topic Re: Positional Vertigo in Wellness

Positional Vertigo

conlt — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:31:23 GMT

I started with pressure in 1 ear and positional vertigo in July. I went to urgent care and the NP said my eardrum looked tight. I was put on antibiotics and prednisone which did help, but my symptoms came back. I went back to urgent care with the same symptoms and they gave me ear drops with some relief. Then it came back again, I went to another urgent care and was put on antibiotics and prednisone again. They symptoms are back. I finally have an appointment with an ENT, thanks to my primary care MD.

Has anyone experienced this? Sometimes, I have pain shooting up from my ear and it feels like it is behind my eye. I get nauseated and have to sit with my eyes closed because of the nausea and dizziness.

Has anyone had this? I think I need physical therapy to straighten me out for the vestibular system. Lucky, I have some anti nausea medications that are prescribed to me for another reason.

Has anyone had these symptoms and a resolution? I see the ear, nose, and throat MD on Wednesday.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Shelbelle — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:40:08 GMT

I am not sure what you have is the same, but my SIL had about with vertigo end of Sept, he was in hospital for a few days getting checked out. He has been in PT for the last month or so, I think it has helped him wth balance.

Re: Positional Vertigo

gluten free 5 — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:50:52 GMT

I had this problem for many years. Thought it was my ear,TMJ, and my neck. I tried physical therapy. Sometimes it worked. But anytime they massaged my neck, I felt pressure from my ear into my eyes. Currently I use a device called a Zok. It relieves the pressure in my ear and head. You can get it on their website.That works for me, everyone is different. Hope you find what works for you.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Ronettes — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:55:53 GMT

I've had two episodes of vertigo, and a nurse told me it can be caused by allergies -

My doctor put me on an antibiotic and meclizine, which cleared it right up.

It is frightening, and also causes me to be nauseous, which is horrible along with the severe dizziness, making the room spin.

There are videos on youtube showing you how to lay down and turn your head from side to side, which readjusts the 'crystals' in the ear drum which cause that dreadful dizziness.

Worked for me, and now I am careful to take Allegra D, a decongestant, at the first sign of dizziness. This keeps my sinuses clear, the sinuses and ears affect each other.

Only happens seasonally, so mine is definitely allergy driven. And don't touch the eyes with your fingers.

Good Luck, and avoid going outside when landscapers are working and using those powerful blowers which force debris up into the air. I cover my mouth and nose with a mask if I am walking outside when they are working.

Once I understood how vertigo can be triggered, I haven't had any more experiences with it.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Icegoddess — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:59:29 GMT

I've had many bouts with positional vertigo, but mine is caused by crystals in the ear canal. They break off and get in the canal causing the problem. They cannot be removed. They just have to be re-positioned to a place where it is no longer a problem. There's a maneuver to do this called the Epley maneuver, but it's important to know which ear it's in because you need to start with that side or it can make it worse.

That type of vertigo is pretty easy to diagnose. For me, it was usually when I would turn over on my side in bed and the world would start spinning.

I had a bad case that just wouldn't go away during Covid. Even went to my ENT's Balance Center ($$$) where they have special equpment that ealuates your eyes during different movements. The nurse did perform the Epley on me, and I gradually got better, but even now I don't like laying flat on my back or looking straight up.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Irmasdc — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:07:53 GMT

I know exactly what you're talking about. I too went thru this "phase" back in 2015 that started just as you said, vertigo, eye pain, headache & ear pain. I also had this weird feeling that when putting the car in park, too me it felt as if the ground was still moving. This scared the #%&$ outta me. MRI, ct scans & several Drs later I finally was sent to a Neuro Opthamolgist. He knew exactly what was wrong and visual physical therapy began. I was diagnosed with TBI, Motion Induced Disequilibrium, Migraine disorder & Focal Seizures. My vision was suddenly picking up fluorescent lighting on monitors & overhead lighting in basically all business. This was Jan 2015, I applied and was approved for Disability in Aug 2015. 8mo wait where it's normally a 2-3yr wait along with appeals. I don't know if you wear glasses but mine were switched to blue tints to remove certain lights and colors. I was put on seizure meds that I still take 2x a day.

I know this is frightening bc it's your whole area if that makes sense. It's an uncomfortable position bc you feel like the ground is giving way so you're completely off balance (or at least I was). It's very hard describing your symptoms bc it enlists several different Drs. ENT, Optometry, Nuerologist, and your primary who is at a loss.

