Frusterated by the forum...

[Hunniedeww24]

Ya know, i've been posting on here...fighting through HA, severe panic attacks, etc. To the point i think im losing my mind. I've had severe vertigo, ear infections, sinus infections and reoccuring ones with fevers....i've takin alll kinds of meds, and steriods seems to be the only thing that helps...i go see an ENT tomorrow to find otu what the hell is going on...The last steriod..a shot in my butt made my heart race and i got severe heart palps the doc said was normal..but the vertigo was gone..but immediatly caught a cold right after...now that the steriods worn off..and the colds getting better i feel the vertigo again...feel kinda confused and scared...its a weird feeling.....my mom won't talk to me about it anymore...its been going on for like 6 months...my sister doesnt'w ant to hear it and my boyfriend thinks i think it up....or i worry about it so much i make it come back...is that even possible??? when i post on here scared outta my wits i get a reply of "we aren't doctors"...how unfair is that?? i'm a single mom of two and a hairdresser...its makign it nearly IMPOSSIBlE to work...and i can't tell anyone about it or i could lose my job...im terrified all the time to the point of feeling rigid and shakey then i fear a seizure....

i have no one to talk too..no one...they gave me klonapins which help a bit but i just want to be normal again...or am i normal and full of anxiety? i dont know what to think anymore..i just posted earlier for support and got nothing....yet someone can feel their leg is bruised and get 20 responses...maybe i am crazy and everything seems so ridiculous no one knows what to say

[gcalex]

Your post seemed pretty specific to sinus/infection problems and thus unlike the posts one normally sees here about people interpreting benign stuff like twitches and tingles and sweating and pain to catastrophic illness.  So I don't think it's clear to anyone what you are looking for.  If it's help with anxiety and how to cope with it then certainly people can help with that but that isn't what it sounded like, not to me anyhow.

[marc]

I am sorry that no one responded to your posts. I can only relate to you about my personal
experiences. I had a terrible middle ear infection in March 2012. I remember sitting at Starbucks
and I tried to get up and the room moved a bit and I felt like I was floating. That was on a Friday
evening. It all started with a cold. I was going to call my ENT physician the next Monday morning.
Monday morning after I ate breakfast I got up and had to hold the walls to keep my balance. I tried
not to become unglued and stuck my head outside to get a breath of fresh air and calm myself down.
I went to the ENT physician that afternoon and was told I had a terrible middle ear infection.
It was so bad, that he punctured a whole in my eardrum to let the fluid drain. He said that in 95%
of the cases that is all that needs to be done. He also put me on an antibiotic. Well, I was one of the
5% that it did not help, so I had to go back again and he put another whole in my eardrum.
He also gave me a steroid. The pain went away, but I still have a periodic ringing in my ear.
My ENT and regular physician said that I have to learn to live with it. Last night I was coming home from
Phoenix, and my right ear really hurt (infection ear). It is possible that your posts have been lost in the shuffle.
If you ever want to PM me, please go ahead, as I try to post on the forum each day and read any messages
that anyone sends me. I understand how you feel, as being a single mother of two can be difficult, as my co-worker
was a single mother of three for quite some time.

[Hunniedeww24]

Well i've been fighting this stuff and making doctors mad because they all swear its anxiety..i've been handed all kinds of depression meds and antianxiety meds...the last time i had a bad bout with anxiety i was a stay at home mom, so i could sit in the house and gather my bearings..now i have to work, have to keep going for the kids...so i can't tell if they are right...or if its real. for a long time i convinced myself it WAs anxiety like everyone said..then sitting in the mirror noticed my pupils weren't even, my tonils were super red, and the back of the head pain was excruciating........Then had to switch docs again to then found out i severe double ear infections and a sinus infection....its kind of scary that the 2 e.R's i went to and the 4 doctors i saw didn't catch any of it....i yelled at one doctor to look in my ear and my throat and she gave me a script for beta blockers because my bp was up from the infection but she actually said "aw hunny its so sad what anxiety can do to you, look at what you've done to yourself".....i guess what im looking for is more of....well i dont really know...i'd told myself it was HA..but then found out it wasn't..and waited so long its severe now...and has cause this veritgo that won't leave me alone. i feel like an idiot for listening to everyone telling me it was stress for months and getting sicker and sicker. I always used to fight anxiety and admitting it...when i finally do..im wrong? how on earth do you know the difference sometimes....maybe im just looking for support, kind words, simular stories...anything....i think everyone feels bad they were wrong in telling me to ignore it because it WAS something....they won't talk to me about it anymore....all the nights of crying feeling like i was dying to be told 'shhut UP stop talking about it!! you sound like a head case!!!"....but it was there..and real...............

