'Hidden condition meant I felt drunk for a YEAR - doctors thought I was crazy'

-Credit: (Image: Jack Evans)
-Credit: (Image: Jack Evans)


When Jack Evans randomly woke up with dizziness so severe it felt like he was on a boat, doctors were left baffled.

The 30-year-old had his world turned upside down when he developed serious unsteadiness overnight, impacting everything from work to his social life.

The awful spinning sensation left Jack clinging to walls whenever he walked and he felt constantly drunk for a year.

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The social housing assistant, who lives in Hale, says he visited countless doctors but was repeatedly told he was suffering from anxiety.

It wasn’t until he visited a balance clinic that he finally learned the truth – Jack was experiencing chronic vestibular migraine.

Vestibular migraine is a condition where people experience a combination of vertigo, dizziness or balance problems with other migraine symptoms.

The illness can cause episodes of dizziness described as rocking, spinning, floating, swaying, internal motion and light-headedness and can seriously impact a sufferer’s quality of life.

Jack now believes his condition was triggered by labyrinthitis, an inner ear infection that causes inflammation of the labyrinth, the part of the ear that controls balance and hearing.

“It was the catalyst for it all,” Jack, who also works as a cleaner, told the Manchester Evening News. “I had labyrinthitis, tonsillitis and I was really run-down and stressed during that period.

Jack constantly felt dizzy -Credit:Jack Evans
Jack constantly felt dizzy -Credit:Jack Evans

“Waking up was absolutely terrifying. You feel like you’re on a boat constantly. You tell people and people look at you like you’re crazy.

“Doctors and specialists said I had anxiety. I told them I wasn’t anxious. I have a very good life, I have no money troubles, I’m not worried and I love my family and friends.

“At the time, it felt like a constant battle, but eventually I got the right help.”

Jack first started experiencing vestibular migraine symptoms four years ago. He can recall feeling “exceptionally dizzy” while feeling like he was about to fall over all the time.

Increasingly concerned about his strange condition, he paid to see a private specialist in November 2020 before eventually being referred to the balance clinic at his nearest hospital.

He was finally diagnosed in January 2021 and will need to take medication for the rest of his life.

But it took a year for Jack’s concerns to be taken seriously. Despite telling medics everything was constantly moving and simple patterns made his head spin, they were convinced he had either anxiety or an ear infection.

“They basically laughed at me like I was crazy,” Jack said. “They said I had anxiety; that I was stressed over Covid or I had an ear infection.

“I had read about vestibular migraine online, so when they mentioned it at the balance clinic, I just burst into tears. I said they were the first people who didn’t look at me like I was crazy; like I needed sectioning.”

Jack can recall moments during the peak of his condition being genuinely frightening. “It was terrifying,” he said. “It was really scary.

Jack was desperate for answers -Credit:Jack Evans
Jack was desperate for answers -Credit:Jack Evans

“Things like gates, patterns on floors and tiling would send my head into a spin. You feel like everyone around you is moving. You feel like you’re drunk out of your mind.”

Working in the clinical trial area of a cancer hospital at the time, Jack even convinced himself he had a brain tumour.

“I thought I was going to die,” he added. “I completely obsessed over it and joined forums thinking that’s what I had. I thought I would be dead in a year.

“It affected everything in my life from waking up and going to bed. I didn’t want to go anywhere other than my bed and home.”

But Jack says everything changed when he finally received medication for his condition – giving him back the life he so desperately longed for.

“It took eight weeks for it to set in,” he added. “I woke up and everything was still. I was in tears. I just thought, ‘Wow,’ I just couldn’t believe it.

“I got my life back immediately. It felt amazing. I’m just feeling grateful for the little things – just being able to go out when you want and not worrying about constantly feeling dizzy all the time.

“You take things for granted until you’re really ill. With it being an invisible illness, there’s a lot of stigma with that.

“I lost count of the GPs I saw. You’re being fobbed off and laughed at. Even family members and friends shrug it off.”

High numbers of people with migraine conditions say they are not being believed or taken seriously, according to charity The Migraine Trust.

In a new report, more than half say their mental health has been significantly affected as a result of living with migraine and a third have had thoughts of suicide. Around 90 per cent of people with the condition believe most people think migraine is just a bad headache.

As part of Migraine Awareness Week, running from September 23 to 29, The Migraine Trust surveyed 2,028 sufferers. When asked ‘how does migraine make you feel’, anxious was the most common response at 62 per cent followed by depressed, hopeless, lonely and angry.

A third of callers to The Migraine Trust’s helpline report a decline in mental health due to their migraine. The charity is highlighting the need for the condition to be taken seriously so that those living with it get the support and care they deserve.

Robert Music, chief executive at The Migraine Trust: “This research paints a stark picture of the reality for many who live with migraine. It is far more than just a headache. Not being taken seriously is having a significant impact on the lives of those with the condition.

“Many spoke of social stigma, as well as poor understanding of migraine, and it’s clear that these are contributory factors in the reduced overall wellbeing of people living with migraine. It is essential that we change the perception of migraine and increase understanding about the true impact of living with the condition.”