Dizzy for nearly a year

[chemlabrat]

I'm 24 years old, male, was very healthy a year ago.  I graduated college, moved to a new town, and got a great job.  

I've slowly debilitated starting around October of last year.  At first, I would just notice that I was getting weak and light-headed every now and then.  A few months later, at my job, I noticed I couldn't do as much when climbing stairs or working in hot situations long periods of time.  A few months after that, I got to where I couldn't walk around in the plant or do the outdoor activities I used to be able to do for more than 10-15 minutes.  Then it got to where I couldn't walk very far at all at times.  Now I'm to the point where I can't even drive to work.  I'm on the verge of losing my job because of it, and I don't know what to do next.

Right now, when I wake up the morning is the best time of the day.  The first 2-3 hours and the last 2-3 hours are when I feel the best.  I'm barely dizzy, if at all, and I'm able to drive and get around.  The middle of the day, between 11am and 2pm is the worst time of the day, and I'm completely out of it.  

Symptoms (in order of prevalence):
- Dizzyness (the room doesn't spin, and I don't feel off balance.  I just feel like I'm going to pass out.)
- Anxiety
- Head pressure on the sides of my head just above the ear.  I can feel a pulse underneath it.  
- Tingling scalp sensations on either or both sides of my head
- Heart skipped beats, palpitations
- Left side stabbing chest pain
- High blood pressure (have had it for 4 years, and had been controlling it with benicar.  I stopped taking the benicar a few weeks ago hoping it would help, but now I'm hitting 120/80 when I'm not feeling bad and getting up to 160/95 when I do feel bad)
- Panic attacks
- Post nasal drip, especially when I notice I'm feeling bad
- Burping excessively


So why am I posting this in the neurology forum?  Because I've been everywhere else.  Here's what I've tried:
- Saw my family doctor a hundred times.  Did blood tests (normal), EKC (normal), ECG (normal), holter monitor (found a good bit of PACs when my heart was skipping beats and also sinus arrythmia), flu test, eppstein barr test, etc.  Finally my doc said it was probably caused by anxiety.  I took one pill of Paxil, had terrible side effects and was worse the next day than I'd ever been.  I didn't take another.  Waited a week or so, decided it was just in my head, then took a 2nd pill.  Same thing happened.  The doctor then took my off Paxil and put me on Buspar.  I didn't take any of it after reading about the side effects.
- Saw two cardiologists.  First one said dysautonomia without doing any testing for it.  Second one said he didn't think it was.  Second one tested my BP laying, sitting, and then standing.  My pulse rose a lot when changing positions, but my blood pressure increased from normal when laying to around 140-150 when standing, then normalized.  I'm currently scheduled for a tilt table test.  Final word of the 1st cardiologist was that i had dysautonomia, needed to learn to live with it because there was no treatment other than exercise/diet, and to see him in 3 months.  Final judgement of the 2nd opinion cardiologist was that I needed to go to the Mayo Clinic.
- Saw a GI doctor.  I was having periods of stomach pain and delayed emptying at the time.  As well as burping a good bit all day.  He said he didn't think it was a GI problem, and I needed to see an ENT.
- Saw an ENT twice.  Did a balance test.  He said it came back normal, and assured me that I had no inner ear trouble.  He is now having me take a nasal spray, steroid pack, and antihistamine at the same time for a week to try to rule out allergy problems.  So far I'm not noticing a difference on the allergy meds, except that my BP seems to be very very high.  Is it ok to go back on my Benicar while I'm taking allergy meds?  Final verdict of the ENT was I needed to go to Mayo Clinic.
- Went to the ER of two hospitals when I felt terrible and was having extreme light-headness coupled with all my heart issues.  I was assure that my heart was fine.  One of them ran an MRI and blood tests with complete blood count and metabolic makeup and said everything came back normal except for air in the mastoid cells making me prone to ear infections (ENT said I had no infections).  First ER doc said I needed to go to Mayo.  Second ER doc did more blood tests, urine test, EKG, and chest x-raw.  All came back fine.  This doctor was a former internist and said it was all being caused by anxiety, and prescribed me an "as-needed" xanax 0.25 mg, and reccomended I see my internist and ask about seeing a psychiatrist.
- I went to an internist.  The internist said that he didn't think anxiety was causing my problems, and that the anxiety was a result of my problems.  He was leaning more towards dysautonomia, and did the same test where I lay down, sit up, stand up, and noticed my BP went up each time along with my pulse.  He said I should have a tilt table done to be sure, then go to the mayo clinic.  I asked about a psychiatrist, and he said chasing the anxiety side of things was just going to slow me down and take time away from chasing the phsyical problem.  He prescribed zoloft.  I haven't taken the zoloft or the xanax yet.

I'm at a loss and don't know what to do next.  Some doctors tell me the last thing I need to do is look for anxiety, and some say that's all I need to do.  Half of them say go to the mayo clinic, but my health care provider doesn't cover that type of procedure where you go in and have a complete workup done.  It would be very very expensive, and I just graduated college a year ago and don't have any money.  I'm saving that for a last effort attempt, but at the moment I'm watching myself lose my job and drive my family crazy wanting to know what's wrong with me, and I don't know where to turn to next.  I've made an appointment with a psychiatrist, and have an appointment for a tilt table test.  What should I do?????

Thanks in advance.

[bwyant]

About the same thing here, Been there, done all that.  One year ago today.  Just keep praying have no other advice.

[prince718]

yo boss me too  i been feeling the same way for like a year or two now i been back and forth to the er but no help   the only thing been helping me is my mother remdy which is L theanine  hen i take it no dizzyness when i stop for like a day or two it starts back up so i am trying my best to stay taking it it realy helps me

[chemlabrat]

Forgot to add, the dizzyness is postural.  Increases significantly when I'm standing up until pressure starts to build in the back of my head and in the sinus cavity between my eyes and behind my nose.  It will continue to build until I feel like I'm going to pass out.  In the back of my head it is similiar to the feeling of being held upside down for a long time by your feet, and in my nasal cavity it is similiar to having water in your nose.  During the middle of the day when I'm feeling really bad, I can't stand for very long without this happening.  During the mornings and evenings, I could probably stand for hours.