Alex B. dizziness, vertigo, and TMS

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Question

I have had almost every conceivable TMS symptom (too long to list). I have currently developed dizziness and sometimes vertigo. It has been going on and off for about one month. It clearly gets worse with anxiety or it makes me anxious, I am never sure which is which. I have been resisting the urge to go to the Dr. although I also have allergy symptoms right now. I must admit this may be the worst (other than panic attacks) symptom I have encountered. Any thoughts?

 

Answer

Hi, sorry to hear about the struggles. It's not always necessary to avoid going to the doctor. A doctor can rule out a lot of stuff that might seem valid from just assessing your own symptoms. Ideally the doctor will be familiar with TMS, but even this is not always necessary. The idea here is to gather as much evidence as you can to support the idea that what you are experiencing is not due to a structural issue. It sounds as though you've already got some very compelling stuff (previous experience with a variety of symptoms, noticeable changes dependent on stress/anxiety, etc.) but some assessment from a doctor can help. One thing is certain, if avoiding the doctor becomes some kind of struggle and another source of pressure, then you are being too hard on yourself!

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Hi, Guest. I think dizziness and vertigo are often TMS symptoms. I had some doozie dizzy and vertigo spells a few years ago and believe they came on from financial stress. My doctor prescribed meclizine and the spells went away. I got meclizine from the drug store under the generic name Travel Sickness, from a company called Rugby. You might consider getting some. But if you do, tell yourself the spells are from TMS repressed emotions and try to discover what those are. If you haven't yet, I suggest you start the Structured Educational Program, free in the subforum of this web site, to discover those emotions.

Before getting the meclizine I just sat down and quietly did some deep breathing and the dizziness went away. That convinced me it was nerves,
worrying about something.

 

I have struggled with this symptom of dizziness/brain fog on & off for years now. I have had a good deal of success with treating it as TMS, but it still "gets to me" sometimes. Like you, Walt, I try to lean on my faith as well, since I believe the underlying emotional problems that trigger TMS, are also spiritual in nature.

 

When I started doing this work four years ago, I had a ton of different symptoms that had been building up, but one of the ones I'd had for many years was a similar dizziness/fogginess, and it is the single symptom that is constantly hovering, waiting to come back the minute I get stressed or, as I recently realized, when I am not being mindful (usually due to outside stressors).

I had been checked by my doctor many times over the years, and this symptom would come and go, but in the summer of 2011 it was so bad that I went to a dizziness and balance clinic (of physical therapists) to be thoroughly checked out. The diagnosis was a typical TMS one (though I didn't know it at the time: "irritated vestibular system" which is pretty meaningless. The owner said that his theory about "people like me" (with symptoms that didn't have a known cause) was that I was a migraineur (SP?). I didn't think I had migraine headaches, but I was researching aspects of migraine when I came across a recommendation for The Divided Mind which I immediately read, and that was when my life turned around.

I still get the dizziness (although my other symptoms disappeared and rarely if ever bother me anymore) but, as I like to say, my relationship with it is very different, and I no longer fear it.

However! This has been a super-stressful year, and the dizziness has been really bad during two significant periods. I only recently realized that that I've gotten so used to it over many years, that it's actually way too easy for me to banish the automatic fear response - when I do that, I'm also subconsciously assuming that it will pass - sometime in the future. This allows the symptom to continue, rather than tackling it head-on using tried-and-true TMS techniques, like journaling and, more recently, mindfulness practices.

It's still a work in progress, but I think I'm making headway.

Going to that clinic did ease my mind that there was nothing significantly wrong with me, which we always recommend when you haven't yet been checked out for a new and scary symptom. Finding Dr. Sarno as a result was just pure luck!

 

Thank you, JanAtheCPA, for your thorough & thoughtful response. I, too, was checked out, in every conceivable way, years ago, & have even revisited doctors sporadically through the years, when the symptoms have recurred. Overall, I am able to accept the TMS diagnosis---actually, I am a BIG believer---but, like most people, when I'm experiencing that dreadful dizziness/fuzzy brain symptom, it's truly frazzling to the nerves & faith. I think my breathing gets shallow when I'm stressed & it flares up the dizzies. Also, like you, times of stress are real triggers--usually hits me a day or two after the "big event". I joined this forum a while back, but have rarely participated on a personal level. I would usually just read the comments, and try to "reset" my thinking through that. Though that has been helpful, I think it is probably more therapeutic to actually "share" with others who can understand firsthand my experiences, and offer ideas and reassurances. Thank you again for taking the time to share. I hope to see some progress, as I face the real cause of my pain: those uncomfortable emotions! (Incidentally, my personality fits the "goodist" to a T.)

 

If reading other's posts helps, take a look at the TMSHelp site and search your symptom. A few years back there was quite a spate of the dizzies.

G'luck!
tt/lsmft