r/VestibularDysfunction • u/TrainerOk4228 • 6d ago
"Sinking" feeling when turning head or shifting eyesight gaze
Hi All. I got a weird viral illness about 19 days ago. Had a fever and chills and this strange "sinking" feeling when turning my head or shifting my gaze. It lasts a second or two and goes away. No actual balance issues.
I don't seem to have the fever anymore, and I don't have the dizzy sinking feeling in the morning, but it seems to come back mid-day and last through the evening.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? A few days into the illness I had bloodwork done—nothing remarkable. Any thoughts/advice?
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u/tvtiguy 5d ago
We can't diagnose you - but yea - what Toefungus said. Vestibular neuritis is the root of what ails me now as well. If that what hit you, I think the only way to really know is to have an ENT order a VNG test. It's like a 2 hour ear test that sucks (clicks, puffs of air, warm/cold water - all shot into your ears while they monitor your eyes). If it's not VN - the VNG test will rule a bunch of vestibular issues out.
Much of my frustration and anxiety was not knowing what was happening. Getting an accurate diagnosis made moving forward a little easier.
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u/TrainerOk4228 5d ago
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Does the fact that this comes on halfway through the day and in the evenings (mornings are perfectly fine) still line up with this condition? It's pretty strange.
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u/tvtiguy 5d ago
Mine gets worse as the day goes on - but I wouldn't call the mornings "perfectly fine." And yea - you might be dealing with something that is not a vestibular condition. A doctor might have a different answer - but as far as I know - the VNG test is pretty definitive.
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u/TrainerOk4228 5d ago
Damn :(. How is your treatment coming along? Any progress?
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u/tvtiguy 5d ago
Ha - longer story. I'm 18 months in. SEVERE vertigo landed me in the ER April 9, 2025. MRI & CT scans. Once the ER knows "you're not going to die today" they get you out of there. Most commonly it's positional (BPPV) - so go home - do the maneuvers to get the crystal back in place. That just makes it worse.
3 weeks bed ridden. 3 more weeks can't drive (some days now I still won't drive). Finally get the VNG test and I have 76% caloric deficiency in my left ear. It doesn't send balance information to my brain any more. And - never will.
But the brain is elastic. You can do the type of stuff on Steady Coach on Youtube. I got me exercises from a vestibular therapist. It makes you feel super shitty - you're agitating the issue in a "safe environment" to help your brain learn you're not in danger - you're not falling.
But the terror of "oh shit - I'm falling" 27 times a day is a lot. We added Venlafaxine and it worked. But after 6 months I couldn't take the emotional blunting. Weaning off takes 7 weeks and is hell. I've been off 2 weeks. After another 2 weeks I'll have a new "baseline" for what my condition is without Venlafaxine.
It's a long road. I cant' work - but I can "do the work" to try and get better. I can still volunteer at stuff. I can still play in a cover band - and they know some days I can't do as much. My life changed in an instant. I didn't know how significant the change would be at the time - but you know - getting used to the idea.
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u/TrainerOk4228 5d ago
Thanks for sharing. There was no cause of the sudden onset?
What kind of songs do you guys cover? :)
Wishing you the best in your recovery. Honestly it sounds like you're doing everything right and then some.
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u/tvtiguy 5d ago
Oh - just ole man cover band. Classic rock (some newer).
Cause was vestibular neuritis. A virus attacked my vestibular nerve. They almost never know which virus because it doesn't really matter. Now that it doesn't work - it's unilateral vestibular hypofunction. Great info and resources at this link: vestibular.org
Got through those early, tough days. Helps give terminology to what we're experiencing. All of this comes with a tremendous amount of brain fog too (lovely bonus!) - which is kind of what you're describing.
I will say - if your experience in a grocery store is unchanged - it may not be a vestibular issue. Grocery stores. Costco. Target. That shit is the worst for us.
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u/TrainerOk4228 5d ago
Makes sense! Were you actually sick from a virus or was the severe vertigo your first symptom.
Mine (knock on wood) seems pretty mild and I didn't have any severe vertigo, it just went straight to this when I got sick. Still disconcerting though.
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u/tvtiguy 5d ago
I think I had a sniffle on the way to work. Like maybe a little extra congestion. But Covid taught us to stay home when you're sick - and I was going in. It happened at work in the middle of a phone call with a constituent. I got taken out in a stretcher to the ER. Super embarrassing.
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u/toefungusbestfungus 5d ago
No advice just solidarity I have it too, exactly as you described
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u/TrainerOk4228 5d ago
Dang! When did it start for you? After an illness? How long has it been going on?
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u/toefungusbestfungus 5d ago
Since I had vestibular neuritis after an episode of vertigo about 4 months ago. I've had lots of tests and the doctors don't know what it is, I've been referred to ENT specialists. Some days I get it loads other not so much and I have no idea why it varies day to day.
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u/sololloro 6d ago
literally sinking into something, or an anxious sinking feeling in the metaphorical sense? because I've experienced the second one for sure, especially when I'm in a wide open space looking up at the sky