I'm so dizzy

[Quahog]

Oh boy it's bad and doesn't seem to be letting up.


first off every so often the room will feel like it's spinning out of control. Fortunately it doesn't last very long then it stops as suddenly as it started.

My feet have also been hurting more now. There is also numbness pins. needles and this glove like feeling. now I have had EMG of my lower extremities that showed very subtle slowing of my peroneal and tibial nerves. The neurologist I was seeing said it was a peripheral neuropathy but all the other doctors said no it wasn't. It went away for awhile and now it's back with a vengeance.

The glove like sensation is what has me most concerned. I have had it in my feet but nowhere else that is until recently. Now when I sit down for a long period such as driving. It also happens when I exercise and that's when it bothers me the most. I almost feel like my head is detached from my body and I'm losing control of it.

Then there's the headaches, visual disturbances, tinnitus, weird shortness of breath episodes, vertigo.

To top it all off I am also getting facial numbness with loss of feeling in my nose, cheeks, upper teeth. When I bend over the pressure in my sinuses if unbearable. I do have allergies and upon recommendation from my allergist I've been using nasal washes and it's down right surprising as to what has been coming out of my nose. I will spare you all the grizzly details.
I've had sinus infections before but never like this, that is if I have one.

I have had it, I don't really know how much more of this I can take. I feel terrible and I can not get answers. It could be my C-spine so maybe that's causing this or maybe it's due to my glucose levels they seem to be spiking again, maybe I've become allergic to my pain meds, or who knows, perhaps it actually was Lyme. I am a wreck ! I need answers but I'm losing the strength that one needs to keep searching and fighting. I can't think anymore and to be honest I don't know what to do anymore. If my posting seems a bit light these days that's the reason why.

It's so strange I was feeling really really dizzy so I decided to eat something with some sugar in it and almost instantly I felt better.

My blood glucose levels were not high and they were not low either. If it was my glucose why would it make me feel better immediately after eating? It's my understanding that it would take at least 20-30 minutes for your glucose to be affected. Very strange.

[curiousforever]

Hugs....hope you feel better.

Just do it - my parents are both diabetics - and I know they feel really bad when their sugar drops....

[Mark N]

Q, it sounds like your cervical spine and I will be glad when you see the NS about your MRIs. Like Kathi and I [along with others] have said, your cervical spine looks bad unless it is just the slice of the MRI we are seeing. but based on the image that you showed us it could account for almost all the symptoms you are having. I would call the NS again and explain the symptoms that are so bad and see if they can get you in sooner. You must get a doctor to take a serious look at your cervical spine before it is too late.

[finz]

Ugh Quahog.....this sure all sounds pretty crappy ! You sure have not been having an easy time of it recently. I really hope that your docs can get a handle on things quickly for you..........please hang in there.


Just a few comments on the diabetes related issues........

Has your doc been trying to get you on meds for awhile ? How high have your sugars gone ? What's your A1C ? If your doc is already suspecting peripheral neuropathy, I wouldn't want to mess with having high blood sugars make that can make it worse.

Normally, you wouldn't have problems with your diabetes making your blood sugars be too low unless you are already on medication,

It takes about 30 minutes for foods to start to be digested in your stomach. Simple sugars, like juice or candy can start to work very quickly because they can start to be absorbed into your bloodstream by the tissues under your tongue and in your cheeks.

[Scar Tissue]

Is it possible with everything you are going through, you may be having a bout with Bells Palsy? Some of the symptoms point in that direction. Just a thought and I hope I'm way off base and you feel much better tomorrow!!:)

[Bobbi]

Y'know, I'm not a doctor - heck, I'm fortunate if I'm able to remove a splinter...

My best friend, though, has diabetes, which I dx'd before her own doctors were able (and I had to call 9-1-1 pre-dx; she was disoriented and her blood sugar was 400 when tested. She also had a stroke that night). But did she or they take note when I kept saying what I suspected before that horrible night? Nope.

Anyway...

