r/Dizziness

PS: Sorry for long text I probably could’ve made it shorter!

So I’m away from home right now and basically since the day before I arrived at my aunts and the drive here I’ve been super dizzy.

So today I woke up and felt soooo sh!t I felt so dizzy and tired that I was scared to move I 100% thought I was going to pass out but I didn’t.

So I got dressed, had some breakfast, sat down and watched tv, then walked with my cousin to get some food at a restaurant with my auntie and her partner.

and during the walk there and at the restaurant I was feeling dizzy and not real and just super anxious.

then we left to go get ice cream and I was feeling really scared and had no energy.

then we went to a shop and when I was walking around for a bit I got this super dizzy sensation and I was so scared I had to go step outside of the shop to lean against the wall and I just started crying and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. (had a panic attack)

I’m so embarrassed cause my auntie needed to go to another shop before it closed but she had to make her partner and my cousin go cause I was breaking down so my auntie took me back to hers.

Now I’m sitting down and I still feel dizzy I’m scared I’m going to die or pass out but I assume it’s just low iron and/or anxiety.

I’ve been dealing with dizziness for several months and my GP thinks it’s a balance/vestibular issue. I’m currently taking betahistine and I do think I’m slowly improving because I can stand for longer than before.
The strange part is what happens when I move around.
When I walk, do chores, move my head a lot, or sometimes after eating (especially breakfast), I feel really jittery. My heart feels like it’s beating harder or faster, but whenever I check my pulse it’s usually normal and feels regular.
The best way I can describe it is:
My feet feel floaty, like they’re not properly on the ground.
It feels like I’m “moon walking” or like I’m a puppet.
My legs feel shaky and unstable.
I feel like I might drop, but I’ve never actually fainted.
If I lie down, I usually feel much better.
Sitting in a car, I’m usually completely fine.
Crowded places also make everything worse, whereas being outside in fresh air seems to help.
I’m wondering if anyone else with a vestibular/balance problem has experienced this combination of:
floaty feet,
shaky legs,
feeling like you’re walking on the moon,
and feeling your heartbeat more during movement, even though your heart rate is normal.
Did it improve over time? Did vestibular rehab or medication help?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s experienced something similar.

Please can someone reassure me about VNG testing, I'm scared of the tests triggering the vertigo, is it an easy test or is it uncomfortable?

Hi, I’ve been dealing with dizziness for about 3 years now. I am pretty much always floating around. I have larger breasts and because of this I have pretty awful posture. I have that weird hump on my neck from it and suffer from regular migraines. I am pretty much always dizzy/light headed. The symptoms get worse when I’m in the heat, or over work myself. My heart rate gets high and was diagnosed with tachycardia. I still don’t know why I’m dizzy though. I was pretty much gaslit by my doctor for over a year until I found a cardiologist who didn’t take referrals. However my dizziness hasn’t gone away even with the medication I take. I don’t know. Is it my heart? Or could it be something with my spine? Any input is would be nice. I’m just tired.

32M
5’8”
180

vestibular migraine (working dx), PPPD raised but not confirmed

Onset: 2024, after COVID. Recurring since, with some remission stretches (several months symptom-free after getting married in Oct 2025). Remember having Covid and feeling like I was going to pass out.

Current flare: Started 5/28/26, daily and severe. Unlike every prior episode, rest and sleep aren’t resolving it this time.

Symptoms:

Floating/rocking sensation, like I’m way above my feet

Feeling out of my body

Near-fainting sensation (never actually passed out) — no racing heart when this happens, which throws me off

Blurry vision

Catching myself holding my breath

Nausea, lightheadedness, trouble concentrating

Ear pressure

Panic attacks during severe episodes

Jaw clenching/TMJ flares with stress

Triggers: bright lights, busy visual environments, loud noises, heat/humidity, motion (driving/travel). Grocery stores are almost impossible right now.
I’m honestly scared to go anywhere at this point. The near-passing-out feeling is the worst part — it’s a lot.

