sacolucci23
Peer Supporter
Hello everyone,
I've had two distinct times in my life where a weird type of vertigo was brought on during periods of high stress. The first time I was living alone (against my will) but due to circumstances had to move out on my own. I always suffered from anxiety/GAD which I am sure is a result of trauma in my childhood (mentally ill mother, narcissistic family, parents divorced from an early age, etc.). I was working full-time, trying to get through school and had to care for a sick dog but on top of this, was living in a constant state of fear and anxiety due to the fact that I did not want to live alone. I was absolutely petrified and literally would not fall asleep at night or at best, sleep with one eye open.
I started to feel "off balance" like I wasn't comfortable with two feet on the ground. I started to see a psychiatrist because instinctually I knew I had some emotional problems that had ramped up my anxiety and made living alone difficult. Then, out of nowhere, one night I awoke with an intense rocking sensation inside my body with dizziness. I could walk and talk and eat but there was a constant pendulum type sensation running through my body. The emergency department said it was probably labyrinthitis, an inner ear infection, however, my own GP was highly skeptical of this diagnosis because the dizziness was subjective. Meaning, I didn't feel as if the world was spinning around me like true labyrinthitis feels instead, I felt as though I was rocking. He suspected breakdown or hysteria of some sort. Within two weeks it subsided. Oh, and during that time I consulted an ENT who could find nothing wrong.
After that, I met my now husband and we started dating. Life seemed good - I no longer felt lonely and most of the anxiety had subsided. (One thing I realize that I have major fears and phobias about being alone, something I need to work through).
Over the next six years, I didn't experience vertigo except on one occasion where we went to Cuba and I felt off balance again. When I got back I made an appointment with my GP and ENT who again, couldn't find anything wrong. It eventually went away. But when it occurred, I had these sensations of the room tilting when lying down, not being stable.
One year ago, I had my second child. When I got home after being at the hospital for 2 days, I had an anxiety attack because I thought I couldn't feel my legs. I had an intense fear that the epidural may have permanently paralyzed me. I knew this was irrational but I couldn't understand why my body was having physical anxiety. You see, even though I had anxiety, years of having panic attacks had made me a veteran when it came to not having them. I could control my anxiety on most occasions and considering I hadn't had a panic attack in over 10 years, this was strange for me.
When I was pregnant with my second child I also cut off any communication with my mother. I had been working through boundary issues after a huge argument over my first child. I worked a lot when I was pregnant so I didn't really feel the absence of my mother - and it wasn't just my mother - I had cut off my entire mother's side of the family, too.
I felt very isolated with two kids and no mother and no help. I also had a nanny which I felt guilty about because I hired someone to watch my baby so I could work as I am self-employed. The guilt took a toll on me also.
Anyways, I eventually started to feel as though the world was on my shoulders. I would call my husband yelling and crying in the mornings pleading that I couldn't handle all the stress - kids, dog, work and no sleep, etc. Plus, I was still having random anxiety attacks here and there which I didn't understand.
One night, I awoke from bed after having gone to bed fairly late and felt extremely dizzy. I was so disoriented I couldn't even make it down the stairs so I went back to bed. After that night, I felt very strange. A large amount of brain fog, headaches, and these random intense dizzy spells when tilting my head to the right or looking down. I ended up going to the ER and they said I had BPPV, a type of positional vertigo that occurs when the calcium crystals in your ear become dislodged and end up in the semi-circular canals. A benign condition albeit a truly terrifying one. I started to become extremely depressed and insecure within my own skin. Scared to drive, scared to watch the kids alone, scared to live!
I was treated with the Epley Maneuver and the true spinning eventually subsided but I constantly am left with this off-balance feeling. Rocking, tilting - like I am not right! My left ear also feels clogged at times and randomly pops or equalizes in the day. I also have been getting a slew of migraines every 3 days. I suffered from migraines in my life, yes, but not to the point where they are every three days! It's horrible.
I've been to the ENT 3 x - hearing tests were normal. He could explain the BPPV but he has no idea what it is now.
The neurologist seems to believe it's Migraine Associated Vertigo but I find it hard to believe. I've never had vertigo with my migraines and if I understand correctly, MAV is episodic, not constant.
CT scan was also normal. Blood test normal. Neurological exam normal.
I went to an Osteopath and Chiropractor who says I am subluxated in my Axis Vertebra and the therapy has helped a bit but I still constantly feel off balance like I am swaying and tilting.
I started doing Dr. Schubners program and the left ear fullness has seemed to have died down a lot but headaches are still there - they have shifted sides now. Six months of only left side which felt as though they were coming from within my ear. Now at least they are out of that area.
