Hey guys, for the past few days I’ve been experiencing dizziness whenever I walk. If I stand, sit, or lays down the feeling is lessen or gone. But when I started walking I feel like I’m walking on a water bed or clouds, a heavy feeling at the back of my head, can’t keep my balance, and my heart will start to race, fearing I might faint at anytime. My neck and shoulders have also started to hurt. I do have anxiety for many years, sometimes it’s worse sometimes it’s better, but I’ve never experience anything like this. No trouble sleeping etc. Haven’t gone to the GP yet because at the moment walking to the GP’s office sounds terrifying. I’m thinking it might be something to do with my neck, my job is IT related and recently have been very busy with work, so have been on the computers and phones a lot.
Hi Kerry, given that you've been spending time in front of a screen recently I'd say you may have a neck issue, although the medical profession in the U.K don't generally buy into the notion of 'cervical vertigo'. Perhaps you could look at your working posture when you're in front of the screen, and maybe talk to a chiropractor who specialises in neck issues.
There's a guy on here calls himself Rocksolid. Cervical vertigo seems to be his thing so he should be contributing to your thread before long! If not you could perhaps message him for a chat.
First you should rule out any serious health issues. It's too easy to mistake new problems as just part of old ones. Make sure your not in danger first.
Kerry you may have vertigo- if you move your head, look down, look up are you dizzy?? Your neck may be sore because your body is compensating tryto keep you upright and balanced. That's what my PT told me. Laying down always feels good. Try taking mecclizine- its over the counter also called Bonine. It's in the pharmacy next to Dramamine. If that helps- then you could have vertigo happening.
I had similar symptoms even the neck pain over a year ago. I felt the ground was like walking on marshmallows, off balance, brain fog, extreme anxiety because things looked different visually, dizziness, zoned out. After all the tests you can imagine I was told it was vestibular neuritis. Had to do physical therapy to help. It takes a mental toll big time. I had a terrible bout of bronchitis right before which ENT says happens and that leads to the VN. I was terrified to leave my house at first fearing Id just faint. Grocery stores were the worst...too much visual stimulation. I still struggle but am much much better than before. Could be something similar. Hang in there. Have your doctor check you out and dont give up hope for a solution. I hope you feel better soon.
Becky is right- I was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis in the Hospital now being treated for vestibular migraines. These illnesses mimic each other. And you really need to advocate for yourself or you are just going to be told that you will feel better soon. Then they just keep moving the time frame. Your vertigo symptoms can be a result of an illness. My vertigo was everyday for over 3 months. Google these conditions and see if they apply to you and your symptoms.
And I feel you Kerry- I am terrified of the grocery store! Up and down the aisles- head up and down and side to side. People coming near me with their carts. This would send me over the edge. Even though I feel I'm recovering now I'm still afraid to go into the grocery store.
I have at the moment exactly what you described and its really horrible I have had it for a year now. Some days its better (but its still there) other days I feel like I have extreme pressure down the bottom of my head which can be quite painful. I also got told it was Vestibular Vertigo where a virus has attacked a nerve in my ear. I have started Balance therapy and completing the exercises around three times a day. How often did you do the exercises and how long did it take for them to work? I get very tired and im trying to stay as positive as possible but some days its hard.
