Dizziness, nausea, and tinnitus: anyone dealt with this?

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

So, my wife just started feeling incredibly dizzy out of nowhere this afternoon. She’s dealing with intense nausea too—like she really needs to throw up, but nothing is happening.
She seems completely wiped out, just totally lacking any strength or energy. On top of all that, she’s hearing this really loud ringing in her ears.

This has been going on for about two or three hours now. It has happened once or twice before, I guess, but it was always brief and never lasted nearly this long.

If anyone here happens to know anything about these kinds of symptoms, could you please help me understand what might be going on? I'd really appreciate any insight. Thanks so much.

Tyler Peterson5 said:Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

So, my wife just started feeling incredibly dizzy out of nowhere this afternoon. She’s dealing with intense nausea too—like she really needs to throw up, but nothing is happening.
She seems completely wiped out, just totally lacking any strength or energy. On top of all that, she’s hearing this really loud ringing in her ears.

This has been going on for about two or three hours now. It has happened once or twice before, I guess, but it was always brief and never lasted nearly this long.

If anyone here happens to know anything about these kinds of symptoms, could you please help me understand what might be going on? I'd really appreciate any insight. Thanks so much.

Could it be vertigo?😲

I honestly have no clue what this is, so I figured I'd just ask you guys here🤷.
Does anyone know what vertigo actually is?

Tyler Peterson5 said:Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

So, my wife just started feeling incredibly dizzy out of nowhere this afternoon. She’s dealing with intense nausea too—like she really needs to throw up, but nothing is happening.
She seems completely wiped out, just totally lacking any strength or energy. On top of all that, she’s hearing this really loud ringing in her ears.

This has been going on for about two or three hours now. It has happened once or twice before, I guess, but it was always brief and never lasted nearly this long.

If anyone here happens to know anything about these kinds of symptoms, could you please help me understand what might be going on? I'd really appreciate any insight. Thanks so much.

It sounds like she might be dealing with peripheral vertigo, which usually stems from the inner ear. My first thought would be vestibular neuritis—basically a viral infection affecting the balance nerve.
Symptoms of neuritis typically include sudden, severe dizzy spells, nausea, leaning toward the affected side, vomiting, and even anxiety. It's almost always caused by a virus hitting that nerve.
I went through something very similar, though both my vestibular nerve and my labyrinth were involved.
Edit: Given the ringing in her ears you mentioned, Meniere's disease is also on my mind (just saw that part of your post). That condition involves vertigo attacks that can last for hours. Usually, the dizziness is preceded by a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, ringing, and sometimes even hearing loss. Nausea often follows.
The best move is for her to check in with her doctor. They'll run some tests and figure out the right treatment plan. 😉

You should probably get your wife to the ER right now. A stroke can present with symptoms that look just like this. My mom had similar issues and when they took her to the emergency room, they just brushed her off and gave her a sedative. Then she went back the next day only to find out she’d actually had a stroke the day before.

It might not be that extreme in your wife's case, but if I were in her shoes, I'd head straight to the hospital just to be safe.

God, I honestly can’t believe it... please let her be okay.😲

She wasn't really complaining about any issues with her hearing or vision, though.
She seems a little better now, but man, she is freezing—it feels like she's ice cold. I actually piled three heavy blankets on top of her just to try and warm her up. She's sleeping right now.

I guess I'll have to see how she's doing in the morning, but we're probably going to have to call the doctor.
I really wanted us to head in today, but she's being stubborn and insisting it'll pass.

Look, it could just be some viral thing, but we're all just guessing here. What you described could point to a bunch of different issues—some of them involving the brain.

Keep a close eye on her tonight. If she seems to be getting worse, don't wait until morning; get her straight to the ER.

I mean, honestly, anything could be going on here. I'm definitely no medical expert, so I can't say for sure what kind of stuff might be hitting him in the head right now.
But of course, I'll be keeping a close eye on how things develop...

I'm actually hoping it turns out to be a slightly stronger virus. 🙂

What’s her blood pressure usually like?

Was she checking it when this happened—even if you mentioned it didn't last long?

The pressure... man, I’m telling you, I’m feeling it too—something about this whole thing just smells fishy to me.

Tyler Peterson5 said:I mean, honestly, anything could be going on here. I'm definitely no medical expert, so I can't say for sure what kind of stuff might be hitting him in the head right now.
But of course, I'll be keeping a close eye on how things develop...

Could there be an issue with the cervical spine?
I've dealt with these exact same symptoms myself, and a few times they nearly knocked me completely unconscious.

It could be anything at this point, really. We're just guessing here. You need to go see a doctor.

Good evening, everyone
Her blood pressure is usually pretty on the low side.
And yeah, her neck has been hurting quite a bit lately.

She was at the Mayo Clinic today, and the neurologist told her she doesn't think it's actually a neurological issue.
The problem might just be coming from her cervical spine itself. Apparently, when the neurologist was feeling around, she felt some lumps near the vertebrae.
She has to go back for some more tests this coming Monday, so hopefully then we'll finally have a clear idea of what's going on.

If her blood pressure is staying within a normal range, then we’re likely looking at a cervical issue. I actually struggle with both hypertension and cervicobrachial syndrome myself, so I know exactly how draining this whole thing can be... though I have to say, this part about "nodules" doesn't quite sit right with me. In my experience, it's more about intense muscle tension in the neck; people call them nodules, but it's really just that phantom sensation—kind of like when you feel a lump in your throat, even though there isn't an actual physical object there.

And regarding what I deal with—every doctor I've seen has told me that almost everyone stuck behind a desk eventually develops these kinds of issues. It’s just a matter of timing; for some, it hits early, for others later, and the severity varies wildly from person to person. For instance, I don't deal with nausea, but the dizziness, the ringing in my ears, and that constant feeling of instability—like I'm walking on air—are incredibly frequent for me, even though my neurological tests come back perfectly fine. It's all linked back to the neck, basically because the brain isn't getting quite enough oxygen flow... I actually fainted twice before I finally got a diagnosis, and my physical therapist was able to pinpoint exactly what was happening right away, even before we ran any major tests.

Anyway, if that's indeed what's going on, try not to let the anxiety get the better of you too much at first. There's physical therapy on the horizon, which should help periodically. I've been through the whole gauntlet and I'm still managing, so if you ever need to pick my brain for more info, just shoot me a private message.

Keep us posted on what the doctors end up saying.

Glad it wasn't anything more serious. 🙂

My sister deals with spinal issues, and she keeps getting these lumps popping up—not just on her neck, but all along her spine too. Her doctor mentioned they might just be lipomas.

Tyler Peterson5 said:Good evening, everyone
Her blood pressure is usually pretty on the low side.
And yeah, her neck has been hurting quite a bit lately.

She was at the Mayo Clinic today, and the neurologist told her she doesn't think it's actually a neurological issue.
The problem might just be coming from her cervical spine itself. Apparently, when the neurologist was feeling around, she felt some lumps near the vertebrae.
She has to go back for some more tests this coming Monday, so hopefully then we'll finally have a clear idea of what's going on.

Right... my advice to her is just to lie down and stop pushing herself, because this kind of thing can easily lead to passing out.

The doctor will probably prescribe physical therapy or some massage work—but listen, nothing intense, just relaxing sessions, because heavy-handed massage could actually make things worse. She’ll definitely need an EMG and imaging for the neck, too. I've been through this whole ordeal myself... and by the way, is she wearing glasses?

If she isn't, does anyone else in the family wear them? Poor vision can absolutely exacerbate the whole situation.

It'll pass... even when I was dealing with those debilitating dizzy spells and nausea (and I never even throw up), everything eventually stabilized for me.