Hi all.
i've been living with a terribley frightning spacey feeling for the past 3 months now. it was a great relief when my mom ran across this page. it's nice to know that i'm not alone. i'm going through a really bad patch right now. i convinced myself last night while screaming and crying that i've lost my mind. i think i might have Lab'tis or some vestibular damage, something like that. unfortunatly i'm not getting any answers from doctors. i've had a rather extensive list of tests done from a Ct scan to a preg.test and all have turned up negative. (Suprise!)
i guess i just need some reassurance that i'm sane. this fogged feeling is becoming too much for me to handle! any words of encouragement or wisdom would be appreciated!
thanx for listening to me gripe!
Anastasia

Anastasia: You are definitely not alone or insane...Most of us here suffer from that foggy head feeling and we are all looking for answers...Just try to keep positive, keep reading this message board and hopefully it will help you....We are all here for you! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

HI there Anastasia,

Sorry to hear you're suffering with the fog. Do you have any other symptoms alongside the spacey feeling? Anything going on in your ears? Your jaw? Any back/neck pain? Do you have any allergies? Have you ever suffered from migraine? What happened prior to getting this? Did you have a cold? Sinus problems? A virus? Did you have any dental work done? Did you experience any major stress? Do you clench or grind your teeth? These things can be really useful in working out what's causing it.

You said they ran tests - did they do an ENG/caloric test - this is how they test for labyrinthitis/Vestibular neuritis? I experienced the foggy/spaced out feeling very badly when I first got ill. It is really terrifying. I do feel that whatever causes the fog, the fog then causes anxiety, which makes the fog worse. I would strongly recommend that you read Claire Weekes - 'Hope and Help for your Nerves.' It is written as a self help book for anxiety sufferers but is massively helpful for those experiencing anxiety as a result of illness induced horrible cognitive symptoms. You will probably think how on earth could a book help with this. Believe me, after a few months of the fog I was willing to try anything - so I, sceptically, read the book on someone's recommendation. I do not suffer from anxiety per se, but the cognitive symptoms I had were without question causing severe anxiety, it helped MASSIVELY.

Bottom line - don't panic - these feelings will pass. I was so foggy headed I could barely think - it scared me more than anything has EVER scared me, but my head is much clearer now, it's just difficult to believe you will ever feel better when you're in the middle of it, but you will.

thanx Hbep and Noodypooh.
i'm just going through a really bad spell right now. my irrationallity is getting the best of me.
hbep... as for my symptoms the first one started on March 3rd of this year. i was standing at an elevator and had a massive dizzy spell like i was going to pass out and i've been souped up ever since. i can safely say that i'm better than 2 months ago. i was having really bad headaches in my temples and in behind my eyes. i had some x-rays done and we know it's not cancer or anything life threatening. i've also had bad tennitis! almost deafening and some sharp ear pain.
my headaches are almost gone and my tennitis is a little better but my ears still pop and and i'm spaced out. i'm slightly worried about my ear popping...actually it's more of a crackling. if i lean my head from side to side, like when you stretch your neck, i can hear my eustacian(sp?) tubes crack. does anyone else ever get that. it happens all the time.
anyhoo, that's my life story! thanx again for replying you guys. it's nice to know that people understand http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif~

Anastasia

Hi there Anastasia,

Ok, that makes the picture a little clearer, lol. Go to the tempero mandibular joint disorder board, go to the search engine at the top of the page, put the word 'crackling' in to the search. You'll find loads of people like you. (Don't worry when someone says this is crepitus (degeneration of the jaw joint) - in your case it probably isn't - much more likely to be muscular spasm in your e tubes - the crackling can be caused by a number of tmjd probs.) Try putting 'ear pain' or 'ears' in to the search as well. This is the easiest way to convince you that you might have this. You will also find a tonne of people clutching their faces with temple pain, headaches, sharp stabbing pains in their ears or ear ache (many people first go to the doctor complaining of ear pain.) The fact that you can bring the crackling in your ears on by moving your neck is the biggest clue. Tinnitus is a big TMJD symptom. I have TMJD with severe ear symptoms - the pain in my ears is excruciating at times. See if your tinnitus gets louder when you yawn. Try touching your tm joint -open your mouth and press around where the joint is - is it at all tender?

I can't say for sure that you have TMJD. I'm not a doctor, but your symptoms are pretty classic. You certainly sound like me. I have almost no jaw symptoms - all ears - TMJD can happen like this, all the problems in your jaw are reffered to your ears. TMJD is either a problem with the jaw joint itself, or a problem with spasming and constriction of the muscles around the joint. Many doctors know very little about the relationship between the ears and the tm joint - it takes a specialist in TMJD to diagnose it. Regular doctors and dentists are not required to do extensive training in this and often miss it. My otologist missed this diagnosis completely - my family doctor didn't even know TMJD could cause ear symptoms, fortunately my dentist picked it up and sent me on to a dental hospital where they diagnosed me.

Please do research on the TMJ disorder board, honestly - could be the answer to how to treat your symptoms. I know it sounds bananas to say the problem could be your jaw - I thought this was nonsense when my dentist suggested it - turns out she was right.