Im sorry you have to go through this too. They gave me a VNG and found 13% of my right vestibular nerve wasnt working so I began the therapy. Mine started 18 months ago. The doctor said itd go away on its own after a month. Ha! I did my three times a day then as I improved two times a day. To e honest some days I felt gung ho on the exercises helping and other days I cried and thought they didnt. It took me a solid month of doing them to see changes. Im to the point where Im beyond tired of waking up feeling off still after so long. And anything can affect the VN like not enough sleep, too much sodium, hormones....so I feel like Im on this schedule all the time to calm things. I hope you have a good support system. It helps to have ppl there to listen to you vent because I know how frustrating this is. Just think its only a tiny nerve in your ear causing all of this. Dont let it consume you. You wont die from this, it will go away and try not to focus on it allllll day. I know its hard. Listen to your physical therapists. They helped me stay positive. Celebrate the small victories. Hell going to get groceries the first time was soooo hard but I celebrated! Keep pushing yourself. You can do this.💗
I hope you feel better and they finally listen to you. Many doctors thought I just had anxiety which I never had before. Id tell them I have anxiety now because of how my vision looks...everything doesnt look normal. Yes grocery stores still can be tough. My mom did my shopping for the first 6 months. Then Id run in to get one or two things just to face my fear. Its totally the busy environment messing with your brain. Id get a panic attack each time. I hated feeling VN had stolen my life. Im finally much better but still have my days. Its a long haul thats for sure. Dont forget to laugh. It helps a lot. Take care of yourself.💟
Oh and in the first few months I had head pressure, headaches and the back of my neck hurt bad. Id scour google searching for answers. It can be depressing having doctors and specialists tell you theres nothing wrong and youre healthy but you feel horrible. And many people you tell about it may listen but they have no clue the depth of what youre experiencing. Youre going to have days where positivity isnt your friend and you cry with frustration. When Im going through pms each month mine acts up. Ive just come to realize this tiny stupid nerve in my ear is important and apparently takes a long time to heal. And youre tired because its a lot of work your brain is doing to compensate. My therapist said the exercises may make me feel uncomfortable but they want that. Like you have to feel a little dizzy to get results. Just take time for you and think yes this is extremely frustrating but not life ending. And one bright side is we wont get it ever again. Its like a 5% chance. Hang in there. Celebrate small victories. Keep pushing through. Cry on the bad days but still get up and do small things as you can. Im here if you ever need support.
Hey guys, just giving everyone an update on my symptoms. The dizziness is still here, when I walk it feels as if I’m walking on a boat on the ocean, i feel this heaviness in my head and eye that comes in waves. Now sitting down for too long also makes me dizzy, laying down is still the best way. But one improvement is that when I wake up in the morning the dizziness is not there, but after some movement and walking the dizziness will start manifesting, getting worse as the day progress. At evening and night is always the worst. I now also think it is my neck/spinal due to bad posture. The past week I’ve been to my GP, doing all sorts of tests: blood test, ECG, 24 hour holter, eye test, neck X-ray. Everything came back normal, I’m going to do a brain MRI this coming Wednesday, and if that came back normal then I’ll be going to a ENT to check my ears. I think my anxiety is also making the symptoms worse. When I would feel the dizziness, I gets really anxious, fearing I’m going to pass out, and that anxious feeling will make me feel even more dizzy, and then it became a vicious cycle. If I’m focusing on something else, especially if I’m on big open spaces, say a beach or garden, then the dizziness feeling is very mild. At the moment I’m just focusing on calming myself down whenever I feel the dizziness coming, and hope that it will eventually fade away as the days pass. Will update everyone after my MRI result is out. Thanks again for all your suggestions!
Hang in there. Once I had my MRI and everything was ruled out the anxiety started to go away. The fear lessens the more you realize its nothing majorly wrong. Yes you still may feel off balanced and thats scary. But remember once everythings ruled out you can have some peace of mind instead of worry. If it is vestibular at least you can tell yourself ok I can handle this and it will get better. The anxiety on how I saw things was the worst. I felt I was going to pass out, have a stroke and curl up and die. It was horrible. Good luck to you. Try to keep calm. Many others understand so youre not alone. Keep us posted.💗
Two days before my scheduled MRI, the dizziness had became much better, I almost don’t feel it during the day and only slightly dizzy at night time. So I postponed the MRI to the following week as I want to see if it will keep getting better (my medical insurance doesn’t cover the fee for MRI scan, so I have to pay 200-400 for a scan depending on the complexity on the day). I’ve had a brain MRI 3 years ago also due to dizziness from anxiety, and it came out all normal.
Anyways, few more days has past and I’m confident to say the dizziness is almost completely gone! I still tend to feel slightly dizzy when I go out to crowded or hot places, but it’s nothing too serious and I’m pretty sure it’s due to anxiety as the dizziness is gone as soon as I leave the place. Thanks everyone for reassuring me