vertigo and blurred vision

today at work I wasn't feeling well. a little queasy. a little off. i went to get a cup of tea and I had terrible vertigo with blurred vision. i rested my head on my desk for several minutes but it didn't go away. i started to get scared (that somethimg was major wrong with me) so I walked back to our work clinic and asked them to take my vitals. they ruled out any kind of stroke or cardiac event. said maybe it was stress.

could this have been an anxiety/panic or dissociative thing? any ideas?

I got a ride home. was very very very chilled. finally got warm and took a long nap. now I still feel weird and tingly. kind of like migraine postdrome. hoping to wake up back to normal. there was no change in my diet or routine to have triggered it.

Hi BeccaBee,

That sounds scary. Glad you got checked out at the clinic.

It does sound like maybe stress. Could also be that you're coming down with a cold or something?

Maybe you can get to bed early and get some extra sleep just in case.

I hope you're feeling better soon!

Arin

I second the vote for more rest and sleep. And I agree that it sounds scary. I'm sorry that happened.

It sounds more medical to me, especially if you haven't had anything like that before. But I guess it could be some kind of dissociative thing--like something percolating up from inside?

I would say that if you get it again, you should get more of a work-up, including a head CT.

could be a lot of things, but it also could be mild hypoarousal.
I remember that you struggled with that before.
getting physically cold would speak for it, like entering the freeze response. it is quite literally that...
in that case light movement helps more than staying static (allowing yourself to freeze) and smelling some essential oils could restore clarity.
I would very much recommend looking at the signs of hypoarousal to give yourself a chance to identify it when you experience it.

These can also be symptoms of Ataxia which can be a symptom of something else (under active thyroid for example) or a condition known as Cerebellar Ataxia, which is a neurological condition in the way MS is.

Blurred vision is common when thyroid levels drop low but also sugar levels, the vision problems could then confuse the brain causing you to feel (temporarily) sick or dizzy. If its never happened before and happened flor a short time before returning to normal you might want to get some blood tests done for thyroid levels and/or diabetes testing?

Could also be a virus: a cold (rhinovirus) or flu (influenza) or . . . Can you take a day off work and rest up?

the vertigo comes and goes now. i have seen three doctors. and they have all just been like, "yup. vertigo sucks. see ya"

which kind of pisses me off. i don't go to the doctor unless I'm seriously concerned. and just getting blown off like that. but my rational side realizes that vertigo is a very common and usually benign complaint. BUT IT ######6 SUCKS WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU!!!!!!

mix in a dash of craziness and self doubt.....am I really this unwell? could I go to work? maybe I'm faking?........ but then another wave will hit me and "oh hell no there's no ######6 way I can work with this."

but it comes and goes. it's unpredictable. and I don't know how truly bad it has or has not been. i feel semi ok this morning. but it could hit me at any second....... so do I go to work? partly I don't think I will because we have this FMLA thing where you have to be out for five consecutive days. and if you work for even one hour it resets the 40 PTO you have to use before FMLA kicks in. so it kind of punishes you for trying to work. so I'm sort if like ###$ it.

I see the ENT on Monday and I'll just stay the ###$ home today. even though I feel terrible and conflicted and anxious about it.

vertigo is usually just vertigo. but sometimes it's more serious. and that has me a bit worried. my vertigo has been severe and long lasting. with acute onset......so...nothing to do but see what the specialist says.

the #######4 never ends. but that means I'm alive.

today I saw my psych dude - and one reason I really wanted to keep the appointment was to tell him about these weird symptoms and rule out if they were mental. he asked a few questions. he said it sounded like actual physical, vestibular issues. and when he asked who else i saw about it it turns out that he knows the ENT Doc I saw and said if that dude said it's x or y then yeah it's definitely x or y cuz dude knows his $#%^.

hearing this was incredibly reassuring because I've had this lingering doubt and conflict that I'm just a nut job and not really sick.

what the ENT said was vertiginous migraine or inner ear disorder. and they are doing testing next week. i thought I was going to have to wait like until ######6 spring but I sweet talked them into it.

so long story short here. my psych dude said dizziness - yeah. but all this other crazy vertigo and $#%^. nah. not unless I chugged a bunch of meds or something.

so I am following the medical route. God speed.

i am beginning to notice a pattern to these episodes. and I actually get about a 10-20 minute warning of feeling a little off. when I was in the ER they gave me IV meds that worked to almost completely prevent the attack the severity was reduced 80-90%. although it did make me loopy as ###$.

anyway. i can't have IV meds at home so I'm trying to figure out how to administer meds in time to stop/reduce the attack. this morning I tried crushing them up in parchment paper and taking it like a powder. but it took me like 5 minutes to prep the compound. that is precious time lost.

when i feel better I'm going to premix some powders in little envelopes so I can take them instantly.

and my walking stick will come soon. i get all my fancy testing done on the 14th.

I think I've changed my mind set. let's ######6 do this thing.

Please consult a compounding pharmacist. A compounding pharmacist can do things like crush pills in bulk, or get the drug in powder form, and put the correct dose in gelatin capsules. Or they can advise you that the rapid delivery you want is not safe, and why.

Also, try keeping an affects log for a few days, where you note every hour how you are feeling: mood, somatic signs of anxiety, etc., and your thoughts and activities at the time. That may help you zero in on triggers and even earlier signs that you are heading into an episode.