Panic - dizziness!

[VanessaW]

Hello everyone,

i posted recently to say how well everything was going back at work, but today I am in a bit of a panic. I have hardly had any dizziness lately (still have headaches and nausea and memory and stuff) but not much dizziness, until this week where it seems to have come back especially today, I feel like I am on a boat. It's horribly unnerving and reminds me of the odd dizzy feelings I had in the 2 weeks before I had the SAH. I feel worried today that I'm about to have another SAH. This is the first time I have had such a panic, it's not something I've worried about previously. It's 6 months today that I had the SAH. The other day, I had to walk past the A&E dept that I was ambulanced into when it happened and it seems to have all come rushing back to me. It's odd, I feel really upset and strange today. Do other people have this?

Have I gone a bit mad?

Hope everyone's well

Vanessa

xx

[Louise]

No your not mad I think its all quite natural, funny tho I've never had it thats because I have abasalutly NO memories WHAT-SO-EVER of my time....

If its only 6months (congrat by the way half way to the year) & your working perhaps your doing too much?

have a chil day rest and relax try not to worry...

hugs.

[Sandi K]

Hi Vanessa, feeling like I was walking on a boat and being dizzy in the first year of recovery was almost all the time for me, especially when I was working and my brain was tired. For me, it is one of the signs that I need rest. Not sleep so much as just rest. It means I'm doing too much.

Along with feeling like I'm walking on a boat or floating logs will come the feeling of concrete blocks tied to my legs and arms and uncoordination. I'll need to hold onto wall railings or someone's arm. I drop things. I miss the counter when I go to put something down or when I'm passing something to someone it will fall on the floor because I think they've got it but they don't yet. The floor will seem to come up and meet my foot so my foot lands hard. The table will come up to meet the glass so it slams on the table.

All of this only comes with fatigue for me and I can avoid it if my brain gets enough rest.

I hope you feel better soon Vanessa. You've been doing really well. Are you suddenly working more hours or have you added to your routine?

Sandi K.

[Daffodil]

Hey Vanessa. Good to hear from you.

I agree with sandi and Louise. It is probably tiredness. I find a weird thing that my dizziness returns and I feel rubbish for a few days but it usually proceeds a period after that where I notice a slight mprovement in something. It's like the brain is extra working hard on something.

I have some anti sickness tablets which I take when it's bad, and then I sleep and rest and cut down. At the 11 month mark it is much less frequent but it does still come back.

Try and look at where you can save some energy. Easier said than done for you I know.

One thing though, do get checked over if something has changed in how you feel in your head, pressure or pain etc you know that better than anyone as a doctor so I'll stop nagging now.

Hugs

[MaryB]

Hi Vanessa,

I had balance & dizziness hit me at my 1 year mark. I also swear something is wrong with my ears but they tell me different. I too was a bit freaked not that I was having another SAH (cause I am sure that will never happen) for me I was afraid my tumor grew. I was told it was the same but I can have it removed!! I was pretty sure I was told it will never be a problem and not to worry about it last year- when I saw my GP he said the letter from neurosurgeon indicated it was only slightly pushing into my cerebellum.

I have no idea if that is why I get so dizzy now but it sometimes depends on the ground I am walking on, tiles, dirt, brick sidewalks, etc…I have to look where I am walking and I think when I am tired it is too much and makes me dizzy. Perhaps it is because I am doing more than I did 9 months ago or a month ago. Backsliding with my fibro has always been common but I was not prepared for this dizziness. It has gotten better and is not constant at least.

Good Luck, mary

[VanessaW]

Thanks for your replies. After the dizziness I got a crashing headache and felt rubbish so a fellow doctor persuaded me to go and get a CT scan which I did, it was clear. They also did a Lumbar puncture, also clear. I was a bit resistant to having investigations as I didn't really think I was having another bleed, but in the back of my mind I was a bit worried, so I am glad I did.

So now I know that even 6 months into recovery, the chronic headache etc can suddenly become acute and terrible out of nowhere but there is no cause for concern. It's a right barrel of laughs recovering from a SAH isn't it!

Perhaps it is because I was more stressed at work last week. I don't know. I may cut my hours down a bit this coming week.

Best wishes to everyone

Vanessa

xx

[Daffodil]

Vanessa. GLad they checked you out. Even more glad everything's ok. THose LPs aren't much fun though are they:roll:

reducing hours a little might be a good thing for a little during this 'blip' then build it up again from there. Best wishes.

[MaryB]

Vanessa, Glad your scan was ok. I have made several trips to dr. over migraines etc and my BP gets high at the same time. I just at this point need to be reassured. Take it easy if you can. How many days are you working. My head is dull if I work 2 in a row. Mary

[goldfish.girl]

Hi Vanessa,

Good to hear you got thoroughly checked out & all is ok. Like others have said, I get dizzy, clumsy and disorientated with major head pains when I am tired or have done too much (even a few years on). All I can say is that as time passes, the fear of it happening again does go. I can feel really bad with a massive headache but understand that it is not like the SAH headache. You will get there too, honestly.

Your comment about passing the A & E department struck a chord with me. It was 6 months later that I drove past the local park on my way home from work - the park has nothing to do with my SAH and I have no idea if I even passed it in the ambulance (there are two routes that it could have gone to the hospital). For some reason, as I drove past it, 6 months later, I though 'Oh my god, I had a brain heamorrhage' (I'm aware this is not technically correct as a diagnosis ). I felt like the air had been whacked out of me. I was so shocked at the realisation that I was shaking. Maybe there's an awareness at this stage of what you have been through & how lucky you are to be here??? Who knows!

