really worried - vertigo please help.

Ears, nose and throat
1

Hi,

About 6 weeks ago i experienced what i thought was a very severe case of vertigo.

It happened all of a sudden - the room started spinning to the point where it made me vomit and gave me a headache.

I couldn't really walk because I was so disorientated, and had to go to bed so I could close my eyes to stop the spinning.

My symptoms barely improved the next day, and it wasn't until the third day that I started to slowly get better and my symptoms started to improve. 

It took me about two weeks to make a full recovery, though by the fourth or fifth I was able to walk around, the dizziness being more intermittent and not as bad as the initial onset.

After the fifth day I continued to get better, and after a week I was considerably better than before only feeling a little dizzy and remained the same from then on, fully recovering, as I say, after two weeks.

I must note on the 4th and 5th day I was getting better, but vomited twice.

However, This Will have been because I ate too much rich food, and my stomach was sensitive from vomiting before, I expect.

After I'd recovered I went to the doctor.

The GP I saw told me that he thought I had something wrong with my sternocleidomastoid muscle, and that it was known to cause problems with dizziness and vertigo, as well as headaches and sickness.

He asked me to stand, and said he said he could visibly see My posture was lopsided and that the sternocleidomastoid muscle was inflamed and was pertruding slightly.

After research online, I found many other people had this problem.

I then went back to the doctor a second time, and he laughed when I told him what the other doctor had said not to listen to him, and said that it was an episode of vertigo.

I thought that it was then behind me, but now, just over six or so weeks after The initial onset, I had another experience five days ago.

This time it was nothing like the severity of the first, and I had it for three days.

The first day it was medium intensity, the second day was somewhat worse, and then the last day got a lot better and now I dont have any of the symptoms mentioned below.

I was fine walking around, and the experience was more dizziness than vertigo this time around, as the room wasn't violently spinning like last time.

This time, rather than the dizziness being continuous, it came over me in waves and only seemed to occur when I was lying down or then sat up, when I moved my head, and when I looked up.

If I was sat stationary I wasn't dizzy.

Other symptoms were feeling slightly sick and a slight headache in my forehead, but as said before, I presume these to do with the dizziness and motion it's self and also anxiety.

I also had some neck pain, which I didnt have the first time I got these problems six weeks ago.

The neck pain was worse when looking up, and was mostly towards the back of my neck.

This neck pain came on a day after the initial dizzyness and has now gone.

I went back to the doctor, and they said it was likely something to do with the inner ear like an infection, and that the neck pain was probably unrelated.

They booked me in to see an ear, mouth and throat specialist, and also booked me an MRI scan which will be before I see the ear mouth and throat.

(I often feel my ears are a little bungged up, but not sure if this is just normal and me noticing things that aren't there.)

I started to research online the symptoms I was having, and noticed vertigo along with stiff neck are symptoms of brain tumour, so now I'm really worried I have a brain tumour.

I've looked up all the different types of vertigo and am still not sure what I have.

I suffer from immense anxiety, and am hoping someone on here can help me get to the bottom of this with some answers as to what it might be, before I have the MRI. 

I'm a 19 year old female, by the way.

Thank you very much.

2

It could have been labs that u had (labyrinthitis) or even vestibular neuritis. The other two things are BPPV which causes dizziness in certain positions and can be secondary to labyrinthitis or vestibular migraines

3

Thanks for the reply.

so would you say it was normal to have two seperate episodes like this? That have seemingly different severities and slightly different symptoms?

 

4

Do you have any ringing or fullness in yous ears?

Have you ever heard of migraine associated vertigo or Ménière's disease?

5

I think they sometimes feel full, I find it difficult to tell. Nothing really obvious, but I get some issues withh them being bungged up like I have a cold sometimes.

no ringing.

​I've heard of both of those.

As I said I've been researching a lot so I've heard of all the different types, I'm just finding it difficult to distinguish what I might have, because the two times I've had it have been somewhat different.

6

Hi.  I'm sorry you've been feeling so poorly.  I just wanted to tell you that you could have a lot of these symptoms stemming from your neck.  I saw my neurologist recently, and he mentioned Cervicogenic Dizziness.  I have experienced many of the things you described, and have had many tests to rule out tumors etc.  Try to relax your shoulders and neck, and maybe seek an evaluation from a chiropractor or osteopath.  The doctor who laughed at what you mentioned is uninformed apparently as to what postural issues can cause.  Stay calm - easier said than done when in this situation, but stress only exacerbates the problem.  Wish you the best.

