Hi fellow dizzies - quick question:

Who here feels a sensation of unsteadyness or imbalance when standing, moving and walking.

If you do how long have you had it?
How would you descibe it?
Is it more or less 24/7?
What if any diagnosis do you have?

I have the dizzies as well intermitentantly.]

THANK YOU

Thanks

Hi IRobertson, yes I do get that sensation too.

My symptoms don't seem to have much of a pattern any more, but overall I tend to feel more unsteady in places which are causing me the need to process lots of stimuli or exert myself physically. I don't tend to get it so much in my own home and in really familiar places (unless I have been cleaning/moving around a lot). But things like travelling on the underground and moving around supermarkets really bring it on.

From what I have read I understand this to simply be due to your brains reduced ability to compensate when it is required to process lots of sights/sounds/movements etc - though don't know how the physical exertion ties into this.

How does this compare to your symptoms?

Take care, (p.s - my diagnosis was vestibular neuronitis)

Hi robertson, I HAVE the same thing as you always 24/7 and mostly while walking or standing still I feel as if I am swaying or losing my balance. as if I was standing on one leg, I do get a vertigo sensation also where I feel a spinning sensation. I also have alot a headaches along with pressure in head, do you also have this. what was your diagnosis if any? They tell me anxiety and panic disorder I disagree that this is the cause although I do get anxiety due to the imbalance. I am lookimg into new test and a new Dr. let me know your findings! be well
scaredgirl

Hi,
I am having the same symptoms the off balance feeling especially when processing too much information like in malls and supermarkets. Also, seems to come on more when I'm tired after doing a lot of house cleaning etc.
Headaches or should I say head pressure is also part of this whole thing.
I have recently went through a number of months when the symptoms were very mild but, lately they seem to be going a bit in reverse.
I hope I don't end up in square one again.

Hi you all thanks for your posts!

Scaredgirl - I personally cannot see how anxiety alone can cause these symptoms - what you describe is EXACTLY what I feel too. They say that I have an over sensatised inner ear - hence these feelings. I also feel exacgerated sensations of movement - like say I move my head or body I feel like I am moving more than I am - do you feel this - I find this quite unpleasant.

I like you think heck yes I feel anxious - like who wouldn't with these sensations. From all that I have read - you simply cannot get vertigo form anxiety alone there is always a cause. I do however think that these symptoms give rise to anxiety and then anxiety can make the symptoms worse. I am sick of it all. How are you? I do get the head ache thing intermitently - used to worry me but doesn't know - longest head ache I had was for 9 weeks - thing it was stress related.

Yep get the inbalance 24/7, its aggravated by head movements, worse in the dark or places with lots of visual stimuli. When standing still upright, I can feel my balance going from one leg to the other if you know what I mean. Currently also have the ground moving sensation too but only had for 3 wks compared to 10mths of the unbalance. In the dark, I feel drunk, almost blind too. If I turn my head whilst moving then bring it back to face the front, my body moves, sways. Looking up is the worst. And crossing the road.

xxx

Hi Emysbob,

Weird huh - your symptoms are the same and will be due to your travelling - my advice (my ENT gave me the same) is to not ask your ear to do any hard work - try to move your head gently(ish) and avoid anything that can provoke it again (flying, driving far etc etc) to give it a chance to settle down. He also said try to accept the feelings and distract yourself form them - yes I can see that rhy smile - it sure is easier than said than done. Oh that thing you describe 'the ground moving etc' is a classic symptom of vestibular dysfunction/upset - I have had that too in fact I get it from time to time now - I had that chronically for about 7 months earlier on. You sure seem to be coping well with this whole thing!! I am going through a phase of having a couple og horrid day (often cry) the symptoms are sooooo distressing interspersed with days (the 2nd this week) when I have brief periods of copable and minor symptoms. That said no matter how minor the symptoms in the day they are always hell by night no matter what. Catch ya later.

I generally feel more disoriented now than anything. As for the ground moving, I don't get that, as far as I can recall, but I do work in a building whose floors are incredible lumpy and uneven. Great for my existent imbalance. When I first started there, I thought it was the dizzies, then I realized, no, the floor slants towards the middle AND has lumps as well.

Hey all,

I dont know how you guys even work. I've got the same symptoms as you all and I'm so freaked going into public places that I haven't been able to work ever since it started 6 months ago.

What is vestibular neuronitis?

Anyway anybody have any new information? I went back to the Ent......just more waste of good money. Well I wish you all the best. Eric

Hi Eric, you're not alone in feeling unable to work, I've been off since this began too which is more than four months now. Sorry, I don't know much about your sympotoms/treatment etc but you say you are still having unsatisfactory visits to the ENT so I presume you have had no proper tests/diagnosis yet.

Unfortunately you will find post after post about ENT's if you look back over the board. ENT's are NOT the people to see for the dizzies as they often have very little knowledge in this area and consequently can be very dismissive of us and our problems. You need to track down a good neuro-otologist - they are the experts and are far better equipped to help. Take a look at a post by Hbep called "which specialist to see".

As for vestibular neuronitis this is basically vestibular nerve (8th cranial nerve) inflammation/damage, usually caused by an inner ear infection. Basically, if you were initially diagnosed with Labyrinthitis which then lasts for a long time and does'nt affect your hearing, you will probably be considered to have VN. Good luck xx

[This message has been edited by dizzyblonde1 (edited 08-23-2003).]

Hi Robertson
Like many here my dizzies are worse when there is a lot of activity around me. But, a lot of the time I am better when I'm moving........walking, driving.....sitting still I feel a sensation of moving slightly up and down, as though the chair or floor under me was moving that way.
I have heard others getting relief from med. like valium since it suppresses the vestibular system.
I don't want to take any meds..sooooooo I'm hoping that my brain will learn to compensate in time.
I have improved from when this all began. So there must be some compensation. For one thing I do not let anxiety take over when I feel this way.
I used to get the feeling of moving a little further than my body actually had. EG. bending forward and feeling as though I had bent more than I actually had.
That feeling is gone.
My worst days are when I am very tired. Then I have both the problem when sitting and the feeling of the floor moving slightly up and down while walking.
Yuck........so many of us with these feelings and not any good answers from our doctors.
Anyway it has improved and I'm hoping in time for better improvement. I don't avoid doing anything. I hope by doing this my brain will compensate for whatever brought this on.
I know this is long but, it's all true.
Good luck to all.