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dizziness

I wish there could be less stigma with these types of issues, because we all struggle as human beings and everyone of us has issues that creeps into our lives. I've spent so many years feeling weak and frail, but in fact, I've been through hell and I'm still here, still hopeful, still determined to heal. When I read personal stories on this forum, it is certainly not stories told by weak individuals, but people who won't give up the fight and that is encouraging!

I think that it is the hope and belief that this is indeed an inner journey of self discovery that will lead to something greater (deeper insight, deeper appreciation of life, etc) that keeps me going.
 
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JanAtheCPA said:
Claire Weekes calls it "giddiness" but it's clear that's just her term for dizziness (or is it an Australian term, Colly? Or maybe just rather old-fashioned, since Dr. Weekes was writing in the 60s?). Whatever it's called, dizziness/giddiness/vertigo/brain fog/balance problems... it's a really common symptom for people with anxiety. Hope and Help for Your Nerves, along with with Dr. Sarno, saved my life and turned it around.
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I just wanted to thank you, Jan, for recommending Dr Weekes. I started reading her book today and for the first time in a long time I feel a glimmer of hope. I've been living with anxiety for 11 years and I know that it is at the root of my health issues. So, again, thank you so much!

Kindly
Simplicity
 
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I did not read this entire thread. I have been experiencing dizziness and uncertainty in balance. I would assume I have a terminal illness, but it follows heartburn, and neck pain and stammering, so I am highly suspicious.
 
Riv, this is the one symptom that I can not seem to easily banish, and it flares when I am stressed and overloaded. Like recently. I've had it for years, (vague, non-vertigo dizziness and a sense of imbalance) but my regular doc was sure there was nothing wrong other than menopause. I was thoroughly checked out in 2011 by a PT clinic specializing in dizziness and balance, when all of my many symptoms were at their worst (pre-Sarno) and they found nothing wrong, not even any indicators of BPPV, which is a relatively common inner-ear condition that I think is probably caused by TMS stress (my theory, based on the people I know who have had it).

The thing is, when I put my mind to it, my balance is excellent (the 30-something therapist who assessed me in 2011 said my balance was better than hers). I am not afraid to stand on one foot in the shower while I soap up the other foot. As I told her, that comes from years of yoga, which teaches you to be mindful during poses. But when I'm not being mindful, and letting my monkey brain run amok, I'm often reeling and grabbing on to things.

I had it really badly in May when I was very stressed out by two unscheduled demands on my time that came up shortly before going on a three-week trip to Spain. It got so bad I thought of cancelling. The travel was pretty hard on me, but once I arrived and was taken home by my good friends who were living there, the symptoms went away and I had a great time. Pretty good evidence against a physiological condition.

So although it's very disconcerting, unlike the old days, I don't let it put me into a panic anymore.
 
I think vertigo and dizziness is really distressful, in my case I have been dealing with this for one year, and sometimes I'm beaten by fear, but others I can just feel the sensation, let it be and trust that it will go away and that I will be just fine. I have also been worried about travels or plans when I was feeling bad, and somehow I am still here, so even with fear, we are stronger than we think.
 
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I haven't been dizzy for a while now, several months actually. I'm still, however, scared that I will become dizzy. It's one of the ways Fear keeps a hold of me. I'm trying to face the fear and float through it. One part of me thinks, why am I so scared? So what if I got dizzy? I could control it last time and it went away! I must learn to see my own strength; it's right there inside me. Yes, it's so true Allund, you are stronger than you think!
 
It's great to hear you're better, Simplicity. I can relate to your feelings of fear, for me it has been one of the worse things, even when I am not dizzy, I am afraid of getting dizzy! isn't it crazy? Or just any small body sensation is interpreted as a sign of "oh no, I'm getting dizzy". I usually ask the same to me "what if?", "what is the worse thing that could happen if I get dizzy?" and this question leads you to another, and another, until you get a more deep reply....
 
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Thanks! Dizziness is such horrible thing to experience, no wonder it scares you. It's the feeling of losing control completely, but it's not true, we still have the control. I've spent so much time in a constant fear of it, avoiding things and obsessing over it - what finally made it go away was when I decided to walk through it, face it once and for all and take back the control. Now, if only I could do that with the rest of my issues, that would be amazing.
 
I am fascinated how one symptom peaks and wanes, and another starts. Apparently, I am not willing to let go entirely, but it's a lifetime process.
 
