This all started 12 months ago, a bout of dizziness hit me out of the blue, it was a stressful time, also recently had mono and Covid (antibody test confirmation).
I think this is when the health anxiety kicked in and the situation snowballed. That was when all the symptoms mentioned above began. Like many of you, I saw all the doctors and had lots of tests, all thankfully negative (Neuro, ENT, Cardio, Chiro. Had Brain MRI, bloodwork, ECG, heart ultrasound, EEG etc.)
As 2021 went on all the symptoms began to fade, I notice some come back from time to time but I’ve also realized I’m hypersensitive to my body now too. Anyways, the ‘dizziness’ has remained throughout and is something I still struggle with now.
The dizziness isn’t like the usual lightheadedness or vertigo described, it’s not temporary, it can be constant. It’s triggered by lots of head movements in semi/stressful situations. Like fixing dinner for my kids in the kitchen or walking through a mall keeping my eyes on them etc. it seems to impact my eyes the most (I’ve had 2 comprehensive eye exams, all fine). When I try to aggravate it, by working out a lot, high intensity etc. or if I get up quick or out of a hot bath I never seem to be able to bring it on.
Unfortunately my life isn’t going to get any less stressful over the next few years as my kids grow, so these situations seem unavoidable.
I’ve done a lot of reading and this is my first time posting. The most common piece of advice seems to be acceptance, the problem is this is much easier said than done. I suppose my point is I struggle sometimes to believe that this is cause by anxiety but suppose I don’t have much of a choice.
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DizzyHead1
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Hi DizzyHead1, I can only go by my own symptoms and how I have handled it.Ironically, I had it the last 2 days. I do have neck disc problems which can get
extremely tight when stressed.
I make sure that I am well hydrated (which helps a lot) I check my posture, pulling
my shoulders down away from my ears. Putting my head back in alignment with
my body. When stressed we tend to jut our head forward which doesn't allow for
the lymphatic fluid to drain from the head.
I find a quiet place for a few moments and put a heating pad around my shoulders
and neck allowing for the muscles to relax. I also take the top of my ear lobes and gently
pull up on them for a couple seconds and repeat. This allows for the full ears to drain.
My eyes don't seem to be able to focus properly in that they are all over the place.
Eyes have muscles as well which can be tight behind the eyeball.
Years ago I would see a physical therapist who showed me how to help myself at home.
I have noticed for myself that if I have too much salt w/o hydrating, this can happen but
mainly it's about stress. It doesn't have to be going on at the time but somewhere deep in
our brain, something is bothering us which I feel we don't realize until we get these symptoms.
I do hope you can get some relief for yourself in finding something that works for you.
Thanks Agora! I can relate to the eye issue the most, I’ve read up on other things like Binocular Vision Dysfunction and Eye Strain. The long it goes on it feels like the issue is concentrated to my eyes.
I’m all about posture as I sit in my office all day. I have daily exercises & stretches that I work on, I haven’t got much relief from that. I won’t stop doing them as the benefits are obvious, just not helping with the dizziness.
I call the dizziness “wobbly head.” It’s exactly as you described. I had all the same tests from every kind of doctor imaginable. I just learned to live with it and keep in mind that anxiety, stress, and weather changes impact me differently now. I keep my head more still, I don’t ride any carnival rides, and I try not to move too fast. It’s nothing that will kill you but it’s scary if you don’t know what’s causing it.
I’ve had the same issues and it’s awful , maybe some anti anxiety meds? My anxiety got so bad especially with Covid that I had to get on gabapentin , it’s been really helpful, but there’s a lot of stuff that can help . Talk to your doctor maybe and see if that could help? *sending hugs and positivity your way, things will get better.
Sounds pretty much exactly the same as what I have.
All started about 3 years ago when the health anxiety started the dizziness started gets worse in certain situations e.g. going out in public sometimes worse in restaurants or when driving in the dark think light sensitivity might make it worse but yeah I’ve had it for about 3 years straight had all the tests etc everything is fine.
I’m the same as you sort of in a denial that it’s not cause by anxiety but at the same time I know deep down it is. Only time the dizziness goes is when im busy thinking about something else and forget about it for 5 minutes.
You can buy ‘rescue drops’ online that help with the anxiety and may or may not help you personally.
