dizzy spells

[pixiewize]

Recently I have been suffering from dizzy spells, when I lie down to go to bed the room starts spinning, the other night it was like a movie stuck in the spool, flickering up and down. It also happens when I get up fast. i also have a numb patch at the top of my right leg which i put down to a trapped nerve but now i think the two could be related.  Has anyone else suffered from this? Any suggestions of what it could be would be great thank you.

[woofgang]

pixiewize, same answer again, go to the doc, get it sorted, its probably nothing much but don't take any risks

[webby27]

Hi pixie

This is just a guess!

It could be anaemia(iron deficiency) this causes dizziness,headaches,tiredness can also cause chest and leg pains i would go to doctors tho

Hope it gets better soon :0)

[pixiewize]

i am planning to go to the doctors but he is one of those "its a virus" docs so i thought i might as well do some homework before i go, thanks for your help

[joolesbarr]

might be to obvious but make sure you are drinking plenty of water its been hot lately but you sound like you are dehydrated, its a good place to start anyway

[Sasha13]

I get the numb feeling at the top of my right leg too - kind of like pins and needles only not as severe. I put this down to a trapped nerve as well. I don't get diizy spells though, so probably best to check with your GP.

[necromancer]

get your blood pressure checked pronto!!!

[Artful]

It's difficult to answer such questions w/out frightening the questioner.
I suffered from chronic tiredness and (mild) dizzy spells for many years. Also I had a numb area on my thigh.
I have a very good GP and he sent me along to various specialists. Finally I was prescribed an MRI (IRM in French - these imagery scans or whatever) and it showed up my problem, which was in fact something that I'd hoped it wasn't.
Technology is making such progress today... Can you not change your doctor or ask if tests are possible?

[PurplePixie]

I read this post & was thinking exactly the same as Artful, but didn't know how to say it. My story is exactly the same as yours Artful, & when you have mixtures of odd symptoms like these it is important to push your Doc & get all the investigations that you need. Some Drs are inclined to sit back & wait & see when it comes to this sort of thing.

[angel1978]

I was so unsure of leaving a post as didn't want to scare you but please go and see a doctor.

I've had similar things although more vertigo (spinning) and being off balance that dizziness and get numbness, pins and needles, electric shocks and buzzing feelings, loss of sensation and weakness all over the place.

I took so long to actually tell the doctor about it I really wish I had sooner.  Am going to see a neurologist in a few weeks after a long wait even though I was fast-tracked with the help of my very good GP and local casualty department.

It's going to be a long process as even though it has a huge effect on my life it's not urgent in life or death hospital terms which is fair enough.

Should you need to get it checked out by say a specialist it can be a long waiting list for an initial appointment then for tests then for results etc...so the sooner you get to see someone the sooner you either have your mind put at rest or get any help you need.

Take care and let us know how you get on x

[pixiewize]

hey thank you for all your posts, i went to the doctors this morning and as i suspected he told me it was most probably a virus, in my inner ear. i have to wait a couple of weeks to see if it stops.  he also said that the numbness is probably a trapped nerve. im not on any medication i just have to let my body heal itself. so fingers crossed it does.

thank you again pixie xxx

[Artful]

Sorry to read pixiewize that your GP is still being reticent. Are you in the GB? In which case I can give you no advice about changing GP, seeing others about tests.
Surely there is someone who could suggest where you go... Can't you go to Social Services and ask if there is someone you could see there?

Angel, I read your post and I wish you the best of luck and all kinds of support, esp. if it is what I think it could be diagnosed as.

[angel1978]

Glad to hear you went to the doctors pixiewise.  Just keep an eye on the numb patch and any tingling etc...and if it does'nt clear up make sure you go back as any referral to ENT etc... can take AGES with all kinds of tests and bits, I went through a year and a half before they realised it wasn't an ENT prob :)

 

Not trying to be melodramatic, just that the advice is there for you should you need it, which hopefully it sounds like you won't.

If you're getting sick with the dizziness/vertigo there is stuff you can take to help.   Cutting down on your sodium intake (not just salt, check labels for the sodium content, you may be surprised even with say bottled water!) and a lot of people I know with Menieres Disease (what they thought I might have had at one point) which involves severe vertigo, say ginger can help with the sickness afterwards.

If it persists there are medications to help minimise it and/or help cope with the other effects such as, essentially, motion sickness.  Pharmacists tend to be, in my experience, quite reluctant to suggest anything and always just told me to go straight to a doctor but I've got some good stuff prescribed by my GP to help me.

Thank you for the post Artful, sorry about the delay in replying, had a bit of a bad spell and was off work a few days.  Just out of interest what do you think it could be?   No inferences will be taken, have my own suspicions and due to see neuro in just a couple of weeks now, just genuinely interested in what you reckon to see if it accords with what I think.  If it helps I'm in my mid twenties.