Does anyone have any advice?
I've had two distinct times in my life where a weird type of vertigo was brought on during periods of high stress. The first time I was living alone (against my will) but due to circumstances had to move out on my own. I always suffered from anxiety/GAD which I am sure is a result of trauma in my childhood (mentally ill mother, narcissistic family, parents divorced from an early age, etc.). I was working full-time, trying to get through school and had to care for a sick dog but on top of this, was living in a constant state of fear and anxiety due to the fact that I did not want to live alone. I was absolutely petrified and literally would not fall asleep at night or at best, sleep with one eye open.
I started to feel "off balance" like I wasn't comfortable with two feet on the ground. I started to see a psychiatrist because instinctually I knew I had some emotional problems that had ramped up my anxiety and made living alone difficult. Then, out of nowhere, one night I awoke with an intense rocking sensation inside my body with dizziness. I could walk and talk and eat but there was a constant pendulum type sensation running through my body. The emergency department said it was probably labyrinthitis, an inner ear infection, however, my own GP was highly skeptical of this diagnosis because the dizziness was subjective. Meaning, I didn't feel as if the world was spinning around me like true labyrinthitis feels instead, I felt as though I was rocking. He suspected breakdown or hysteria of some sort. Within two weeks it subsided. Oh, and during that time I consulted an ENT who could find nothing wrong.
After that, I met my now husband and we started dating. Life seemed good - I no longer felt lonely and most of the anxiety had subsided. (One thing I realize that I have major fears and phobias about being alone, something I need to work through).
Over the next six years, I didn't experience vertigo except on one occasion where we went to Cuba and I felt off balance again. When I got back I made an appointment with my GP and ENT who again, couldn't find anything wrong. It eventually went away. But when it occurred, I had these sensations of the room tilting when lying down, not being stable.
One year ago, I had my second child. When I got home after being at the hospital for 2 days, I had an anxiety attack because I thought I couldn't feel my legs. I had an intense fear that the epidural may have permanently paralyzed me. I knew this was irrational but I couldn't understand why my body was having physical anxiety. You see, even though I had anxiety, years of having panic attacks had made me a veteran when it came to not having them. I could control my anxiety on most occasions and considering I hadn't had a panic attack in over 10 years, this was strange for me.
When I was pregnant with my second child I also cut off any communication with my mother. I had been working through boundary issues after a huge argument over my first child. I worked a lot when I was pregnant so I didn't really feel the absence of my mother - and it wasn't just my mother - I had cut off my entire mother's side of the family, too.
I felt very isolated with two kids and no mother and no help. I also had a nanny which I felt guilty about because I hired someone to watch my baby so I could work as I am self-employed. The guilt took a toll on me also.
Anyways, I eventually started to feel as though the world was on my shoulders. I would call my husband yelling and crying in the mornings pleading that I couldn't handle all the stress - kids, dog, work and no sleep, etc. Plus, I was still having random anxiety attacks here and there which I didn't understand.
One night, I awoke from bed after having gone to bed fairly late and felt extremely dizzy. I was so disoriented I couldn't even make it down the stairs so I went back to bed. After that night, I felt very strange. A large amount of brain fog, headaches, and these random intense dizzy spells when tilting my head to the right or looking down. I ended up going to the ER and they said I had BPPV, a type of positional vertigo that occurs when the calcium crystals in your ear become dislodged and end up in the semi-circular canals. A benign condition albeit a truly terrifying one. I started to become extremely depressed and insecure within my own skin. Scared to drive, scared to watch the kids alone, scared to live!
I was treated with the Epley Maneuver and the true spinning eventually subsided but I constantly am left with this off-balance feeling. Rocking, tilting - like I am not right! My left ear also feels clogged at times and randomly pops or equalizes in the day. I also have been getting a slew of migraines every 3 days. I suffered from migraines in my life, yes, but not to the point where they are every three days! It's horrible.
I've been to the ENT 3 x - hearing tests were normal. He could explain the BPPV but he has no idea what it is now.
The neurologist seems to believe it's Migraine Associated Vertigo but I find it hard to believe. I've never had vertigo with my migraines and if I understand correctly, MAV is episodic, not constant.
CT scan was also normal. Blood test normal. Neurological exam normal.
I went to an Osteopath and Chiropractor who says I am subluxated in my Axis Vertebra and the therapy has helped a bit but I still constantly feel off balance like I am swaying and tilting.
I started doing Dr. Schubners program and the left ear fullness has seemed to have died down a lot but headaches are still there - they have shifted sides now. Six months of only left side which felt as though they were coming from within my ear. Now at least they are out of that area.
Does anyone have any advice?