[Hunniedeww24]

At least you went to an ENT fast Marc.....i ignored mine forever for listening to people saying it was all in my head....i hope the damage isn't there forever..i can't work like this..cut hair like this i mean...if i had a desk job i could manage, but i work in a super busy salon..on my feet all day...i look down to start cutting and feel this 'warp" feeling...like im swaying or my vision is to intense? ..i dont know...im so depressed from it all...its been like 9 months or something=( i even got optical migraines from the ear impaction...

[marc]

I was told by my friend who is an internist/cardiologist that it is best to save the ER
for life threatening emergencies. For example, I went to the ER for skipped beats and they
told me that I was dehydrated. I later learned that in many ER visits this what many people
are told. It is difficult when you are in a state of panic to stop from going to the ER, as it is
also sometimes difficult to tell when something is real or not. I wish I could give you more
answers, but I am in the same boat myself sometimes. I try to take deep breaths, get some
fresh air or go for a drive to help relax me.

[marc]

My ENT physician told me that ear infections can be tough. I would try an ENT physician if you have
not done so already as this is their specialty.

[Hunniedeww24]

I go to the ENT on tmorrow at 2....im excited to have FinALLY gotten this far and truely hope that they give me some answers....i fear they will say nothing is wrong with me???


i guess the anxiety part of it is...

Everytime i stand up , i check to see if i feel "off"

I check to see if i have double vision because it effected my right eye

when i cut hair, its nearly impossible to get through it because i constantly 'feeling" to see if i feel "floaty" or 'being pulled backwards"

i wake up checking it, i dont hardly get any rest because of it

the vertigo is nearly constant..so when i go into a gas station to get a pop, i fear im confused, somethings going to happen( i dont know what)

i'm constantly checking myself..does my head hurt in that spot again, does the floor feel like im walking on a mattress, will this ever go away, is it something deadly they missed

oh and i went to the E.R for the optical migraine..my brothers a doctor but won't offer any advice except that once when i texted him havin that and he wanted me to go in JUST IN case it was something bad....he knows i have hA and doesn't help. And the other E.R visit was for extreme ear pain and they found a massive empaction

[vardnas]

It could very well be that you're suffering from both an infection AND anxiety. Anxious peeps get sick sometimes, too. The way you talk about self checking and the "feeling off," sound VERY much like anxiety thinking. The fact that you have this ear infection and it's giving you vertigo isn't helping I'm sure. But the difference between someone who is health anxious and one who's not is that you're interpreting what's happening in your body as "bad" or "scary." That kind of stuff falls under the banner of health anxiety, very much so, and as you're seeking treatment for your ear problems, I'd recommend that you also seek treatment for you anxiety. When you were prescribed Klonopin, did it work for you?

As far as we on the AZ being able to concretely tell you what is happening to you, cut us some slack. That is a nearly impossible (dare I say dangerous) thing to do, since (right) we're not medical doctors, nor do we actually know you. We're only people, and we can only answer the best we know how. As it's been said before, it cannot be all things to all people and posts do slip through the cracks.

[Hunniedeww24]

yes klonapin does help quite a bit, even if i feel the vertigo or floating feeling..i dont care as much. And yes this stuff terrifies me as im afraid its something permament and i can't care for my kids financially.

 As far as the the "concretely telling me whats wrong with me" i never asked for that...just some support and advice like everyone else gets, like i give other people. i never assumed anyone was doctors nor incinuated it either. i've been on this forum for years, so i know how things go.

 i also know for me personaly if i see someone struggling, and there's been 30 views and not one response, i'll go in and respond just to help out. i wasn't bashing, bitching or anything else....i was a little offended at the fact that the one response i got was 'we aren't doctors"...because i am VEry well aware of that. i was just seeking some support as this is the one place i do go too when things get to be too much.

that was the meaning behind this post.

[vardnas]

Well, we're responding to you now.

In addition to the klonopin, are you doing anything else to treat your anxiety? This forum is (usually, hopefully) a source of support to those who suffer from HA, but it doesn't and shouldn't take the place of proactive anxiety treatment. If nothing else, read the information provided here:  http://www.anxietyzone.com/index.php/topic,58186.0.html if you haven't already.

