Vertigo- it won't go away

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 4:24 pm

I started feeling dizzy this weekend and it hasn't went away. If it makes sense- my balance is fine but I am having frequent bouts of dizziness mostly when I look up. It's happened in the shower and more concerning, when I am driving a fork lift and am putting pallets on the highest shelf. Not cool at all. I could stand on one foot all day long and don't have issues with coordination but my whole world tilts and is causing me to become sick to my stomach. Hydration is not an issue.

Can this in any way be related to my thyroid? My endo keeps telling me I can't blame everything on that condition. I see him tomorrow and am debating if it is worth mentioning. I will not see my PCP because I am not going to go through a battery of tests to be told once again there is nothing wrong with me. I had my three month follow up ultra sound and that enlarged lymph node that is being debated if it is an undocumented surgical clip. The idea of the possibility of radioactive iodine treatment is more than I can deal with right now but will find out the results tomorrow. The tech commented that she wasn't able to find what they referenced in the first scan after leaving twice to review them. Either she doesn't know what she's doing or the lymph node has now shrunk? It didn't help my mood any when she commented that thyroid cancer is the best cancer to get even though nobody wants cancer. I understand what she is getting at and know my situation could have been much worse but that comment seems to minimize the struggle I continue to face approaching two years post thyroidectomy/cancer. I still feel a slight grudge against my endo for telling me my chances of recurrence was almost none. No promises but not to waste my time worrying because I will most likely die of something else. I know he was trying give me good news that I am in the best category possible but I find it difficult to trust anything and every little discomfort has me wondering.

I have an occasional dry cough (could be allergies?), sometimes have a hard swallow here and there, have weird sensations in my throat/neck area (scar tissue?). ..... everything seems to be recurrence in the back of my mind. My brain fog has been horrible and this week I have driven myself nuts obsessing about it. I know what will be will be and I will deal with it. When I had my fine need aspiration (that was a failure) he told me I absolutely could not move because his needle was that close to my coratid artery. Could a growth pressing on it cause dizziness? But that would show up in an ultrasound..... I should just stop the what-ifs and wait for the results.

Am am still new at my job that I love and feel a dark cloud of what if I have something serious again? A sick leave bank that is almost nothing......

I use magnesium oil spray everyday. Any ideas I may be missing. Big sigh. I'd like to laugh at the never ending health drama but I'm too tired.

Post by **tex** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 5:41 pm

Deb wrote:Either she doesn't know what she's doing or the lymph node has now shrunk?

Or maybe it was some sort of digital illusion or illusional artifact on the first scan.

There are many possibilities for causes of vertigo, but the most common is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, which can be treated by the Epley maneuver.

Here are links to several Youtube videos on treating that condition. The video at the third link is followed by a short video that shows how to do it yourself, in case you are inclined to try that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLt2LtISPmQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4S4CbuN6QA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZgUx9G0uEs

But in the event that it might be due to some other cause, you can find more than you ever wanted to know about dizziness at the following link:

Causes of Dizziness

I hope you can find a way to nip it in the bud, because dizziness is one thing that puts me out of service faster than anything (except nausea, which of course can occur with dizziness).

Tex

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:48 pm

Hi Deb,

I had this happen last year, and it cleared up in two days with the Epley maneuver. I don't know if you have the same kind of vertigo, but the procedure is easy and can't hurt. Good luck - I know it's no fun at all feeling that way.

Polly

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:23 pm

Thank you both very much for the information. I watched the videos and read the info- had no idea it existed. It will be worth a try. I've been down for the count for the past couple days. I think a few weeks worth of obsessing about cancer recurrence caught up with me. Good news is the ultrasound showed the lymph node has decreased in size and I am on a follow up in a year. My endo said it is still a mystery undocumented surgical clip or a calcified lymph node. I don't see how it could be a clip if it changed sizes. It is now something I will just push to the back of my mind and get on with things. The sad part is the comments he made that I have responded well to "therapy" and can take a sigh of relief did me no favors. I think my family thinks I should be back to normal- my labwork certainly is so what's my problem? Feeling a bit sarcastic since the past few weeks have been a struggle with brain fog and early afternoon fatigue. Add the vertigo and skin rash and I'm a walking disaster who looks perfectly fine. I seem to be the only one that notices the dark lines under my eyes.

To make it worse I ate part of a brat last night I believed to be plain. After the bad stomache cramping I learned it was mushroom and swiss. Who would think three bites would cause discomfort all evening. It wasn't even all that great either, haha.

I sound pretty lame with my list of complaints..... At least I have a direction to go with feeling dizzy. Hopefully it will work! Thanks again!

Post by **tex** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 2:56 pm

Good luck with the treatment Deb. With MC it often seems that when it rains it pours, as the saying goes.

Stress has been documented as a trigger for some types of vertigo. Maybe the improved ultrasound results will help to bring relief.

Tex

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 7:04 pm

I'm so sorry your troubles continue, Deb.

I have no idea if this applies to you but it sure gave me a surprise. For Thanksgiving I made my favorite chocolate cheesecake (GF), a huge dose of dairy which I need to avoid. I saved 3 small pieces for myself and gave the rest of the cake away. I had a piece on Thanksgiving and a piece the following night. When I got up during the night I could not walk in a straight line. This happened each time I got up. It cleared up shortly after I got up in the morning. Next evening I had another piece of cheesecake. The disequilibrium was even worse that night and persisted longer the next morning. The only thing that could have caused it was the very sugar laden, dairy laden, chocolate laden cake. This had never happened to me. I avoid dairy almost completely (I eat a little butter) and I must be very sensitive to it now. I threw out the last piece of cheesecake and the disequilibrium disappeared.

So, I don't know if this type of sensitivity could be the cause of your vertigo but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Hope you're feeling better,
Sheila W

Post by **tex** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 7:26 pm

Sheila,

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's an interesting effect, to say the least.

Tex

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:42 pm

Deb,

Polly

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 6:54 pm

Thanks Sheila for the possible cause. The vertigo started before my accidental dairy ingestion. It is a good reminder how weird stuff can happen simply by eating. I wish more people understood that. It took me a bit to figure out the dairy was the cause of the stomach cramps. It didn't change my bowel habits at all but there is nothing close to normal about thise either, at this point.

I did try the Epley maneuver twice this weekend. I didn't seem to have a big reaction with the quick downward movement but went through the whole process anyway. It didn't seem to help but tiday is the first day I haven't felt it. Not to jinx myself but maybe that was it or maybe it's a new response to stress.

Hopefully I can chalk it up to one if those transient things that come and go (and will stay gone)!

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 2:26 pm

HI Deb,
I had a (vertigo) situation late May this year when my body was fairly new to going off this Gluten and everything else at the same time. I had just gotten over a cold with the (niggles) of body aches that must come with going gluten free and I saw my Dr. and he prescribed a Rx Antihistamine. I took it for a week and by jolly it worked great, apparently I needed a bit higher strength than the Allegra 180mg I was already taking. I did however get a sinus infection and a really puffed up lymph node on the left side of my neck that I ended up needing two rounds of antibiotic to put it to rest (Zpack and Cephalexin). I'm happy to report that taking those and massaging the lymph nodes to help them drain (you need to do that because lymph nodes can't drain on their own) I am doing so much better now.

I sure hope with everyone's ideas you find relief soon

Cheers
Erica

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:03 pm

Thanks for sharing your experience Erica. Glad you found something that worked! The feeling was very faint today so ai will take that as a good sign.