Finding Balance

Hey,
I’ve been scrolling through some old posts here about balance issues, but everything is ancient and dead, plus I can't find anything that actually matches what I'm going through.

A few months back, it would happen once in a blue moon—just this split second where my head feels like it's "dropping." Like that dizzy feeling when you bolt out of bed too fast. It only lasted a second and happened maybe once or twice a month. Honestly, I didn't think much of it. Just figured it was work stress or maybe I was low on vitamins or something.

But about a week ago, it went totally nuts. Now it's happening like 5 or 6 times every single day.

I finally went to see my doctor and told him everything. He also caught a sore throat and a slight fever (I was actually shivering with chills that day).

Bloodwork and urine tests came back totally fine. He put me on an antibiotic (Augmentin), and I'm halfway through the prescription now, but nothing has changed. I feel physically okay otherwise, then suddenly my vision just "glitches" for one second and it's gone. It's starting to mess with my head, too—I'm pretty sure I had a massive panic attack with chest pains and shortness of breath. Checked my blood pressure, though; it was fine.

Also, weirdly enough, if I'm lying down with my arms bent at less than 90 degrees, my pinky and ring finger go numb. Maybe that's relevant, maybe not.

The doctor keeps saying it's just some kind of infection, but since the antibiotics aren't doing squat, I have to head back to his office.

Anyone else dealt with this crap?

Look, this isn't some minor thing you can just brush off, and I'm telling you right now, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with a sore throat. You need to sit down and have a real, serious talk with a neurologist who actually knows their stuff and can give you some actual answers. Honestly, taking one Andrew
in the morning or maybe once in a while at night isn't going to fix the underlying issue.

Larry Scott43 said:It isn't something you can just brush off. This isn't about having a sore throat; you absolutely need to sit down with a neurologist who can actually figure out what's going on. Taking an Advil of 100 in the morning or at night from time to time won't do any good here.

To echo what Laura Cox5 said, this isn't harmless. Regardless of how you look at it, I am strongly advising you to head to the ER this weekend since your primary doctor is closed. Just tell them the whole story, and they will decide if you need diagnostic testing.
I’ve ended up at the ER twice myself, and by the third time things got serious enough that they finally ran a CT scan—everything else is just history now. 😁
I have no idea how long the waitlist is for a specialist in your area, but I'd imagine it's a long shot.
You definitely need to see a neurologist.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I’ve been dealing with some weird stuff lately. Every so often, I get hit with this dizziness—almost like my balance is just totally off when I'm walking. My eyes ache, my leg twitches out of nowhere, and sometimes my knee just... buckles while I'm mid-stride. I'm 41.
Is this something a neurologist should look at? Or could it be coming from my neck?

Megan Gonzalez4 said:I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I've been dealing with occasional dizziness lately—it feels like my balance is just off. My eyes ache, my leg twitches sometimes, and occasionally my knee just gives out while I'm walking. I'm 41.
Should I see a neurologist for this? Or could it be an issue with my cervical spine?

Yes, go see a neurologist.
It hits me hardest whenever that heavy humidity rolls in from the Gulf.
If you saw me walking, you’d honestly think I was stumbling home drunk.😁

Quick update, just got back from seeing my neurologist. After chatting with the doctor and going through those coordination and balance tests, turns out I don't have any issues there.
The doc says it’s nothing to panic about yet—she said if the dizziness lasted for 24 hours straight or if I was dealing with massive headaches, then we'd be talking.

She wants me to get an MRI and check my thyroid levels. I'm getting the bloodwork done this Monday, and I scheduled a private MRI for Friday, so we'll see what comes up.

I'm still low-key freaking out that it might be something serious.

electricridge16 said:Quick update—I just got back from my neurologist. After talking things through with the doctor and going through those coordination and balance tests, it turns out I don't actually have any issues there.
She mentioned it’s nothing to worry about unless the dizziness lasts for a full 24 hours or if I start getting headaches.

The plan is to get an MRI and check my thyroid levels. I'll handle the bloodwork this Monday, then head to a private clinic for the MRI on Friday. We'll see what comes back.

Honestly, I'm still terrified that something is seriously wrong.

An MRI of the brain?
How much is they going to fleece you for? 😁

feralridge3 said:Yeah, neurologist.
Whenever those heavy winds hit, I lose my balance more than usual.
If you saw me walking down the street, you'd honestly think I was drunk.😁

Thanks. Any chance you could recommend a good neurologist? Like, which hospital should I look into?

Megan Gonzalez4 said:Thanks! Does anyone have a recommendation for a neurologist? Like, which hospital should I go to?

I’m assuming you’re based in New York, so I won't be much help here.

Megan Gonzalez4 said:Thanks, any chance you could recommend a neurologist? Like, which hospital should I try?

Is seeing someone privately off the table?

UPDATE!

- Had my blood drawn on Monday to check my thyroid levels—TSH, 3 and 4. They’re all sitting right at the top end of the scale, but technically still "normal."
- Went ahead and paid out of pocket for a brain MRI and an angiogram this past Friday. It cost me $667, but everything came back clean.

Honestly, I don't regret spending the cash if it means actually being healthy and finally getting some sleep. I've dealt with migraines since I was a teenager, and doctors have been suggesting an MRI for years that I just never bothered to get. Even though my migraines only hit once or twice a year, what I'm dealing with right now is on a whole different level.

