Dizziness

... hope you find , or drs find, the cause. I started something similar a while back on top of other issues and why I spend most of my time lying on top of my bed. I suppose they tested your blood pressure when sitting and then standing etc? I am 79 next week.. I remember a few years ago someone asked me if I felt I was being treated differently by drs now older and I said no, but now I think I am by SOME drs/nurse practitioners... So something is changing when our bodies are upraight as opposed to horizontal... I have tried taking b.p. at home but have a cheap b.p. kit and hard to do on oneself when moving... it is a bit disconcerting isnt it? J.

Hi @4720retire, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with Valerie @lacy2 and others. It can be frustrating after seeing a lot of different doctors and having different tests then to have the doctors not know what is causing your dizziness. Here's some information from Mayo Clinic that might offer some clues.

"Dizziness has many possible causes, including inner ear disturbance, motion sickness and medication effects. Sometimes it's caused by an underlying health condition, such as poor circulation, infection or injury. The way dizziness makes you feel and your triggers provide clues for possible causes."
-- Dizziness - Symptoms and causes:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/symptoms-causes/syc-20371787

Have you tried keeping a daily log of your symptoms and activities to see if they may give your doctor some additional clues to what's going on?

Dizziness, like fatigue, can be caused by many things and hard to find underlying reason. Sounds like you have had test for major issues.

I have dizzy spells of different intensity , and like you have had blood tests and imagining. Everything was normal.

Few suggestion I have been given:
- As John suggested - keep diary
- Make sure your hydrated. Drink water.
- When standing up, wait few seconds to let body re-adjust.
- If have home blood pressure monitor, take blood pressure when dizzy. Is it lower / higher than normal.

Be very careful that you prevent falls when dizzy.

Laurie

This caught my eye because it is so similar to my situation; in fact, I could have written the same thing about myself. I am 82 years old, started the dizziness about the same time as you. I wish I could offer a solution or possible answer, but, I cannot.
The only thing I might offer is that my Mother went through the same thing, but did not have the same disease; she was diagnosed with an inner ear problem.
I still have dizziness and balance problems, but it seems to have gotten somewhat better, either that or I have become accustomed to it and don't notice it as much.
I wish you success in solving your problem.

I am 84, but a number of years ago I was getting large "floaters" in my vison that looked like rafts full of pyramids. They were in focus and appeared after too many hours of research on the computer or a stressful day. I too had an MRI and MRA and a whole lot of other tests, but nothing. Then a few weeks ago I mentioned them to an ophthalmologist while being tested for cataracts. "Sounds exactly like optical migraines," he said and, from what I have read, it appears he was correct,
Keep the faith, the answer is probably out there were you least expect it.

In my case, I have Dysautonomia which causes POTS which is blood pressure falling about 25 points after a person stands up, plus near blackout. My dr put me on a supplement called Pregnenolone and a prescription called Florinef. These two things keep my BP at 103/66. My pulse - 84. And I’m to increase water intake and increase the amt of a healthy salt such as Redmond Salt (pure, no sea water plastics in it). Google research says Dysautonomia’s cause is thought to be an infection (such as flu, Epstein Barr or Lymes - just a few examples) .

Hi!
I'm 76 and have had dizziness for several years. It was diagnosed as an inner ear problem. It happens if I stand up too fast or look up and when I lay down. I just stop and let it pass which it does. Drinking water does help. So does Gatorade. It balances your electrolytes which is important to your overall well being. I hope you can get it under control somewhat.
PML

Hi, @4720retire You have gotten some good responses to your question. I think dizziness/light-headedness plagues many of us as we age. My sister's PCP told her to drink a couple of glasses of water when she gets up each morning and she is finding that does help.

A couple of years ago I was having a lot of light-headedness in the morning, enough so that there was no way I would drive until it passed. I very inadvertently discovered it was an uncommon side effect of a topical medication I was using. I stopped using it and the light-headedness went away. I very rarely have it now and if I do I find it is when I have not had enough sleep.

I hope you can find a solution to yours. It could be something very simple. Our bodies are much more sensitive to things as we age I think.
JK

I appreciate all the comments. I've scheduled an appointment with a different neurologist. Don't know if it will help but worth a shot.

My neurologist suggested that I might have crystals in my inner ear and gave me some diagrams on how to do the "Epley Maneuver" which is really easy to do. At any rate, it seems to help. I have had dizzy spells/vertigo seasonally for years and it seems like it happens when the air pressure changes. I only have them for about two weeks, once in the am and they last about (what seems forever) 5 minutes and then I am done for the day. Like everyone else, I drink a lot of water and now I do the Eply Maneuver to push through. You can google Eply Maneuver and there are a ton of YouTube videos that will show you how to do it. As I said, it is easy to do on your own and might help. Good luck!