[Hunniedeww24]

no not doing anythign else....my anxiety is so high that even the eye doctor that was checking my eyes after noticing my pupils were off sat down in front of me, i've never even mentioned anxiety..and said 'between you and i..you are VERRY high strung, you need help, your anxiety is off the charts....i know your a single mom, but sometimes some things are just Too big for one person...you need to talk to someone".....i dont know how he knew that...i dont know if he could see it in my eye responses or what. but that upset me...and i will totally check out that link. thank you.

[vardnas]

Haha, yeah, my doctor told me that once, too. I had gone into her office thinking I was about to have a heart attack and she's like, "go find a therapist."

Which is what I would say to you. There are ways of getting your stress levels down so that you could more easily sort out what is being caused by the ear infection and what is being fueled by anxiety. Judging by the length of some of your previous posts, I'd recommend talk therapy (it really helped me), but barring that, things like CBT, self-help, exercise, yoga, meditation, medication—ALL these things can help. Right now your stress is SO high and you're catastrophizing your symptoms SO MUCH that I'm almost positive you're making yourself more sick than you actually are.

I notice you've been on this board for some time now. And again, while it may be "helpful" for you, it's not really helping you get over your anxiety disorder. Only you have the power to do that, you just have to have a willingness/desire to do it, too. That self-help module is a GREAT way to even start understanding how stress/anxiety work.

[Hunniedeww24]

Thank you so much

[Jewel311]

Hunniedeww... I am practically going through the same thing.  It started with me feeling like my head was going to explode on my way home from work... I went to ER, was told there was a ton of fluid in my ears, and given antibiotic.  A few weeks later, my ears still bother me, but not that bad.  I fly to Florida with my boyfriend and upon landing have vertigo and feel like I am swaying... for the ENTIRE vacation.  I was so scared! I had everyone I was with telling me it was in my head, and to stop dwelling.  It really upset me.  I also had to go to bed early most nights from exhaustion or sinus headaches.  The plane ride home of course made it worse.  Another week straight of vertigo and massive sinus headaches.  I went to my regular GP doctor who told me my left ear had a ton of fluid and my sinuses were "suctioned tight of fluid" whatever that meant.  More antibiotic and a nasal spray. I STILL here sounds in my ears, my eyes feel messed up all of the time, I occasionally get dizzy although that has subsided a little, I get headaches and optical migraines too. I know what you're going through!!!! It makes me SO nervous.  I google and convince myself I have something terrible.  Ive been getting more pins and needles, tingling, shortness of breath at times, trouble focusing at work or enjoying myself on weekends.  I google all the time, I cry myself to sleep.  I just want to feel normal too...... it makes work so hard when you feel spacey and messed up, and of course we have to work!!!!!  Funny thing is, my very first ENT appointment is tomorrow also.  I can't wait to go and get it over with..............

The vertigo seriously will subside even though you probably feel like it never will.  Hang in there, and good luck!!  I am right there with ya girl.

-Jewel

[Hunniedeww24]

please post on this thread tomorrow after you appointment!!!! i'll do the same thing!!! It IS nice to have someone that knows how i feel...i've never ever had sinus problems in my life!! i had a cat scan done and at the time it was seen my ethmoid sinuses..right behind my eyes had gotten infected from a sinus infection left untreated...no one said anything about that until this new doc that requested my paperwork....im praying the ENT has some answers!!!

[Jewel311]

I will definitely post after the appointment.  It is early tomorrow morning.  I have never had a cat scan and I suppose they may suggest it, although I will probably not get it tomorrow as I need to look into what my insurance covers and I will probably want to have someone with for for that.  I am hoping the general exam with an actual ENT will at least give me some insight as to what is going on.  I will check back, in the mean time... try to relax, I am trying too..... some TV and pizza :)

[JunoX]

I am sorry that you had this type of experience on here. For the most part this forum is a positive place but it has its moments. I also get sick of the "we aren't doctors" bull. We are all aware that no one here, as far as we know is a doctor. Even if there was a doctor on here, a diagnoses can not be made through a forum. That's just common sense and we are all adult here to know this without it having to be repeated constantly.

All I can say is that I try to help as many people as I can on here. I purposely try to find the threads with 0 replies so no one feels unheard and ignored. I come here every night to do that but I have migraines and I can't be on here too long. I am sure there are threads that I miss.

