Symptoms

Hello. I have never joined a forum but I am desperate to find out what is wrong with me. Two years ago, I was watching tv on the couch and I rolled over and the room started spinning. I managed to crawl to the bedroom and wake my husband up. I knew something was very wrong. It finally settled down but the next day something just did not seem right. So I went to the emergency room and went through lots of test. I thought I was having a stroke. I have extreme anxiety and this was very overwhelming. No heart attack or no stroke. Followed up with my PC and she put me on higher dosage of blood pressure Medicine. For the next six months I dealt with lightheadedness, ear pressure, head pressure, floating feelings, nausea, motion sickness almost everyday. Looking up and down made it worse. Finally got to see an ENT doctor and was diagnosed with BPPV. I ended up going to vestibular rehab and the BPPV went away. I still was left with the imbalance issues. For about 4 months it went away. Also seen a neurologist where I went through several MRI’s. About 4 months ago, it started again. I went back to my ent dr and she told me that this was not a problem with my sinuses or Eustachian tubes. I was so sure it was. She told me it could be vestibular migraines. My anxiety level is at an all time high. I have insomnia and my pc put me on Prozac and Valium when needed. I have taken the valium only when it
Is really bad and it makes all my symptoms go away within 30 minutes. However, the
Symptoms come back about 5 hours later. Does anyone think this could be vestibular migraines? Sorry this is so long.

None of us here are qualified to help diagnose you i’m afraid. Many vestibular conditions share very similar symptoms. You would need a neurologist or, even better, a neuro-otologist, for a professional diagnosis. If it is vestibular migraine, anxiety can be a trigger so getting help for that would be a priority. It’s also likely you may need a preventative medication too, there are many to try and it’s trial and error unfortunately. You might want to try a migraine diet to see if you improve. But firstly see a neuro. Good luck.

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Yes, I am going going to see my neurologist in October and I am so willing to try anything that could help. Thank you for the input .

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Welcome to this forum Kimikay. You will find lots of help here. Until I found this forum, I did not think anybody could understand what I was saying. Here my symptoms mimicked many of the forum members’ own. Unfortunately you have to become your own doctor as I have not had much luck with the neurologists. I had to see a regular pcp who was pretty sure the symptoms I had were of vestibular migraine. But I also have regular migraines (without aura) and I’ve also had BPPV. One neurologist gave me a 2mg Valium prescription to keep by my bedside, because each time I had an attack like that, it was upon waking up, in the morning.
Now I am struggling to deal with my chronic daily headaches and migraines, but Nortriptylne has been very helpful to me in dealing with the 24/7 motion sickness and nausea I was having each time I walked or turned. This condition takes many forms, and your symptoms change, go away, then come back. For me the hardest part these days is the daily headaches which limit my life so much. I have tried so many medications and been on so much, I am afraid for my liver and kidneys. Doctors keep wanting to put you on drugs, and I haven’t found one who wants to work with me on keeping me safe or at least respecting my views. All the neuro wants to do is put me on the migraine CGRP injections, and I am not comfortable with those. I am on Nortriptyline trying to increase it to 50mg but that takes time. I also have Nurtec but it is 50/50 with all these additional medicines. I seem to need an abortive every day but I’m already on a preventative! So hang in there, this will calm down for you and as MissMigraine said many vestibular conditions share similar symptoms. And yes, how can all this not trigger our anxiety? I really hope you find a supportive neurologist on your end. One who takes an interest in you and can help you.

Thank you for the advice. I have an appointment to see a neurologist this week and I can’t wait to hopefully get some answers. My attacks are getting worse. It seems now I am having dizziness everyday. I hope we all can get some relief somehow. This is misery!

Hope you get help soon. As someone else said in this thread, anxiety and dizziness are linked. And if you’re the way I was, it would go: dizziness–>anxiety–>worse dizziness–>worse anxiety–>terror–>incapacitating dizziness–>Incapacitating anxiety.

So the dizziness begins and gives a signal to be careful, and the anxiety takes any signals to be careful, especially for mysterious reasons, as a reason to panic. So addressing how much of the dizzy feeling is stemming from anxiety, and how much is physical/vestibular, can really help, in my experience. Do talk to a professional about the anxiety. But this is something you can help yourself with on the spot, too. Notice if you are in a safe place and have set yourself up so as not to fall down (touching a wall, closing eyes, and/or sitting down, or, if you are in the open, taking slow, careful steps in place). Think very precisely about your tendency to be anxious. Do not let it spiral, but be authoritative yet gentle with yourself. Realize consciously that you may be experiencing heightened anxiety due to the dizziness. Use calming techniques, whatever work for you, until you are as calm as you can be–then reassess symptoms. There are lots of good calming techniques, the best in my opinion is your own awareness of yourself and your power to observe what is happening, and not let the anxiety control the whole drama. See how far back you can step the levels of anxiety and dizziness until you get to where you were when the attack first started. Remind yourself that it’s okay to be careful, that your mind doesn’t have to make a big deal out of you taking your time and being gentle with yourself. Remind your anxious part that you are taking care of yourself by using certain postures or whatever, that you are not giving it a signal to freak out. Hope this makes sense.

This is not medical advice, obviously, but it is something you can do in the moment.

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