Vertigo after Masectomy

iluvmymom
iluvmymom Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
My mom had a masectomy of her left breast 7 months ago and since then has had daily vertigo. She is unable to walk without a cane and often falls. The daily dizziness she suffers from is more devastating to her than the masectomy. She has been going to lots of doctors and they had her stop taking her tamoxafin to see if that was causing her problem but it did not help. They said her ears are fine and so is her bloodwork. They are now scheduling more MRIs and other tests. She just cannot bear the thought of more tests. Has anyone else ever suffered from this after a masectomy. I am desperately trying to figure out what is wrong with my Mom so she can forget her ordeal and move on with her life. She has become so depressed and worried that she has become a burden on her husband and her family. We tell her that this is so untrue, but she still is so unhappy. I have been all over the internet to see if there is some link between her surgery and the dizziness, but I haven't found a thing.

Comments

  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #2
    Following bilateral mastectomy, I had daily episodes when I stood up and the room would grow dark, and sound would pulsate loud/muffled/loud/ muffled in my ears. I thought that I was going to fall kaput onto the floor of the hospital a million times when I went for chemo, lab draws, Drs appts or radiation therapy. I thought that this was all due to chemotherapy. However, I then learned that my port had sent a shower of blood clots up my arm to the junction of the jugular vein, and I thought it may have been from the circulation to my brain being impeded. The more space I put between surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, the less problematic this became. From February until recently, I did not have any episodes. A few weeks ago, I stood up after sitting for a long while doing paperwork at my desk and had an episode. Have had a couple since then. It scares the raisins out of me.

    My mastectomies were a year and five months ago. I try pretty hard to regain a sense of emotional equilibrium and do fairly well with that on most days now, but it is still a roller coaster ride. I'm sorry Mom is having a rough time. The anticipation of tests is plain awful, but knowing what is and what isn't will help a lot.
    Hugs,
    Denise
  • digger6218
    digger6218 Member Posts: 2
    #3
    depression and vertigo
    A few months after mastectomy and reconstruction ( no chemo or raiation) I got hit with depression. Couldn't figure out why since I was all clear. It was a kind of post traumatic syndrome. Started on Paxil. That helps some. Then vertigo started. Months later the verigo has gotten worse. HAD the MRI of my head all clear. Ear Dr. says I hve something affecting my left ear. Will find out Nov.26. But I am learning that stress has an affect on vertigo. Not sure how this is all connected but I am finding out.
    The depression after is kind of like a post partum. We stay strong all thru the treatment and now the adrenial drops. A lot of us cancer survivors become more sensative and emotional after the experience. IT changes us and learning to live a new normal. IT can be tough because the mirror reflects the reminder and it takes a while to adjust.
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #4
    digger6218 said:

    depression and vertigo
    A few months after mastectomy and reconstruction ( no chemo or raiation) I got hit with depression. Couldn't figure out why since I was all clear. It was a kind of post traumatic syndrome. Started on Paxil. That helps some. Then vertigo started. Months later the verigo has gotten worse. HAD the MRI of my head all clear. Ear Dr. says I hve something affecting my left ear. Will find out Nov.26. But I am learning that stress has an affect on vertigo. Not sure how this is all connected but I am finding out.
    The depression after is kind of like a post partum. We stay strong all thru the treatment and now the adrenial drops. A lot of us cancer survivors become more sensative and emotional after the experience. IT changes us and learning to live a new normal. IT can be tough because the mirror reflects the reminder and it takes a while to adjust.

    8 yr old thread
    8 yr oild thread
  • cinnamonsmile
    cinnamonsmile Member Posts: 1,187 Member
    #5
    digger6218 said:

    depression and vertigo
    A few months after mastectomy and reconstruction ( no chemo or raiation) I got hit with depression. Couldn't figure out why since I was all clear. It was a kind of post traumatic syndrome. Started on Paxil. That helps some. Then vertigo started. Months later the verigo has gotten worse. HAD the MRI of my head all clear. Ear Dr. says I hve something affecting my left ear. Will find out Nov.26. But I am learning that stress has an affect on vertigo. Not sure how this is all connected but I am finding out.
    The depression after is kind of like a post partum. We stay strong all thru the treatment and now the adrenial drops. A lot of us cancer survivors become more sensative and emotional after the experience. IT changes us and learning to live a new normal. IT can be tough because the mirror reflects the reminder and it takes a while to adjust.

    I left you a response on the
    I left you a response on the other thread about vertigo, digger.
  • BarbPoetry
    BarbPoetry Member Posts: 1
    edited May 2016 #6

    I am experiencing that, too. I've not panicked yet, believing it is because I don't have a prosthesis yet, and my center of balance is thrown off. Does your Mom have her prosthesis - one that is silicone and weighs about the same as her normal breast?

  • peony
    peony Member Posts: 306 Member
    #7
    Vertigo

    I've had some mild episodes of vertigo after the treatments and I had a lumpectomy. I think it comes from anxiety which my onc says increases once all the treatments are done and you're on your own. Especially if your new normal doesn't quite look like the old normal.

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