JanAtheCPA said:
Oh yeah, guys - this is my "favorite" TMS symptom.
Jan
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This was actually a symptom that I enjoyed. I thought it was fun, not kidding, to be all dizzy first thing in the morning. Kind of like a nice, buzzy --- almost drunken sensation but I was alert and functional. I think that's why this symptom didn't last for me. I enjoyed it too much. I've tried to reframe my leg pain like that. I try to tell myself that I worked out really hard and this is good muscle soreness. I managed to get rid of some pain this way, treating it as not just benign but a sign of good. My foot however, that's a tougher one to figure out.
 
Well, Simplicity, I won't "like" your post :( because there's nothing to like about any symptom when it comes back. This is what happens to me when I'm stressed out and not being mindful of my thoughts - it's the dizziness that comes back with a vengeance.

Persevere, and do what you did before - along with addressing whatever is causing the emotional stress! That's what Knowing that it will pass is actually half the battle, I believe.
 
JanAtheCPA said:
Persevere, and do what you did before - along with addressing whatever is causing the emotional stress! That's what Knowing that it will pass is actually half the battle, I believe.
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Thank you so much, Jan.

It has been an incredibly hard day. I've been trying to lie down several times, but the dizziness won't go away and it's severe. I will keep trying tomorrow, but tonight I will have to sit up and sleep. It will get better, right now I'm struggling.

It's a blessing to be able to come here and know that I'm not alone in this.
 
Try taking a simple analgesic like aspirin, Tylenol, or Ibuprofen. These are now known to alleviate more than physical pain. Let me know how it goes.
 
JanAtheCPA said:
Try taking a simple analgesic like aspirin, Tylenol, or Ibuprofen. These are now known to alleviate more than physical pain. Let me know how it goes.
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Thank you. I will. ... and I will continue to try today.

You continue to be a great help to me.
 
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Simplicity, I am sorry to hear that. I can only encourage you to go on, to have rest and to continue learning...I am afraid the most part of the people here has been through ups and downs and symptoms coming back. I know it feels terrible but you will get better. This is like another step in your path. Wish you the best.
 
Thank you so much @Allund, your support means a lot. Whenever I had to go through this in the past I had no one that could understand just how horrible it is. I'm glad that even though it's sad that we have this illness at least we can find strength and support in each other.

Nothing has changed today either. I'm going to rest and keep going, just as you said.

How are you doing? I hope you are well.
 
Lots of good posts here on dizziness and vertigo. I used to get a little dizzy every morning when I started on the computer. I read that bright lights early in the day can cause dizziness, and the computer screen is bright. If I look away and do some deep breathing, the dizzy spell goes away.
 
Simplicity, I have been having positional vertigo when laying down and also dizziness. I went to a otolaryngologist and they made some tests on me. I was told to do some exercises at home (brandt daroff) and I can say I feel better.
I can assure you I understand you perfectly. I am really scared of dizziness, one thing I have tried to do is to accept the symptom (although when you feel it, is very difficult) that is not to fight mentally against it, just let it be, and of course take the actions to get better, but in the first step just accept that you are feeling it. Other thing I have learnt is that I have tension in all my body, like all the time, so I am working on relaxing my muscles when I realize it. It is not that there is a direct link between tension and dizziness, but I think the tension I produce unconsciously in my body (and I have been doing this all my life), does not help my body to be as healthy as it could be and it is shown in different ways, maybe dizziness, extrasystoles...
I hope you are feeling better
 
@Allund. My vertigo issues started with BPPV (as I mentioned earlier in this thread) and it was a nightmare to say the least - it took many years for me to overcome it and get a diagnosis. Since then I've been living in constant fear that it will strike again. When I began working on my TMS symptoms I got dizzy within the first week and managed to overcome it, which felt great. I'm not letting the fear get to me this time. I felt totally shattered the first morning when it hit me again and although I haven't managed to make it go away yet, I find that I'm better at dealing with it this time. So that's something to be thankful for at least.

I've overcome many of my TMS symptoms, but I still have issues with tension in my neck/jaw when I get very stressed and this always comes at night when I'm about to fall asleep. I've had extreme anxiety issues around sleeping because I had BPPV and it forced me to sit up and sleep for so long. To then become tense in the neck/jaw isn't that odd I guess since the anxiety is connected to the ears.

I'm happy to hear that you're feeling better. I agree with you fully that we need to accept it, not fight it. It's not an easy thing to do, but the only way out is through.

I'm having a rough time, it is what it is. It will get better. I keep telling myself that. Now I have the right tools to help me move past it.

What sort of things are you doing to ease the tension? I find that Claire Weekes techniques helps a lot when it comes to anxiety/tension (as preciously mentioned). I've also been learning how to practice mindfulness and meditation; I think these things are very important when it comes to healing from TMS. I'm hoping to get better at being mindful throughout the day and to quiet my mind - it's not something you master quickly.
 
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