Lightheadness/ dizziness blurred vision for 6 years now and ringing in ear for 2 month - need help!

Ears, nose and throat
1

Here is my background.

 I'm a 36 year old male software engineer and work at computers almost 10 hours per day and 6 to 8 hours with smartphone. From 2007, i'm suffering from digestion issues. So i had bloating and constant burping and also have sinus problems. I was diagnosed with gastritis. In 2011, i moved to USA Midwest and around  Aug got digestion problem where i felt pain in the right rib along with bloating and burping. I was diagnosed with non working gallbladder with no stones. Hida scan shows 0% working. In Nov 2011, i started feeling the dizziness/lightheaded symptoms. I ate very low fat/diet which reduced the dizziness some what but i don't felt fully recovered.  In 2017, October i was diagnosed with gallstones. My ultimate concern is the dizziness.lightheaded feeling compared to my digestion issues. I always have a feeling this digestion and dizziness is some what related, but doctors do not agree. I have been on a tremendous stress due to my issues and that is affecting my work and family life. Appreciate if any one have these kind of symptoms and had get relief. Appreciate if you can share your experience and how the problem got resolved.

Test taken:

endoscopy -gastritis (2007)

MRI Brain scan  - normal 

Hida Scan - Non working gall bladder (2011).

VNG test - normal (2011)

ECG test - normal(2011)

echo doppler test -normal (2011)

treadmill running hear test  -normal

Blood work -  B12 deficiency (preciousness anemia) -2015

Ultrasound scan - gallstones(2017).

Blood work for sjorgen syndrome - negative(2017)

VNG test - abnormal (2017)

A1BC  -5.6 (oct 2017)

Glucode - 96 before fasting

Endoscopy and colonoscopy - Gastritis (2017)

BMI -Normal for my height and weight so far 

eye test -  minus .5 with asgamatism

The symptoms are below. 

1. Lightheadness/dizziness and blurry vision  all the times.

2. Tingling feeling in both of my feet.

2. This dizziness is more when there is some kind of pressure/swelling feeling around the face and eyes.

3.I feel kind of unbalanced when i walk in large malls, office and very dim light places and get headaches when i see lot of people walking in the office intersection.

4. very sensitivity to bright lights.(especially driving at night and feel very sensitive to backlights of the car)

5. Transition from low light to bright light and vice versa.

6. It gives lot of strain/dizzi when i try to focus especially talking one to one person or reading some thing in large malls

7. Feeling very low energy/fatigue

8. for the past 2 months , ringing started in both of my ears.

9. I feel some kind of pressure on the eye muscles. (i have seen this getting relieved for some time when i have food during lunch and again comes back)

10.Frequent neck pain

11. frequent cold and  watery eyes.

12. Last october  had 1 episode of vertigo where i felt the roof was spinning when i turned from left to right side on the bed. but no vertigo after that.

Treatment options.

1. My GP and gastro are feeling that removing the Gallbladder will solve bloating and burping, but they feel dizziness will not be resolved.

2. I'm going session for physcial therapy , my PT says my neck is so strained and it needs some massage therapy.

3. Vestibular exercises for the inner ear.

4. Taking B12 shots every month.

5. Going to meet the ENT doctor this jan to rule out minere's diesease.

6. Planning to check on my vitamin d levels

so far nothing has resolved my symptoms, the only thing which atleast reduces is a good diet with some amount of exercise, but not full recovery. I have always having a feeling that my dizziness/lightheadness is something to do with the digestion as majority of the time my stomach is bloated and burping. Appreciate if any one resolved their dizziness/lightneadness with the above symptoms mentioned. I'm more concerned on my dizziness compared to my digestion issue.

2

I have some of the same issues. I've been dizzy/lightheaded for the past 2 months. It just came out of no where. I thought it was related to the thyroid issues I was having...my levels went from normal to high then went super low. My endo doesn't know if it's related or not so she referred me out to a neurologist, but I won't be able to see them until the end of January. I went to my PCM and they sent me to an ENT who told me that the crystals in my inner ear where most likely out of place so he referred me out to a physical therapist who specializes in this issue. I have digestion issues, but not have not been officially diagnosed with anything. I went to a gastroenterologist last year because I was having pain as if I was having a gallbladder attack, but I had mine removed in 2013 following an er visit. He ran all sorts of labs and all was normal. Had an MRI and ultrasound done and all came back fine. I'm going to my PCM Thursday to address my constant headaches and the lightheadedness again. I'm still searching for answers. I'll update Thursday after my visit and see if they came up with any other reasons while I'm feeling this way.  

