Vertigo

[Jigfishn10]

Anyone have/had it? 

[Mike L]

My Sister-in-law does. 
She can’t fly, travel long distances in a car, or even be in car that has to stop or take a corner faster than normal without it overtaking her. 
 

It’s terrible how it almost has taken over her life. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[gim]

I had it for a period of time as a symptom after a concussion many years ago playing ice hockey.  Luckily it did end up going away and I have no long term effects.

[Jigfishn10]

I was working out last Friday and bent over to pick up a weight, sort of looked to my right and my head starting spinning. That night I was sleeping on my left shoulder and head to the right and woke up dizzy/disoriented. 

It's been a similar pattern since. 

Just made a docs appt. 

[Choporoz]

Many years ago I was doing incline sit-ups on a ship while at sea.  Had done it for years, but something in my balance system snapped that day.  I had terrible vertigo for about seven months.  (Most of that period was at sea - you can imagine how that multiplies the challenges of even just walking.)  Severity started easing after about four months.  However, ever since, I do struggle with dizziness every time I rise quickly from laying down, especially if on the floor.  Working up under stuff, like cars, sinks, etc is guaranteed recipe for a dizzy spell.

[Mike L]

57 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I was working out last Friday and bent over to pick up a weight, sort of looked to my right and my head starting spinning. That night I was sleeping on my left shoulder and head to the right and woke up dizzy/disoriented. 

It's been a similar pattern since. 

Just made a docs appt. 

I hope everything is just fine

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Jigfishn10]

3 minutes ago, Mike L said:

I hope everything is just fine

 

 

 

 

Mike

Thanks Mike. Tomorrow is 1 more revolution around the sun for me...not sure I like getting old.  

[Mike L]

12 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Thanks Mike. Tomorrow is 1 more revolution around the sun for me...not sure I like getting old.  

I hear ya brother!

[Captain Phil]

About 7-8 years ago, I suffered from bouts of dizziness.  It was like I was going to faint but never did.  It would come out of nowhere and at different times.  It caused me all kinds of anxiety issues.  I went to numerous doctors and they ran every test you can imagine on me. They never found anything wrong.  Eventually, it went away on it's own.  After all that, I believe I had an ear infection that was causing me problems.   One doctor told me that anxiety is real and that I shouldn't think it was all in my head.  Thank God that's over.  It was horrible.  

[N Florida Mike]

I had it for awhile around 20 years ago. It started with my right ear ringing all the time . First doc said it was caused by too much salt and caffeine. I cut back on salty food some, and it helped a little. Lowering Caffeine didnt help at all. He called it “ Minears syndrome.”

 

After that started I had a couple of real bad episodes of vertigo that was directly related to my inner ear problem. The worst one was when I got out of the car at home after a 3 hour trip. I fell flat on my face and had to crawl into the house. My goal was to make it to bed. I did, but began violently throwing up 5 minutes later.  It was just as bad 5 hours later. Finally called the rescue squad , not knowing what on earth was going on. Within an hour I was fine.

Got a different doc, and he put me on a compound drug called “ Beta Histine “ ( I think that was the name of it )

I gradually got better and eventually didn’t take it anymore.  My ear still rings though .I haven’t had an episode of vertigo in years now . Thank God! The only time I’ve ever been sicker is when I had viral Meningitis.

[Bankbeater]

I've had it a few times over the years.  Last time was the worst.  For me it always starts with a sinus infection that gets into my ears. 

[Log Catcher]

I had it about 40 years ago. The Doctor never did say what caused it. The medication he put me on cleared it up. I recently had to go to the doctor for dizzy spells. This time he said it was an ear infection. Had to go through two rounds of medication to get rid of it. I still have to be careful about not moving too fast in certain ways or I will get dizzy for a few seconds.

[Jigfishn10]

OMG. @N Florida Mike and @Choporoz, not sure who wins the worst vertigo experience, glad you both made it through. Agh!

 

Anyway, I went to see the doc and yes I have vertigo. Thankfully not bad. He found some wax build-up in my inner ear and flushed it out. Gave me some exercises to do and hopefully it will clear itself in a couple of weeks.

 

 

[scaleface]

Recently , I had it two mornings in a row . Felt like I just came off a carnival ride . Fell down both mornings . Went to the doctor and he put a heart monitor on me . My pulse gets down to the 30's at night . Any way it hasnt happenned since .

[Jmilburn76]

I had it for about a month after my head injury and stroke. It was terrible if I moved my head at all I felt like I was going to pass out. I even fell into one of the physical therapist I had in the hospital. Once I started outpatient therapy one of the techs wanted to try the Epley Maneuver to see if it helped. It took three tries but it worked 100% and I havent had any issues since. 

 

His theory was the impact from the car parts falling onto my head knocked the crystals out of whack in my ears. The crazy part to me was that the neurosurgeon who did my brain surgery, a neurologist, ER Drs, nurses and in-patient physical therapists had even questioned  that could be what was causing the dizzy spells and nausea.  My wife gets it from time to time and it puts her down for a few days.

