Hi,
When will things get resolved. The neck issues & the dizziness starting to think they are connected. Seen by a Neurologist & she went over all my tests very carefully & also tested my walking & other things. She said I did fine but I will never be a Wallenda (a tightrope walking family).
She told me to take one Flexeril for 3 nites & 3 nites off. Took one last night & after breakfast got so dizzy that all I could do all day was lay around. She said if I could tolerate the drug I could start an anti-depressant. Not starting anything. I am at my wits end. Not taking anything tonight. Pharmacy said I should try cutting pill in half. Couldn't get hold of the doctor "on call". He never called!
Lady doctor said don't just sit around well if your too dizzy what can you do?? Is this coming from neck she said it is from tight muscles!!
Feel bad for everyone in chronic pain.
Marie
What a wonderful lot of help they all were (sarcasm). It is so frustrating for you and of course you cannot be active if you are going to fall over and injure yourself.
I am using a wheeled walker but I am 70 and can get away with it. If you are a young person you would be reluctant to use an aid to help you.
how long have you had this? Where are you and how old are you?
Most doctors, you will find, are a waste of time. If you can find one near you a Neurotologist, or Otologist, is who you need to see. They specialize in inner ear issues. All of the others are just stabbing in the dark to try to understand or help identify the issue. The neck issue and VN go hand in hand. I had a sore, stiff neck for 15 months as I recovered from VN. It was one of the last things to resolve. However, if you look at the nerves that originate at C2 you will also see some of the symptoms associated with VN are caused by that nerve group. But, the vestibular nerve originates at the inner ear labrynth. That is what causes most of the dizziness, imbalance issues associated with VN.
Doesn't seem that Flexeril is a good choice of muscle relaxant for someone already suffering from dizziness:
Less serious Flexeril side effects may include:
dry mouth or throat;
blurred vision;
drowsiness, dizziness, tired feeling;
loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea;
diarrhea, constipation, gas; or
muscle weakness.
I see from a previous post that you are in the US, I am as well. Go to Google and type in Otologist and your state name. This should get some hits for you. Usually, you will only find them in larger cities or associated with a university medical center. They are out there and well worth the visit to help get a resolution.
Marie, it might do you well to ask for Vertigo Physical therapy evaluation and also have PT evaluate your neck as well. I do exercises every day just for my dizziness and I think there is some sort of distinction between dizziness and vertigo but to me dizzy is dizzy and it forces me to lay down a lot. However, I am not dizzy now because I went for the therapy and was literally cured of my vertigo immediately. A lot of people and doctors are unaware that physical therapy for vertigo/dizziness even exists. So search for it in your area and ask your primary doc for a referral or however your insurance works. Believe me PT can help with both problems.
And yes, the more we lie still the worse the dizziness becomes and it feels like being caught between a rock and a hard place! Hope you find the solution that works for you!
Dawn, USA
Oh, and by the way, the standard medications for treating dizziness/vertigo is Valium and Meclizine.
yes Marie, a lot of us on here have neck issues. this can be from various reasons. some is due to stress and other stuff connected with your balance issues as sub conciously we are constantly ,correcting, our balance which Isn,t working properly due to,our dizziness or vertigo issues, and this causestension in the neck and head area., I always had a neck problem before I ever had this, but it is worse now. it wasn't,t and Isn,t the cause of my vertigo, but it does exacerbate it! My eyes also have the same problem, i have okay vision that,s,all been checked,but because my eyes are having to compensate in this whole balance issue I get dizzier when I am under par and find it hard to even type on here. a,good Neuro,Otologists will send you to Vestibular Physiotherapist who,will give you specific neck exercises,to relieve the tight muscles etc. Forget the anti depressants, that,s just a cop,out for drs who Don,t know what to do. And they will actually make it worse! Firmthenfime being have a look at son exercises in line for muscle tension in the neck. And check,out the U.s site VEDA, they are really informative and have a Facebook page to!
I,saw an ordinary Neurologist way back and like you and he could find nothing, that is why i talk about the Nuero Otologists as being the panacea f us.