Current treatment:
Amitriptyline (low dose — noticeable improvement)

Magnesium glycinate

Electrolytes every morning (seem to be helping)

Alprazolam as needed

Vestibular PT

Tests that came back clean:
Cardiac: stress test and echo both normal

Thyroid (TSH): normal

CBC, CRP, sed rate: normal

A1C: normal

Hep B/C: negative

Still pending: brain/brainstem MRI, EEG, full labs (with neurology)

Does this sound like VM to anyone who’s dealt with it? Trying to figure out if I’m on the right track.

Hello, 22 years old, use nicotine vape 135 lb’s

Only known medical condition: Hemophilia Type B Severe

So for context, I had some very vague symptoms that started about a week and a half ago where I felt like I was a little off balance on my feet, this came and went and I brushed it off as just being tired.

Fast forward the next day, I had a work meeting to attend and I felt very off balance during the meeting and developed a pretty strong headache during the meeting. After this I noticed that I felt very off balance/mild headache/and also fast heart rate after walking for periods of time and I started to worry.

Well, this never went away. I developed a weak/shaky feeling in my limbs/what feels like a slight loss of coordination. It only got worse and 2 days ago I was on the phone with my girlfriend and had an episode where I felt confused while she was explaining something to me, and I wasn’t able to really get many words out, this passed quickly but after my heart was racing. I also noticed the right side of my face felt sort of tight? And tingly/numb, and I have been having these chills/tingling going up the back of my head as well.

She decided I needed to go to the hospital, they got me back very quickly and noticed my elevated heart rate and blood pressure. They decided to do a CTA/CT of my neck and head which they said was normal. They also did a ton of blood work which was also normal. They did an ECHO (the ECHO did mention trivial pericardial effusion??) and an MRI of my head which they said was also normal. They claimed they think this was caused by migraines but i’ve had migraines before, they hurt extremely bad and this was not that, in my opinion. Especially continuing for over a week long..

Basically, i’m at my wits end here and I’m convinced I have a serious condition like a CSF leak or some degenerative neurological condition. Any insight from any of the physicians on here would be super helpful. I can answer any questions you guys may have.

Hi everyone,
I’ve been dealing with something really confusing and scary for a while now and I’m trying to see if anyone has experienced similar.
My main symptoms are:
Feeling dizzy / floaty / off balance
Feeling like I’m swaying or being pulled when walking
Feeling like my feet aren’t properly on the ground
Symptoms get worse when I:
stand up
walk
look up or down
move my head or arms
My heart feels like it races or I become very aware of it, especially when I feel unsteady or anxious
Sometimes I feel shaky / jittery
I feel much better when I lie down
I’ve had my:
blood pressure checked → normal
blood sugar checked → normal
heart rate checked → usually normal (around 70–90 at rest, sometimes ~100+ when walking or anxious)
My GP thinks it may be a balance/vestibular issue and has started me on:
Betahistine dihydrochloride (8mg, Milpharm) – 3 times a day (trial for 1 week)
I’ve started it and I do feel a bit better sometimes, but I still get episodes where I feel really unsteady and my heart feels like it’s racing when I move.
What’s confusing me is:
It feels worse in the morning
Sometimes food seems to help
Sitting/lying down makes it better
But standing or moving can bring it back quickly
I’m really anxious about it because it feels like my heart is involved, but tests so far have been normal.
Has anyone had similar symptoms and what was your outcome?
Any advice or reassurance would really help.

Hi everyone
I’m trying to understand whether this sounds like normal recovery after BPPV or whether I should be concerned.
This is my third episode in about a year, and it felt very similar to my previous episodes.

Initial symptoms:
Brief vertigo (less than a minute) triggered by looking up and changing head position.
Rolling in bed also triggered vertigo initially.
No continuous spinning.
I performed the Epley maneuver (I initially thought it was my right side because that’s been affected before). During the maneuver I had dizziness and what looked like nystagmus, but it seemed to become less intense with each repetition.

Now it’s Day 3 (around 48–72 hours after onset):
I can roll onto either side in bed without triggering vertigo.
I can sleep in any position.
I no longer have true room-spinning vertigo.
When I look up, I sometimes feel a strange “internal” sensation, almost like my vision or head is moving slightly, but the room itself isn’t spinning.
I have a heavy-headed feeling.
When I get up from bed, I briefly feel as if I’m falling backward.
While walking, I have mild imbalance but I’m able to walk normally.

