# 'unbalanced' feeling - anyone experience this



## macko420 (Jan 18, 2008)

My DH has been experiencing what he calls a feeling of being 'unbalanced' which he says isn't the same as being dizzy.  He can still function well but he moves cautiously when he feels like this.  This happens mostly in the morning after breakfast - he says not when he gets up.  
He has a kidney transplant for 20 years and takes several meds for this.  He actually takes fewer meds now then when he first got it!  Yipee!  Anyway, we were wondering if anyone has experienced something like this?


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## silvib (Jan 18, 2008)

I understand an inner ear problem can cause this.


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## Kay H (Jan 18, 2008)

If this is a new experience, my opinion is to see his doctor.  Could be many causes.


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## Htoo0 (Jan 18, 2008)

Just from my own experience, low blood pressure used to do that to me. A few years ago I was suddenly hit with intermittent vertigo and unbalanced feelings from time to time which probably was due to an onset of allergies causing fluid in the ear. This diagnosis came later however after the symptoms disappeared and the fluid became noticeable. I would be checking with a doctor as well.


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## nightnurse613 (Jan 18, 2008)

My husband was feeling woozy the day after Thanksgiving. He thought it was just tiredness. So he went to bed early.  Saturday morning it had progressed to all out room spinning which dictated a trip to the ER.  Every time he moved he got dizzy and would throw up.  They ran test and sent him home with anti-nausea pills.  Two days later he was about 80 percent.  By the end of five days he was almost 100 percent but still couldn't move his head fast enough to watch pretty girls go by. By the end of ten days or so he was back to wearing his sunglasses.  There seemed to be a lot of that going around (he overheard the staff talking).  Guess it was inner ear after all but, you NEVER KNOW.


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## falmouth3 (Jan 18, 2008)

I had that for 2 days this week.  I'd had a mild cold for a couple of days before and then that funny feeling.  I was describing it as dizziness, but actually it was more "unbalanced".  Back to normal today.

Sue


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## camachinist (Jan 18, 2008)

Ditto on the fluid and inner ear issue. Some days are better than others. Cat dander does it to me every time. Love the cat; hate the cat... 

Wonder if hubby is allergic to something at breakfast or coffee...

Pat


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## Keitht (Jan 19, 2008)

Certainly sounds like an inner ear infection, and I can say from experience that it ain't any fun at all!  The first I knew of my problem was when I swung myself up out of bed and ended up flat on my back on the bed again.  That scared the daylights out of me.
In my case it took several months for it to clear fully although, fortunately for me, it settled quite quickly to a level where I knew what type of movement would set it off.  At least I could avoid such movement.  I also never had the problem with nausea.


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## jlr10 (Jan 19, 2008)

I complained to my Dr last year that I would have these attack.  He told me I had positional vertigo, which was caused by fluid and debris in the ear which was triggered by how I was holding my head.  He advised it frequently goes away on its own but to come back if it didn't, but to stay off ladders until it did.  It went a way in a few months.  I occassionally will still have the feeling but it is only for a few seconds and then goes away.

He should see his own Dr to be sure.


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## JudyS (Jan 19, 2008)

Inner ear problems definitely can cause "unbalanced" feelings, but I'm not sure what the connection to eating breakfast would be, unless maybe he's doing something like bending down over the morning paper while eating and then suddenly straightening up. 

I used to often get feelings like this due to blood sugar fluctuations -- I have diabetes and would often get sudden drops in blood sugar.  (I'm now on Byetta, which helps a lot.)   If your husband's pancreas releases too much insulin after the first meal of the day, it could cause a blood sugar drop, resulting in these symptoms.  Possibly, too little insulin (and therefore elevated blood sugar) could cause this, as well; blood sugar is often highest in the morning. 

Blood pressure changes could cause this, as well.   Does your husband take medications in the morning that could be affecting his blood pressure?


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## camachinist (Jan 19, 2008)

Food allergy might do a histamine dump which could cause inner ear issues or a feeling of "fogginess".  I only say this because I've experienced it myself, most apparently with ingredients in some processed cereals. As my mom is diabetic, I routinely check myself and so far am still in the normal range, but that is a good thought. When I have symptoms, I'll do a stick immediately. Things change... 

