Why did my floor tilt?

[ANonnyMouse73]

I was preparing dinner tonight and while walking across the room the floor suddenly lurched like I was on a boat and continued to tilt slightly for 2-3 hours. It made walking really difficult and I felt slightly seasick, but otherwise fine.

It wasn't so bad if I was touching the walls or benches, as this seemed to override the tilting feeling a little.

Is this something I could expect with MS or is it more likely my head cold has turned into an otherwise asymptomatic middle ear infection?

[ANonnyMouse73]

LOL!!! Might have to give that a go!

[ANonnyMouse73]

Bob I think you may be onto something. Last night I had trouble ignoring the noise in my left ear, which seemed so much louder and more intrusive in the relative silence of nighttime. It's easier to ignore during the day, because I live on a flight path and near a train station so there's always a lot of ambient noise anyway.

Can't get in to see my GP until Tuesday so I'll wait and see.

[PastorDan]

We've added several jack posts to the beams and joists beneath this old house.  Floors still slant, but they're not getting any worse.

[jensequitur]

This is exactly like what I was going through.  I'm pretty sure it's part of the MS - I had this happen, along with ON and a lot of leg weakness, as part of my second-ever flare.

[COBOB]

Now that you talk about changing direction, that changes the symptoms.  Loss of orientation while turning or in a "spin test" sounds a lot like labyrinthitis, which is a vestibular disorder.  The thing that brings this to my mind is "changes in linear direction."  Even though I have not really dealt with this stuff in 25 years, it is funny how some little saying brings stuff back. Labyrinthitis is an ENT issue )as are most inner ear disorders.  It is usually caused by a virus or infection, but certain drugs are also toxic to he inner ear (Indocin and high dose aspirin come to mind.)  The faint whistling in my ears goes along with something like labyrinthitis.

Your best bet is to let your PCP know about it.  I get the strange idea that the Neuro is going to send you for an ENT consult.

Bob

[ANonnyMouse73]

Thanks for all the replies!

Bob - I didn't think to try covering one eye at the time, but it's been happening on and off again all morning, mostly when I change direction it'll come on. If I close both eyes I feel slightly better. Will try covering one eye next time and see what happens.

Summerluvr - "like a string was tied to one side of you and pulling" You've described it well there! I was saying to Richard this morning that it felt like I had metal inside me and walked past a whopping great magnet.... I was being pulled to the left (always the left - is that significant I wonder?). The feeling is very unsettling, but doesn't make me dizzy or feeling spinny (bed spins is what I used to get in my drinking days... this is nothing like it). It's accompanied by a very slight tingling in my hands and a faint whistling in my ears.

I'm still waiting for the hospital to contact me with an appointment time to see the public Neurologist, and I have no idea how soon (or not!) that will be as all I've received so far has been a leter from the hospital to say that they've received my referral and would contact me with an appointment time once they have "categorised" it. (Which I guess means my diagnosis is not life threatening and my symptoms are not severe so I'll go to the end of the queue).

In the meantime, I'll count my lucky stars that my partner works from home and is here to assist with carrying the babies to and from the house, as I really don't trust myself on the stairs with them today. :(

Hopefully my cold will clear up in a few more days and take the weird feeling with it.

[Rena705]

I have had a symptom sort of similar for the last few years off and on.  My problem is that I can be standing still pretty much anywhere...in my concrete driveway, shopping at The Bay, standing in the boat on a calm day...it feels as though a wave is cresting under my feet and it really throws me off.  I have had all the tests and my neuro just says it's part of my MS and hasn't gone any further to explain it.  Just a very creepy feeling that gives my friends a great laugh when I ask, "Did the earth move for you?"!  ha ha ha  Hope this doesn't become a regular part of life for you cause it really is no fun!

Hugs,
Rena

[RedFlame]

I don't have any medical experience or knowledge to share but have experienced what you describe.  I will have 'phases' where I feel like I have great difficulty with proprioception.  Last week I got out of bed and nearly fell all the way forward.  MS does strange things it seems.

You are in good company,   Red

[COBOB]

Fun house is a great way to describe what I was referring to.  A fun house is designed to create optical illusions that alter the brains perception of the surroundings.  Many of us have balance issue or issues of proprioception that may be related to issues with the cerebellum and/or brainstem. I know I compensate.  I fall down at night, but manage to make it trough most days.  I am dependent on vision to correct for some other "processing defect."  Darkness in a funhouse messes with your brains expectation of vision as a data source.  So do the "black lights" and simulation of "objective vertigo by making the barrel spin around you as you are on a stable walkway." That extra bit of visual information keeps me upright (most of the time.)  I keep a flashlight near the bed now. I don't have vertigo.  The room doesn't spin and I don't spin. In my case, there are some balance issues, but most of my problem seem to be proprioception with my feet.  They drop, I can't see them and I fall on my face.  I asked, and yep... people notice that I keep looking at my feet when I walk.