Has anyone experienced this kind of recovery after BPPV?
Does this sound like residual dizziness after a successful Epley, or could it mean that there are still crystals left in the canal?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had a similar recovery.

Hi yall, could use some advice right now.

About 3 weeks ago I started getting lightheaded at moments, tiny super momentary dizziness, almost imperceptible.
I was also dealing with a lot of stuffiness, lots of pleghm and sneezing for two weeks, and the last week non stop coughing. I wasn’t sure if it was a cold or a virus or what. I also just bought a house and the past three weeks has been just a lot of paperwork etc. we closed today.

Anyway, 2 days ago I woke up with some vertigo. It went away after a few seconds.
Yesterday again when I woke up, I had it more on one side of my head when I turned than the other. Went away again rather quickly and I could trigger it with certain movements sometimes. When I leaned down and stayed there and moved my head it became a roller coaster. Then when walking and looking up. It calmed and I was able to go about most of my day.

Today.. absolute shit. Woke up and getting out of bed I had to catch myself. It got worse with these waves when I walked or even stood still, even giving me nausea. It’s calmed a bit but instead of lightheadedness I feel… heavyheadedness.. like visually I can focus, not double vision but I don’t know how else to explain it. Today I also closed on my home but don’t feel like a massive stress. Although I know it’s. A huge shift.

three years ago I had debilitating vertigo for a month and residual dizziness for about 3 more. Awful times. Last time it wasn’t a gradual ramping up of symptoms thought that’s what worries me. No nausea either. When I stay still sitting down it feels okay. Symptoms get much better, like 85% better. Also blood pressure is pretty normal. I also use the pool a lot but I don’t think I’ve had ear infections yet.

Wondering if it’s stress, bppv or vestibular neuritis based on symptoms? Thanks for taking the time to read this

Hi everyone,
I’m really confused and a bit scared so I wanted to ask if anyone has experienced something similar.
For the past while I’ve been getting episodes where:
When I stand up or walk I feel really dizzy and like I might pass out
My legs feel shaky and weak
I feel hot/flushed sometimes
My balance feels off / like I’m swaying or “sliding” even when lying in bed
My eyes sometimes feel like they can’t properly focus
I feel better sitting or in a car, but worse when standing or moving
Today it got worse so I went to urgent care. They checked my blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, and temperature and said everything was normal. They told me to follow up with my GP.
Now I’m confused because I still feel these symptoms even though all the tests were normal at the time I was feeling unwell.
Has anyone had anything similar?
What could cause:
dizziness + swaying/rocking feeling
feeling like you might faint when standing
symptoms improving when sitting or in a car
normal basic checks at urgent care
I’m worried but also trying to understand what this could be. Any advice or similar experiences would really help.

I was diagnosed with both of the above and vestibular neuritis. I was never sick with anything when this started, but I was in my third trimester. It started with my eyes, I thought it was from my past cataract surgeries + had a YAG done and it got worse. The doctors thought it was pregnancy related and baby on a blood vessel, brushed it off. It was so debilitating I’ve been basically in the bed and slowly getting back to normal life for the last 9 months. I couldn’t even sit on the toilet or shower, major triggers. Riding in the car, it would go away. Most days now, I feel almost 85% back to normal and almost forget about it until my baby doesn’t sleep much and I’m awake or don’t drink enough water. They also thought preeclampsia or POTS, but I don’t have either.

We’re going to the beach in 2.5 weeks and I’m super nervous. As I said, most days are good, maybe still a small baseline of off balance, but mostly gone unless I only get 2 hrs of sleep with baby. I’m scared looking at the ocean and swimming will trigger it. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a boat in the bath. Anyone have experience with this? I just feel like all of my providers are guessing.

Very severe rare case

I have long Covid and ME so I have nervous system over hyper activity to things

I had what I think was bppv in February I was tossing my head left to right all night on my pillow as I couldn’t sleep. Woke up with my head on the left and turned my head to the center then sort of turned it to the right and the right side of my room started to turn and my eyes were going with it (nystagmus) there was no panic or anything weirdly enough. I then sat up and it continued and then stopped lasted around 1 minute.

