Extreme rolling dizziness with loss of use of extremenities, slurring of speech

[funnierthanme]

Several times I've experienced this, beginning with a feeling that a clear film is starting to cover my eyes.  However, this film isn't smooth.  In just a few minutes, I am so dizzy I can hardly stand.  The room doesn't spin, it rolls.  My legs begin to weaken and will not support me.  My arms begin to weaken and I cannot hold anything in my hands without dropping it.  My speech begins to slur.  My husband will take me to bed and I can sleep this episode off in about 4 to 6 hours and then I am fine without any residual affects.  This has happened 5 or 6 times.  I have begun to document it over the last l8 months.

My neurologist at Ohio State has ordered an MRI/MRA which showed a TIA at sometime in the past.  My family doctor thinks this is Meniere's disease.His partner thinks it is paroxysmal vertigo.  Meclizine has not helped no matter how many I take over the recommended dose.  I have Complex Partial and Tonic/Clonic epilepsy.  I've had no change in medications that would have caused this to happen. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both controlled with medication for years.  Could this be ears or neurological?

[LivingInHope]

Please, please, don't wait for your neurologist appointment.  Did you know that once you have had a TIA you are likely to have more TIAs or even a stroke within a few months if you don't get treatment?  You cannot afford to wait, in spite of the negligence of the medical professionals you have seen!  Please ask your primary doctor TODAY if it's right for you to start a daily aspirin regime or some other medicine for stroke prevention, like plavix, and how much to take, given your prior TIA shown on the MRI, even if he thinks you are having some other problem now!  

Some things he might consider:
1. if you have an allergy to aspirin or
2. if you already have a coagulation problem or any digestion/esophagus/stomach problems that you know of or
3. if you take some other medication that would interfere.

Planning to send you a private message, and hope you will watch for it!

[funnierthanme]

It seems odd to me that since I'm not the only one with symptoms of this kind that doctors don't consult with one another about this.  I have seen two neurologists, two ER physicians, and my own GP.  Certainly one of those might have suggested researching the medical community for other doctors that may have experienced patients with similar complaints.  I will now see my new neurologist and have asked my GP to refer me to an otolaryngologist.  

It was so funny (odd funny) when I went to the doctor and happened to see his partner instead and gave him my symptoms.  I told him I was so dizzy I couldn't stand or even use my arms or even talk.  I told him it wasn't a spinning dizzy but a rolling dizzy.  His very next words were "It's in your ears, but it's so far deep they may not be able to help you.  You might be stuck with this"  This doctor is a really fine doctor, but he isn't my routine doctor.  I don't want to accept his diagnosis on such a short explanation of symptons and without any tests.  He based it all on the "rolling" dizziness.  I told my husband I wanted to start taking an aspirin a day and he said his doctor told him you should not start an aspirin regimine unless a doctor tells you to.  I'll see my neurologist as soon as they have an opening and I that will be the first thing I ask him.

You're absolutely right.  The only way to get things done is to make them happen yourself.  

[LivingInHope]

That was extremely negligent of them not to recommend aspirin or put you on plavix or something when they saw evidence of a TIA and given your symptoms!!!  That  would definitely be a blessing if a neurologist with the proper equipment to evaluate could witness one of your episodes, if you get another one.

I would call on a daily basis for cancellations with your neurologist & explain why you feel it is urgent you get in and that you've been to the ER on more than one occasion.  If you are squeaky enough, Lord willing, you will get the grease of a much sooner appointment!

[funnierthanme]

By the way, I did go to the hospital twice when I was so dizzy and they did an MRI/MRA and said "no significant changes from prior MRI  performed in 2007".  They let me "sleep it off" in the ER.  The neurologist I see now is a new one  The one I had before is 100 miles away and could not see me when these episodes happen.  He was on the phone with them, but I have no idea what was said.  All I was given were discharge instructions "come back if it happens again.  Take Antivert 1 four times a day."  I think I got a sugar pill.

The doctor at AskADoctor said it may be a vestibular lesion.  I have also asked my GP to refer me to an ear doctor.  But still, it doesn't explain slurring of my speech.  No-one recommended an aspirin a day, but it couldn't hurt, so I think I will take one anyway.

[funnierthanme]

I keep researching this and yesterday I found a website (AskADoctor) that indicated rolling dizziness was condition called oscillopsia.   The doctor responding to the question this person answered him/her ( this dizziness ) was that this type of oscillopsia was an early symptom of multiple sclerosis. This person's dizziness happened after excersize.  I don't know what difference that might make.  Mine just "happens" no matter what time of day it is or what I have been doing. The doctor answering said to get to a neurologist, but didn't say what the treatment would be.  I have a terrific neurologist and my next scheduled appointment wasn't supposed to be until April 2010, but I do want to make an appointment with him soon.  It would be difficult to see him when I am in an actual dizzy spell, but wouldn't that be wonderful!

[LivingInHope]

I hope they have you on low dose aspirin or plavix to try to prevent a stroke?  I hope you next time will go in to the ER when an episode happens and that they do scans of your brain to look for clots, tumors (MRI w/and w/out contrast), and anything else that might cause those types of symptoms you are describing.  Slurred speech makes it sounds stroke like to me.

I believe your symptoms warrant your caring husband's taking you in to the doctor with each episode, not just his loving action of putting you to bed to hope you can sleep it off.  A Meneire's disease info website lists the only four symptoms that make up the disease, ringing in the ears, fullness in the ears, hearing loss, and vertigo that's rotational- all episodic.  Doesn't seem to be an exact match of what your describing to me (I'm not a doc though).  

Simply giving the medical term to the type of dizziness that other doc feels you are experiencing is not helping you deal with the severity and seriousness of all your symptoms, not just the rolling sensation, but the loss of strength in your limbs and slurred speech, and the visual disturbance.  I hope you and your husband get the help you need.