There is a neuropathy that can affect feeling in some diabetics. My friend felt as if insects were crawling under her skin. She also had vision probs.

When her glucose levels are roller-coastering, she can eat something and she does feel better right away. I'd say it's possible.

[Mark N]

Bobbi is right about it could be diabetes. I have the feeling of insects crawling under my skin but I don't have diabetes. There are several things that it could be and you need to see a doctor right away to eliminate diabetes while waiting to see your NS.

How are you doing by now? I hope you are doing better and you should try some sweets when you feel like this again. See a doctor today, please.

[Kathi49]

Glenn,

The dizziness is almost certainly from your cervical spine or even from the blood sugar fluctuations. The other, the PN, is more likely diabetes. The "stocking/glove" feeling is common in PN; one of the first signs. But it could also be radiculopathy. In any case, neuropathic pain no matter which way you look at it.

I would DEFINTELY get with the doctor and get those numbers in check with diabetic meds or whatever they need to do. I know when my blood sugar is low or even a little high I will get dizzy and even feel fluish at times.

With your neck the way it is and then the blood sugar ups and downs, I can definitely understand why you would feel dizzy.

Okay, when you eat something with sugar of course you should feel instantly better. Like drinking orange juice right away or having a candy bar.

But what then happens and if you don't eat on time, you crash! If you were to see a chart of what happens throughout the day, it almost looks like a roller coaster with the ups and downs.

I am or was hypoglycemic. The doctors told me...protein, protein, protein. It breaks down more slowly; I stay on an even keel and I don't have those fluctuations. However, there were or are times I feel that dizziness coming on and I get shaky. The general population will too. So, that tells me either to eat something fast or grab something with sugar until I can eat. After awhile you know what to do when those feelings come on. BUT...my numbers were never as high as yours. When I was gestational diabetic it was like 110-120. When I was hypogylcemic they would drop drastically and really that's when I felt very drunk, dizzy and walking into walls. And I believe the same symptoms can occur with high levels. I know it did with my brother and my ex boss. They both told me they felt like they had the flu and were dizzy and nauseated. And their numbers were very high when they finally went to the doctor. Well, my boss had to go to the ER and then was admitted.

Anyway, that's my story.

But if I were you, I would get it checked out and get under control. As Mark said, see someone today.

[jena1225]

Sorry Glenn. I hope you get answers soon.

I would love to know how to do a nasal wash! Anyone?

[Quahog]

Thanks all. Well when I woke up this morning I checked my blood glucose and it was 100. Perfectly normal In fact my last A1C was below 6%.

It usually runs about 95-100 By the way 70-109 is considered normal for fasting numbers.

It's only after I eat foods with high carbs that problems start so I usually avoid them.

The dizziness had lessed a bit when I first woke but as the day has worn on the dizziness has become bad again. checked my glucose again. It is fine !!! My legs feel like lead weights, pain in my neck, loss of feeling in my legs arms. disorientation.

To be honest I'm close to going to the ER but as usual they will tell me there is nothing they can do for me.

I have an appointment with my PCP on Friday. I don't know if i will make it that long. Something is WRONG. Whether it's my neck or not I can no longer live like this. Unfortunately, I don't have a choice.

[jena1225]

Quahog, I am thinking an ER visit might not be a bad idea at this point. You really do not want to mess around with weakness of the limbs and such. You never know, but it could be mini strokes or something else neurological. Not to scare you, but if you DO go to the ER, at the very least, they might do some tests, like MRI's. CT scans, etc... And you would get the results before you leave, I am pretty sure.

It can't hurt, but it could if you don't, you know?

[debhun]

I think I would go to the ER to be on the safe side. It could be so many things.

So go ahead and go to the ER. Let us know how you are doing

Deb

[Kathi49]

Glenn,

Geez, if you don't sound like me a few years ago. I know, I know they don't do much at the ER. BUT...they have run scans before when I was really bad off. If nothing else maybe they could prescribe something for the dizziness; Meclizine perhaps? If it gets to be unbearable and I mean really bad, get to the ER and have them take a look at you. I don't know, the way you are talking you just never know. I think if it were me, I would go ahead and go.