As soon as it stopped I was hit with sensory overload nausea couldn’t even move my eyes or look at a screen, derealisation, constant weirdness of the room. Tried to rest in bed closing my eyes my eyes would be rolling around and going crazy, my sleep completely stopped like no sleep at all. Laying down on my right or left side or even central or propped up didn’t matter I felt motion and movement in my head but weirdly no room spinning anymore more like I was moving instead now

I tried testing to see if I could get any room spinning but no position triggered it

A few times I tried to sleep and my brain would try to drop and I would get a fast head spin rush and wake up this happened 3 times and then my brain just stopped even trying.

Tried sleeping pills and they didn’t even work My gp kept telling me it would settle I went to the hospital brain scan was normal. I was literally getting micro minutes of sleep my brain would literally refuse to sleep this went on for a month the motion settled into a more of a brain motion feeling pattern which was the exact same thing as the original room rotation but like not the room doing it it was like me my brain was turning around if I laid on my right side I would feel like I was turning and then the same if I laid on my left side and even laying down or propped up was this turning sensation so everyone thought this can’t be bppv still as it’s happening in all positions

I was bedbound February and March and April

I still couldn’t sleep I was surviving on micro minutes of sleep and my gp was trying different meds and tried Daridorexant which made the motion react so badly it turn into fast spinning ( I’ve come to find out this drug works on the sleep wake transition) which is why my brain won’t drop into sleep this transition seems to trigger this spin head thing and my brain refuses to sleep

After this it was like my brain had been shocked again with a vertigo attack from this drug causing fast spinning my eyes were going everywhere and the sleep deprivation was so bad I ended up hospitalized a few days after taking that med that caused worsening spinning in my head. They had to put me on a benzo as I was so agitated and my heart rate was high I was going psychotic from no sleep from all of this

Anyway the benzo calmed my brain down, and gave me some light sleep. No one knows what to do with me I’m on this benzo which I don’t want to be on, it’s losing its effectiveness. I’m still experiencing sensory overload and still bedridden even writing this is hard using my eyes etc . Started to feel the motion feeling coming through too. My brain hasn’t slept normal since the vertigo attack happened to me in February. The benzo is only giving some partial light sleep to keep me going at this point

I really am at a lost with all of this it’s effected my mental health so bad I’ve even tried to … my life because of the suffering.

There is something going on with the vestibular system and sensory system where my brain refuses to drop into sleep because it thinks I’m moving or spinning or something I don’t know. It’s treating it as a threat I think

The problem I have is i have long Covid and ME and nervous system hyper excitability so I can’t do normal exercises and stuff as it makes my condition worst but it’s like the vertigo attack as triggered a sort of on going motion spinning in my head and sensory over load and my brain refuses to sleep cause of it .

Or I still have active bppv but I’m thinking this is unlikely.

The problem is I can’t sleep so me doing more like using my eyes makes everything worst. If I could sleep I wouldn’t have a problem

Please I need your wisdom to what is going on

I can’t function, I was already housebound due to my long Covid but now Bedbound in a dark room and having to rest my brain eyes and have nausea I’m suffering terribly

I’m so sleep deprived even with the benzo because my brain just won’t go into normal sleep. When the vertigo attack happened and the motion afterwards etc I wasn’t panicked or anxious I just let it be but it didn’t matter cause my brain wouldn’t cross over to sleep. This is a huge serious problem

Hi im a 37 years old male and have been dealing with a few things lately !

So about two years ago i went to bed and woke up the next morning feeling like i got hit by a bus and ever since then i cant shake this feeling off and best way i can describe my other feeling is brain fog heavy head like feeling and just stuck mentally!!

So i recently went to do a sleep study thinking that was going to fix the issue because doc said i had moderate to borderline severe sleep apnea i have been on a cpap for about two months consistently
With air levels at around 8 on the machine ..now before the sleep apnea diagnosis i have had trouble with my sleep for years i get usually 5 hours of sleep with awakenings during the night Id say maybe 3 times a night ill wake up but i fall back asleep within a few minutes

But i still feel the same nothing is helping at this point

what has me on edge now is this daily dizzy/light headed spells that last about 2 seconds at a time and it happens on and off all day along with my brain fog feeling that comes and goes keep in mind im terrible at staying hydrated i drink a lot of diet soda but just started drinking more water lately since i do work out in the sun all day most days

I have had blood work done everything came out good except vitamin d deficiency which i have been taking meds for that

I went to a ent appt yesterday they checked my hearing and ear pressure doc said everything looks great so my question is has anyone experienced this or does anyone have any advice on what it could be ?

