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Vertigo - any sufferers ?

P

pianoman

pfm Member
More precisely it seems I've got BPV - benign positional vertigo. This means it's bad when laying down on my left side (room spins 10 seconds) then when turning over or getting up quickly, room spins again and 'rights ' itself. Same when looking up at anything. Haven't been to the docs yet, but online perusing points to this. I've had it on and off for some years, but it usually goes away after a few days. Trouble is, it's now hanging around and not shifting. Apparently it's inner ear crystals that need dislodging so exercises are recommending as there's no medication apparently. It can make you feel nauseous which is not nice, so just wondering if any of you know of it or can recommend anything to alleviate.
Thanks
 
Hope you feel better soon.
My partner has had it on and off for years and it can be terrifying. There's some yoga exercises on YT.
 
My profound sympathies, OP.

Vertigo has a bad press, in that most people imagine it to be trivial. I worked with someone who developed vertigo, a company man, so to speak, and he was off work, sick, for ages.

I wish that I had asked him how he eventually controlled it so that I could pass the information on, but I did not.

I hope thatyou find some decent relief soon.
 
I did not know I had vertigo ! This sounds exactly what has occurred to me now and again over the last few years.
Although touch wood not much lately. Yes, the first time it happens it's pretty scary ! Good luck !
 
zeon said:
I did not know I had vertigo ! This sounds exactly what has occurred to me now and again over the last few years.
Click to expand...

A bit like me and migrane.....
One morning I woke up feeling very, very unwell. After getting up, very, very briefly, I went back to bed, slept for 3-4-5 hours and woke up feeling "normal".
Descriptions at work produced comments that convince me that it was a migrane. Jeez, I'd rather not have another.........
 
Have you had a medical diagnosis?
If it’s crystals Epley and other manoeuvres are useful.
If it’s Meniere’s Disease they are useless. It has no known cause.
I have Meniere’s and take daily betahystine dihydrochloride to keep it away, which is effective, and have prochlorperaxine to reduce the nausea.
When I have an attack the vertigo is so bad I cannot even stay on my knees never mind stand, cannot see and vomit non stop.
First time I had an attack I thought I was having a stroke. My wife got me to the bathroom where I vomited until I was so exhausted I fell asleep on the bathroom floor. My wife just covered me until I woke an hour later. Attacks can last from a day to over a week.
 
I have a doc appointment lined up - resisted for years as it usually went away after a few days, but now it seems pretty permanent it's started worrying me more, so we'll see.
 
Many doc's have never heard of the Epley manoeuvre, thankfully my wife's had and although sceptical, the doc was open minded enough to firstly suggest it and then try it.
 
Other manoeuvres and exercises are available.

www.webmd.com

Home Exercises for Vertigo

The spinning sensation and dizziness you get from vertigo can limit your activities and make you feel sick. WebMD describes some simple maneuvers you can do at home that might bring relief, depending on the cause.
www.webmd.com www.webmd.com
 
The key to success with the Epley manoeuvre is not to tip your head for a week after you do it. In other words try and sleep with your head propped up. I know it’s uncomfortable but it will encourage the crystals to settle permanently, giving you lasting relief. Hth.
 
My sympathies pianoman, I’ve had BPPV for the last two years. Had the epley manoeuvre once which confirmed the diagnosis, helped massively but it has returned maybe ten times since. It tends to happen when I initially awaken and turn suddenly when horizontal or laying down in bed (wammers’s advice is sound).
If I’m not careful I bounce off the walls heading to the toilet first thing, not fallen yet but it’s a matter of time before I do.
Not linked but both my father and his sister both got meniere’s late in life in their 70’s and 80’s, not pleasant.
Anyway best wishes.
Oh, the test though not uncomfortable is weird as hell. I had a student doc in the room when my GP done the manoeuvre and she was told to watch my eyes as it was done. My eyes flickered horizontally at a rapid rate and unsurprisingly the room span but things settled after 30 sec as the doc rotated my head. I was good for a few months after that without issue.
 
I have it not all the time but have had some bad episodes from time to time, I’ve tablets for it but only take them when I’ve had an occurrence.

During the pandemic I had a particularly bad episode and ended up in the out of hours clinic doctor thought it was covid and I was tested twice in a couple of days but tested negative wasn’t until about two years later when I had another one that I realised that it was a severe vertigo episode.

I’ve had it for a good 20 years but I’d actually forgot I had it when I had the episode during the pandemic as I only have occurrences rarely sometimes it’s years between episode.

Probably been about two years now since the last time I had one bloody horrible experience though I end up having to go to bed when it happens.
 
Weekender said:
Hope you feel better soon.
My partner has had it on and off for years and it can be terrifying. There's some yoga exercises on YT.
Click to expand...

Aye there’s a head exercise that you can do to alleviate it it think you have to sort of whip your head to the right and back again quickly.
 
zeon said:
I did not know I had vertigo ! This sounds exactly what has occurred to me now and again over the last few years.
Although touch wood not much lately. Yes, the first time it happens it's pretty scary ! Good luck !
Click to expand...

Makes me sick/vomit like a really bad hangover last time I had it it was terrible ended having a phone appointment with the GP who diagnosed it over the phone then I remembered I’d been at the GP years ago for it and he confirmed that think he said 2004 or 2005.
 
wow&flutter said:
My sympathies pianoman, I’ve had BPPV for the last two years. Had the epley manoeuvre once which confirmed the diagnosis, helped massively but it has returned maybe ten times since. It tends to happen when I initially awaken and turn suddenly when horizontal or laying down in bed (wammers’s advice is sound).
If I’m not careful I bounce off the walls heading to the toilet first thing, not fallen yet but it’s a matter of time before I do.
Not linked but both my father and his sister both got meniere’s late in life in their 70’s and 80’s, not pleasant.
Anyway best wishes.
Oh, the test though not uncomfortable is weird as hell. I had a student doc in the room when my GP done the manoeuvre and she was told to watch my eyes as it was done. My eyes flickered horizontally at a rapid rate and unsurprisingly the room span but things settled after 30 sec as the doc rotated my head. I was good for a few months after that without issue.
Click to expand...
The eye flicker during the Epley manoeuvre is critical in determining what it is.
In Meniere’s the eyes do not flicker during the exercise.
 
Bob McC said:
The eye flicker during the Epley manoeuvre is critical in determining what it is.
In Meniere’s the eyes do not flicker during the exercise.
Click to expand...
Interesting Bob, thanks.Thinking back, I was warned by the doc in advance so though not a shock it was certainly weird as hell!
I believe at the time there was no understanding why the crystals build up in the tubes just that when dislodged they travel folding over the tiny balance hairs which in turn give conflicting messages to the brain. Ears say I’m falling, eyes say I’m upright, you try to believe your eyes but your brains in conflict.

I still occasionally get the spinning room feeling when going to bed as I hit the pillow but it subsides pretty quickly and as there’s no risk of falling it’s not really an issue. I’ve had it so long it doesn’t really bother me, just close my eyes and think of directional fuses. I nod off pretty quick after that!

I do remember some 30 odd years ago the daughter of family friends having a constant horizontal eye flicker, it was quite pronounced.Interestingly she never had any issues at all with her sight or balance. Not sure what was going on there.
 
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