I feel like things have shifted slightly for the better, honestly. Those balance "episodes" aren't happening nearly as often, but I totally forgot to mention that I've had constant ringing in my ears for three weeks straight now.
The ringing isn't super loud—I mostly don't even notice it when I'm out and about—but as soon as it gets quiet, there it is.

We'll see if they suggest more testing.

Kimberly Ward said:So, private sessions aren't an option?

Actually, I'd be open to private sessions too, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!

Megan Gonzalez4 said:She’d even look at private options, so any recommendations would be awesome, thanks.

Sending you a DM now.

electricridge16 said:Hey everyone,
I’ve been scrolling through some posts here about balance issues, but they seem pretty old and inactive, plus I haven't really found anyone describing my exact symptoms.

For the last few months, I'd occasionally—really rarely—get this sensation where my head just sort of "drops." You know, like that weird feeling when you stand up way too fast from bed? It would only last maybe a second and only happen once or twice a month. I didn't think much of it at the time. I figured, I don't know, maybe it was just work stress, or maybe I'm low on vitamins or something.

But then, about a week ago, it started happening every single day. Now, it's hitting me like 5 or 6 times a day.

So, I went to see my doctor and explained everything. He also noticed I had a sore throat and a bit of a fever (I actually had chills that day).

I did blood work and a urine test, and everything came back totally fine. My doctor put me on some antibiotics (Augmentin), and I’ve finished about half the course so far, but honestly, nothing has changed. I feel mostly normal otherwise, but then suddenly my vision just "shifts" for a split second, and then it's fine again. It’s starting to mess with my head, too; I think I might have even had a couple of panic attacks, with chest pains and shortness of breath. I checked my blood pressure, and it seemed okay.

Also, I noticed that if I'm lying down and my arms are bent at less than 90 degrees at the elbow, my pinky and ring finger start to go numb. Maybe that's important, maybe not, who knows!

Even though the doctor thinks it's just some kind of infection, it doesn't look like the antibiotics are doing much, so I'll probably head back to his office soon.

Has anyone else gone through anything similar?

Man, I'm going through the exact same thing. It is such a disgusting feeling—I'd describe it like feeling like I'm dying for a split second. For me, it's coming from my neck, and I see that your fingers are tingling too, so maybe there's a connection.

Did the doctor actually confirm it’s coming from your neck, and what kind of treatment are they putting you on?

Did the doctor actually confirm it's coming from the neck, and what kind of treatment are we looking at?

electricridge16 said:Did the doctor actually confirm it's coming from your neck, and what kind of treatment are they looking at?

I wouldn't say it's that literal, I guess—it's more like this whole elimination process. I've done every single search imaginable online and everything seems mostly fine, except my neck is basically in a coma, which just creates this endless loop. Because my neck and shoulders are constantly so tense, the circulation up toward my head gets all messed up, and then you get this huge pile of side effects like headaches, pressure in your ears, feeling totally wiped out, vision issues... it's a mess!
Maybe check out your neck and get a Doppler ultrasound on those vessels, and seriously, you gotta exercise, just keep moving...
Massages, hitting the local YMCA pool, physical therapy, maybe even acupuncture...

Matthew Bishop44,
When you talk about that sensation of your head feeling like it’s slipping or the vision shifting—is it like a momentary lapse in consciousness, where everything just goes black for a split second, or is it something else entirely?
For my part, I dealt with issues involving both my balance and my vision.
I never realized that spinal issues could actually impact sight. It was quite a struggle because it took forever to get a clear diagnosis; doctors were looking at everything under the microscope, running endless tests and sending me to all sorts of specialists.

Regarding the tinnitus, I remember being in the neurology ward once and meeting a guy who had been suffering from it for ages. Eventually, his doctor decided to admit him for a full workup just to be safe.
It's worth noting that sometimes it can be as simple as a buildup of earwax... that's often how these things start.

Matthew Bishop44 said:It’s not quite literal—it’s more like an elimination process. I’ve run every test under the sun and everything looks fine on paper, but my neck feels like it’s in a coma, which just creates this endless loop. Because my neck and shoulders are constantly tense, the circulation to my head takes a hit, leading to all these side effects—headaches, ear pressure, feeling totally drained, vision issues...
Check out your neck and get a Doppler ultrasound on those vessels, then start exercising—just keep moving...
Massages, swimming, physical therapy, acupuncture...

I went through that exact same thing—that feeling of total depletion, like someone just slammed the pause button on my life. And yeah, it was definitely anxiety-driven. Even though my physical therapist comes by often and really works me over, my MRI of the neck and spine came back perfectly clean. But man, my neck was a disaster—just completely locked up. I’ve been dealing with tinnitus for ages now, along with floaters too.
A young guy, labeled with psychosomatic issues when all his tests are perfect—so, am I just losing my mind, or is modern medicine just failing us?
Even today you hear people like Justin Bieber claiming they have chronic Lyme disease. Haha

UPDATE!

Has anyone dealt with a narrowed left vertebral artery before?

The report says "hypoplastic left VA V4 segment," but then it also claims my "Circle of Willis and its main branches look totally normal without any major narrowing or aneurysms."

I’m seeing my doctor on Tuesday to make sense of this mess, and I'll probably be getting a carotid and VA scan next week. Just wondering if anyone else has been through this.