New Member looking for Advice

First off let me just say how happy I am to have found this site. I have been reading for a while now and can relate to so many people! This is my first post and it might be long.

I am pretty much just looking to see if anyone has advice on what they think is going on!
A little background, I am a female 37 years old. I have had a constant dizziness/imbalance for about one year now. (I also had it about 4 years ago after the birth of my second which is when my life seemed to take a turn for the worst, only lasted a couple months and had a few good years between).

I have some pretty bad anxiety about going to the doctor, I had went quite a few times at the beginning and was diagnosed with dehydration, virus, allergies, checked my bloods and heart and finally they said it was anxiety. I think I was explaining my symptoms wrong, complaining mostly of being dizzy. I stopped going at that point because I was not getting the help I needed. Now that it has been one year and not getting better I am going to start getting checked out again but I want to see the right specialist not just a GP.
I have a history of pretty bad headaches but never been diagnosed with migraine. I had very bad anxiety and panic attacks daily when this started and I have now learned to deal with it even though I dont want to.

What I feel on a daily basis:
I have the marshmallow feet/ground moving sensation every time I walk.
This gets significantly worse in grocery stores, malls, crowds etc. and also worse when I get home from work.
Rocking/swaying vertigo almost constantly (no spinning).
Sitting in my office chair at work I feel dropping sensations that last a second or so.
Trouble reading on computer screens (blurry).
Driving is fine but when I stop I feel like Im still moving.
I pretty much just always have a constant motion felling.
Jumping on a trampoline and going in elevators makes it way worse.

Ear symptoms all left ear:
I have a constant high pitched ringing, I dont hear it most of the day but as soon as it gets quiet I hear it.
Have to have tv or fan on to sleep.
Every so often a louder ring which also muffles my hearing for a couple seconds.
Several times a day I feel either a fluid sensation like a trickle in my ear but it could also maybe be a tickle.
Crackling when I burp and sometimes for no reason.
Constant pressure like my ear is full.
Have not been able to “pop” that ear this whole time.
Sensitive to normal pressures like going over bridges and car doors shutting.
Very sensitive to loud noises, makes my dizziness so much worse and makes me nauseous.
Been to a concert and a car raceway since this started and had to leave both times as it was unbearable.

Maybe more an ear issue but has lots of similarity to MAV.
Im am becoming very depressed as this has pretty much stopped me from doing all the things I love. I have no social life, struggling to work everyday and has put pressure on my marriage. I just want to be the person that I was before all this started.
Just looking for advice and people I can talk to who understand!

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I have all the same sensations that you feel on a daily basis (and more) and have been diagnosed with vestibular migraine. I don’t really have many ear problems like others on this site, however. I do get ear pain from time to time, which also feels like it could be the STM muscle right below the ear. I get maybe 10 second or less tinnitus once a week or less. My ears never seem to pop when anyone else’s do, however. Sometimes my ears feel full when I wake up and it lasts several hours to all day, but not often and a very small fraction of my symptoms. My primary symptom is daily dizziness/imbalance/motion sensitivity/visual vertigo.

Hi Jessica,

Sorry to hear your symptoms but most here share the symptoms. You should see a neuro-otologist and once they confirm the vestibular migraine they can start you on meds. Each person here has their own fav. I am on 20mg of Amitriptyline. Not symptom free but it helps to a certain extent.

Are you on any meds currently ? Magnesium, Coq10, Vitamin B2 are popular supplements for migraines and you can try them for starters and see if you find any relief.

It was during my first pregnancy that they thought that I had TOS because of the difference in my B/P. Then they disputed it . So I ignored that thought, until I read about it lately which made me force my family doctor to repeat my x-ray. Still they reported it normal in 2015. Then I brought the 2015 x ray CD home and looked at it myself and the 2015 showed elongated C7 transverse process. Luckily, December 2017 xray reported correctly. Many illness’s are brought to light during pregnancy. Unfortunately, TOS is one. During my second pregnancy, I was unable to lift my right hand and they blamed it on an accident that happened at work. Now when I look back all those symptoms were from TOS.

Hi Gracy,

Sorry can you explain what is TOS ? Is that the same as the one where one of the cervical vertebrae is off ?

Thanks for the all the replies already!
I am on a beta blocker already for HBP. I take Magnesium, vit b complex, vit. D and E.
I was on prozac for the first 6 months and did not help either. I am no longer on it.
I have also tried the migraine diet without significant results although I will admit I was not the greatest at cutting everything out.
My neck is out of alignment and I actually did the NUCCA chiropractic treatment (where they just adjust your top 2 vertebra because I have read that can help with these types of things but it made no difference and was very expensive!

Not off, you are born with an extra cervical bone (rib) or an elongated C7 transverse process. What it does is when we use our hand or neck it pinches either the nerve, vein or artery and sometimes all of them. When we have congenital deffects we could have other muscle deffects along with it. These muscles can originate from one bone and attach to our transverse process and first rib of chest. These muscles can compress the Vertebral Artery which supplies our ears, eyes, mainly cerebellum, hence the vertigo, disequillibrium, oscillopsia, nystagmus and imbalance. I will try to post the picture. If not please access them through my Facebook page albums and posts "Gracy Kalath "

Which beta blocker and is that helping ? Sorry again what is HBP ?

Hi Gracy,

Thanks for explaining. Why would this show up suddenly when say you were born with it ?

I am on the beta blocker labedalol for high blood pressure. I have been taking it since before the dizziness started so I haven’t notice that it has done any difference.

Can you ask your doc for verapamil as a replacement. It works for VM and also lowers blood pressure.

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When we grow older and when we use our muscles change. Please see my Facebook page albums and posts for detailed explanation.

Omg! If I wanted to talk about myself I would say exactly the same. You just didn’t mention the headaches. How are you doing now?