Round 2 - Inner Ear Disorders Message Board

ASLme · 03-29-2006, 09:23 AM

Hi everybody:
Haven't been on the boards in awhile because I haven't had to...until a few days ago.
I started getting the pressure and swimmy feeling in my head and a touch of stinkin' brainfog. The worst thing is driving because the motion is too much and I get moments of panic and moments of exhaustion. I can literally feel myself straining to keep it together visually and mentally and it wipes me out!
I've had the icepick-in-my-ear feeling for three days and the awful neck/back stuff too. I think one component of brainfog for me is the nagging pain. (It demands your attention and won't let you do anything else mentally)
This has progressively been coming on for a few weeks so I'm wondering if I have some virus that just gets stirred up once in awhile, or if it is allergy related or what. I was pretty much symptom free (for over a year I dealt with symptoms which gradually subsided)
Don't know if I should bother going to the Doc. this time...What else could they tell me? (No DX before, just a lot of runaround)
Thanks for the whine and hey to all you oldtimers. (everyone else too of course)
Elisabeth

feel_bad_2_much · 03-29-2006, 10:04 AM

Hey Elisabeth........sorry you are feeling icky again. I too have started feeling more lightheaded, and dealt with the brainfog a little again............but mine has alot to do with allergies................have you ever been tested?? I am so much better than I was last year..............and Im so thankful for that, I just wish it would go away for good, and I'd get the old me back. Hope you are feeling better again real soon!!!

hbep · 03-29-2006, 10:23 AM

Hello,

Sorry to hear you're back in the vestibular pit. I was doing great and had a relapse 3 months ago. Fortunately am getting better.

I wondered when you said - I've had the icepick-in-my-ear feeling for three days and the awful neck/back stuff too. I think one component of brainfog for me is the nagging pain. (It demands your attention and won't let you do anything else mentally) whether you might have a similiar problem to me. The pain you describe accompanied by the fog could be migraine. This might also explain the neck pain.

I recently (after over 3 yrs) saw the top specialist in the department I go to. Although I had a mixture of diagnosies before she shed the most light on the situ and diagnosed me with VN with a complication of silent migraine(although I do get headaches sometimes.) As she explained it the migraine keeps tripping up my compensation process. If you want more info on this do a search with my name and you will see the post I wrote after the consultation. She said that VN can trigger migraine in some, which then stops them compensating properly. The weird thing is that the migrainous activity (since the VN) manifests as dizziness. Although sometimes I have an actual headache followed by the dizziness. I am doing much better with a daily migraine preventative. Her theory was I would keep being tripped up until I got the migraine under control.

I think there is a tendency to put all symptoms down to VN when sometimes it is possible to have more than 1 thing going on that messes with the VN. Of course you could also just have a virus which is messing with you.

Just a thought I figured it was worth throwing out there.

Have just looked back at one of your old posts and see you do actually get migraines - at least you mentioned having one - which would definitely indicate this as a possibility. Also the symptoms you wrote in that post sounded eerily familiar to mine throughout this whole ordeal - especially the hyperacusis and ear fluttering. If you look in the archive at Dr Rauch's otology clinic he says some very interesting stuff about migraineurs having a harder time compensating, which is, I guess, where the daily migraine preventative comes in. I am on a beta blocker - propanonol. Of course there is also the other option which is that someone who is prone to migraine doesn't have VN but rather MAV.

You mentioned not getting anywhere with specialists - did you see a neurotologist?

best,

ASLme · 03-30-2006, 06:22 AM

Thanks for the replies Feel Bad 2 and hbep:
I've never had any allergy testing but the area I live in is known as a *big* area for allergies (Miami Valley) and my husband and kids are always messing with sinus/allergies.
I had gone to my GP and ENT and was considering going to see a neurotologist and even contacted their office, but by then my symptoms had subsided quite a bit and I thought I was done with it so never pursued it.
*** when this happens if I sleep a lot and keep popping tylenol it usually subsides after a few days so I wonder if it might be migraine triggered by whatever pressure changes in my head might happen. It certainly is inconvenient because as soon as things start rolling along here comes another episode.

If it persists I probably should contact the neuroto again.
I appreciate your input and hope you are feeling better and better.

hbep · 03-30-2006, 07:44 AM

Hi there,

Re - I wonder if it might be migraine triggered by whatever pressure changes in my head might happen.

The way it was explained to me is that the exertion required of the brain when struggling with VN, specifically when coupled with stress, or multi tasking, namely asking the brain to focus on a number of things at once - drains the neurotransmitter supply - serotonin and/or norephinedrine. This depletion of neurotransmitters is what triggers migraine in some people.

I was doing extremely well, but had a stressful interview - (a combo of stress+multi tasking, talking to 3 people in a room etc...) and that's what brought on the relapse.

Now the link with stress/mutli tasking is obvious. Since this relapse, when the pressure is on, I can feel the symptoms returning. Although touch wood, not as badly since the daily migraine meds.

I do think the sleeping a lot+tylenol does sound like it might be a give- away re migraine. Always hard to know for sure but it's certainly a possibility.

Certainly worth seeing a neurotologist if this persists. Hope you are feeling a little better,

best,