Today for 4 hours I had a spell of extreme vertigo where I felt like I was so dizzy I was going to fall over and throw up. My tongue went numb and my blood pressure went through the roof. It really felt like a stroke. I have been to the ER literally 15 times for random ailments that leave me frantic. I listened to a podcast about this doctor with Lyme who went through the same thing and ended up needing a heart transplant! Soo are these panic attacks? They feel like they are killing me. I feel like one day I am just going to die from these. Can anyone relate to this?
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
So sorry you went through this Ksoup. You are describing what might have been a severe episode of vertigo. This can be so very frightening.
It is one of the symptoms of Meniere's disease (which can be caused by Lyme disease). I was diagnosed with an atypical form of this disease when I suddenly lost hearing in one ear and developed horrid nonstop tinnitus following a few weeks of milder vertigo than what you described. But many with Meniere's experience what you went through.
Besides affecting the heart (and every other organ in our bodies), Lyme can cause severe inflammation in your 8th cranial nerve, which affects your hearing and/or balance. Perhaps that is what is going on with you.
If your blood pressure changed drastically and your tongue went numb, I would want to get a complete cardio work up and make sure your heart is ok. Did you go to the ER for this? I hope so! This is not a panic attack! Panic attacks do not cause vertigo!
http://vestibular.org/ may be of help to you to learn more about what can happen during an attack of vertigo. I hope things have calmed down for you now and you are feeling a little better.
Posted by LisaK (Member # 41384) on :
I have had extreme anxiety attacks. I don't know if that is the same as a "panic" attack.
I have had 2 in my lifetime. both times I thought I was having a heart attack. I was very dizzy and could barely stand. but I did not have anything hapen with my tongue. my blood pressure was like 250/100-something. my heart rate was very high and I had vomiting and diarrhea. and sweaty, and my head feels like it's very hot and going to pop.
each time happened in the middle of the night for no reason.
I have had vertigo in the past and pressent that was much worse in the spinning area- like feeling like I cannot stand up straigth because I am on a funny ride at the amuzement park or something. - like a gravitational force is pulling me around and downward.....
my anxiety attacks don't feel like that. the dizzy from them is more like less gravitational pull and more floaty feeling of dizzy.
I do get less overal heart issues while on magnesium . just a thought on that.
but the anxiety for me I found out is genetics and I am working on that with someone. it has really helped me to be calmer, but anxiety is a real bugger to get rid of when it's genetically involved.
how long did the episode last? do you know what calmed it down?
Posted by Ksoup798 (Member # 46322) on :
I often get very high blood pressure and I do have anxiety/classic panic attacks so when I started to feel funky I took the max dose of the beta blocker propranolol. Despite the meds, my blood pressure was very high. My mom was monitoring it and wouldnt tell me what it was because she didnt want me to worry. I took a little more propranolol and she had me lie flat with my legs elevated above my heart. Within a half hour, the attack had mostly gone away. It was a 4 hour attack. I did not go to the ER because like i had mentioned, I have been literally 15 times in 2014. I am still paying 15,000 worth of bills off. And they definitely think I am insane in the ER. This is the first time I have ever had vertigo. Other times and other attacks, half of my body has gone numb, or Ill get random shooting pains, Etc etc. These ailments are always accompanied by racing heart, high blood pressure, my skin crawling, chest pains and other random panic symptoms. I read that Lyme can actually cause panic attacks and mental illness--as well as physical symptoms. I have had so many random physical and mental problems over the last 10 years. I would be able to deal with the physical if I was more sound mentally Posted by Ksoup798 (Member # 46322) on :
Also, I went about 6 years without an attack and they came back. Of course there were other random physical ailments going on during these 6 years, I was mentally OK. I dont know what that is about.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Thanks to KarlaL who just posted this.
Essential reading for anyone with any kind of neuro-anxiety issues. Very long, I know. Still, this holds detail than can save your life. Really. And it will help to better understand with kindness.
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