[BrokenBladder]

Quahog, sorry I missed your post. So how are you feeling? Did you go to the ER and get checked out? I'm just truly concerned for you. Get back to us as soon as possible.

[Quahog]

Hey all,

No I decided against going to the ER. I have thought about it but every time i go there is nothing they can do for me. As far as meds for nausea and dizziness I have tons of phenergan. So I don't need another Rx.

I have an appontment with my pcp on Friday. So I will see what she says about all this.

To be honest i feel like crap. I'm losing control of my body but there is little any one can do until I see the NS on the 24th. There is no way I can get in to see them any sooner. So unless my pcp can come up with something I am going to have to wait.

[exitwound]

Bloody hell, Quahog, you're going through so much at once! Reminds me all too much of my own case which seems to throw everything and the kitchen sink at me all at the same time.....nausea, intolerably severe pain and soreness everywhere, fatigue and multiple types of discomfort all over, extreme pain upon breathing, congested/inflamed nose makes it nearly impossible to breathe properly at night and the mouth breathing dries out my lips which become cracked and painful too.....the list goes on.

The combination of everything presses in on me, in a strangely claustrophobic way. Especially the Costochondritis which makes breathing and so many common movements (or even just laying still and trying to to feel even the slightest bit comfortable doing basic body functions, breathing is so crucial to one's feeling of safety and health, comfort in one's own body) so constricted and uncomfortable. I do lots of yoga and get massage from my wife, all of which are godsends, but I never get anywhere near to caught up with my needs.

Now that I have two different x-ray results (sclerosis of the sacroiliac joints and a "pars defect" of the L5S1) which confirm my Reiter Syndrome/Reactive Arthritis, the next hurdle is to dodge the fairly obvious pressure from my Rheumatology specialists to try DMARDs. I am not interested in them given the awful side effects and the risk of serious infection which could drastically worsen my condition.*

If you need someone who understands, who is going through the same sorts of things and lives in the area, I'm always here to talk, Quahog. I know that you are probably tired of making posts to the Internet but I would be happy to do voice chat, video chat, Skype/regular phone calls, or meet you with my wife and son somewhere here in Maine if you'd like. Any way that we can be of help, we are trying to make more connections with people and families that are affected by chronic pain.....

Oh boy it's bad and doesn't seem to be letting up.


first off every so often the room will feel like it's spinning out of control. Fortunately it doesn't last very long then it stops as suddenly as it started.

My feet have also been hurting more now. There is also numbness pins. needles and this glove like feeling. now I have had EMG of my lower extremities that showed very subtle slowing of my peroneal and tibial nerves. The neurologist I was seeing said it was a peripheral neuropathy but all the other doctors said no it wasn't. It went away for awhile and now it's back with a vengeance.

The glove like sensation is what has me most concerned. I have had it in my feet but nowhere else that is until recently. Now when I sit down for a long period such as driving. It also happens when I exercise and that's when it bothers me the most. I almost feel like my head is detached from my body and I'm losing control of it.

Then there's the headaches, visual disturbances, tinnitus, weird shortness of breath episodes, vertigo.

To top it all off I am also getting facial numbness with loss of feeling in my nose, cheeks, upper teeth. When I bend over the pressure in my sinuses if unbearable. I do have allergies and upon recommendation from my allergist I've been using nasal washes and it's down right surprising as to what has been coming out of my nose. I will spare you all the grizzly details.
I've had sinus infections before but never like this, that is if I have one.

I have had it, I don't really know how much more of this I can take. I feel terrible and I can not get answers. It could be my C-spine so maybe that's causing this or maybe it's due to my glucose levels they seem to be spiking again, maybe I've become allergic to my pain meds, or who knows, perhaps it actually was Lyme. I am a wreck ! I need answers but I'm losing the strength that one needs to keep searching and fighting. I can't think anymore and to be honest I don't know what to do anymore. If my posting seems a bit light these days that's the reason why.