Pat


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## macko420 (Jan 19, 2008)

*balance problems*

Thanks everyone for your explanations on balance problems.  It sounds like I should get my doctor(s) involved next.  An inner ear problem gets my vote but what caused the problem is the mystery!  I'm on alot of med.s and I just can't even guess if meds is a part of the problem.  Having an infection is a tricky element of concern because the meds that I take to prevent kidney transplant rejection also mask many other sicknesses that unmedicated people would notice immediately.  Doctors, you can't live without them, atleast I can't!  Again, thank you for the many and varied answers.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Jan 19, 2008)

My husband has had really serious vertigo attacks for a few years. He'll be OK while sitting down, but he can barely walk when it happens. The doctor never really figured out why. He takes meclazine for dizziness as a preventative and it only happens occasionally, but it has happened on our travels and is pretty overwhelming. I hope your husband's proves less intractable.
Liz


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## Dani (Jan 20, 2008)

A family member suffered from some of the same symptons and was later diagnosed with Vertigo.  A doctor can check that out.


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## Icc5 (Jan 20, 2008)

*Allergy*

My wife recently had her allergy medicine increased and she has had an unbalanced feeling so has stopped taking the meds and now suffers even more.  The difference is she was scared to drive which I don't blame her.
Bart


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## macko420 (Mar 12, 2008)

*Mystery Solved*

I thought I'd pass this along.  We found out that one of the meds that he has been taking for years created too high a level in his system and caused the problem!  He had begun an exercise class within the past year and apparently required less of the med than he was taking!  I guess it turned out pretty well!


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## Htoo0 (Mar 12, 2008)

Good to hear!


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## geekette (Mar 12, 2008)

Definitely see a doctor.  I have a cousin with Meniere's (sp?) and this is one of the problems she has.


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## mayson12 (Mar 12, 2008)

Glad to see this topic. This started happening to me on rare occasions a year or two ago.  All of a sudden I would feel like I had spun in a circle or something, or was falling though I would be sitting or standing still.  The incidents would only last a second and were so few and far between, that though unnerving, I brushed them off without much thought.  Now I'll be sure to mention them to my Dr. at my next appt. which is scheduled in a couple of weeks.  I kind of thought I was going a little crazy or imagining that falling/spinning feeling which I knew was different from the lightheadedness you get when you stand up too quickly.

So glad to know I'm not nuts.  (at least not about that). 

Sandy


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## Don (Mar 13, 2008)

Congratulations on the 20 years, I'm almost finished with my 7th.


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## teachingmyown (Mar 13, 2008)

So glad to see that the mystery was solved, and that the solution was so simple and non-life threatening.  I missed this thread when it first came up, probably because it was about the time we were at the hospital with my dad for the same symptom.  He had been experiencing balance problems -not dizziness, just bad balance- over a period of many months and had attributed it to aging.  Next thing we knew he had a "brain incident" and we found out the balance issues had in fact been resulting from several mini strokes he had been having.  He's doing fine now, but still has those balance problems.


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## keithatela (May 25, 2009)

**

If you feeling something wrong with it, go and seek help to your nearest doctor. Have some check-up. Or you can also try looking some tips maybe it will work out with your situation. http://www.solutionbay.org/problems/feeling-unbalanced-unrested . This is great!


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## pgnewarkboy (May 25, 2009)

mayson12 said:


> Glad to see this topic. This started happening to me on rare occasions a year or two ago.  All of a sudden I would feel like I had spun in a circle or something, or was falling though I would be sitting or standing still.  The incidents would only last a second and were so few and far between, that though unnerving, I brushed them off without much thought.  Now I'll be sure to mention them to my Dr. at my next appt. which is scheduled in a couple of weeks.  I kind of thought I was going a little crazy or imagining that falling/spinning feeling which I knew was different from the lightheadedness you get when you stand up too quickly.
> 
> So glad to know I'm not nuts.  (at least not about that).
> 
> Sandy




Good!  Be sure to mention this to your doctor.  I recently read that warning signs of something that "could" be dangerous are new symptoms that don't go away or get worse.  Dizziness, and unbalance accompanied by other symptoms such as blurred vision could be serious.


