Can Anyone Identify What's Going On?

Hi all,

Recently I've been having a pretty serious issue.

2 weeks ago: I started to have tinnitus out of nowhere whilst playing video games. The tinnitus didn't really bother me all that much and I was still able to sleep.

1 week ago: I was at work and I felt kinda off in general, pressure in one ear and generally foggy vision. Suddenly I had some kind of attack where my heart rate shot through the roof and I felt disoriented.

Currently, I can not sleep at night. When I close my eyes in any position (standing, sitting) , it feels like my body is rocking back and forward when I'm completely stationary.

Something is occurring where my body is having an anxiety attack when I CLOSE MY EYES. Every time I close my eyes, my heart goes up and my entire face and body start to twitch which just does not allow me to sleep. It's like my brain is recognizing motion when my eyes are closed, and decides to freak out.

Is this a form of menieres? Does anyone know what this is?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

 

Please note: I have no prior issues with anxiety or depression. The physical sound of tinnitus in my ear is not making me anxious. It seems like my body is specifically going into fight or flight mode when my eyes are closed.

 

Sorry to hear about your issue, Have you seen a doctor? I would start by seeing a neurotologist and having him check you out.

 

I've been to the doctors room several times now. I have also been to an ENT which could not find any issues at the time, I suppose I should probably see another. I have a referral to visit a neurologist too.

My MRI of my brain and ear came back fine, and my blood work appears to be OK also.

 

Honestly, I would go and get a second opinion from a doctor as this sounds very strange.

 

It sounds like vertigo to me? Did your ENT rule that out?

 

^

The vertigo/dizziness seems to only happen when my eyes are closed. At the time I went to the ENT, I thought my issue was the tinnitus but it is clearly not.

So at present, it's like my body is detecting motion when my eyes are closed and responding by going into full-fledged anxiety mode (fight or flight type response).

Edit: I forgot to mention, my brain MRI showed that there was a sinus issue. I feel no pain or pressure in my sinuses, but I've always had excessive mucus that is yellow in colour (Which I don't think is typical?)

 

Do you live someplace where lyme disease is a problem?

 

I do not but from accounts that I have read, it can really happen anywhere. I've actually considered Lyme and have ordered a testing kit.

At the moment, I am able to manage this issue at times by wearing a sleeping mask and dozing off. But I still wake up with jittery hands and legs, like I've been through an anxiety episode in my sleep.

 

Are these typical Lyme symptoms that I'm having?

 

No, but it has neurological aspects to it, and I've heard of people getting those symptoms first. I am paranoid about this only because there is a ton of it where I live.

 

Right. Well Lyme isn't a common problem here but I have travelled so who knows.

Where I live, Lyme isn't really medically recognised but there are several doctors that do treat it. I've ordered a kit to get sent for testing and booked appointments with Lyme trained doctors, but the appointments have over a 6 month waiting period.

 

Bump

 

Right. Always possible with the anxiety but i'm not so sure. I've been feeling kind of average since my tinnitus started, and on one particular day I felt quite great, was tired at the end of the day and managed to fall asleep. 15 mins into falling asleep my heart was racing and woke me up. This has been happening a lot. My tinnitus and hyperacusis actually do not bother me at all. First week of having T & H, I slept like a baby without issue.

After some more research I've found I share a lot of common symptoms with hyperthyroidism. My blood work came back OK but not sure if I should follow up on this with my doctor/endocrinologist.

Currently:
-it's very difficult to sleep as my heart rate seems to skyrocket when my eyes are closed
-more frequent muscle spasms
-occasional tingling in hands and feet
-very lethargic and fatigued
-occasional nausea + dizziness

I don't really know where to go to or what to look for at this point, its getting quite difficult.

 

Try a benzo before bed.

 

If you're having significant cardiac symptoms without any psychological anxiety, you might want to get your heart checked out to look for anything odd.

The "waking up at 3am with rapid heart and a loud ringing" sounds like a hormone thing to me, but I'm not a doctor. I only say that because when my whole HP axis was totally fucked up from coming off benzos, that exact thing happened to me a lot.

 

It's likely the fight or flight response. The Tinnitus can trigger the brain's ancient survival mechanism, and it can wreak havoc on your system. It's not life-threatening. It's just your lizard brain preparing to fight a non-existent enemy. In my experience with anxiety (separate from T), I've found that I can function pretty well during the day and talk myself down without too much trouble. At night, however, our Pre-Frontal Cortex is vulnberable to hijacking by the ancient brain. (Tinnittus sufferer Dr. Hubbard explains this well on his web site: http://cognitive-behavior-therapy.com/tinnitus-hyperacusis/) I woke up two nights ago in a panic attack, and then quickly realized what was happening--fight or flight. Typical symptoms: shortness of breath; heart palpitations; tingling/numbness in extremities; sweating; muscle spasms/twitching; dizziness/nausea--all symptoms you state and all in the name of "survival." It's a pretty vicious cycle, but once you realize that you don't have some massive illness and it's just your body trying to defend itself (stupid body!), that might help. Although if you're still in the throes of this, you might want to consider medication to deal with the anxiety. I have a blog about anxiety and the "dance" between the Ancient Brain and the Modern Brain here: www.ancientbrain.net I've included some tools and techniques for lowering stress and anxiety. Hope this helps.