Vertigo?

[tad316]

About one month ago I was sitting on my couch and out of nowhere I felt incredibly dizzy (like my brain was swimming in my head) I think this sent me into a panic because I started shaking and went to the ER because I had no idea what was going on with me. The ER folks said it was BPPV o Benign Positional Vertigo. Since then I have had headaches, nausea and this constant sense that I can describe as dizziness but not the kind that makes me lose balance or like I'm going to fall over. It feels more like I am wearing somebody elses glasses and things are distorted and most recently it has gotten worse. It is really hard to focus on things, i feel like my eyes are jumping around and my head and neck ache. My dr. basically thinks I'm crazy and I have an anxiety disorder so she prescribed me medicine for that which is great because I am incredibly scared that this is something serious and therefore do have some pretty high anxiety. So, my question basically is if anyone out there has experienced something similair? if so, what was it and more importantly how do we fix it?! I don't want to sound over dramatic here but this is beginning to take a huge toll on my personal and professional life.

The dr. also ran a few motor skill tests when I asked her for a CT or MRI of my head and she said that she didn't find any reason to give my insruance company to authorize that type of test. She did an x-ray of my sinuses-unremarkable and also bloodwork that found everything to be ok.

Any help I can get would be great, thanks!

[tad316]

Cath and caregiver, thanks. I appreciate the support. Yes, my Dr. is a real quack...lol. So, I got an x-ray of the neck done which of course came back fine and now I have asked for the MRI of the neck. Since he informed me that the two weird issues are not related and this would be the next step if the x-rays were good. I'm hoping that the MRI will give me more insight into why my arm feels weird and I’m twitchy. I feel like a damn hypochondriac! I spend hours researching what might be causing these things, my gf thinks I'm neurotic (not that she doesn't believe me, she totally does) but I perseverate on whether or not these things are all made up in my head?! You just start to think, maybe it is anxiety? Maybe I'm just overly aware and hyper sensitive and these feelings are all normal? Then, I have a really bad dizzy moment or a body shudder and an arm twitch and I think, nope there is definitely something wrong. So, on to the next test! :-)

[caregiver222]

This is not an "anxietyt disorder" and I would respectfully suggest you ask the doctor how many boxtops he sent in to get his medical degree.

There is a superior and inferior vestibular nerve.When there is an imbalance bewteen the signbals vertigo results. Generally this condition is "self-limiting" and takes about a month to resolve.

The imbalance is often due to a viral infection, particularly herpes. In such a case Acyclovir is often prescribed. Antivert (lorazapam), phenergan, and valium are often helpful.

The nerves travel through a very tiny bony structure and if they swell they can become damaged. To reduce the swelling oral prednisone is prescribed. In a worst case a special surgical procedure is used to open the bone to permit the nerve to decompress.

Often this is only in one ear (although the vertigo effects the entire body). Eventually, even if there is severe damage to the nerves on one side, the nerves on the other side take over and normality is restored.

[Cath278]

hey tad316, Glad to hear you are making some progress! Best of luck with the MRI! and hopefully, an answer soon.Cath278.

[tad316]

update: saw the ENT today. He says it's "most likely" vestibular neuritis. Of course, he is not 100 percent sure but has ordered an MRI to rule out tumors or other things that may be more serious. He couldn't tell me if the odd feeling in my left arm is related to this at all (i'm almost positive it isn't). At least I am getting closer to finding out what this awful drunken/dizzy feeling is for sure so I can fix it. That won't be until teh end of the month. I will update then...just in case anyone else is experiencing similar symptoms.

[tad316]

Update: My Dr. told me he believes I have eustacian tube dysfunction now. Not vertigo. Why? Well, who knows..I have no stuffiness, allergy symptoms etc. So, he put me on claritan every single day until I see the ENT. Now, I started taking those other meds for the "anxiety" and I thought it was helping, but not so much. So off those. Now, I'm having other weird symptoms left arm feels like my muscle is crawling, I have tingling and burning sensations down my arm and I am always tired. Anytime I get excited, mad or exert myself (bringing groceries in the house) I feel lightheaded and my heart starts pounding hard. Dr. says he thinks I am not sleeping well (who knows where he comes up with this stuff) and that I have pinched a nerve in my neck (unrelated to the pressure and fullness in my ear or the dizzy feeling of course, oh and he only said this after I said I had gone to the chiropractor since I read that a c1 vertebrae being out of alignment can cause all of my symptoms) I am still feeling dizzy, not as bad as it has been but still there. The other issues have me wondering if this could be MS or some type of neurological or hear problem. My Dr. told me that he feels an MRI or CT would be "inappropriate" tests to run. Whatever the hell that means. You have someone who has been dizzy for a month and a half, has weird tingling, burning sensations in their left arm (which is making me have a turrets like twitch because it feels like I have to keep stretching it or it makes me crazy) headache every morning when I wake up and exhausted. Yeah, don't do any tests to make sure it's not cancer or a tumor. WTH?! Anyways, I will know more hopefully next week after the ENT and the Xray of the neck. I'll keep you all posted and please, etravis if you find anything out about what's going on with you, please share. Sometimes these sites are all I have to get some answers.

[etravis760]

i hear ya! easter of 2010 was my first vertigo experience it was terrible i had to take a whole week off of work no medicine, tests or doctor visits helped and i too have nothing wrong with my ears no pain hearing loss i passed all the tests..checked that off...thats not the problem., but as soon as it went away all my other symptoms went away as well, however...i had another vertigo attack or whatever you want to call it on the 7th of this month it was bad for a week again but slowly stopped being unbearable (i could only sit up straight my left side was terrible) to this day has yet to fully go away. i can drive and go back to work now but if i look up or down i get a bit woozy and i get headakes everyday like clock work. i went to a ERT doctor he did that lay down and tilt your head thing to me...it did nothing and i still dont have a cure for myself and truthfully all this stuff im reading online about diffrent types of vertigo has enhanced a little anxiety in me also..whats wrong with me?! if some one has a miracle drug or answer...for gods sake give it to me!