It's so strange I was feeling really really dizzy so I decided to eat something with some sugar in it and almost instantly I felt better.

My blood glucose levels were not high and they were not low either. If it was my glucose why would it make me feel better immediately after eating? It's my understanding that it would take at least 20-30 minutes for your glucose to be affected. Very strange.

[exitwound]

Hey all,

No I decided against going to the ER. I have thought about it but every time i go there is nothing they can do for me. As far as meds for nausea and dizziness I have tons of phenergan. So I don't need another Rx.

I have an appontment with my pcp on Friday. So I will see what she says about all this.

To be honest i feel like crap. I'm losing control of my body but there is little any one can do until I see the NS on the 24th. There is no way I can get in to see them any sooner. So unless my pcp can come up with something I am going to have to wait.

You might consider getting a PA (if you need it, which you usually do) for Zofran, which is something that I've been able to get a trial dose of but am still waiting for my doctor to get the PA through to MaineCare. It's a unique type of anti-emetic which acts directly on the Serotonin-like (5-HTa, IIRC) receptors in your digestive tract which regulate the nausea response. This is far more powerful and effective than Promethazine (Phenergan), but also has generally less side effects and is not as fatigue-inducing.

Zofran is superior to Promethazine, but it's good that you do have Phenergan on hand. It comes in handy....too much of it, though, will mess with your Liver testing levels and could even have some ill effects on the liver itself with prolonged frequent use.

I'm glad that you decided against going to the ER. All I ever get from my hospital visits is nasty flu/colds, often for my whole family including my baby son, a big fat waste of time, and often, less pain medication than I would have been taking under my normal regime at home. Even when I carefully explain what I'm taking and the need for them to increase that dosage substantially -- after all that was why I was there both times late last year; the horrible, searing, completely intolerable pain that was making me a bed-bound screaming lump totally unable to care for or even present a non-scary appearance for my son.....

Granted, those ER visits gave some proof and evidence to my regular doctor exactly how bad my condition really is and how insanely painful it becomes during flares; I've always been a glutton for punishment in terms of taking a beating but now I can barely walk around the house and standing up feels like putting my legs, hips & lower back through a tree-shredder.

But if they can possibly be avoided, I recommend it at all costs. It's hard to accept that nobody wants to come rushing to our rescue in this condition, that we have to accept whatever we can arrange for ourselves in our day to day lives and from our regular doctors.....that the ER should be the ultimate "nuclear solution," offering complete relief of the complaint that you go in there with. But that is, as we both know, far from the case.

I wish you the best of luck with your ongoing battle and if there's any way at all that I can help you out, I'm always here.

[jena1225]

Hey all,

No I decided against going to the ER. I have thought about it but every time i go there is nothing they can do for me. As far as meds for nausea and dizziness I have tons of phenergan. So I don't need another Rx.

I have an appontment with my pcp on Friday. So I will see what she says about all this.

To be honest i feel like crap. I'm losing control of my body but there is little any one can do until I see the NS on the 24th. There is no way I can get in to see them any sooner. So unless my pcp can come up with something I am going to have to wait.

If you are indeed "losing control of your body", I can tell you from first hand experience, that is not something you want to mess around with. If your sx's are stable and NOT getting any worse, then waiting until tomorrow might be ok. But, if the weakness of your limbs is getting progressively worse, you really need to go to the ER.

There are so many things nuerologically that can be a factor, and when you are talking about the BRAIN, youo DON"T want to wait.

If you are getting weaker and weaker, please go

[debhun]

I am very woried about you. Please call your dr and tell them what is going on they may see you right away. Just try

((((((HUGS))))))
Deb

[Kira]

Sorry you're feeling crappy. Only you can decide if it is bad enough to go to the ER. I am with the others, though: if it IS getting worse, then you really don't want to mess around with it and you should muster up the guts to drag yourself to the ER. It is your body, though, and you know much better than we do about what you are actually experiencing.

[debhun]

Just checking in to see how you are?

Deb