Feeling of falling

Ears, nose and throat
1

Hi all

I'm looking for some advise and opinions.

I'm a 27 year old female. Since the beginning of December I have been feeling very strange.

It all started when I was at work one day. I am a hairdresser who runs a very busy day to day column. On the 5th December I had my 1pm client in my chair and all of a sudden I came over very wierd like I was very dizzy and had a fluttery heart feeling, I started shaking and could not continue cutting my clients hair. At first I thought it might be sugar levels so all my colleagues came to my rescue with a can of coke. My client was very understanding. I drank the can of coke and thought I'd try and continue but this feeling of dizziness and fear of falling kept coming over me.

I was sent home after this. I went straight to my doctor on the Monday and she examined me and said I was fine I may of just been experiencing low blood pressure. I did state that this feeling came over me after I had eaten.

So I went back to work as normal on the Tuesday and still continued to have this feeling and felt like it was getting worse. My legs started to become weak and felt like I could not stand. I went back to the docs and because this feeling scared me so much I dint want to go back to work so I did have a few days off. He told me it was labrynthitis so he prescribed me some stemetil.

I went back into work and felt a little better and continued with the tablets. Although I did not feel 100%.

I saw another doctor and he did loads of balance checks and Co ordination tests and I was all good. He said this didn't look like an inner ear virus to him.

I am now still on stemetil, I have had blood tests for everything and they are all normal.

I am also waiting for a neurologist appointment to come through.

I really feel so down about this as I love my job so much I feel like it will end my career.

When I am standing behind my chair or to the side of my chair doing someone's hair, I literally feel like my legs are going to crumble on me. I'm leaning on the chair to support me I'm sitting on cutting stools to feel less like I'm going to fall.

Has anyone ever had this feeling?

Any help and advise will be much appreciated x

2

Maybe see if Valium helps calm it down. Take it at night so you aren't tired during the day. Check w a dr first of course. Hope you feel better soon.

3

I have all of what you said and more since Oct its very scary and very much out of my control and its all day and everyday. Smoking makes it all worse I hope you find an answer I'd love to know what's going on with me as well my Dr just says anxiety but I know it's more then that. I've had tons of labs and an EKG in the er alittle over two weeks ago was normal. I just want to say your not alone at all. Do you also at times get like a hot sensation come over you with the dizzies? I had a spell today got hot and very dizzy thought I was going to faint scared me.I also thought low blood sugar at first when this started happening its not that. I just pray everyday for god to lift this up off me.

4

Ok thankyou I will try. Do I purchase from a chemist? What does it do? X

5

Hi Pamela

Yes I do go all hot and sweaty but think it's because a get a panic feeling as I can't stand straight without leaning on something. It's so hard.

Hope we find some answers soon I will keep pushing until I get an answer.x

6

I'm pushing to with no luck but I'm not going to give up in this cause its taken my quality of life from me.

7

I've had a rocking feeling every day all day for 18 mos. diagnosed as idiopathic mal de debarquement. But I wasn't on a cruise or anything. It's gotten better but I think hormones def play a role. I'm 39 so maybe peri menopause. What I will say is that I take Effexor for anxiety and amitriptyline. It has helped a great deal. Stress only makes things worse. Hope you get better.

8

Dr has to prescribe it. Calms everything down. Shouldn't take it for long but if you tried it for a week to see if it helped it might be worthwhile. Again I wld discuss w a dr. Also yoga or exercise wld be helpful.

9

Hi Pamela,

boy do I know this feeling!! It first started for me in June 2015. 8 months later and I'm afraid to tell you I'm still at the mercy of this illness. BUT I think had I accepted it for what it was at the start and took proper precautions then I would most likely be well now.

So here's what you need to know:

You are NOT dying.

It is not any of the terrible things you think.

It is a virus.

It affects your inner ear and your vestibular system and is systematically infecting you.

It is probably the Epstein Barr virus (get a blood test for this from GP). You probably have a mineral deficiency too (test for B12, vit D, magnesium and zinc). Mine was zinc.

To beat it you need to take 6 weeks at least off work and go on COMPLETE rest. Spend as much time as you can lying quietly. Don't read, watch TV, cook, clean or wash your hair. Just lie there calmly. As much as you can. It is made worse by sensory over-load (certain lighting, movement, TV programmes and noise.) as you get better KEEP resting. Rest more than you need to.

Showers can make it worse because of heat, standing etc.

STOP taking the inner ear meds as these can stop symptoms but also stop your body's natural healing process meaning it goes on longer and can in some people never heal as a result of over using the meds. (This is fact not pseudo- science.)

IF you must take something because perhaps you are leaving the house for a medical appointment then take cinnarizine. You can be prescribed it for the ear or you can buy it in chemist (it's brand name is sturgeon 15 and it is marketed as for travel sickness.)

TAKE a good quality multi-vitamin, a daily berrocca effervescent, a daily odourless garlic capsule (natures antiviral can buy in health stores or amazon they don't make you smell), and take echinacea drops 3 times daily (takes these 2 weeks on then 1 week off to stop resistance building.) all of these things will help your body fight the virus.

