Vertigo sucks

[regentrude]

Day four of a vertigo episode. Pretty sure it's Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; Dix-Hallpike test gave definite nystagmus. Had it before. Epley maneuver usually cured it fast, but not this time. Had to cancel two days of class and a reading event. 

Repeating maneuver but the triggered vertigo and nausea are very unpleasant. Acute vertigo is a bit improved but feel exhausted and wobbly, had to go back to bed after showering.

Best tips what else to try? I take dramamine at night but it makes me very tired. First ENT opening was in 2 weeks, have appointment. 

[Pawz4me]

I'm sorry. Vertigo is truly horrible. Bonine helps me, and makes me much less drowsy than Dramamine (which makes me completely useless). I hope you feel better soon.

[Kassia]

I'm sorry too.  Vertigo is absolutely miserable.  I hope it goes away soon.  😞 

[athena1277]

I had some bad vertigo about 2 years ago.  Not sure the exact cause.  We were on vacation and there was nothing available except ER in the area to get checked out, so didn’t see a doctor.  A friend who was dealing with vertigo because of cancer told me to try Sea Bands.  She even said that it sounds scammy, but it helped her a lot.  I bought some and used them for a while to deal with some less severe vertigo.  Since it’s not expensive or medication, it’s definitely worth trying.  I bought mine at Walgreens.

 

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

Bonine is meclizine. Dramamine is dimenhydrinate. Benadryl is dipenhydramine. I’d give them all a whirl and see if one works better than the other. Nausea is mostly a brain thing.
 

If you have seasonal allergies, I would treat those as well. We have noticed a correlation between allergy season and vertigo here. Nasal sprays like fluticasone help.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Try doing the Epley maneuver backwards.  I had it once where the usual method didn't work but going in reverse did. 

[Eos]

Dh once had it for about 5 days from a virus, any fever or aches?

[regentrude]

1 minute ago, Eos said:

Dh once had it for about 5 days from a virus, any fever or aches?

No. It's almost certainly bppv, not viral, the diagnostic test was clear

Edited February 26, 2023 by regentrude

[regentrude]

@Jean in Newcastle do you mean going to the opposite side, or starting with the nose down position on  side and then roll onto one's back?

[Jean in Newcastle]

35 minutes ago, regentrude said:

@Jean in Newcastle do you mean going to the opposite side, or starting with the nose down position on  side and then roll onto one's back?

I'm trying to remember!  I remember there was a footnote on one of the youtubes I saw on the maneuver which said that sometimes you had to do it backwards.  I think that meant rolling onto the back but I seem to remember going to the opposite side as well.  I think that I just tried a bunch of things . . . .

[porque?]

Agreed, it is not fun. I had it for a while and then haven't for about 20 years or so. No idea what changed! So no help but much commiseration!

[Carol in Cal.]

In my case it was resolved with one treatment of acupuncture, but that is unusual (per the acupuncturist.)

[bookbard]

Mine was ear-related. No other symptoms of ear issues. Dr was able to clear them out and fixed it. 

[alysee]

I've had it due to my sinuses. Tylenol sinus cleared up my vertigo after a few doses. 

[BeachGal]

Loose ear crystals often cause bppv but not always.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/bppv-why-loose-ear-crystals-make-you-dizzy-and-how-to-fix-them/

YouTube has videos showing exercises you can try to reposition the crystal(s). Try searching using reposition ear crystals or something like that.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Uggh!  You have my sympathies.  I had it several years ago and I couldn't drive for over 2 weeks.  The Epley maneuvers took several days for the bed spins to go away, but it took a couple weeks for me to feel like I could go down the stairs without fear of falling.  For the next couple months, I would get a mild dizzy spell which was helped by squatting/kneeling down and putting my head down like I was going to do a forward roll, then tossing my head back like I was throwing my wet hair over my head.  That seemed to toss those crystals back into place. 

I hope you find relief soon.  

[East Coast Sue]

I had vertigo so severe that I was too wobbly to position for the Epply maneuver without toppling over. I went to a physical therapy place and they were very capable at helping me fix the problem. Every other time I’ve had a problem, I could fix it on my own but that time I really needed help. Can you call a PT place to see if they’d help you? 

[Longtime Lurker]

Zofran for occasional acute episodes. I was diagnosed with Meniere's and my vertigo is triggered by lack of sleep, dehydration, and/or too much salt.

