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Dizziness when eating

Whenever I start to chew the first one or two bites of food, I experience a sense of dizziness.  The room around me doesn't spin, but it kind of feels like I'm spinning inside my head.  It goes away after 2-5 seconds, and usually happens only once during the meal, with the first bite or two.  I can be eating soft or hard foods, doesn't matter.  I can hold my head still or look down at my plate and it doesn't matter.  I don't feel it any other time at all, only when I chew something.  I don't have any other symptoms.  I'm not on any type of medications.  I had a stapedectomy 2 years ago to correct hearing in my right ear.  I just had a balance testing done because I am planning on having a stapedectomy in my left ear now to correct that hearing, and the balance testing came back perfectly normal.  I can't find anything on the web about this, other people that experience it, or what might be causing it.  Any suggestions?

-JAH
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Avatar universal
This has been happening to me a lot. I notice it if I eat chocolate or sweets but also normal things like meats and other foods. It feels like a rushing dizziness. Like being strapped to a rocket or roller coaster and you body is moving forward but your head is moving backwards. I also notice it kind of makes Your vision go off centered. I an overweight and need to lose it and I think it could be a factor but I'm not sure. My wife also says I have sleep apnea and that she has to nudge me at night to breath and at my call center job, I have been getting short of breath just saying 3-4 sentences that never bothered me before. My left hurt across the top and up around the joint of my toes has started to hurt when I walk or flex my foot. All the symptoms except the dizziness start about the same time but I have no idea if any of it is related. I hate going to the drs just for then to send me to a million other people or tell me they can't find anything wrong with me. Any ideas?
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Avatar universal
I have been feeling like that since october 2011. I have been diagnosed with autoimmune hashimoto and gallsbladder problem. i don't know yet if it is not working well or I have gallstones but I belive that dizziness is more likely conected to gallbladder and not autoimmune. my hormones are in good level the only think what is wrong are my antybodies which are really high.
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Avatar universal
Hi jah1

I have the same symptons as you I am a 13 year old female that has had this happening to me since october last year and has goote worse at school and its just hard to hard to study at school when I have to study and focus but it just gets in the way.Do you have any advice please  
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Avatar universal
Wow I just had a bite of a muesli bar at my computer.. and felt dizzy for a second.. then thought.. hey that happens a fair bit.. maybe I should google it.. and then I found this! Crazy!!
I wonder if it's a reaction from your brain in anticipation of food.. like as soon as your brain knows it's about to get food it sends a signal.. something related to your blood sugar? Letting your blood sugar know that it's about to be sorted out? Any one reading this that knows about that?
I do get extremely 'hangry' and all my friends know to steer clear of me if I haven't eaten.. Sometimes I have to give my husband a countdown until when I'm about to lose it... we laugh about it.. he knows that if I get like that I need to eat pronto.. he says okay.. is it like 30 minutes from showdown or 5 minutes from showdown? hahaha
Anyway, hope someone gets to the bottom of this.
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Avatar universal
I have also had these same symptoms which have lasted for the last few years on and off.  I have noticed a relationship between my allergies and not taking my antihistamine (Zyrtec).  When I have not taken the Zyrtec for about 3-4 days I start to have the symptoms.  When I restart the medication again the symptoms go away in about 2-3 days.  I also notice when my allergies act up due to environmental factors the dizziness returns regardless of taking the Zyrtec.  I think the symptoms have to do with the fluid which backs up in your inner ear due to the allergies.  When eating the movement made with your mouth causes changes in pressure in your inner ear and may very well have to do with the symptoms that we have and why they are only transient.  Once the pressure equalizes again the feeling goes away.  I am currently having the symptoms again and trying to take Sudafed (decongestant) to help decreased the amount of fluid in my ears/sinuses with some success.  

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner who works in the ER and when I had asked some of the ER doctors about this a few years ago they looked at me like I was nuts so had to find out my own answers to these problems.  I don't know if this is the answer to everyones symptoms but it may very well help a vast majority.  I also think looking at all the other peoples posts there are a large amount of people who have allergies and some who may not know they have them.  Most also have inner ear problems which I feel is the culprit on most. I would be very interested to see how others symptoms change/improve when taking something for allergies consistently.  For the record I am 37 y/o male who does exercise 4-5 times a week and like most of you don't have any problems other than with the first few bites of food.  

Good luck.
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Avatar universal
24 year old female.
Symtoms:
1.) Vertigo while eating, smoking, sitting down (does not seem to happen when standing or lying down)
2.) Feelings of nervousness and anxiety (have had crippling anxiety for about 10 years)
3.) Stopped taking adderall 2 months ago
4.) Have not had alcohol or caffeine in 3 weeks due to worsening of dizziness
5.) Brain fog (diagnosed with fibromyalgia)
6.) Fatigue
7.) Blackouts
8.) Feelings of or crawling sensations in forehead
9.) Lost voice recently, sore throat, no fever though
10.) Swollen lymph nodes in front of neck, no strep though, tight feeling in back of neck
11.) Chest feels tight (could be anxiety related)
Duration about a month now. I have pretty much a purist diet. All organic, veggies and fruit galore. At a healthy weight. The only damaging habit I have is smoking. I find that this happening while eating is coincidence it has less to do with that and more the motion of my forehead. The chest pain I think is anxiety because I have yet to be diagnosed with something, so it is scary to walk around thinking you could have a serious illness. One conclusion I have come down to, and one that everyone's symptoms fall under is a magnesium deficiency. Something to look into if nothing else. Please if anyone is diagnosed with anything please post for the rest of us.
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