[volzfan59]

I've had two concussions in my life. I suffer with vertigo as a result and it's no fun. I don't remember what it was, but I was prescribed meds years ago. They made me feel worse than the vertigo.

There are several videos from Physical Therapist's on YouTube that give excellent advice, however if it's to bad you should see your MD.

First, you have to know which direction your head is in when you get an attack, mine always seems to be from the right. For me, I lay down and turn my head to the right to really bring on the attack. This is key, once the room starts spinning, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN until the ride/attack stops! I don't know why, but that's important. In less than a minute, the room will stop. Depending on the severity of the attack, you might have to repeat it a few times but each time the room stops spinning quicker. I know that it sounds crazy, but it has worked for me every time.

[Jig Man]

I started getting it about 10 years ago.  It was really bad for a while.  I was told to drink at least 1/2 gallon of extra water daily.  I have a prescribed med, Meclizine, which I am to take if it lasts over 10 minutes.

 

Lately it comes an goes.  When it hits it happens every day for several days in a row,  then it’s gone for a while.

[Jigfishn10]

4 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

First, you have to know which direction your head is in when you get an attack, mine always seems to be from the right. For me, I lay down and turn my head to the right to really bring on the attack. This is key, once the room starts spinning, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN until the ride/attack stops! I don't know why, but that's important. In less than a minute, the room will stop. Depending on the severity of the attack, you might have to repeat it a few times but each time the room stops spinning quicker. I know that it sounds crazy, but it has worked for me every time.

My doc prescribed a similar exercise for me to do twice daily. Your point about keeping your eyes open is one that I'm sure I'll keep forgetting. Thanks for your post.

3 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I started getting it about 10 years ago.  It was really bad for a while.  I was told to drink at least 1/2 gallon of extra water daily.  I have a prescribed med which I am to take if it lasts over 10 minutes.

 

Lately it comes an goes.  When it hits it happens every day for several days in a row,  then it’s gone for a while.

Thank you for this reminder, I was told to stay hydrated as well.

[deaknh03]

I've had it off and on for 6 years. It comes and goes but its definitely frustrating.  

[Dirtyeggroll]

I see patients with vertigo every day. It comes in a few different varieties. Peripheral and central. It is truly debilitating for some.

 

Peripheral is something wrong with the hearing organ itself or mechanisms by which balance is sensed. 

 

Central is something wrong with the processing of the balance information by the brain.

 

There can be a few different causes for each.

 

There is specific testing, vestibular testing, that can delineate between the two which can help determine need for additional therapy and specify treatment

 

Sometimes getting a hearing test is an important factor and possibly evaluation by an ENT doctor to determine if you need further testing.

 

Hope it gets better.

 

 

[volzfan59]

1 hour ago, Jigfishn10 said:

My doc prescribed a similar exercise for me to do twice daily. Your point about keeping your eyes open is one that I'm sure I'll keep forgetting. Thanks for your post.

Thank you for this reminder, I was told to stay hydrated as well.

I should have added, keep your eyes open until the room stops spinning. It sounds easier than it is. Thanks for the hydration suggestion. I could do better in that area.

[Sam]

I had Meniere's disease.

 

No fun. Took about two years for it to totally go away.

 

Doctor gave me Rx for Meclizine and todl me to also take some over the counter dizzy meds when I felt an attack coming.

 

Have her ask her doctor to test her for Meniere's disease.

 

And remember, most eye, ear, and nose doctors have no idea about Meniere's disease so have her find one that knows about it.

 

Here is a blurb from the Internet:

Signs and symptoms of Meniere's disease include: Recurring episodes of vertigo. You have a spinning sensation that starts and stops spontaneously. Episodes of vertigo occur without warning and usually last 20 minutes to several hours, but not more than 24 hours. Severe vertigo can cause nausea.

 

Good luck.

[Dirtyeggroll]

On 7/13/2022 at 11:28 AM, Sam said:

 ear, and nose doctors have no idea about Meniere's disease so have her find one that knows about it.

 

Any board certified ear, nose and throat doctor should know about Ménière’s disease and initial treatment and management. If they don’t, I recommend you find a new one and I say this as an ear, nose and throat doctor.

 

Now not all ear, nose and throat doctors can surgically manage Meniere’s. For that you would likely need an Otologist for which a good ENT would refer you.

[NorcalBassin]

If you're fortunate enough to have a PT nearby with advanced vestibular training they can work wonders even with stubborn cases (e.g., chronic post-concussion), and many PT's with just remedial vestibular training can take care of acute bppv. 

[Sam]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:22 PM, Dirtyeggroll said:

Any board certified ear, nose and throat doctor should know about Ménière’s disease and initial treatment and management. If they don’t, I recommend you find a new one and I say this as an ear, nose and throat doctor.

 

Now not all ear, nose and throat doctors can surgically manage Meniere’s. For that you would likely need an Otologist for which a good ENT would refer you.

Dirty, first ENT I saw had no idea what was going on. It was only after I went to the "Dizzy Doctor" that we found the problem. 

 

You are right, to go another ENT for their opinion.