Disorientation

[raggamuffin]

Hi all,

I felt somewhat light headed and disorientated last night. There weren't any visual distortions as such or difficulty maintaining balance. I work at a PC all day and in the evening's i'm usually gaming. It's come back again today after about 6 hours since waking up and i'm somewhat concerned. I'll admit i've not had much sleep the past 2 nights but i've never experienced anything other than fatigue when i've not got much sleep before

I'm wondering if it's just another anxiety symptom to add to the list. On the whole, asides from stomach and rib pains i've been quite symptom free the past few days which is a relief. Just wondering if anyone could offer some advice on how to shake it as it's a bit unnerving feeling lightheaded. Me being a constant worrier i'm concerned it could be something serious and with the worry along comes more symptoms, namely a bit of jaw aching and some left arm and shoulder pain. My sincere fear of a heart condition for over a year really has led to uncanny symptoms. But 8 doctors all say "you're too young to worry about your heart" etc. I've not had blood pressure checked in about 5 months but every previous check for over 3 years has been fine and an ECG and chest xray last year were fine too.

One possibility could be caffeine I suppose, I tried cutting it down a lot recently and yesterday I had a bit of a chocolate binge and today I had a rather strong cup of coffee and started feeling like this about an hour later. Or possibly some form of quitting smoking symptom? It's been 2 and a half weeks. I guess i'm trying to think of possibilities which aren't my usual unfounded worrying because i'll admit usually when i get a symptom I immediately think the worst.

Ed

[DSS]

Maybe cause you were anxious then and you became hyperventilated which caused the lightheadedness.
Sometimes I get lightheadedness cause I haven't been eating well and I become hypoglycemic.

[raggamuffin]

I don't seem to noticeably hyperventilate but it could certainly be possible. I've also got an ear wax blockage in one ear. Although it's been there for years now. Had it syringed last week and it didn't work so I have to go back in a weeks time. I'm wondering if maybe some water remained and is causing this. Then again if that were the case i'd have expected it to have been affecting me for longer.

Ed

[DSS]

Maybe you should go to ENT and check, cause maybe you have ear infection which can cause the dizziness too.

[raggamuffin]

The next GP appointment is next week. Would I need a referral for that or just ring up the ENT department at the local hospital? I'm getting headaches at the base of the skull top of the neck too.

Ed

[DSS]

You can ask ur GP for a referral if u need it. Middle ear infection can cause all the symptoms u said but I'm not sure about the neck pain. Don't worry much about it unless the pain was sever and if fluids discharged from ur ear.

[raggamuffin]

I went to the doctor and they finally managed to unblock my left ear. There was a lot of wax build up in there. However I still feel just as dizzy and disorientated 3 hours later as I did before. Not sure where to go from here. It feels quite subtle but something seems totally off or not real. Sometimes when i'm moving it feels even stranger. My parents wonder if it's being stuck infront of a computer all day (at work and at home). Whilst other symptoms were easy enough to divert my attention from this one is really difficult to shake apart from when i'm in bed.

Ed

[DSS]

Do you feel dizzy when you're lying down ?!
When was the last time you checked your eyes ?!
Cause I used to feel dizzy when I had to change my glasses and lenses.

[raggamuffin]

Nope, I felt a little odd laying down earlier but that was the only time. it's mainly when I'm sat at work. under these horrid fluorescent lights staring at a computer screen all day long etc. Outside in the sun I still feel a bit off when moving around but nothing hazardous like thinking I might fall over.

Now that you mention it i've never had an eye test for glasses that is. I got an appointment with the opthomologist next week though because I got 3 chalazions and a stye in one eye. It's only really caused watering for the past year or more. But I guess it could just as easily start causing this dizziness. I'll admit fixing on words on thr screen feels a little off too so maybe I will need an eye test. Funny really as i've always loved the idea of wearing glasses :)

Ed

[Rjd820]

I've noticed with my anxiety I get dizzy and off balance a lot, ous usually the first thing I notice, besides my sweaty hands. I just feel that I get so scared that I feel faint, plus blood sugar decreases sometimes because of it. I currently have some fluid in my ears from sinus problems and I'm pregnant so I can't take anything and that had just made it worse. When it happens I try to just sit down, relax, close my eyes and think about how I really feel and realize that I am okay. The key is too acknowledge the symptoms not run or be afraid of them because the fear is what causes your body to do all if these ridiculous things. I also feel very spacey and like I'm in a dream and not really jere, this is also normal, but accepting all of this helps you get over it much quicker. As son as you fear something, even a little is when your mind just makes you freak out...feeding into it is what makes it unbearable...i learned most of this info in a book that I now consider like a bible. it has helped me so much.

[truitt661]

Sometimes I even get lightheaded when I don't get enough sleep or don't eat. This may just be the problem and give yourself sometime from all the video games and do some exercising or something.

[hopeNfaith88]

Rjd, we have the same symptoms.


Anything that alters my homeostasis, causes me to feel disoriented. Not enough sleep, hungry, even if i forget to take my vitamin. Its bullshit lol

[laurandisorder]

Even when I'm not feeling particularly anxious or stressed, I get a weird vertigo kind of feeling. I get this almost perpetually going up or down stairs - especially if they are flights of stairs where I have to turn - if that makes sense?

I also have a very dizzy feeling when I look directly up or down. I have looked up at planes and literally had to put my arms out to get my balance back. I think it's just one of those things. I try not to worry about it too much.

I hope your symptoms clear up soon x

[raggamuffin]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's quite a new symtpom so i'm finding it hard to accept it at the moment. But you're right, fear and worry just makes things worse. It just feels hard to adapt to feeling dizzy and off balance. Keeping busy seems to help, as does closing my eyes (when i can). I've been waking up with the headaches at the base of the skull for the past 2 days and they come and go throughout the day. Not really major pains, but certainly noticeable. makes me wonder if sleeping position could be aggravating it. I'll see how I go, I got a doctor's appointment next week. If i'm still feeling dizzy and disorientated by then I'll get a referral to an ENT specialist just to make sure there's nothing else that could be causing the problem.

Ed