[Bootsie]

Oh, I had an episode of vertigo in the fall, and it was horrible.  Keeping myself well-hydrated helped some, but was difficult because I couldn't hold my head up to drink.  Alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and baby oil in the ears may have helped a bit.  I went to urgent care; doctor said dramamine might help but gave me a prescription for something similar and warned that it would make me sleepy--that was OK because I couldn't do anything anyway; she said unfortunately the most effective cure is time.  

[PinkTulip]

I wake up with vertigo a few times a year, so badly that I fall over when trying to walk. The Epley exercise never works for me, but one by Carol Foster does. There’s a YouTube video that I follow that works every time. 
 

I’m sorry you’re experiencing this - it really is the worst!

[Jenny in Florida]

Oh, man, I am so sorry.

I have BPPV, also. First serious episode was two or three years ago, not long after I fell and smacked my head. At the time, they did a full work-up and couldn't find anything else, so we eventually landed on BPPV. I went for a ride in the Epley chair, which  resolved the issue by the following day. 

Several months ago, it hit me again. That time, my primary care doc prescribed anti-vertigo and anti-nausea meds and had me ride it out. I spent a couple of days crawling from the couch to the bathroom and back, but I was back on my feet within a few days.

This time, I am into week four. My husband took me to urgent care the first day, because I literally couldn't get out of bed without falling down and/or barfing. Again, meds and instructions to follow up with my primary care. After a few days, I thought things were subsiding, then another bad day. I had a couple of good days and then it came back. And that has been the pattern with this bout. I went to a vestibular rehab appointment where they evaluated and Epley-ed me, and things got better again. Friday I was fine. Saturday I drove myself to WDW and walked a 10K, then went out with my husband to a community event.

Yesterday, I spent the morning in the kitchen prepping lunches for the two of us for this week and making plans to take our elder kiddo to WDW for the afternoon/evening. I bent down to put a dish in the dishwasher and the world started spinning again. I made my way to the couch and ended up having to stay there until bedtime.

Today is my first day on my new job, and my husband has to drive me. I am hoping I will be able to make it through the day in the office. I will take half a pill, which should help stave off the worst of the vertigo, but also tends to make me very drowsy. 

Tomorrow I have another PT appointment, and I'm really hoping they can give me enough of a tune-up to get through the week. 

It does truly suck. I feel so helpless and useless.

[regentrude]

@Jenny in Florida that sounds miserable.  So sorry you have this. I hope you're better soon.

[regentrude]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't remember the last time: is fatigue after an attack common? I don't feel vertigo at the moment but am utterly exhausted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[madteaparty]

Many years ago I had debilitating vertigo as a very physical symptom of an anxiety attack.(no nausea, but inability to walk without running into doors or walls, inability to type)  Took a while to diagnose as I did not feel anxious at the time. Very low dose Valium sorted it and have never had it like that again. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by madteaparty

[Bootsie]

20 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't remember the last time: is fatigue after an attack common? I don't feel vertigo at the moment but am utterly exhausted. 

 

I felt exhausted after an attack of vertigo.  The attack had come on suddenly. I was standing in the kitchen one evening making jam.  I had to lay down in the kitchen floor to keep from falling over.  DH came into the kitchen and tried to follow my instructions to finish processing the jars of jam I was filling so that the whole batch wasn't lost.  The next day was horrible and the following day I began to recover.  I don't know how much the exhaustion was from the medication and how much was from the experience; even though I couldn't do anything for two days I couldn't rest well either.  Also, I didn't know how much was exhaustion from being extra careful and tentative in case I began to feel bad again and needed to lie down immediately.  Also, may eating had been really disrupted. 

[dsmith]

Did you self-administer the Epley maneuver? It is much more effective when done by a doctor. I had been doing it myself and not getting much relief, maybe about 20% better. I finally went to an ENT specialist and when he did it it knocked it right out. There are some hospitals that have a mechanical chair thingy that does the Epley maneuver, don't remember what it's called, but apparently it can work better for some people. 

Edited to add: there are quite a few physical therapists in my area that can perform the Epley maneuver, may be worth calling around...

Edited February 27, 2023 by dsmith

[Jenny in Florida]

On 2/27/2023 at 12:45 PM, regentrude said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't remember the last time: is fatigue after an attack common? I don't feel vertigo at the moment but am utterly exhausted. 

I wanted to come back to respond to this question.

I had my second PT appointment today, and I asked the therapist about this, too, because I have also been just drained for the last couple of weeks. She said fatigue with vertigo is very common, because it's hard work for your body to try and maintain balance. 

I hope you are feeling better.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Jenny in Florida

[Kareni]

Sending good thoughts your way, @regentrude, and to all who are suffering from vertigo. I hope you will soon recover.