Im more worried i might have a dam brain tumor at this point!!

I know it's probably not the best idea to go to the internet for advice, but I'm growing tired.

About a month and change ago, I was out shopping with my sister, and I suddenly was overcome with a sudden wave of dizziness. I didn't fall over, and I was able to regain myself quickly without anyone noticing. But since that day, I've been experiencing some issues.

I've been experiencing this near-constant dizziness, but it's not the typical spinning sensation associated with vertigo. I describe it more similarly to that of lightheadedness, but that's not quite right either. It's like every time I walk, I feel like I'm going to fall, but I never do. It's mostly when I stand, but it's not as though my vision gets clouded like my BP is dropping, nor is it brief and sudden, it's constant. (But I haven't felt any head pain, so that's good, at least.)

And that vagueness is my issue here. I'm seeing a neurologist, but I feel like I'm getting nowhere because I'm bad at describing my symptoms, and I feel like I'm just sort of confusing him, because everything is contradictory. I don't want to be that patient and start talking about stuff I saw on the internet, but I need to know if anyone else has experienced this before. I'm not looking to get diagnosed, I'm going to stick with the professionals' word, but I just need to know I'm not alone 😭

Hi everyone,

About a month ago, i had a vertigo episode. Since then, over the last few weeks, i had some residual dizzyness.

Thankfully, that seems to be slowly disappearing.

However, a few days ago, i started to experience this " walking on a boat / trampoline " sensation. Funny enough, this only happens whenever i walk inside my home. I absolutely hate this feeling and find it stressful.

Has anyone here experienced this sensation before? If so, does it eventually go away? I am thinking of seeing a specislist physio about this.

Really anxious about this test because I don’t know if I can do it without getting sick or feeling horrible weeks after. Anyone mind sharing their experience with this exam and final diagnoses on what was causing your dizziness?

I, f20, have been experiencing symptoms of dizziness for almost four years straight. I have been to different doctors ranging from neurologists to cardiologists to ENT, etc. No doctor has been able to really help me so far, and all of the tests appear to be normal- my blood pressure is fine, ekg is normal, etc. I was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, however I don't believe that to be accurate as I have never actually passed out and my symptoms slightly differ. I am going to try and include the most amount of detail as possible because this has affected my daily life greatly. For starters, I considered myself to be healthy and normal for a teenager before my dizziness started. It started happening one day at school, and it never went away since that day. In fact, over the course of almost four years, it has only gotten worse. My symptoms mainly and most commonly include blurry/fuzzy and darkened vision, seeing black spots in my vision (recently started, not sure if connected), feeling disconnected from reality/feeling like I am dreaming, confusion, loss of memories, lightheadedness, pressure inside my ears and eyes, occasional quick sharp pain behind eye, eyes sometimes forcefully closing, headaches and migraines, and overall just a weird sensation in my head i cannot really describe. Before this started, i drank and smoked occasionally, loved going out to shop, eat, etc. and considered myself an adventurous person who loved to partake in random activities. Now, i have had to stop drinking and smoking as it makes it worse, i dread leaving my house as I can barely make even quick errands, and I am way more anxious than I used to be. The dizziness has been persistent, I do not have breaks where I feel okay. It is just nonstop overwhelming dizziness. It gets worse in bright lighting, or sort of when I lack of sleep, but never gets better. What I mean by lacking sleep is that even if I get 8 hours of sleep but go to bed at 3 AM, I will still be extremely dizzy. It's like my brain has a clock and if it sees me going to bed too late, even if I'm still getting the right amount of sleep, I am in trouble! This whole process has been extremely depressing for me. When I first noticed the persistent dizziness, one of the first things I read online is that dizziness conditions frequently go untreated/undiagnosed because it can be hard to pinpoint the cause. That has left me incredibly discouraged. I would do anything to go back to my life the way it used to be. I can barely go to the store, I have not been able to get my drivers license, I am not sure how I will be able to get a job, and college classes are extremely difficult to attend. The things I have tried to do include drinking more water, increasing my salt intake, trying poses to reposition ear crystals, taking breaks from vaping for months at a time to see if that is the cause, some medication my doctor recommended that did not help, I have changed my environment (so it's not carbon monoxide), stopped taking all my old medications for my mental health to see if they had any cause, eating a balanced diet, researched, fixing my sleep schedule, reducing my stress, got electrolytes, etc. I feel as if I have tried everything and nothing helps, nothing gives any sort of relief. It is just nonstop persistent dizziness that only gets worse. I feel as if I have lost control of my life, and I am so young, it makes me very upset that my "best years" have been taken as all I can do is sit or lay at home and think back on how my life used to be. I would appreciate any help whatsoever, please, this is really the last thing I can think of to do besides going back to more doctors.

