Getting to the bottom of my debilitating new symptoms

My brain feels like static as I try to sort through words and pull out the ones to help explain how I’ve been feeling over the last two months. It’s like I’ve been underwater, breaking through the surface for a day or two, then returning below. The most frustrating part is that there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer as to what happened or why.

After several rounds of testing, I was left with more questions than answers. How did this happen? Was it related to hypoparathyroidism or something else? How can I prevent it from happening again in the future? How do I get some relief?

My symptoms started on the first Friday in June. I had just reached the 40% mark in the book I’m writing and was challenging myself to see how much further I could get before a trip in early July. My plan was washed away when I woke up at 2 a.m. feeling like I was on a ship. The room bobbed up and down, and my shoulders, neck, and head throbbed as if someone were squeezing them too tightly. I grabbed my phone to text a chronic illness friend, but the screen was blurry and hurt my eyes.

I went back to sleep hoping by the morning I’d feel better. Unfortunately, it took almost three weeks to be able to look at a screen for more than a few minutes or lie down without feeling motion sickness. I spent those days listening to audiobooks and using my screen reader to respond to texts.

I had multiple MRIs and X-rays, and every test came back “clear” and “in the normal range.” I was thankful for that, but also angry that I didn’t have any answers. Then I felt guilty for being angry because normal test results are a luxury not everyone gets.

Recommended Reading

July 3, 2026 by Heather Novak

This diagnosis anniversary, I’m learning not to blame myself

A chain reaction?

My physical therapist was the one who finally helped form a hypothesis. She made some adjustments to my home office and theorized that because I didn’t have a headrest on my chair, my shoulders and neck tensed up while I was working. Because my insurance cut my physical therapy appointments by 10 minutes in January, we had to be more strategic with the muscles we focused on releasing during each session, and this change may have started a chain reaction.

For the last several months, we’ve been focused on my upper shoulders, neck, and hips to combat my occipital neuralgia and scoliosis pain. However, the area that spasmed was around my lower scapulas. It was possible this spasm pressed on my nerves, which in turn inflamed my occipital neuralgia and caused a flare of vertigo.

Ultimately, this isn’t a theory that can easily be proven by any tests, but one based on symptoms and a review of my habits. It did give us a place to start, the first answer in a series of questions. My next step was to find symptom relief.

We adjusted what we focused on in physical therapy and when I got massages. I asked my chiropractor to rotate in gua sha — a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves scraping the skin with a smooth-edged tool — which had helped me in the past with a compressed nerve. I’d been using a heating pad only on my shoulders, so I switched to one that covered my entire back. Finally, I took a long typing break.

It’s been weeks since I’ve touched my book, and my columns have been sporadic as I try and reintroduce typing back into my routine. While the vertigo has eased for now, the pain is still persistent. I have a list of additional specialists to see that includes my allergist, an ear, nose, and throat doctor, and possibly a neurologist to examine additional vertigo concerns.

It feels like the summer has slipped away from me in a fog of pain and testing, but I’m thankful to be climbing out the other side. Hopefully, the rest of the year will entail more healing and less testing.

Note: Hypoparathyroidism News is a strictly news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Hypoparathyroidism News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to hypoparathyroidism.