severe as time goes by.
I began having symptoms of what's been called mdds for the past three months, two months after I was diagnosed with having genital herpes. I've also read on another forum something about people getting cold sores after the dizziness/mdds started.
I just wrote the following to another post, and think it might apply here, too. I don't know if this will resonate for you, but thought I'd just throw it out there just in case. I've changed it a little to better reflect your circumstances, though :-)
I've been reading a lot about dizziness these days, and this may be anxiety related. In fact, most chronic dizziness is anxiety related, or at least has anxiety as a huge component, although there's the question of which came first. What seems to happen for some people is there's a precipitating event that triggers the dizziness (in your case, the virus), but unlike those who resolve the dizziness and move on, somehow you become sensitized to it. Maybe you're extra sensitive to your surroundings, maybe you're predisposed to anxiety; I don't think they really know. But this theory suggests that you start paying such close attention to your inner processes, you basically MAKE yourself dizzy. Have you ever tried to control your breathing, and then for a second panicked and thought you didn't know how to breathe? lol. I guess it's sort of like that. In other words, as one doctor put it, what should be automatic isn't.
You might do some reading on dizziness and anxiety. Dizziness is apparently usually pretty benign, although HORRIBLE for those suffering from it. You might also ask about vestibular rehab, too. They purposely make you dizzy, make you *face* your dizziness, and then retrain you to react differently. Apparently it's very effective, especially when combined with traditional talk therapy.
I wish you the best of luck. Again, I definitely sympathize, and hope you can resolve this soon.
I've been reading a lot about dizziness these days, and this may be anxiety related. In fact, most chronic dizziness is anxiety related, or at least has anxiety as a huge component, although there's the question of which came first. What seems to happen for some people is there's a precipitating event that triggers the dizziness (in your case, the virus), but unlike those who resolve the dizziness and move on, somehow you become sensitized to it. Maybe you're extra sensitive to your surroundings, maybe you're predisposed to anxiety; I don't think they really know. But this theory suggests that you start paying such close attention to your inner processes, you basically MAKE yourself dizzy. Have you ever tried to control your breathing, and then for a second panicked and thought you didn't know how to breathe? lol. I guess it's sort of like that. In other words, as one doctor put it, what should be automatic isn't.
You might do some reading on dizziness and anxiety. Dizziness is apparently usually pretty benign, although HORRIBLE for those suffering from it. You might also ask about vestibular rehab, too. They purposely make you dizzy, make you *face* your dizziness, and then retrain you to react differently. Apparently it's very effective, especially when combined with traditional talk therapy.
I wish you the best of luck. Again, I definitely sympathize, and hope you can resolve this soon.
This sounds more like labyrinthitis, which I've experienced 3-4 times in the past. I woke up one morning and thought I was having a stroke. The room was spinning, I had nausea and vomiting, and I had to crawl to the bathroom to throw up, then crawl to the phone to call my doctor.
This was very out of character for me, since my general health is excellent. I'm a marathon runner, long distance cyclist, weight trainer, and overall quite athletic and have a high fitness level and a healthy diet. So the symptoms surprised me when they occurred.
It's only happened a few times since then (it started before I ever had herpes), and it is easily treated with meclizine (OTC Dramamine or Bonine). My doctor said it's very common, possibly virally related. However, I don't have type 1 herpes, and it began before I ever had type 2 herpes. In fact, it hasn't recurred in the time I've had my herpes diagnosis that I can recall.
I doubt it's herpes related. Keep some meclizine around for when it occurs and get off the 'mill if it's happening when you are working out. You can get a referral to an ear, nose and throat doc, or if there is an ENT forum here, you can post your symptoms there and see if they can identify the viral agent that causes it. I'd be curious myself to know.
This was very out of character for me, since my general health is excellent. I'm a marathon runner, long distance cyclist, weight trainer, and overall quite athletic and have a high fitness level and a healthy diet. So the symptoms surprised me when they occurred.
It's only happened a few times since then (it started before I ever had herpes), and it is easily treated with meclizine (OTC Dramamine or Bonine). My doctor said it's very common, possibly virally related. However, I don't have type 1 herpes, and it began before I ever had type 2 herpes. In fact, it hasn't recurred in the time I've had my herpes diagnosis that I can recall.
I doubt it's herpes related. Keep some meclizine around for when it occurs and get off the 'mill if it's happening when you are working out. You can get a referral to an ear, nose and throat doc, or if there is an ENT forum here, you can post your symptoms there and see if they can identify the viral agent that causes it. I'd be curious myself to know.
No connection between the two.
I sympathize with you, though. My husband is going through something similar, and it's just miserable. Dizziness is tough. It's hard to live through, and it's hard to diagnose. I wish you the best.
I sympathize with you, though. My husband is going through something similar, and it's just miserable. Dizziness is tough. It's hard to live through, and it's hard to diagnose. I wish you the best.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
