The Dizziness Group: For those who are floating, boating, falling or flying

[[La...]]

The dehydration type of dizziness would be easily treated, I think. Drink more water! However, I had an experience where I actually drank too much water, and because I'd had oingoing diarrhea for awhile, I ended up in hospital. I had completely ignored sodium. It's an electrolyte, and so it's absolutely necessary for human health. My sodium levels are always on the low side, but diarrhea plus too much water plus too little sodium = hyponatremia. Not fun. Not fun at all.

 

Balance is good!

[[Yo...]]

Bump. Raise the Titanic!

 

Everyone afloat?

 

After much agonizing, I've decided not to take that long train ride. Not worth the risk just to meet Richard Dreyfuss in Toronto! lol

 

Oh, there's something interesting I never mentioned...

 

Months prior to the boatiness starting, prior to even beginning my taper, I'd get this bouncy, walking on a trampoline sensation after getting off my apartment building elevator (I'm on the 12th/top floor).

 

Nobody else I came up with felt it but me... That might've been the start of something going funny in me noggin that finally broke out into this cursed boatiness.

[[La...]]

Hey Shook!

Nice to see you again! I must say, though, that I have to take exception with your calling our trusty ship the "Titanic"! Noooooo! We're still forging ahead, despite our rocky ride on the rough seas. We're wearing uber-cool PFDs (that's Personal Flotation Devices for non-water oriented people), and no one has jumped ship or falling into the drink. No, we're floating along, looking at the lovely scenery as we go....Look! Check out those amazing fish! And look at that pod of dolphins over there!

 

You get the picture.

 

Anyhoo, Shook, I'm sorry to hear you're not taking that train ride. I take it you were planning to go to TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)? I'm sure you can catch all the latest excitement through the TV and online coverage. Next time, you'll be there for sure!

 

I, too, had lots of little bouts of wavy dizziness before it got to be a daily thing. I see references to it in my notes that I kept of which medications and supplements I was taking at the time. It became quite noticeable at a certain point, but it was bubbling up before that. I'm not sure if our experiences are common or not, but I'm sure there's a whole range of things that happen.

 

How have you been, Shook? How goes ye olde taper? I hope you're hanging in there and pushing forward. 

[[Yo...]]

People take exception with what I say all the time. That must make me pretty exceptional. 

 

I prefer to call it the Erasmus, after the boat in James Clavell's novel Shōgun. High adventure, and scurvy, on the high seas!

 

Anyway, ye ol' taper is...going...very...slowly. I'm only dropping 3% every two weeks, and per the Excel spreadsheet, will get down to zero, ohh, sometime in November of next year. That's a long time to be kept in suspense... Anxiety should set in when I dip below 0.25mg. Stay tuned to the Care Bear Countdown for colorful updates, surprises, and mystery guests!

 

So the onset of your dizziness was gradual? I would think it would start with a bang, and if anything, gradually fade when it finally decides to...

 

Maybe the heights disagree with me and I should move to a lower apartment. It might not change the prognosis, but wish to hell I knew with 100% certainty what caused this.

 

Oh look! A humpback whale!

 

Anyway.

 

Richard Dreyfuss, star of the "fakey and terrible" (hi, 2200!) classic called Jaws, is to be a guest at a pop culture convention. Sadly, it would've been the highlight of my year. lol

 

I'm afraid there'll be no "next time", but I'll see if I can't get a response from him on Twitter. He's got a manic personality and can have a mean temper, so approach with caution and choose your words carefully!

 

Still rocking in the free world, Lapis? (add that to your dizzy playlist) I hope you can one day make first contact with your neighbor's dog. Pets are the best therapy. People will let you down... My lovely fair weather friends and family members... *sigh*

 

 

Behold... The Erasmus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[La...]]

The Erasmus is gorgeous, Shook! Let's get on board! I wanna hoist the jib! Or jibs, as the case may be.

 

I loved Richard Dreyfuss in "The Goodbye Girl", and I never saw "Jaws", so I've got pretty positive feelings towards him. I'm sorry you'll miss that pop culture convention, but I still think there will be some sort of online presence that you can check out. At the very least, you can use your awesome powers of visualization.

 

"Keep On Rockin' In The Free World" has been on my "Music For A Dizzy Dame" list for ages, but thanks anyway. What kind of Canadian would I be without that Neil Young classic? Baaaaaad.

 

I'll definitely check for the Care Bear updates on your taper. I look forward to it! I like the idea of the mystery guests. Who will be next? I won't even try to guess, because I know your imagination knows no bounds. I'll just wait and see.

 

In the meantime, take care, and say hello to the humpback whale for me! 

[[Yo...]]

You hoist the jib, I'll be in the cabin drinking grog!

 

Never saw Jaws? Where were you in 1975 when it became a worldwide phenomenon, the first summer blockbuster, and the #1 grossing movie of all time that launched Steven Spielberg's career?

 

 

 

 

 

You ever get tingly? I'm tingly all over today. Must be anxiety.

[[so...]]

