feeling dizzie

[emmawemma]

i was wondering if anyone can give me some answers, for the past 2 years i have been feeling so dizzie i panic sometimes feeling my heart race or feel it beat strongly on my chest i keep getting told by the doctor its panic attacs thats ok i accept that but all my symptoms have come just after i gave birth to my son at 23 weeks pregnant he is ok now but was a very traumatic time. i was fine until the doctors told me he was ready to be taken home 4 months after he was born, thats when it all startedthe panic i do feel i have gotten better alittle bit but i dont understand after all this time why i feel so dizzie and sickly sometimes i become very tired early on in the afternoon. not one doctor has been able to help me they put it down to depression but i am happy with everything. i do have poor eye sight and should wear glasses but i forget them alot of the time but i have needed to wear glasses for years and its never made me feel so dizzie befor, i have tried breathing exsorsises but no joy, ive tried pills but no joy. i can deal with everything else but not the dizzieness i have had blood tests and everything but i feel so ****, if you think the way i feel has anything to do with the way my son was born and coping with that please please help me how long am i likely to feel like this, the sensation is like im going to faint all the time im not diabetic doctors cant find anything wrong thanks emma.


This discussion is related to Can poor eyesight make you feel ill?.

[Nancy T]

Emma, panic and anxiety can indeed cause dizziness, as you apparently know. Dizziness is very common with these conditions.

Don't give up trying to find help. Make sure your doctors have ruled out inner ear problems, blood pressure problems, and autoimmune problems (some of which are more likely to begin weeks or months after the birth of a baby). Try different medications--there are lots of anti-anxiety drugs you can try that could give you a great deal of relief. Try seeing a counselor who can help you with your anxiety. Ask your MD, "What else could possibly be causing this?"

Anyone would be anxious in your situation. Please be assured that things will get better. Keep after your doctors until you find something that helps.

If your regular doctor can't seem to help, try seeing an oto-neurologist (although this term is not well known or widely used even among doctors). These are neurologists who SPECIALIZE in dizziness. They are the best at sorting out causes of dizziness. There are very few of them in the US, but look at the list at www.robbmd.com (although some of the doctors on his list, which has a link on the left of the main page, are neuro-otologists, that is, ENTs rather than neurologists, but all of them are going to be knowledgeable about dizziness). Or ask for a referral to a dizziness SPECIALIST (NOT a plain ENT, as most of them aren't dizziness experts). A university hospital (teaching hospital) is where you are most likely to find an otoneurologist.

Best of luck--don't give up on finding relief.

Nancy T.

[emmawemma]

please could you tell me were i would find such a doctor do you think it would be an idea to pay to c someone. i realy have had enough and i need help as i feel like my life is slipping away i know this sounds dramatic but im begging anyone who can help please help me. thank you very much for replying to me.

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

You may need glasses but that would not cause all your symptoms.  First have a complete eye exam with opththalmologist.  Second, find a compassionate and skilled primary cary doctor who can tell you what is going one.  There needs to be clarity about exactly what you are experiencing:  DIzziness or vertigo?  Panic attacks or other medical disorder?  Once that is determined, it should be much easier to begin the proper treatment.  You just need a great doctor who will work with you.

MJK MD