EAT as many veg as you can. Try to 'eat clean' no processed foods, refined sugars.

REMEMBER you have a bad virus. A very bad virus. You might only feel it as dizzy spells and heart flutters now but trust me it gets a hell of a lot worse if you don't treat it with respect at this point.

STOP drinking milk. You are likely to find the virus has made you lactose intolerent. I bet those heart symptoms come on worse after you have had a cup of tea or some cheese. Common with viruses that people become lactose intolerent for a few months. (Again a medical fact not theory.) on this note try taking a combined wind relief and antacid when these spells happen. You may find sometimes it is linked to acid reflux.

TRY two tbsps of apple cider vinegar plus a tsp of ground cinnamon in a glass of water just before you eat a meal. This helps stabilise blood sugar which is a contributor to this feeling too. It is a thread of hypoglycemia. (Thank you virus!)

Be WARNED I stopped trying to push through it too late. I like all of you was told initially there was nothing medically wrong with me except perhaps a very slight inner-ear or visual vertigo thing. I too was told it might be anxietey or panic attacks. Three months later I was HOSPITALISED with an ongoing infection!!!! 4 weeks after I started doing all the above my blood work showed the infection had finally cleared. I have been left with a horrible post viral syndrome, arthiritis for a month in my joints followed by fatigue issues and ongoing issues with the original symptoms (but only when I really over do it thankfully). I have an appointment with an infectious disease consultant this week who I know will be diagnosing me with CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME. This is due to the length of time I have now had these issues. However as I have seen vast improvement since doing the above I am confident I will shift all symptoms eventually. But it is likely to take more than a year at least. BE WARNED AND TAKE NOTE TO LET YOUR BODY HEAL NOW!!! Please please please don't do what I would have done at the start and think that this must be different to what you have because it's not. I am part of a post viral group full of people who made that mistake a paid the price.

De-stress and rest-up xx

10

I'm in perimenopause but I don't think this is hormones in my case this is horrible and very intense and it don't fluctuate like hormone symptoms usually do on me or come and go

11

Isn't the Epstein Barr virus mono? I don't have mono?

12

I think you are correct. 

13

I've been struggling for 18 months but, found that it does get better. What have you been doing for treatment? Assuming it has been diagnosed as vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis or, have they simply said totally it's anxiety?

14

I have no answers they say anxiety and not taking me seriously I've been to Dr many many times and given anxiety pills. I've begged and pleaded for my Dr to listen to me I'm at a loss. I cant see ent Dr without referral so I saw a new Dr in same office explained my symptoms she gave another anxiety pill they meds don't help and this is 24/7 with me at times it very bad and I just cry

15

I know deep down its more then anxiety this hit me hard out of the blue and I've not been normal since. I get a pulling sensation at times I feel like im in an elevator how it makes you feel when its stopping I get bad spells like i get hotness come over me and i get very dizzy faint feeling and weak legs. Moving around and smoking makes this all worse how does one live like this and cry everyday cause terrified your dying and have no answers. Nothing is blurry or doubled in my vision no headaches nothing is spinning but I'm woozy inside my head all day long. Sometimes I'll feel like things moved in my vision and they don't or my head moves but doesn't weird hard to explain.

16

Sounds like vestibular neuritis which is what I had.  The dizzy spells usually create the anxiety not vice versa, unless you have suffered from anxiety prior to this condition.  The place to start is with an ENT but, the best doctor for inner ear issues is a Neurotologist/Otologist.  Sorry to hear that your doctors can't see your need.  Look up the symptoms of vestibular neuritis and maybe you can take that with you to your doctor for discussion.  After showing that information I would ask why they think it is not that if they still won't refer you to a specialist. 

17

Thanks terry how bad did you feel with vestibular neuritis? I'm laying here and I feel like I'm moving its bad tonight and don't know why I swear i get scared thinking its my heart causing it

18

Terrible for months.  I was off work for over 2 months.  My head felt foggy and I could not concentrate. My vision was bouncy when I would walk. When I would turn my head things in my visual field would lag a few seconds behind. I had things that I would see in my peripheral vision but, nothing was really there. My head felt like it was moving separate from my body and with all of that came balance issues.  My head still feels like it's a little bouncy and being in large stores or wide open spaces can cause me to feel like I am unable to balance. 

19

I feel those things too but I also have racing heart off and on out of nowhere palps feel like I have to take breathes at times this head thing is connected to my chest issues I'm sure of that. I get this adrenaline fear on my on its own. I was hooked to heart monitor they said heart normal rhythm and EKG was normal I just get scared not knowing what its from for sure

20

Don't know if you are in the US or UK but, it would appear that your doctor would be wise to do the necessary tests to rule out another issue.  I would also ask them if it's anxiety why the pills are not relieving the symptoms.  Anxiety is a symptom of inner ear issues as well.  This forum is full of responses where doctors have attributed this to anxiety rather than understanding the inner ears symptoms producing the anxiety.