Shook,

 

I had the tinglies.  They finally left.

 

Sofa

[[Yo...]]

Thanks Sofa,

 

I took a nap and they're gone now. Probably just plain ol' anxiety rearing its ugly head.

 

Hope you're well!

[[La...]]

Well, I've had them most of the day. I awoke around 2:30 a.m. in pain, then slept on and off for the next few hours. I got out of bed and realized it was another dizzy day -- an 8 -- and that three-year-delayed dental appointment scheduled for today wasn't going to disappear. I tingled and trembled all day. My legs were like jello.

 

I got there. It was NOT fun, but I did it. I have to go back, though, because I probably shouldn't have put it off three years. Yup, a filling that's breaking apart needs attention. Yup, a crown is needed.

 

Can you say "Fun times with Lapis?!"

 

 

 

[[Yo...]]

That sounded brutal.

 

A blue buddy for a blue day...

 

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-op_xOvqA0dQ/TkPxXzjqrQI/AAAAAAAABBY/5QujsOKTUUg/s1600/Bluedog2.jpg

 

[[La...]]

Thanks so much, Shook! If I had a furry blue buddy like that -- or some other nice colour -- I might not be as bummed out as I am now. I'd be talking to that nice furry thing, scratching his ears and asking for words/barks/growls of wisdom. Well, for now, it's just me and my book -- coincidentally called "Fifteen Dogs" by Andre Alexis. Only three pages left. I'm seriously dizzy and quite wiped out, but parts of my brain are still functional, so I'll read and then head to bed.

 

I hope everyone else is doing okay these days.

 

P.S. I was too scared to watch "Jaws" way back when. However, after hearing an interview on CBC Radio with a well-known animator, I was thinking about watching "Toy Story" again, or something else fun like that. No scary movies please! Life is scary enough, isn't it?

[[La...]]

P.P.S. I forgot to mention that, dizzy or not, I'm grateful to have teeth. Teeth are good. We need to eat, and in order to eat crunchy foods, like almonds and carrots, we need to have teeth. So, I'm glad to have them. And I'll try to take care of them by following up with the dentist.

 

P.P.P.S. I think some people take benzos to help them deal with dental appointments. I've never done that before, and obviously, I will never do it. I tried deep breathing today, and to some degree, it did work. Once I was on X-ray number 13, I think I may have forgotten to breathe deeply. By X-ray 16, I may have been too agitated to reply when the dental assistant asked if I was okay. She reminded me to breathe. 

 

P.P.P.P.S. Don't forget to breathe. No matter what, don't forget to breathe. 

[Guest [Le...]]

P.P.S. I forgot to mention that, dizzy or not, I'm grateful to have teeth. Teeth are good. We need to eat, and in order to eat crunchy foods, like almonds and carrots, we need to have teeth. So, I'm glad to have them. And I'll try to take care of them by following up with the dentist.

 

P.P.P.S. I think some people take benzos to help them deal with dental appointments. I've never done that before, and obviously, I will never do it. I tried deep breathing today, and to some degree, it did work. Once I was on X-ray number 13, I think I may have forgotten to breathe deeply. By X-ray 16, I may have been too agitated to reply when the dental assistant asked if I was okay. She reminded me to breathe. 

 

P.P.P.P.S. Don't forget to breathe. No matter what, don't forget to breathe. 

 

Lapis, I finally crawled to the dentist last year because my beautiful teeth were suddenly deteriorating during withdrawal, which was a total shock. Luckily they all survived.

 

But one thing I noticed, when the dentist was replacing old 'silver' amalgams. He offered me oxygen while he did the work, and during both of these sessions I felt so much better, and NOT DIZZY!

 

It was just a month after I jumped, so it was nice to have these brief moments of feeling slightly energized. Makes me wonder about oxygen as a thing to have on hand. I'm gonna look it up.

[[Yo...]]

Lapis,

 

I don't show enough gratitude to my teeth. I haven't had a professional cleaning in well over a year. I'm good with the Listerine though! The original yellow formula that burns and puts hair on your chest. lol

 

Hope you have a restful evening. And Toy Story's great fun! Or maybe Finding Nemo, with that nasty shark "Bruce".

 

Fun Fact: he was named after the mechanical shark in Jaws, which Spielberg nicknamed after his lawyer. lol

 

 

http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/finding-nemo-bruce-shark-pool.gif

[[La...]]

Ooh, sounds nice, LeslieAsh! I like oxygen! I could use some of that! I'll see whether that's on offer when I go back to get my about-to-explode filling replaced. Thanks for the tip!

[[La...]]

Lapis,

 

I don't show enough gratitude to my teeth. I haven't had a professional cleaning in well over a year. I'm good with the Listerine though! The original yellow formula that burns and puts hair on your chest. lol

 

Hope you have a restful evening. And Toy Story's great fun! Or maybe Finding Nemo, with that nasty shark "Bruce".

