Have any of you experienced random dizziness and the feeling of being off balance due to Fibro? I also have a dx of Ankylosing Spondalytis Arthritis. I spoke to a nurse last night on the consulting nurse line because I was feeling so dizzy all day and nothing would make it better. She stated it could be due to the Fibromyalgia or the arthritis due to inflammation causing a pinched nerve.
Because I was avoiding calling the consulting nurse line, I did some more research on Ankylosing Spondalytis on the internet and it did nothing but scare me. Does anyone else have this diagnosis as well? My spine has been hurting lately and I read it can be due to inflamation of the spinal joints and eventually, can cause spinal fusion; which eliminates the pain, but decreases range of motion and makes me more prone to fractures in my spine. Yikes!
I'm out of chiropractic visits, so if I have a pinched nerve, I'm going to have to pay out of pocket to get an adjustment.
Also, what are your experiences with migraines? I have had migraines lately so bad that my whole head hurts, including my eyes and teeth.
I have what is called Meniere's Disease. I was told it is the inner ear bone flaking off & the bits of bone are moving around in there. If I bend forward my body thinks I am falling backwards & by over compensating I fall forward & vise-versa. I was sent to physical therapy to "correct" the problem & I ended up with whiplash of all things, soooo, physical therapy went out the door!!!
I can FLUNK the drunk test STONE COLD SOBER!!!
There are days when I will be unbalanced ALL day & those are the days I have to stay seated. I have learned to lean on the bathroom sink to towel dry my hair, sit or lean on the bed to put on pants, lean on the wall or sit to put on shoes, I have a shower chair now because leaning my head back to wash my hair is a VERY dangerous thing to do. In order for me to do yard work where bending is required, I have a sturdy child chair I sit on & I can bend from there & if I fall forward I am only falling from a 12" height.
About migraines, I have had migraines forever. I was told by a neurologist that taking ibuprophen or acetametaphine would give me rebound migraines, which means I had to put them on my Alergy List & I can only use asperin for my aches & fevers. I am taking 150mg of Amitriptyline for sleep & to lower my migraine attacks. M
Could be any number of things causing the dizziness, so that means a call to the doc.
I have some friends over on the Living with Psoriatic Arthritis network on Ben’s Friends who have AS. You may want to join over there too. There is a lot of good info on it. You can read without registering, but if you want to ask a question, you’ll need to.
I have been having dizzy spells for about 3 weeks. I realized they started just about the time I went up slightly on my Gabapentin. I went back down on the dose (with my MD approval) and so far the dizziness has stopped but it has only been 3 days so I am going to wait and see. I agree with what others have said, it would be good to let your doctor know. Hugs.
Thank you for the responses. I ended up going to the ER on Thursday because I was still feeling very dizzy, off balance and my eyes were dialated. They did tests and it turns out I have a very bad UTI. They said it was weird I wasn't having any bladder pain or other symptoms because usually UTI's are very painful. I am on a strong course of antibiotics and my dizziness has decreased as well as the vision problems. One thing that was unusual is the doctor stated they don't usually see UTI symptoms like that in younger people; it is usually only in older adults.
I have it and according to my pain doc...a pretty severe case. He told me NOT to let chiro work on my back as they could break it ...it is that damaged.
normally pinched nerves hurt and do not cause dizziness. I also am not even able to have fusion but fusion as far as i have read is not much help and i know too many people who had fusion done for many back reasons and most hurt worst after it.
It can be your meds, just something as simple as water in your ear even. Can you walk around? If you find you cannot walk without hanging on to things..walls, chairs etc...and it has been more than day, i go in and see a doctor. Dizziness tends to come from your ears...oh have you been drinking enough fluids too?
I have had AS for number of years...my idiot rheum did not ask for even simple X ray when i said my hips were hurting more...yes i have RA and pain in other joints but i told him i was not sure if RA pain..at times was other not.
SO he felt me ..said it was fibro....6 years later my new pain doctor asked me to do x rays which showed severe AS and than MRI to get clear picture how damaged ...even he said was too bad my rheum did not order x ray even as i could been taking drugs back then to slow down more damage. ...which i hope you are on as well.
So if still dizzy...odds are either ears or meds...but see your GP and good luck
Thanks for the advice. I was on Plaquenil for a few years and I had to stop taking it because it made my vision worse and I started experiencing arm and leg weakness. When I stopped the Plaquenil, the arm and leg weakness went away. I'm not currently on anything for the AS. My PCP asked me if I am ready to start something again for the AS, but I am not ready. My spine has been hurting a lot more lately and I am comtemplating going back to my Rheumatologist (which I stopped seeing). She wanted to me start Humira and I read that it can cause cancer. Basically, what I have is not terminal and I am not willing to try a medication that may help which could or could not possibly give me cancer; but I also don't want my spine to get worse with the AS. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I might ask my PCP to order an MRI so I can see how my spine is doing. I do go to the chiropractor, but I find it helps me; however, I just got a new chiropractor because the previous one sold the practice and he pushed on my spine too hard and it hurt. What are you taking for the AS? (If you don't mind me asking).
The cancer risk for Humira is not very high and virtually non-existent for us (women). In the clinical trials, adolescent males who were taking it for Crohn’s were the only population to develop cancer. Also, it’s unclear if the Humira caused the cancer or if it would have happened anyway. There wasn’t a very high rare of occurrence, and that was not able to be determined. (Correlation does not equal causation, especially when reading the drug disclosures. They have to mention every adverse thing that happens to the patients in the trial, whether the drug actually caused it or not. Unfortunately, it makes it very hard for patients to make an informed decision.)The risks of complications associated with Humira are all pretty low (ie. infections) just make sure you get your shingles vaccine before starting it, your yearly flu vaccine and the series of pneumonia vaccines. It helped keep you safe. I was on Humira for years, and recently switched to Remicade which I have been in for 2 years. No side effects on either drug, and no increased infections. I get a cold once a year or so, if that. Fear the disease, not the drugs! You know that AS is progressive and chronic. Humria can help control that and improve your life. Getting that under control may even lessen your FMS symptoms. I urge you to go for it, especially if since it is likely to improve your quality of life. If you want to talk, you can message me. Take care of you!
SaraZ553 said:
Hi Siskiya,
Thanks for the advice. I was on Plaquenil for a few years and I had to stop taking it because it made my vision worse and I started experiencing arm and leg weakness. When I stopped the Plaquenil, the arm and leg weakness went away. I’m not currently on anything for the AS. My PCP asked me if I am ready to start something again for the AS, but I am not ready. My spine has been hurting a lot more lately and I am comtemplating going back to my Rheumatologist (which I stopped seeing). She wanted to me start Humira and I read that it can cause cancer. Basically, what I have is not terminal and I am not willing to try a medication that may help which could or could not possibly give me cancer; but I also don’t want my spine to get worse with the AS. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I might ask my PCP to order an MRI so I can see how my spine is doing. I do go to the chiropractor, but I find it helps me; however, I just got a new chiropractor because the previous one sold the practice and he pushed on my spine too hard and it hurt. What are you taking for the AS? (If you don’t mind me asking).