Vestibular and inner ear issue do not typically cause visual shifts or distortions.  They do cause "spins."  Shifts in visual perception are normally related to optical acquisition or processing (along with migraine, stroke, tumors, and a few other nasty things.)  As a result of ON of the right eye's optic nerve, the decreased conduction velocity causes everything viewed with my right eye to be "more distant" (smaller, diminutive) then when viewed from my left eye.  This throws off my depth perception (kind of like the funhouse hallway that looks normal but gets smaller as you walk down it.).   I can't track a moving object with both eyes open and expect any accuracy.  Vertical parallel lines (like the sides of a door jamb) don't look vertical to me with both eyes open.  My left eye see them as vertical and parallel.  My right eye sees them as curved (like a fun house mirror.) When I open both eyes, stereopsis of the brain tries to merge the images and things come out  a bit different from reality.

I like the fun house analogy.  It works pretty well.

Bob

[jensequitur]

I've also had vertigo, which my neuro told me was because of the lesion on my cerebellum, but he did not have a good response for my loss of targeting control (or whatever it's called.)

[JemmAus]

Hmmm...I have a lesion on my cerebellum which my neuro says is the direct cause of my joyous sensation of walking on a boat most days.Its been almost continuous since February. My MS nurse says it's one of THE most common symptoms she sees.

From a good article explaining lesions in the cerebellum:

Disequilibrium
Patients may also experience disequilibrium, or loss of balance, resulting in dizziness and vertigo. The cerebellum interprets spatial information that, when compromised, leads to a loss of perception to the surrounding environment. This often leaves the patient with balance disturbances and lightheadedness. These symptoms add to resultant walking problems associated with ataxia. Consequently, the patient may need assistive devices to maintain independence.

http://www.unitedspinal.org/msscene/2009/03/03/cerebellar-ms-a-case-study/

Don't forget an infection can trigger symptoms as well! Though a head cold - if it gets in your ears - CAN cause balance problems!

Be careful if you are still ahving issues with it and have to go to a busy environment - like a mall or supermarket.  A lot of visual stimulation can sometimes make it feel worse. Grab a trolley to hang on to if you do!

[jensequitur]

I spent about three months being about 45° off of center.  Every time I headed toward a object, my aim was off.  I suspect it was either the lesion on my brainstem or some cranial nerve problem.  Of course, I also had nystagmus and a positive Romberg's.

[summerluvr]

I think it sounds like you are describing more of an off balance feeling then a vertigo spinny feeling.  I've had both at different times. Not MS related, never got a full "why" but I have a few health problems.

Would you say the floor was being pulled up sideways and you were falling the other way?  Or like a string was tied to one side of you and pulling?  That is what I experienced recently at the fun house, but aftewards had the room spinning feeling.

[COBOB]

I never said it was not related to MS, I said I doubted it was related to inner ear or vestibular issues.  Partial seizures, focal migraines, Optic Neuritis, and changes to the Optic Chasm are all associated with MS.  VNG (Video Nystigmograph) is a test for inner ear disease.  The difference here is that from the description, I would not request a VGN.   If during a neuro exam, Romberg's sign was present or there was indication of vertical or horizontal nystagmus, then a VNG would be appropriate.  If Romberg's sign was not present, this would point more towards a visual issue.  That is why I asked about covering alternate eyes.  Recommending tests based solely on a symptom can really drive up a patients cost.  As several people have pointed out of this forum, a complete neuro exam is extremely important.  

Bob

[essdipity]

Have to disagree with Bob on this. Whether or not vertigo is the right term for this symptom, that off-balance, on-a-boat feeling is not very unusual in MS. I've had 3 bouts of that, each lasting many months. For me at least, it's not related to eye issues.

A VNG test can determine (sometimes) whether the problem is central or peripheral. If it's central, the cerebellum is likely to be involved. This and similar tests are done in an ENT's office.

ess

[COBOB]

This is not typical of vertigo.  In vertigo, if you spin it is subjective vertigo.  If you perceive  surrounding objects are moving or spinning around you, that is objective vertigo. Some people have a feeling of being pulled toward the floor or toward one side of the room. Moving the head, changing position, and turning while lying down can make vertigo worse. Your symptom doesn't sound like the typical complaints with Meniere's disease or vestibular neuronitis.  

It sounds like you are describing an abrupt visual change (a failure of stereopsis or change in depth perception). Did you try covering one eye then the other?  There are several things that might cause this, but I would not think that it is related to an inner ear/vestibular issue.  Most inner ear issue cause the "spins" of vertigo. Some people report this type of visual "shift"  with partial seizures, changes in Optic nerve conduction, issues with the Optic Chasm, or atypical migraines.  A sudden change in the visual acuity  of one eye can cause the brain to merge the two eye signals incorrectly.  

If you are concerned about this, or it reoccurs, you should contact your Neurologist.  Your Neuro may evaluate this or may refer you to an Ophthalmologist or Neuro-Ophthalmologist.

Bob