I've had problems for about 10 years. I take an SSRI (celexa) to help, and it does.
How does this affect me? I have trouble running. I don't feel confident carrying large or bulky items up and down stairs. It comes and goes, but when it's at its worst (usually when I have been chronically not getting enough sleep), I can trip easily.
I also notice that I can get dizzy and nauseated when hit with acute stress. I wonder if this has any connection to diabetes, or, well, just one of those "normal" extreme stress responses.
Many possibilities. Balance is a function of the inner ear, and there are lots and lots of ways in which the inner ear can malfunction, most of them having nothing to do with diabetes. Many of them are treatable, too, so I would definitely get checked and remove the uncertainty.
What are your blood sugars like when you have these problems?
I ask because I had high BS when I was first diagnosed (27 or 486) and it affected my ears (and eyes too). I heard ringing in my ears and was dizzy and easily lost my balance. Once my BS was under control for a while it left.
Perhaps the stress is raising your BS and thus affecting your ears and balance?
I had a sudden bout of bilateral positional vertigo for the first time in my life a year and a half ago. My guess is inflammation in general may effect any part of the body? I didn't know I had diabetes back then and was not managing my BG. It took a long time to feel steady again and I'm still not as sure footed as I once was, although I've yet to gain back my weight and I'm not exercising much so maybe in time I'll be back to leaping tall buildings in a single bound! I also have ringing in my ears like Megan S mentioned, some days worse than others but always annoying especially when it's too quiet.
Yeah, I have a problem with tinnitus as well. I have a humming, maybe an octave above the 60Hz hum from electrical power, and it comes and goes all the time.
I've only had balance problems due to Diabetes when I was low. My RA causes balance problems occasionally, if it's flaring particularly bad some days. The other time when I was on the BP medication. I lost 20 pounds due to nausea, was dizzy and off balance quite often and I almost fainted 3 times. So I got rid of them, then I was okay.
I get nauseated also when I'm really upset/stressed. It's like my stomach is in a knot. My sugars drop when I'm upset too.
Sorry, off topic. I get this other weird thing with my tummy. If I throw something down the basement stairs, 5 pounds or more, if my Hubby passes a certain speed when driving or if the stereo speakers hits a certain level of volume, it feels like I've been kicked in the stomach and I feel like throwing up but I don't. LOL! Told you it was weird. :)
