Vertigo OT

I have benign positional vertigo. Mine is caused by the little crystals of deposits getting loose inside the inner ear. I feel bad for you because I know how awful vertigo can be. The first time I was diagnosed, the ENT did the Epley maneuver to me in his office. They taught me how to do it(you can learn on youtube) and now I do it whenever mine flares up. It can make you terribly nauseous to do the maneuver but I will deal with it if it helps, which it does. The maneuver is suppose to help 85% of people that do it. Also, sleep with your pillow raised or two pillows, and taking a decongestant can help drain anything in your head that can be contributing to the problem. Fell better!

On 1/10/2014 tiamaria said:

I have benign positional vertigo. Mine is caused by the little crystals of deposits getting loose inside the inner ear. I feel bad for you because I know how awful vertigo can be. The first time I was diagnosed, the ENT did the Epley maneuver to me in his office. They taught me how to do it(you can learn on youtube) and now I do it whenever mine flares up. It can make you terribly nauseous to do the maneuver but I will deal with it if it helps, which it does. The maneuver is suppose to help 85% of people that do it. Also, sleep with your pillow raised or two pillows, and taking a decongestant can help drain anything in your head that can be contributing to the problem. Fell better!

Totally agree w/Tiamaria: Epley is a great maneuver and if it works, ear,nose, throat doctor ("ENT") said important to keep head steady for next 24 hours, trying not to move head independently of neck. Even if the maneuver works, I would suggest following up with a visit to the doctor.

Lots of luck.

On 1/10/2014 tiamaria said:

I have benign positional vertigo. Mine is caused by the little crystals of deposits getting loose inside the inner ear. I feel bad for you because I know how awful vertigo can be. The first time I was diagnosed, the ENT did the Epley maneuver to me in his office. They taught me how to do it(you can learn on youtube) and now I do it whenever mine flares up. It can make you terribly nauseous to do the maneuver but I will deal with it if it helps, which it does. The maneuver is suppose to help 85% of people that do it. Also, sleep with your pillow raised or two pillows, and taking a decongestant can help drain anything in your head that can be contributing to the problem. Fell better!

tiamaria, I could have written these exact words. When Vertigo gets really bad for me, I also experience panic attacks. Not fun!

Usedtobeoxox I hope you are feeling better soon.

My husband and I both went thru this vertigo thing last weekend. He was nauseous with his, but I didn't suffer that. It was a 24 hour bug, I think. but I couldn't move from sitting up to laying down or trying to get up, without the dizziness going on. Strange little bug!!!

Never experienced vertigo in my life until I had Shingles last spring. Since then it comes and goes - a few days off and then back for a month or so. I am going to check into the Epley maneuver - it might not be good for me, but anything is better than this darn Vertigo!

Me too Tiamaria! It's an annoying and yet horrid thing to have...I hate it

I also get terribly sick from any of those maneuvers to move those crystals around...I wind up having to take Rx anti-nausea meds--which then zonk me out for a full day...I always have to have someone checking on me to make sure I'm still breathing after that stuff

I got Zolfran at the ER last year--works like a charm for the nausea. They can give you an Rx for the generic version, because the brand-name is like $300 a pill! It's for chemo patients to help them not be nauseous without any drug side effects...Insurance won't cover non-cancer patients getting the brand name drug unfortunately.

Me too. Five years of this on and off. But it is getting better. I do sleep with pillows and I am cautious about fast turning head moves. I alert dentists not to bring me back to flat and I have stopped dying my hair (cannot lean back in a sink at salon). I don't do the Epley as it scares me to induce the vertigo.

I would have thought I was dying first time around, but I had experience trying to help a friend with the same condition.

I am basically scared that it will happen again. When I go to bed and wake up, I automatically look up at my ceiling fan and if it is not going around upside down I consider myself one lucky gal.

My boss of 40 years and dear friend just developed vertigo. It is awful. The first time it hit him in the office I called the paramedics. I have never seen anyone vomit so much and for so long. He was dizzy and sweating. I was sure he was having a heart attack. He does have a heart condition.

It is amazing how debilitating this is. He is seeing a specialist at the University of Miami and they just put him on prednisone for 3 weeks. He just started so I cannot give you any updates.

He has gotten ill in the office about 4 times. He keeps a collar in the office and if he feels anything he puts the collar on, stands straight against a wall and puts ice on his forehead. This has not been very successful.

I did order bags for when he gets sick. They are wonderful. The paramedics use them. It automatically seals the contents inside through an inner valve. You can keep it close to you when you are sick and open it and close it. There is no odor or leakage and it can be easily disposed of.

For anyone interested they are called convenience bags for vomit and urine deposal. GKR Industries - 702-389-2003. I do not have a piece of that business lol.

I hope everyone feels better. If I hear of anything else I will report in.

I had a horrible experience with it a year or two ago. Went upstairs to my bedroom at my DD's and I got ready for bed and in a few minutes, my room was spinning around (the whole nine yards) etc so dizzy. It was horrible. Finally, I was able to tell that it could possibly be the detergent or fabric softener used on my sheets. (No cell phone nearby, my bedroom door was closed, other bedrooms were on other end of house. Finally, I heard someone downstairs in kitchen and was able to get help.)

With help from my DD & DSiL, I ended up sleeping on sofa and used my towel from home to cover my pillow. Washed the sheets with original Tide and no fabric softener. The next night, I was able to sleep on them with no problem.

Thank goodness she has now switched detergent, etc.

A friend of my sister's swears that eating salty foods can cause vertigo for him. I definitely believe that could be another cause.