7

Does sound alot like bppv. May have a crystal floating around. Sure wouldnt have hurt for one of the docs to do a simple epely maneuver at least.

8

Very possible. These things seem to come and go. I was feeling good for awhile and then out of no where new symptoms to battle with!

9

Could have more than 1 thing going on. I have been told i have bppv. I have had a crystal float around cause vertigo to. Also if i get a cold or sinus thing going on i panic. If it drains into my ears i am in trouble. Season changes are bad. This time of year everything going to seed. Springtime when i go outside and see my car covered in yellow dust ( pollen from pine tree) i know its comin. I used to be able to call my primary and tell the lady who i was and i was getting a sinus infection. Doc would call me in a script if i couldnt get a app right away. He knew if it got bad i was screwed. He retired tho. All docs are by the books now. They dont care if you have issues. You wait and suffer. How they make more money. Mold can set it off. In your house,car,grocery store,

Outside, etc. We had a mild winter last year. PT was packed with people with dizziness. Same if theres flooding anywhere. Week or 2 later the mold starts. So does the vertigo.

10

I had the exact same thing happen to me. Except I got the episode 3 weeks later. It's BPPV. Have had it for years. It will come on all of sudden but now that you know what it is you don't have to worry about it being a brain tumor. In fact, even the mri may prove worthless. You will feel like your ears plugged up or as if it's full of air, (for which is the reason I was always popping my ears when I was younger) or ringing.

You're appointment with the ENT, ears, nose and throat doctor, can give you the proper diagnosis.

11

Sochima is right about the MRI being useless. It will show signs of stroke or tumors. About it. I had mine done then after had a PT app. Therapist said they have a special cat scan shows more of inner ear stuff. But its a very expensive machine and specific as to what its used for. So not alot of places have them. We have 4hospitals in our area and a place does only imagery. None have one. I had MRI with contrast and they did inner ear nerves etc etc. Showed narrowing blood vessels which doc said was no big deal.

12

It could be vestibular migraine that you are experiencing.  However, I would do the MRI to be on the safe side.

Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

Clinical Neurophysiologist

Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

13

Dear  MLT80,

There are lots of types of things that cause vertigo, so it's quite difficult for the doctors to diagnose which one. I think that everyone fears they have a brain tumour when they have these horrible symptoms but please take comfort from the fact that in the vast, vast majority of cases ( I don't know the figures but I should think actual brain tumour diagnosis from vertigo is vanishingly small) it is something else. IT's great that you're having an MRI because that will put your mind at rest re; the brain tumour thing. It's usually a disorder of the inner ear which is not life-threatening but unpleasant.  If you suffer from anxiety it is also possible that it is anxiety related. A great friend of mine used to have crippling vertigo when she got anxious - unable to get out of bed - but it has completely gone away now she is on a low dose antidepressant (for thirty years).  BPPV is a type of ear disorder resulting from crystals coming loose in the inner ear canal (you can look this up) and causing you to unbalance. It's associated with movement - like in your second episode. If it is this, it can normally be resolved by the doctor performing either a berrl or epley manoevre - basically different ways of rolling you about, which make you feel awful when they're happening but do often work wonders. Vestibular neuritis, which I have got, is caused by inflammation of the inner ear. The thing about being sick as well - vomiting I mean - is perhaps related  to your high anxiety ; it is possible that the fear of the symptoms caused it as a reacition. ALso neck pain could be a symptom of a virus. It is very possible to have recurrences of BBPV or any of these things.  

14

*barrel manoevre , not berri

15

Thanks, interesting to know!

16

thanks, I didn't really think of the possibility of having more than one thing happnening.

i just couldn't understand why i'd have two such differing episodes like that.

sounds like a lot of things can set it off.

17

yeah, well as I said that was what the first doctor told me.

however, with me having immence anxiety surrounding the subject, me not being able to find any of vertigo types with accompanying neck pain, made me worry that it was due to a tumour at the back of my brain.

i'll try getting an evaluation, thanks.

18

I'd heard a lot about bppv but ruled it out because of the fact my first episode I didn't think was anything like that, and I pressumed the first and second episodes must be related and so I couldn't understand why they were different.

I'll ask the doctor about that, thanks.

19

interesting to know, thanks.

regarding the ears, it's difficult to tell weather I have an issue there or not. I often have sinus issues and hayfever and that's usually when they get bad so I pressumed kt to be that.

20

right I see.

I'm incredibly nervous about having it. You have to wait a few weeks here just to get a letter, and then another week or so to hear the results, whoch will be crippeling for my anxiety.

thanks