Hi everyone,
I’m honestly struggling a lot and just need some advice or people who might relate.
Since a car accident and panic attack last year, I’ve been dealing with really strange symptoms that come and go. Some days I can walk fine (even 10k–15k steps), shower normally, and feel okay. Other days I suddenly feel really unsteady, like:
dizziness / rocking or swaying feeling
jelly legs or weakness when standing or walking
feeling worse in busy places like shopping centres
heart racing at times, especially after eating or when standing
feeling overwhelmed by noise or arguments (it makes me cry or feel like it hits my head)
feeling much better when sitting or lying down
Lately it’s been affecting daily life more, like showering, going to the bathroom, and even just being in noisy environments. It also seems worse when I’m stressed or when people around me are arguing.
I’ve been wondering if this could be something like PPPD, POTS, anxiety/nervous system overload, or something else like B12/iron issues. The problem is everything seems to overlap and I’m confused.
Has anyone experienced something similar after stress, panic attacks, or trauma? And if so, what helped you get better?
I’m trying to understand what’s going on and not spiral, but it’s really affecting my life right now.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been dealing with a confusing set of symptoms for more than 10 months and I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on. I’m really struggling with the pain, to the point I had to stop my job and studies.

My first incident happened after smoking cannabis. I was a regular user at the time and had been smoking quite a lot, so it wasn’t my first experience. During that episode, I suddenly felt a significant crack and shift in my left jaw. Shortly afterward, I developed pain in the left side of my neck, and since then I’ve had persistent jaw problems along with several other symptoms.

Current symptoms:

• Left jaw pain (under cheekbone/ upper gum level)
• Asymmetrical mouth opening (jaw goes to my right side when opening)
• Sometimes clicking/popping in the jaw
• Limited jaw opening of around 2cm, unless I shift my jaw forward and then open, reaching around 5cm
• Pain that can radiate to my left temple and above/ behind my left eye.
• Neck tightness. Physical therapist found trigger points around the SCM (behind ear), scalenes, upper trapezius, suboccipital muscles, tension in TMJ muscles and digastric muscles.
• Dizziness/imbalance, more like a wavy or floating sensation (like the feeling after drinking one beer). The wavy sensation is more noticeable when I close my eyes, but I don’t actually fall over. Occasionally my vision feels like objects briefly zoom in and out, specially if i look at something like my phone or TV.
• My left ear sometimes feels blocked/full, although my ENT said my ears look normal and there was no infection.
• Heart palpitations. I’ve been to the ER a few times because I was afraid I was having a heart attack. The worst episode was when I went to smoke a normal cigarette and suddenly i felt pain in my jaw and my heart jumped to 175bpm, i called the ambulance and they restarted the rhythm of my heart with Adenosine. In other situations my heart jumped to 140bpm, but it always returns to normal after around 10-15 minutes.
• Some weird feeling/ weakness on my left arm and some tingling on my left hand. One day it got worse and I went to the ER. When I tried keeping both arms up straight, my left one kept going down slowly. They even did an emergency MRI of my head and kept me overnight in the stroke unit, but in the end there was nothing and my strength came back. I still feel this side weird sometimes but I dont drop objects and can move it normally.