I think the only way out of it is to fully accept that it is anxiety and do the things that help e.g. meditation yoga etc. maybe even cbt
Yeah thanks Jack, great advice and our stories are very similar. I was going through a bit of a health scare (among a few other stresses) about the time I first noticed it. It’s then been there in some shape or form for the last 12 months.
I’m working through it, starting with acceptance but I’ll continue to research and if I found something I’ll let the group know.
I have same dizzy lighted feeling. I can tell my anxiety ramping up too or sometimes this is just out of the blue. If you find things that help please share. I’ve tried a ton of things. Most helpful for me is being immersed in the walk outdoors or when I’m in the yoga class itself. My mind is no where but there. If you find other helpful tips please share. It’s hard to accept because it just seems like something is wrong with me. I feel your post. Keep going you are loved! 🙏❤️
Oh yeah it certainly feels like something is wrong with me. Especially as someone who hasn’t suffered from anxiety in the past, I didn’t think it could manifest into persistent physical symptoms. I get all the usual ones from time to time, they change daily, the new one is a vibration throughout my body.
It sounds like you have done a lot of tests but have you had your hormones, thyroid and adrenals tested to see if they are functioning properly? The thyroid test should be a full panel test including antibodies. If not, they can cause or contribute to anxiety/depression.
Hi DizzyHead1, I can sympathise with your symptoms as they are identical to mine. I started about 6 years ago now (early Forties) and it just came out of the blue. I thought I was going mad and couldn’t understand why I was feeling sick with certain sounds.
In the end I was diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine and anxiety. I take a low dose of Topiramate as a migraine preventative and a low dose of Citalopram which combined seem to work for me. This has given me my life back thankfully as I was scared to go out of the house /drive/ restaurants/ pubs/ supermarkets in case these feelings came on and I was on my own.
Although you might not fully get answers to the cause and a 100% fix, I really hope you manage to find something (medication or other) to help ease the symptoms for you. Big hugs!
Thanks Monty. 6 years must have been tough. I’m glad you found something that works for you. I’m quite a methodical person so will work through a list of solutions that has worked for others, just trying to remain positive
Things got really stressful for our family in 2018. We adopted a three year old little girl from China who could not walk and we already had a two year old boy and a four year old boy. Our daughter had a lot of trauma and had massive melt downs. My wife had a nervous break down when we got home from China(Summer 2018)and went into out patient and on zoloft. She does great on zoloft now. In early 2019 when things seemed to be getting normal she got pregnant and we were trying not to. So in 2019 we had another boy and moved after buying and selling homes. During all of this I had anxiety but fought through, reading and God helped me manage it. I did noticed when I was teaching or in stores at times I would feel dizzy. I just figured it was stress and anxiety and it was. Then In February of 21 I got Covid and my anxiety spiked. I am still getting back to a new normal but coming of my zoloft right now and I actually felt dizzy a little yesterday but I just breathe and know it is anxiety. Like you I know the next few years will not get any less stressful. I believe God has allowed everything in order to help others with anxiety. You are not alone in your struggle.
Wow, also sounds like a tough time. It’s amazing how innocuous the triggers can be but when you think about it, it’s been a long time coming. I pray every day for healing, brother. Jeremiah 30:17!
Hi , i’m going to go off my own problems, i had a random spike of dizziness about 3 years ago and it stayed for about a 1 year, constantly, i decided to seek medication for my anxiety and more or less straight away the dizziness went, along with my other symptoms, i’m still on the medication but once in a while i have a small spike of it
Thanks for sharing, yeah I think I’m just being stubborn and want to do it my way. I have nothing against medication, just worried about the side effects. Glad to hear they worked for you!
So the latest is I had an abnormal VNG test, the diagnosis was bi-lateral inner ear damage. My doctor has prescribed vestibular therapy. I’ll keep you guys updated and let you know if it’s effective. I still think my symptoms are exacerbated by anxiety, so medication might be unavoidable.
Despite having ‘abnormal’ results I’m quite happy, for the last 18 months all my tests have been clear with no indication as to what’s causing it, I’m hoping I’m on the path to recovery
I had this and the only thing that helped was seeing a chiropractor who did adjustments on my neck. The dizziness went away. Also get your iron checked and ferritin.
The other thing it could be labyrinthitis and the only way to find out is if they do the balance tests.
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xx
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