Gillian, you have similar to me, i had neck problems years before this started but i do think there is a link. My eyes are same as we try to compensate for our balance. Also getting dehydrated has an effect and i am not one for taking enough fluids so really have to make an effort to remember. I am also feeling quite good at the moment and waiting to see a neuro otologist on 22 July and wondering what they will make of me if at the time i see them i am feeling OK, when a week after seeing them i may be having a problem again. I suppose they can still check me out though. What a game of snakes and ladders this all is;0
The Otologist will understand that it is cyclical. They will also want to know what triggers you may have and what symptoms you experience when you do have a bad period. They are really up on these symptoms and fully understand what you are going through. They won't want to give you anti-depressants and tell you that its probably anxiety!
thanks Terry, it's just that this happened to me on a previous occasion when i went to ENT for a follow up. At the time i was in a good recovery and discharged with a glowing report and then a week later back. It's like some whacky roller coaster ride with periods of recovery and then back to not quite square one as i do find that although there is a frequency of occurance the recovery period is getting shorter than when it first kicked off as i learn to compensate more quickly. It's amazing how our bodies adapt.
I experience a lot of the same. I had two good weeks recently where I felt that it was totally gone. Then for the last week I have been nauseated every day and feel slight head motions on certain movements. I feel as if there is some fluid on my right ear so I got my GP to give me a prednisone dose pack to see if it helps. I just started that yesterday. I know that a lot of it is because I pay so much attention to it after almost 16 months of dealing with symptoms, and I find that I have forgotten how it felt to be normal. I'm sure that some of the sensations that I now notice were there before but, I just had no cause to pay attention to them. My Otologist is the only physician that related to how I felt and what I could expect to experience. He has been worth the 3 1/2 hour trip each way that it takes me to get to see him. I saw 4 different ENTs early on and none of them had a clue. I believe that if you have the normal course of VN they may be of some help but, anything that extends out over the normal recovery course of 2 months, then they have no clue what to do or to determine what the cause is.
Anyway, best of luck with your visit. I would be curious as to what he/she tells you after your visit. Please let us know how it goes.
I agree and ENT said to me that i have probably always had this, following a head injury causing neuro sensory damage, but noticed it until it got this bad.
Will let you know how i get on, so long as they don't cancel on the day of my appointment as they did the last time when i had the first ENT appointment, as the consultant was off sick, so i then saw the same consultant the following week and paid privately as i had been waiting for 5 months to see him.
Fingers crossed.
I know Terry---muscle relaxers at best will make you drowsy. I was so looking forward to that appt much was not happy with the results.
Marie
Thanks to all that responded ---you all are helpful & understanding. I will look into the Otologist...The neurologist look at my blood test & the scans I had the past few months. She said "there is nothing wrong with you" but said I have severe arthritis in my neck & she does too! It is the 4th of July & I haven't been out of the house in two days. It is a rainy day & it represents my feelings. No picnics & not sure any fireworks will go off either. I feel like I am wearing out my chairs for all the sitting I am doing. My hubby has been so good about throwing some meals together & doing some light housework. I hate this. I am sorry you guys have this but at least I;m not alone. Marie USA -Penna
Hi Kathleen,
I am also in your age group & I still don't want anything on wheels LOL --I am in Penna. My friends are fairly healthy & I am so envious of their running around & here I sit!! Darn. The minute I feel decent I am out the door.
I have osteoporosis so the wheeled walker is a good idea for me and I find it gives me confidence to walk and get around. Without it I am too scared to do anything.
VN is Vestibular Neuritis. It is an inflamation/damage of the vestibular nerve. The vestibular nerve from the inner ear controls balance and motion sensations that are sent from the inner ear to the brain. Vertigo is a spinning sensation and is caused by loose Otoconia in the canals that connect to the Utricule. When the loose Otoconia float against the nerve hairs in the canals it causes them not to flow naturally telling the brain that the head is moving. The disruption causes the brain not to know what is going on and the mixed signals from the ears and eyes then cause a sense of spinning.
Most people refer to dizzy as a feeling of imbalance and light headedness. Spinning is vertigo.
Hi Terry thanks for your explanation, it's the best I've heard yet (as I could understand it) Better than the words used by medical practitioners who only want to demonstrate how clever they are. They only support the theory that they don't understand what you are going through, but want to sound supportive, How WRONG can they be