Tests I’ve had so far:

• Xray of cervical spine: normal, enough space between bones
• Xray of head and thorax: normal
• MRI of cervical spine and 2x MRI of the brain: normal
• Multiple tests by neurologists, including EEG. They havent found anything and say symptons dont completely fit migraine symptons.
• ENT examination: normal, ears looked fine.
• Sinus CT scan: normal
• Extensive blood tests: no major abnormalities.
• Panoramic xray, xray of TMJ, 3D ct scan of mouth. Dentists say I have TMJ but can not confirm the cause or if its the disc or just muscular. 2 months ago I fixed a tooth infection I had on my left side but the pain persists. My bite doesnt seem to have major issues to cause such extreme pain. I also dont believe I grind my teeth at night because I dont wake up necessarily with pain, it gets worse during the day, specially at night.
• Multiple ECGs, effort test in bycicle, Holter exam: heart is healthy

Several doctors have suggested my symptoms may be related to TMJ and neck muscle dysfunction. They say my muscles of the jaw are tense, specially my left side, but I still don’t have a definitive diagnosis.

I’m scheduled to have a TMJ MRI next week to evaluate the joint and disc, and also an MRI of the left shoulder as one of my orthopedists said i had an inflammation on the shoulder (but Im not sure if this connects to my jaw issue).

I’ve tried 6 physical therapists including TMJ PT, multiple neurologists, orthopedists, ENT, cardiologists, generalists and dentists (including maxillo facial surgeons, and occlusodontiste). I used a mouth splint for the night, medicines such as ibuprofen/ paracetamol/ arcoxia/ celebrex, dry needling with electric stimulation, acupuncture.. nothing aliviates my pain and no doctor seem to know for sure what I have and how to help. Most doctors just tell me Im stressed or depressed (which Im not!), they just give me medicine for pain and dont truly solve the root cause of my problem. 

Has anyone experienced a combination of such symptons? If so, what was your diagnosis and what helped?

I’m not looking for a diagnosis—just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. Thank you if you took the time to read about my case!

​

As vestibular specialists, we are trained to look at the inner ear, the brain, and the pathways connecting them. Yet many patients with chronic dizziness present with a much broader picture.

Along with vertigo or imbalance, they often report acidity, bloating, altered bowel habits, food sensitivities, fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, or an unexplained sense of being "unwell."

For a long time, these symptoms were viewed as separate issues.

Increasingly, research suggests they may be interconnected.

The gut and the brain are engaged in a constant two-way conversation through neural, immune, hormonal, and metabolic pathways. At the centre of this communication lies the gut microbiome—trillions of microorganisms that influence inflammation, neurotransmitter activity, stress responses, and overall neurological function.

What is particularly fascinating is that the vestibular system appears to be part of this network.

Patients with vestibular migraine frequently report gastrointestinal symptoms. Those with persistent dizziness often describe worsening symptoms during periods of stress, disturbed sleep, or digestive upset. Even motion sickness, one of the most familiar vestibular disorders, highlights the intimate relationship between balance pathways and the gut.

This raises an important clinical question:

Can disturbances within the gut influence how the brain processes balance signals?

While definitive answers are still emerging, current evidence suggests that gut-driven inflammation, altered autonomic function, and changes in central sensory processing may contribute to symptom persistence in certain vestibular disorders.

This may be particularly relevant in patients whose scans, hearing tests, and vestibular assessments appear largely normal, yet who continue to experience disabling dizziness.

Of course, we must be careful not to oversimplify the science.

The gut is unlikely to be the sole cause of vertigo.

However, chronic dizziness is rarely the result of a single organ malfunction. It is often the product of complex interactions between the vestibular system, the brain, the autonomic nervous system, psychological factors, and perhaps the gut itself.

The concept of the Gut–Brain–Vestibular Axis reminds us of an important principle in medicine:

The body functions as an integrated system, not as isolated parts.

As our understanding evolves, future approaches to vestibular disorders may extend beyond the inner ear and brain, incorporating broader strategies aimed at reducing inflammation, improving autonomic regulation, optimizing gut health, and supporting overall neurological resilience.

Sometimes, the missing piece in a patient with chronic dizziness may not be found in another scan—but in a more holistic understanding of how the body's systems communicate with one another.