Daughter Having Dizziness and Nausea

Does she eat a lot of salt? I get dizziness and the ENT says maybe it's menieres disease or ear ( middle ear, inner ear) infections or fluid in the ear causing it. My sister gets it too now and it last around 7 days or so now. Very irritating and some doctors say too much salt causes fluid to build up in the ear, or stress can cause it or really they don't know. I would start where you are with the ENT. I hope they can help because it's very awful to have this.

I know she is only 8, but how is her blood pressure? If she runs low, the dizziness can happen when she moves fast or when she stands up too fast.

Another thought, I don't know how close to puberty she is, but you said it was happening monthly, I am just wondering if she could be hitting hormonal changes that will eventually coincide with a cycle. I don't know, it just kind of came to me.

I hope she gets better soon because this is no fun for sure!!

My daughter had similar problem a couple of years ago. It was affecting her mainly at night, and only if she lay on one side. We took her into her doctor, whose first though was an ear infection, which is a likely follow-on to a sinus infection. But she didn't have one. She referred us to an ENT, who did several tests involving balance and hearing. It turns out that my daughter had something that is, on the one hand, not serious, but on the other hand untreatable, although it does usually resolve itself over time (and did in her case, over the course of a few months). Calcium crystals can form in the fluid in your inner ear. As long as they stay attached to the edges of the inner ear structure, they are not a problem, but if they break loose and float around in there, they can cause vertigo. Eventually they reattach to the structure or dissolve, and the problem stops.

See if you can persuade her pediatrician to give you a referral to an ENT, or take her there on your own. Many of the things that can cause vertigo are things that an ENT knows a whole lot more about than a primary care physician.

I know just what your daughter feels like. I became dizzy a few years ago and it recurs frequently. The best start is with the ENT, and this may help. With me it is a combination of a lot of things, but it turned out to be made worse by allergies, sinus infections (caused by the constant allergies) and migraines. But, if the allergy meds and steroids don't make a difference have her see and neurologists. They can run an MRI to confirm there are no tumors.

I also found with the onset of sudden dizziness that I do suffer from hypoglycemia -- if I don't eat on a regular basis, my blood sugar goes too low and I can pass out. If I have a drop, (which I was doing daily when these episodes started) I will get a migraine, coupled with already my allergies and pressure in my head. So you may want to take her to her pediatrician and have them do a test to see what her blood sugar has been like over the last 90 days. There is a test that can check that and they can tell you if she is having hypoglycemia episodes.

Coupled with all this I became hypersensitive to prepackaged foods, I found that if I had anything with fake sugars I would pass out. Any MSG, I will pass out. So what I recommend is every time she gets dizzy, have her stop and look at what she is doing. Did she just eat something? Is she sensitive to the light, any migraine symptoms? If she is hyper sensitive to something usually her ears will be burning, her cheeks may be red. If so she is having a reaction to something, maybe you can find the source. You can start an elimination diet. See if she can make it happen if she exposes herself to it again.

I hope these things help. If you have any more questions on what next to do, I am sure you can contact me through mamapedia. Best of luck!

Low blood sugar was my first thought too. What tests did they do to confirm that she didn't have hypoglycemia? Sometimes it can be hard to catch.

I am sorry your daughter is going through this! I hope you find answers very quickly and that it's very, very minor. Hang in there!

Sounds like you're on the right track. An ENT would be my next suggestion, followed by a follow-up with your pediatrician depending on what the ENT says. Hope you get answers soon!

I've been suffering from dizzy spells since I was around 14. I've actually fainted twice from them. I drink enough water and oddly enough the two times I fainted were on days that I actually ate breakfast (I usually skip breakfast). I've had all the tests and nothing has come up. It's just how I am. It really sucks that's for sure!

Sounds like my childhood. Does she eat frequently, need to snack frequently(is hungry all the time), short bouts of dizzy/nausea?

Does she eat a lot of cured meats, eggs, aged cheeses? I started having migraines at six. Whenever I ate a large amount of these trigger foods, I got dizzy and nauseous. I also had sensitivity to light, smells and sounds.

I'm also hypoglycemic and anemic, both of which I never found out about until I was older.

You may wish to have them look at your daughter for migraine disorders, which sometimes can be regulated with caution on trigger foods.

Banana's and a multivitamin with iron helps ease a bit with anemia symptoms.

Hope she feels better Mama!