I hope that in the future you can find better help here. You will just need to weed out the not so helpful until you find that one gem that might be beneficial for you. Don't give up.

[Hunniedeww24]

thank you 0115!

[sbwv09]

I'm sorry you're having these problems.. but I can say that it's likely that a lot of it is ENT related. I had bad headaches and dizziness I was convinced were caused by a tumor. The ENT did a CT scan and it was sinusitis, even though I didn't have any congestion! A week of antibiotics did the trick. The ENT stuff can be particularly tricky and sometimes it takes a lot of tests and a specialist to get to the root of what the problem is.. I know it's hard but just try to tell yourself that the odds of it being anything serious are very very low. Good luck at your appointment.

[Jewel311]

Just updating you:

I am back from the ENT.  He thinks my ears and sinuses look fine, and he attributes all of my symptoms to migraines.  He said the only thing that "concerned him" was the pulsing sounds in my ears I occasionally hear.  He said regular protocall is if I don't feel any improvement in a month or 2 they order an MRI but he "know what it is" and it is "migraine."

I am really unsure how to feel.  I am still nervous but I know I need to take the proper steps t start eliminating stress because I am a very stressed out person.  Let me know how your appointment goes.

[Lynnmain]

Hunniedeww,

           I def think you have a lot of stress going on, and it must be hard trying to go to work and act like nothing's wrong but really your freaking out inside. I hear ya when you say you have no one to talk to. My fam gets annoyed when I tell them about my fears and i kinda don't blame them bc to them I sound ridiculous and they are sick of hearing the same thing 20 xs a day. I actually stopped mentioning things to them but I still bother my husband who has been great but doesn't understand. I get how you feel coming to this site hoping to get some reassurance and no one really responds. I hate the feeling of being stuck in my own head with no one to talk to. It def sounds like you need a mini vaca tho- maybe if you stepped away from all your responsibilities for a night you can distract your mind.  Also I have experienced many sleepless nights ( which makes anxiety worse) checking my symptoms . Anxiety is not fun. I don't really know too much on sinuses but I have heard they can be a pain in the butt causing symptoms like head aches and dizzy spells. 

[Hunniedeww24]

Hey Jewel, glad you got into an ENT and he found it was migraine....they have suspected alot of mine are migraine related as well.....i went to my appointment, sat and filled out all my paper work, waited for my name to be called...FINALLY it was and they said they'd tried to get ahold of me and that the ENT is out on a fam emergency! UGH my luck!! I dont go back until Feb 14th =(...and yes its hard to not have anyone to talk to.....and dealing with people all day..it is VERY hard to concentrate on work when your stuck in your head....and the fact that the doctor pointed out my right eye was dialated smaller, saw double vision and didnt wanna focus at the middle because of the swelling confirmed my "my eyes don't feel like they are working right" alll these months.....and even when i try to "get away" for a little bit..im so focused on my eyes and if they are feeling right i just can't relax.

I keep getting sick...i dont know if its the job im in (cutting hair) or what....everyone at my shop is getting sick from colds, to ear aches to the flu....i just abruptly got over a cold now today my sinuses are burning again and im sneezing....can you just continually catch a cold like that?? im so sick of being SICK!!!!

[oregoncoastlady]

I have never heard of a cold going away suddenly. Allergies, yes. Do they use any chemicals where you cut hair?  Or sprays? Do you have pets? I have constant sinus issues. I do not fear them. Some days the symptoms mimic a cold. Some days I get headaches. Some days I have face pain. I have cats and a dog and live in a forested area. All kinds of allergy potential. I won't take over the counter stuff. I do a salt water rinse of my sinuses once or twice a day. It helps immensely.

[Hunniedeww24]

Well and im sick again with sinuses today...never had bad allergies before..just the occasional feeling short of breath if im around water mold...but thats it....but this has been goign on for a year...feel like a bad cold coming on..my body not truly feeling REAL sick..just the severe sinus and cough..then it just..goes away. I take claritin but not everyday anymore..didnt seem to help..........maybe it is allergies? i wish i could have gotten into the ENT...and thats why it scares me...was the dizziness and vertigo..its still there a bit when i focus and get busy..eye bother me alot...its like a visual type vertigo...and yes i around alot of chemicals at work...i knew a friend of mine that had to stop doing hair due to allergies...thought it was strange at the time.....maybe not so strange after all....it DID all start when i went back to cutting hair now that i think of it...............