 

Fun Fact: he was named after the mechanical shark in Jaws, which Spielberg nicknamed after his lawyer. lol

 

 

http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/finding-nemo-bruce-shark-pool.gif

 

Shook,

I don't want hair on my chest, so I just use regular toothpaste. I loved "Finding Nemo" and actually had it cued up on Netflix awhile ago, but I think I got distracted by some other nice choices. Definitely a great flick, no matter the age!

[[Yo...]]

After years of rinsing with Listerine, I look like this fellow Montrealer...

 

 

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0000/049/MI0000049473.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

 

 

Ok, enough silliness. I'm outta here. 

[[Be...]]

Jaws scared the crap out of me the first time that thing exploded out of the water.  It was the first of its kind and unexpected. 

[[Ir...]]

What are people's thoughts of this person on her symptoms? She has the rocking/swaying/imbalance/feet wave sensations that we have. Shes never taken medications. She adamant that this is a body stress/anxiety response. This would explain why I find this symptom common on anxiety forums. What do we make of this? Is it really anxiety/stress/hyperstimulation?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LG-1JsjGc

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiRBLLZUrA0

[[La...]]

Without having viewed the videos yet, I can say that anxiety has already been determined to be a possible cause of dizziness in some people. There are numerous possible causes -- everything from anxiety to incorrect glasses to blood pressure issues to medications to blast injuries and other inner ear problems. The list is long.

 

It makes sense to eliminate possible causes based on history, symptoms and test results. If that's already been done, and it has been determined to be caused by anxiety, then what are the remaining questions? How to deal with the anxiety?

 

 

[[Ir...]]

Without having viewed the videos yet, I can say that anxiety has already been determined to be a possible cause of dizziness in some people. There are numerous possible causes -- everything from anxiety to incorrect glasses to blood pressure issues to medications to blast injuries and other inner ear problems. The list is long.

 

It makes sense to eliminate possible causes based on history, symptoms and test results. If that's already been done, and it has been determined to be caused by anxiety, then what are the remaining questions? How to deal with the anxiety?

 

How can one determine if it's anxiety if withdrawal includes anxiety?

[[La...]]

I'll give you an example from my own experience. I've had numerous days when I feel anxious, but my dizziness does not ramp up. Or I can feel completely calm, yet be quite dizzy. I remember one time when I was having a pretty low dizziness day, and then my friend and I got stuck in the elevator on the way downstairs. I was anxious as we waited the hour for the repairman to arrive and let us out, but my dizziness did not increase. I was okay during the wait and after we got out.

 

If one's dizziness seems to accompany one's anxiety, then that should be examined. If someone is able to control his/her dizziness by practising deep breathing or meditation or some other anxiety-reducing technique, then perhaps s/he should focus on that as a way of decreasing it. Has this person tried anything to help it? Has anything worked?

 

I've been charting my dizziness for quite awhile now, and I seem to have an every-other-day pattern. There's no rhyme or reason to it. It seems to have a life of its own, and the symptoms can change during the overnight period. It's a window-wave sort of thing, much like other patterns we see here on BB.

 

One of the papers I read about balance stated that there are at least eight neurotransmitters involved in the vestibular system. That's a fair number. For those of us who took neurotransmitter-altering, vestibular-suppressing medications for a long time, dizziness isn't a surprising symptom to have.

 

 

[[Li...]]

What are people's thoughts of this person on her symptoms? She has the rocking/swaying/imbalance/feet wave sensations that we have. Shes never taken medications. She adamant that this is a body stress/anxiety response. This would explain why I find this symptom common on anxiety forums. What do we make of this? Is it really anxiety/stress/hyperstimulation?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LG-1JsjGc

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiRBLLZUrA0

 

Thank you for posting this. The videos were very interesting and I totally agree with the theory of hyperarousal of the nervous system. It just makes sense to me. The girl also explains things well.

[[Yo...]]

If you have chronic dizziness (i.e., lasting longer than a month), and all the tests come out negative, it'll probably get labeled as "functional" or "psychogenic" dizziness, and the product of anxiety.

 

From what I read, the generally prescribed course of treatment includes a low-dose SSRI, vestibular rehab, and some therapy to get to the bottom of what's causing your anxiety.

 

I'd never heard of a case lasting as long as it has for the woman in the videos. But if you can't manage your anxiety and get out of that hyper-arousal state, I suppose it can go on indefinitely.

 

 

 

 

[[Ir...]]

I've heard of many like her. I posted my video up to YouTube over a year ago when I thought it was anxiety 'only'. Then I had 4K+ views with tonnes of comments of people saying they've had the same thing happen and have been burdened with t 3+ years on average from what I seen.

 

If you go to FaceBook and search for a group called  'Chronic Subjective Dizziness',its full of people with rocking/swaying/undulating for 5,8, 10 years with no answers. That's what scared me ah the start. Maybe it's not withdrawal... ugh. I wish there was a way of telling for certain. If I knew it wasn't withdrawal I'd be back to coffee and drinking alcohol. Abstaining is only due to my fear of worsening my recovery time. If it's something else, then I want to at least get some enjoyment out of life again if I'm to suffer regardless.