I’m a 26 year old female. I’m not sure if this is relevant, but I have a history of migraines with aura (shimmering/flickering visual disturbances) but it’s been a few years since I last had one. When I was younger, I had a lot of problems with my ears. I kept getting infections, they eventually had to do a small surgery to help the infection drain. About a month ago, I had a flu with a mild fever. At the end of it, I felt extreme pain in the back of my head whenever turning my head to the right but this only lasted a few days.
A little over a week ago, I was getting ready for bed, I remember turning my head quickly to the right, and then I suddenly felt a sharp stab of pain in my left temple. Then, I suddenly felt really dizzy. I stumbled backwards and fell on to the bed. It looked- and felt as if the room started spinning so much it made me feel really sick. I nearly threw up.
My partner got me into a sitting position which helped to stop the spinning. I was really scared. After a few minutes, I lay down. It helped a little bit but I was still really nauseous and dizzy.
This lasted a few hours until I decided to call NHS 24 to ask for help. I spoke with a doctor who said it sounded like a migraine and that I should take some painkillers. They called back a few hours later to check up on me, and told me to phone my GP in the morning if it got worse.
I managed to get some sleep, but as soon as I got up again and walked around, the dizziness and the pain came right back. I called my GP and they prescribed me Stemetil. It helped with the nausea and the vertigo, but I’m still dizzy almost constantly. The pain in my head keeps coming and going. It’s not just on the left side anymore. It almost feels constant too.
The first day, I couldn’t sit up for very long. On the second day, I felt a bit better and I could sit up for longer periods. After a couple of more days, I’ve tried going for some walks with my partner. Normally, it’s okay for the first 10 minutes, but then there are points where I’ll get a sudden ‘attack’ which makes me lose my balance. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s almost as if the floor is tilting, and my vision is zooming in and out.
I tried going back to work today, but I had another sudden attack after a couple of hours and they sent me home. It’s been really bad since the attack. I still feel dizzy and it’s very difficult for me to focus with my eyes. I have slight astigmatism and short-sightedness but my vision definitely seems more blurry than usual, almost like it’s shifting focus. It also seems like my head is constantly rocking back and forth.
I called my GP again and they’ve prescribed Cinnarizine instead to see if that will help. They also told me to look up the Epley Manoeuvre on YouTube and try to do that. I’m not sure that it’s working.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Is it a migraine? Is it inner ear problems? I don’t know what to do and I’m finding it really difficult to cope. I don’t know if my supervisor trusts me enough to come back to work yet.
If my symptoms persist, I’m worried if it will be difficult to get a referral to a specialist due to Covid-19. Has anyone else struggled with this?
I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to put too much pressure on my GP/NHS as I hate to be a bother but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. Please, help me.
T.L.D.R
Suffered from dizziness and headaches for over a week but not sure why