Regards,

Kareni

[Jaybee]

Bumping this thread back up because I woke up with vertigo for the first time ever. I woke up sometime in the night and felt it, but went back to sleep without waking up completely. This has been such a weird experience. When I woke up, I was attempting to sit up, and it was like violent gravitational pulls on me all over. I was only halfway up and fell immediately back down onto the bed. I had to go to the bathroom, so waited a little bit, then crawled. Dh had offered to help me, but I could tell that I wouldn't even be able to stand up and walk with help, and might make us both fall. I got him to bring my computer, and watched videos on the Epley maneuver. I had some trouble doing it correctly--not because the directions were not clear, but I was just so disoriented. I also looked up the Carol Foster video that @PinkTulip suggested, and have done it three times so far. 

Thank you so much for that suggestion. I can now walk around the house and was able to get a shower, but I am so tired and have a headache. I took a nap in the recliner a little bit ago.

I am supposed to be flying with dh on Saturday to meet our newest grandchild, and am really really hoping that I don't have any problems, because dd needs our help next week.

I read that I should sleep in a recliner or propped up for a few nights, which will be hard because I am a side sleeper. I am trying to be really careful about how I move my head so as not to trigger it again. I am wondering if there is anything else I should be doing (I will continue to do the Foster maneuvers periodically). Is there any reason to go to a doctor if those maneuvers helped? I'm not planning to, but ?? (My PCP is hard to get in to see.) Earlier, I was thinking that there is no way I could even go in to see a doctor, because I couldn't get out of bed. I have not been sick or anything--only extremely mild congestion, not even enough to take anything for it, but I did take some Benadryl this morning to try to help. I don't have any dramamine on hand.

[PinkTulip]

I’m so glad it worked for you - I have that video bookmarked and use it several times a year. 
 

As far as seeing your doctor, I never do after having vertigo, but I’m certainly not going to tell you not to if you think it’s appropriate. 
 

Congratulations on your newest grandchild! 

[Longtime Lurker]

Has anyone heard from @Jenny in Florida? This resurrected thread reminded me of her. I really enjoyed her posts.

[Arcadia]

@Jaybee my parents both had rare episodes of vertigo. My late mom’s vertigo was mainly due a combination of low blood pressure with anemia. My dad has no obvious triggers and it is likely due to him getting up too fast. My husband do get feelings of vertigo when his ears are so clogged that he can’t hear well. I have to clear my ears and nose before getting on a plane else the cabin pressure would make me feel yucky.  Hopefully its as simple as ears or nose being clogged for your case. 
I am a side sleeper but I sleep on an incline surface if I feel like heartburn. I just put my lumbar pillow on top of my king size pillow and sleep prop up. DS18 had reflux as a baby and also slept sideways on an incline pillow. 

Congrats on your newest grandchild and a safe uneventful flight.

[dsmith]

I would only go to an ENT or PT that can perform these maneuvers if you still have some residual vertigo, otherwise I wouldn't bother. When I was following these videos I was getting some relief, but I still had a good amount of vertigo left. The ENT performed the Epley and it knocked the rest of it out. I haven't tried the Foster maneuver - I'll have to check it out. Luckily I haven't had positional vertigo in quite a while. 

[Jaybee]

I am much better today! Only a tiny bit of dizziness now and then. I had read not to sleep flat, and not to sleep on the "bad" side. So even though it was hard to sleep propped up all night either on my back or my good side, but not my favorite side, I still slept well and feel pretty normal today. I took one Dramamine before bed last night, too. I did the Foster maneuver here and there throughout the day, and right before bed. I was feeling the vertigo more as it got closer to bedtime, but sleeping on the other side seems to have pretty much finished knocking it out.

This was so so much more than just "dizziness." It was so weird. I felt almost like I was being thrown back into the bed when I tried to sit up, and was so disoriented. I have never experienced anything like that, and am so glad it seems to be over. I will still be a bit careful with movement, but now I know that the maneuvers help, and if it happens again, I won't panic. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to travel, and I know dd needs us especially this coming week. So I am much relieved and thankful!

Edited March 29 by Jaybee
typo

[Kassia]

I'm so glad you're doing better.  Vertigo is absolutely miserable.  

[kbutton]

I had forgotten about this until recently—sometimes vertigo can go with barometric pressure migraines. I had not experienced it in decades, but DS and I both had very mild vertigo with migraines because of some weather a few weeks ago (we tend to twin with weather migraines). We felt pulled to one side with sensations of movement. The more traditional spinning would occur if we moved our heads too quickly.