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3 years ago I began a battle with on again off again dizziness, exhaustion and joint pain. 1 month ago while driving home from work the dizziness hit with a vengeance it felt as if someone had shoved me very hard to the left. I have had this type of dizziness before but never quite this severe. I also get dizzy while bending over. I often lose my balance and forget trying to look up at the stars it's a nightmare as I nearly tip over. I've been to a rheumatologist, neurologist and today went through a VENG test. So far no answers, to this point my blood shows nothing abnormal, the VENG results won't be revealed until my next appt. on 5/22. I've depleted my leave from work and must return on 5/24 but I have to say I'm terrified because the dizziness just won't go away. 3 long years of no answers, I'm becoming a little depressed, these symptoms are real but I feel like people believe it's all in my head! Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Best Answer
4851940 tn?1515694593
Dizziness and loss of balance can come from an inner ear infection and also from neck and spinal problems.

Either extremes of blood pressure (high or low) can also cause dizziness.

Joint pains can come from different types of arthritis.  I don't know if the rheumatologist would do just blood tests to see if you have an autoimmune arthritic rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus) problem or whether he also does xrays to show up degenerative changes in the bones (osteoarthritis).

As you had blood tests done, I presume your blood levels were fine?

Best wishes.
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Avatar universal
Lupus does that.  My friends and daughter test positive then negative.  One thing is that diet and nutrition seem to mess with the tests.  When you eat nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms) the Lupus flares up and the test will be positive. When you avoid these foods, the Lupus test comes back negative.  - Just some info you might find interesting.
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4851940 tn?1515694593
Seems very strange about the lupus thing with showing positives and then negatives!

As your blood tests for autoimmune disorders have come back negative and you are feeling dizzy when looking down and looking up, have you had your neck x-rayed?  Osteoarthritis in the neck can cause these symptoms.  Have you been involved in a car accident and suffered with whiplash at some point?

Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of the bones and cartilage and this happens slowly over time and also if you have had any injuries.  Although nothing showed up in your blood tests, this does not mean that you do not have a problem.  It just has not been found and diagnosed yet.

If this is all making you feel depressed (I know the feeling), the doctor can prescribe some antidepressants to help you cope mentally and prescribe pain relief and possibly an anti-inflammatory if you are experiencing a joint problem.  That is all they do for me (except I am allergic to Ibuprofen).  It may also be a good idea for your doctor to refer you to a physiotherapist to give you advice you on gentle exercises to keep you mobile.  

Infections can also cause joint problems.

Best wishes.

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Avatar universal
Thank you jemma, it's been a battle.  A physician assistant I seen about 3 years ago believed this to be Lupus. I've had 2 positive tests in the past, the first one 30 years ago, the second 10 years ago both were dismissed as false positive due to the fact that back then I showed no other symptoms. The last 3 years have been difficult, same recurring symptoms but they seem to be getting worse now. I've been tested again but the test always returns negative.
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Avatar universal
thank you for taking time to answer.
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Avatar universal
Low level Vitamin D can mean several things  - including problems with the parathyroid glands, malabsorption, among other things.  Take the Vitamin D dosage that your doctor recommends.  You may need to see an endocrinologist who can determine if your low Vit. D levels are due to parathyroid problems.  
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Avatar universal
Today my lab results from the rheumatologist came back. They showed nothing more than low level vitamin d.
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