3

If the 2 issues are not related, maybe your lightheaded/dizziness is caused by vestibular migraine.  With this you don’t get classic migraine symptoms, but lightheaded feeling, eye pressure, sensitivity to light, dizziness in shopping centres etc.  I have this and have been on Nortriptylene for a year and a half now.  Symptoms 99% better.  Have you tried any medication such as this as a migraine preventative?

4

I haven't tried any migraine preventative medicines so far, and i really like to give a try if it helps. But any idea on how to solve the vestibular migraine and what is the root cause?

5

Thanks for sharing. Please do post your update here. Generally my energy levels are so low my gut feeling says some thing to do with the digestion.

6

I have many similar symptoms, have had many tests which all come up with nothing. I was just wondering what dosage of Nortriptyline you are on? I have been on it for about 5 months but up and down on the dosage. I am currently on 30mg but I did go up to 75mg for a very short period. I wanted to try propranolol, so went down on the Nort. Unfortunately, the prop just made me feel worse. So now I am wondering if I should go back up on my Nort dose. Also, how long did the Nort take to work for you now that you are 99% better? Thanks so much.

7

vestibular migraine symptoms are helped by migraine preventative medications.  Nortriptyline is one such medication.  It’s the one I take.  I don’t know the root cause.  Mine came on out of nowhere, it was a horrendous time.  I had the lightheaded feeling pretty much all day every day.  The tablets do take a long time to start working though.  They were tough to take at first but worth sticking with.  I hope you get some relief soon.  

8

Hi there.  I started on 20mg which took about 3 months to really start to work properly .  I rang the consultant after about 6 weeks to tell him they weren’t working but he told me to stick with it and that they take time.  I stayed on this dose successfully for approximately 9 months.  Symptoms resurfaced for some reason so I upped the doseage to 40mg (advised to do this by GP).  The tablets were awful to take at first, plenty of unwanted side effects, but for me it was worth it as the constant floaty/lightheaded feeling is now all but gone.  I feel it very occasionally mainly if I’m in a really busy shop with lights and reflections etc.  Hope you find something that brings you relief soon.

9

I have all the simptoms u are describing. Started with indigestion, aching under the right rib, dizziness after a big meal, anxiety and visual vertigo, blurring of vision. I also had 2 episodes of vertigo triggered by motion wich lasted each 1 week.

I had neck pain before this but didnt pay attention, and now i think that cervical problems are causing a reduced blood flow to the vertebral arteries that supply the cerebelum(the one responsible with everything in the body, including the vision, digestion etc), and the aica arteries that supply the balance centers in the inner ear.

I also found that i had high cholesterol and tryglicerides after a fat meal, and that could reduce the blood flow further. I have sometimes popping sensation in my ear wich i found that is a delayed reflex of the sound coming in my left ear, to the muscle that tightens the timpanic membrane(when i cover the left ear, the popping is gone).

I had a mri of the neck and it doesnlt look too good, my lordosis is almost reversed. Ps: i'm your age and have the same job..looking down isn't that good for ypur spine.

10

did you check for gallbladder functioning or gallstones?, i dont see this as a neck problem though neck pain is associated .

11

I have problems with my liver and followed a fat free diet wich unfprtunattely gave me bladder problems. That's because the bladder needs bile for digestion (wich it gets it from fat/cholesterol). But the bladder is controled by cns wich is getting its blood supply from the vertebral arteries that go through your neck.

12

did you problem resolve  or did you find any solution ?

13

I've included in my diet good fats and my digestion problems resolved. Still workin on neck problems, vertigo, etc.

14

for me even with good fats, still i'm having severe bloating and burping issues. I also got dizziness and right side neck pains.

15

Right side also here, sometimes the pain hoes down my arm. I really think your neck is causing many problems. I bet that your cspine lost its shape.

16

so only physical therapy is the solution for cspine neck  issue? Also do you have ringing in ears ? recently with neck pain my both ears started ringing,

17

Ringing, ear pressure, ear pain. But only in my right one.

For cspine you can try kineto. But first you should check for disc bulging

18

so  the best  place to start with is to take MRI scan for the neck to make sure it deals with Cspine or not?

19

Yes and maybe a doppler us of the vertebral arteries

20

I have these same EXACT symptoms. Drs are done with testing, please tell me you have found answers. I'm 34. I can't live like this anymore. My gallbladder was removed 2 years ago. Please help! I can't even drink water without my symptoms hitting.