Who In Hear Is Lisghtheaded/dizzy And Drunk Feeling All The Time

[nikigrl8883]

hi i know alot of us have this lightheaded dizzy drunk feeling alot but i was wondering who in here has it pretty much all the time when sitting or standing mostly a spaced out lightheadedfeeling and then while walking i feel like i have to hold onto the walls so i dont tip over literally and i have this wierd constant feeling in my head and somtimes its like an elevator drop in my head i dont know how to explain it better its like a dropping feeling when i try to tell doctors that they look at me like i have a screw loose and they say hmmm you feel like this all the time and not just when u stand and the answer is a loud yes all the time...and i think becasue i say that they think its anxiety too but i know its not that although i do have severe anxiety since i feel like crap all the time everyday and i cant do anything they dont realize that do they:(who wouldnt have anxiety! im about to buy a wheelchair so i can go out but that embarrasing for me too:( i just feel like the doctors are missing somthing how is it that a person can have this constant feeling all the time and not have a severe problem that they cant find

[Sunfish]

niki -

i can't recall the last time i didn't feel ill. and i ALWAYS have symtoms (dizzy, lightheaded, coathanger pain, etc) when upright, even sitting. i am not able to get out much & when i do need to use a wheelchair; my sitting time is still limited though. there are days when i can't sit upright at all. but i'm on a fairly extreme side of the spectrum of things and i have a lot of testing that isn't normal.

i'm sure it feels like it's been forever but really you are very early in the process of diagnosis, treatment, etc. there are LOTS of options that may not get you to 100% but will likely improve how you're feeling immensely.

hang in there,

melissa

[jkapache]

Hi! I used to have the drunk feeling 85% of the time- now i would say 45% of the time- but i have been treated for POTS for a year now. It is increasingly worse when I dont get enoguht sleep, get up 2 hrs earlier then normal for somthing out of the 'ordinary', and when I am just down right beat. I totally know the 'head dropping' thing- the elevator was a good way to describe it! I dont get that as frequently either- but it is a very odd sensation. I dont have much advice for either of your symptoms- but i do know that it has gotten alot better with treatment- so dont let your drs think your off the wall (oh, I have tons of bruises from banging into things when i walk and loos my balance) with what you are saying- your symptoms are real and are happening- and they need to be adressed! good luck!!

[nikigrl8883]

sunfish,

if you dont mind me asking what other health problems do you have with pots? i didnt have any really before this besides being in a ruts for along time and extremly heartbroken devesstated at my loss...and after my dad got remarried AGAIN i got sick that was in april 2 weeks later i was like this actually 1 week later ,,,im scared becasue i dont seem to have any other major health issues and i seem to have a severe form of pots and i have no idead as to why i have it there were alot of things that happened right before i got sick that couldve done it i think i also hurt my back and kneck 3 weeks before but i thought nothing of it becasue it wasnt that bad i mean somone lifted me up and cracked my back and i think it did somthing to it but it doesnt hurt anymore and hasnt since i got sick the only issue i have medical so far that i know is i keep getting a cyst every few cycles to my period and i have a thick lining becasue i dont have good periods but im only 23 so they dont see the need to do a dnc they just put me on birth control ...when i went to a hormone doctor in august thinking i may have a thyroid or adrenal issue i had all my glands tested and the only thing that came up was i have a slightly elevated prolactin level which is darn odd since ive never been pregant and my mri didnt show a pituitary prolactoma i think theres somthing up with that if u ask me theres no explantion for it...and as most people know the pituitary gland controls everything it sends out signals to all the to other glands to do things just a thought //and as i also mentioned everyone at my work had a flu virus too around the time i got ill so theres 3 factors it could be

[Sunfish]

niki -

i actually don't have POTS but rather autonomic failure, aka a progressive type of autonomic neuropathy. for me all of my health issues (other than allergy issues) are directly related to this diagnosis. my progressive neuropathy may be a result of a mitochondrial disease but that is not for certain yet. i am NOT the norm at all so i'm not the best person to compare things with; i share some things with others on the board but am also different from most in many regards. you can find all of my major diagnoses in the signature of my posts and if you're interested can read more on my website (which is also linked in my signature).

i know you've felt a bit like your issues are different than others on the board but i read all the posts and honestly a lot of what you're dealing with seems to be very much like many others on the board who have POTS, particularly when early in diagnosis/treatment. that doesn't mean you should stop looking for answers but i think more people than you think share a lot of what you're going through.

melissa

[lmbutare]

I'm dizzy and lightheaded constantly too and always have to hold on to walls etc and stumble like a drunk. i'm only able to go out for about 10 min max at a time, so I bought a wheelchair online so that I can go to the grocery store. but I still feel terrible and like i'm going to faint while i'm in the chair too but at least i'm sitting so I can't hurt myself as much! It was really depressing to get the chair, but in a way it has been really nice to at least have my own chair that I can take to stores instead of being at their mercy when I get there. Plus, any chair you get for yourself will be a lot more comfortable than those in stores. I try not to use it when I can, but if you are falling all the time like a drunk, you have to do what you can!

Good luck and you're definitely not alone!

Lauren

[nikigrl8883]

lauren if you dont mind me asking how long since youve had pots? and is there an underlying cause you know of? how aold are you just trying to compare myself again

[lmbutare]

I'm 28 and have had it for about 2 years. I don't know of a cause, but I think it was triggered after a cat bite that I had to be hospitalized for (major infection) since all my severe problems started right after that. I didn't actually get diagnosed with Pots until March of this year though so I've only been on drugs for it for 8 months or so. I definitely have had the constant dizziness the whole time though. And tons of other symptoms too! If you want to talk about a lot of specifics, feel free to PM me so I don't fill up your post too much with my stuff!

lauren if you dont mind me asking how long since youve had pots? and is there an underlying cause you know of? how aold are you just trying to compare myself again

[MomtoGiuliana]

I felt the way you describe when my POTS was at its worst in 2003. Drunk feeling 90%+ of my day, etc. I was disabled -- my husbandhad to take me to see doctors in a wheelchair. I could not take care of my newborn without help--just b/c standing was nearly impossible many days. I am now working 30 hours a week and very active in my community. For me, it just took time and taking a low dose SSRI and beta blocker for about two years. I was only very disabled for several months. I still get symptoms that can border on disabling. I know how to manage my symptoms (e.g., salt, fluids). If I start to really have problems again I can go back on the SSRI.

So, I guess I am trying to give you some hope that things can change dramatically for you. My experience with recovery is fairly typical.

Katherine