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## DonM (May 25, 2009)

macko420 said:


> My DH has been experiencing what he calls a feeling of being 'unbalanced' which he says isn't the same as being dizzy.  He can still function well but he moves cautiously when he feels like this.  This happens mostly in the morning after breakfast - he says not when he gets up.
> He has a kidney transplant for 20 years and takes several meds for this.  He actually takes fewer meds now then when he first got it!  Yipee!  Anyway, we were wondering if anyone has experienced something like this?



Like most of the other posters, I can only suggest what may be  the culprit- and you should see your physican.

I don't think the inner ear problem would be limited to the mornings after breakfast, I also doubt that a medication he's been taking succesfully for years (unless there are new ones) would suddenly cause a problem.

I can only suggest that he may have the same issue I faced. When I would eat a breakfast that had a lot of carbs and no protein- or even just some carbs and no protein, I would often get this feeling of being just a bit disconnected. It's hard to describe. When my doctor checks my blood sugars they are fine. However I think without the protein I get a spike in the blood sugar levels and that's what causes the problem. Since finding this out, and eating the protein my symptoms have disappeared completely.

Hope your solution is this simple.

good luck
don


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## cwtkm3 (May 25, 2009)

The OP probably most probably is suffering from labyrinthitis. Anti-emetics may be helpful.

Very common - viral infection of inner ear. Can take weeks to recover. 

Other causes too should be ruled out.

Hope the OP is feeling better


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## swift (May 25, 2009)

Note that this thread was started in January of 2008 and problem was posted resolved in March 2008


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## MRSFUSSY (May 25, 2009)

I hate to make issue of things that aren't there but my husband had some of these same symptoms.  Many trips to the Dr., ER, etc.  After a long time of changing Dr,s. seeing specialists he was finally diagnoised with having ataxia. If you look up ataxia in the dictionary it says without direction. I wish it had been as simple as an ear problem.  Been going on for about 35 years.


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## Berea1 (May 25, 2009)

*Balance disorder*

I had a balance disorder which I believe was caused by attempting to sleep on a 4 hour flight from Las Vegas to Cleveland.  The diagnosis was "benign paroxysmal positional vertiogo" or BPPV.    BPPV occurs as a result of otoconia, tiny crystals of calcium carbonate that are a normal part of the inner ear's anatomy, detaching from the otolithic membrane in the utricle and collecting in one of the semicircular canals.  When the head is still, gravity causes the otoconia to clump and settle.  When the head moves, the otoconia shift.  This stimulates the cupula to send false signalse to the brain, producing vertigo and triggering nystagmus (involuntary eye movements).  There are exercises that you can do depending on whether you have rightsided BPPV or lefthanded BPPV.  Go to www.vestibular.org for information.  
Patrick


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## Zac495 (May 25, 2009)

Glad he's okay!


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## Lee B (May 25, 2009)

*Two Things*

My Dad, late 80s or early 90s started falling down occasionally and the Dr gave him a walking stick (with four little legs at the bottom).  He used it and hated it.

I visited and, after conversation about it, asked him to stand right in front of the sofa.  Then I went and gently pushed his chest a very little.  He was very surprised when he fell back onto the couch.  So after that, he would stand in front of the couch and rock back onto his heels to relearn how to control that balance.  The result was no more falling.

Second thing:  I take bupropion (Wellbutrin) for depressive disorder, which has a warning about tinitus (ringing in ears).  For years, I had no side effect until I added desipramine.  That improved my condition a lot, so when I told the shrink I loved the improvement so much I didn't mind the tinitus.  He said, "stop everything!  That shows auditory nerve damage and next you could get vertigo.  That's terrible."

That ends the second point about vertigo.

To finish the story, I tapered both meds off and, after a few weeks, the ringing went down.  Meanwhile, I became miserable.  I read an article that said Omega 3 can help depression and went right to Costco and bought Flax Seed Oil caplets (I prefer to avoid fish oil).  That helped enough in three days to keep the suicidal thoughts away ("Do I want to destroy my hearing or myself?").

Eventually I resumed 2/3 of the former dosage of the bupropion and, at bedtime instead of the disiprimine I take 500 mg of DL-Phenylalanine, an amino acid supplement.  It's almost as good as the desipramine (a first-generation anti-dep) and I sleep a little better too.  And that's the rest of the story.

LB


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