Dizziness,

For at least 3 years, my 50+ yr old mother (5', 100 lbs, undergoing menopause) has complained of dizziness & disorientation that occurs frequently everyday, spells of which always last under a minute (approx 10-20 secs). She likens the sensation to the stumbling dizziness people experience when drunk. Her dizzy spells aren't specific to a time of day, & they are triggered when she lifts one of her feet or legs to put on her clothes or shoes, walk up the stairs, or generally when walking rapidly. She has no other physical complaints (ie. no headaches). She went to the physician half a year ago to figure out what the symptoms meant, had an MRI (which came out clear), & the physician was unable to find anything wrong with her. I did some research & narrowed the possibilities to either an ear problem or multiple sclerosis. After I explained the MS symptoms to her she commented she had experienced a "needles & pins" for many years when she was younger, is often extremely fatigued, & has muscle spasms. Could she still have MS even though her MRI was clear? If not, what could possibly be causing her dizzy spells? Any clues would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[jomartin]

All i can think of is an inner ear infection which I have had and it does make u feel like your drunk and gonna lose your balance. Or maybe anemia. When I was low on iron when I would move too fast it felt like all the blood would rush to my head and i would get dizzy and almost fall over. That;s all i can think of.

[crystaly]

Hi, I found this interesting because I had a similar problem a couple of years ago and it was meneires disease ( not sure of the spelling) This is an inner ear disorder which is related to movement of the head. My Gp prescribed some medication and this helped enormously. Hope this may help.

[lesmizerable]

I'm hesitant to say it's caused by an ear problem because I know patients usually notice that when they wake up in the morning and have to shift or turn their head. That isn't the case with my mother...it occurs when she shifts her movement on her feet.

[crystaly]

I didn't explain menieres very well did I! Its related to movement so in your mums case walking could set it off. Meniers is related to fluid in the inner ear. It is also quite difficult to diagnose and can vary. However meieres does not as far as I know cause pins, needles or muscle spasms. Just because your mums MRI was clear it does not rule out a neurological disorder. I have pins,needles muscle spasms and a spastic gait ( walking) which started 18 months ago. I have an excellent neurologist who has basically told me that the brain and nervous system is so complex they cannot always find a cause. I still look for answers so please continue to ask questions on ypour mums behalf. Someone on this forum may be able to help. Good Luck!

[NoAspartame]

If she ingests aspartame, try ridding her diet of it for a couple weeks to see if it helps.  Cheap, and maybe effective.  Her symptoms are very close to what I experienced.

Best Wishes