Perhaps this has been a wake up call that you could do with scaling things back a bit, not for ever, just for now?

Good luck

Michelle x

[kpaggett]

Van,

I'm so glad you posted here again.

I tend to get dizzy when I've overdone it and it tends to come either before or right after I've made a small leap of some sort. Maybe your memory will get better for instance. Mine is back to normal although I prioritize way differently in my mind and that's still foreign to me. When I say 'Overdone it' sometimes it has nothing to do with what I THINK would bring it on, but it just appears out of nowhere and then IF I rest, its course is shorter than if I don't rest.

I also get dizzy when my sinuses are somewhat more blocked like with allergies or the like. Usually, this will go away with the allergies in a few days. I haven't been sick or anything so I have no idea about that.

I know what you mean about the ER etc. I had the same feeling. It's so different when you've been a patient isn't it. I've subsequently moved so I have no reason to ever go back now. I used to think I'd go back and talk to everyone there, but then I found that it would be only good for them, but not me...so I never did.

Take care,

~Kris

[Danny]

Hello Vannessa,i am 1 year and 2 months out from my sah.I feel amazing some days and some days i dont.I would like to share some of my insight to myself and what my interpretations of dealing with what we have gone thru.First believe in destiny it is my way of putting logic to what we have survived.The dizziness your experiancing i believe is because you need to rest and approach everything a little more slower and with ease.Believe me i have tested myself and proved how futile it is to push ourselves i recently put in a 18 hr day after working 10hrs took 3 hrs sleep came back and did 18hrs wow headache dizziness (my right eye witch went blind for about 3 minutes when i had my sah)really started to hurt and i had focusing issues and flashes of light.needless to say it took all of my 3 days off to fully recover (sleep lots & rest) from working so much.i go to the gym and that helps alot a good regime of cardio and ballanced work outs not pushing heavy weights anymore help too.but the most important thing is learning to clear your mind.I recently read a book by eckart tolley witch really showed me how to totaly attempt to remove all thought from my mind.I practice this every night when i am in bed ready to fall asleep,i stop all thoughts of past present and future issues and wam i am asleep.it works try it i hope sharring some of my experiance has helped you or may help you i like to always think in the positive.vanessa please just relax more i think that realy helps i think the biggest issue with us survivors is learning to stay mentally relaxed as much if not always relaxed in our minds.work the body keep the mind relaxed.

[iola]

I am so glad I read this thread. I am just coming up on one month from having an NASAH. I know I have been doing more than I should. My sleep patterns are way off and I have tingling and burning in my head that causes severe dizziness and honestly terrifies me. Not to mention the pain in the back of my neck. I am scared of the nightmare and do tend to relive my "adventure" every night.

I am glad to know I am not the only one and this site has been such a comfort to me. Thanks to all.

[Macca]

Vanessa,

If it's any comfort and I am not so sure it is - i am now 2yrs 8 months out of my SAH and I still get dizzy sometimes, particularly if I have exerted myself, like running for the train - or if I have had a long day and am tired. It makes me light-headed and that panics me because it signals lack of control kicking in. Being aware of that is frightening. I also find my self talking in my other language - jibberish - and making no sense at all. Then I can''t remember what I said or even who I was talking to. It is very upsetting when it happens and makes me question my sanity at times - it's only the support of my partner and the people on here who truly understand how undermining it is to your sense of well being. Only a couple of weeks ago I had to sit down on a bench in the middle of Manchester. I didn't know where I was and I had to wait a while until my memory returned, which thankfully it did - I was really panicking for a while. Thousands of people around and yet I felt so alone. It caused me a lot of angst and still does now if I dwell on it! Vanessa - your job is intellectually taxing, as is mine, but less so. Take regular breaks and don't do too much. Listen to your body and stop when it tells you to. I should take my own advice more often too!!

If I could just avoid fatigue, I might be alright!

Iola - hang on in there, you're doing just fine!

Macca

[iola]

Thank you Macca.

[Macca]

Iola,

A problem shared and all of that...... Don't worry too much, it seems it happens to us all at some point. I won't say you get used to it, but you do understand more that your mind has these aberrations from time to time, and it all appears to be your defence mechanisms kicking in when you've done something your body doesn't like any more. I hope your night experiences abate in this knowledge and that you get some more sleep - it is so important but so very difficult to achieve, most of us seem to have trouble getting uninterrupted, stable patterns. Good luck!

Macca

[Sandi K]

I am 2.5 years on and I still get waves of dizziness if I've overdone it. Macca, that panic hit me once about 8 months after SAH. I didn't know where I was, I sat down and didn't know what to do. It was awful. I phoned a friend who left work and picked me up. By the time I had the friend on the phone I was able to explain where I was and what was happening. Horrible feeling.

Sandi K.

[Macca]

Sandi,

Agreed, it is terrible, I didn't even remember having a phone on me - I have two, my own and a works one! Even if I had I'm not sure I iwould have known who to ring anyway! That was my worst experience - I have had others but not as bad. Touch wood, I seem to be ok at the moment, I hope that's not tempting fate. It all seems to be linked to fatigue and stress though!

Nice to hear from you!

Macca

[iola]

Thanks to all. Sleep is a challenge and I m trying. I was a night owl but I am in bed by 8:30 or earlier these days. You are right, I was doing far too much and my body let me know it. I just turned 47 but before this I felt unstoppable. Boy, was I ever wrong.