If you can find one, look for a Neuro Opthomologist. Regular eye Dr’s are no help or at least not to me. The most frightening symptom I had was while driving, my peripheral vision tried being the dominant so I was never ever comfortable in any surroundings. It was almost a yr till my meds were regulated. I have to have my glasses changed 2x a yr due to such drastic changes I still have today. Good luck, I really hope you find someone near you. If you can, just for an idea of what you may need to look for, look up:

Dr. Paul Lederer, Arlington Heights IL

Re: Positional Vertigo

Carmie — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:09:57 GMT

I suffer from this from time to time. It is awful. It can hit me out of nowhere and I can't move my head without getting sick...nausea.

I once could not move for over 24 hours and thought my bladder was going to burst. I could not get up to go to the bathroom and didn't want to ruin my sofa.

My doctor gave me some pills that help. When I looked them up online, they were the same as Bonine which is used for motion sickness and is available over the counter.

The pills do help. I always have them with me all of the time and will take them immediately if I feel an episode coming on. I am afraid I will get a episode while away from home while alone

I also suffer from motion sickness. When I was a child, I couldn't travel in a car more than a few miles without getting sick. It was a big production to take me anywhere.

I feel for you. I hope you can some relief.

Re: Positional Vertigo

granddi — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:27:36 GMT

@Icegoddess Epley maneuver, Very important advice. Very easy instrucitons on YouTube.

It's interesting that you mentioed COVID related inner ear/balance/verigo related symptoms.

I lost part of my hearing in one ear after my first (or second) covid vaccine. At the time there was not a lot of medical experiences with such reports. Now the ENT says yes they are hearing lots of reports/complaints from patients involving hearing loss- vertigo associated with covid. The audiologist said their office if full of covid related hearing loss.

After having covid I had positional vertigo. In office Epley was done and then I followed at home. It was the most nauseated horrible feeling. It was worse than thje vertigo but it resolved after 2-3 treatments. I also took steroids too.

Re: Positional Vertigo

ciao_bella — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:30:07 GMT

My daughter gets vertigo and when she went to the ER they gave her meclazine tablets and it cleared fairly quickly.

Dramamine, sold for motion sickness, that has the ingredient, Meclazine, in it is the one to get. There are two choices in Dramamine, one with and one without Meclazine. Make sure you get the one WITH Meclazine in it. My daughter carries a small tube of Dramamine with the active ingredient Meclazine in her purse at all times.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Effie54 — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:30:00 GMT

I had something similar in 2018. I went to 2 ENT's. The first one was useless. The 2nd said it was due to a virus. I'm allergic to steroids, so it's a no-no for me to take any. It did take 2 months for it to go away. It all depends on if yours is allergy, virus or loose crystal driven. I hope you feel better soon.

Re: Positional Vertigo

silver Goldie — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:45:22 GMT

@ciao_bella wrote:
My daughter gets vertigo and when she went to the ER they gave her meclazine tablets and it cleared fairly quickly.

Dramamine, sold for motion sickness, that has the ingredient, Meclazine, in it is the one to get. There are two choices in Dramamine, one with and one without Meclazine. Make sure you get the one WITH Meclazine in it. My daughter carries a small tube of Dramamine with the active ingredient Meclazine in her purse at all times.

i totally agree on the Meclazine and Dramamine tabs. I had an inner ear infection in July and was on my back for a whole week. I crawled to the bathroom. Finally I got a hold of my doctor's nurse and she told me to get over the counter Dramamine. Later my doctor told me that taking two Dramamine tabs was the equivalent of one Meclazine which needs a prescription.

I think my problem was a result of having the shingles shot because I also got one of the other algeric reactions - hives. I stopped plugging my ears up with ear plugs and won't use those ever again. I think your ears need to breathe at night too.

Good luck to you.

Re: Positional Vertigo

kate2357 — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:53:52 GMT

@ciao_bella wrote:
My daughter gets vertigo and when she went to the ER they gave her meclazine tablets and it cleared fairly quickly.

Dramamine, sold for motion sickness, that has the ingredient, Meclazine, in it is the one to get. There are two choices in Dramamine, one with and one without Meclazine. Make sure you get the one WITH Meclazine in it. My daughter carries a small tube of Dramamine with the active ingredient Meclazine in her purse at all times.

@ciao_bella

This is very helpful information. I recently had an episode of vertigo and it is so very debilitating. I bought the wrong dramamine, now I can get the kind with the ingredient you mentioned and have it on hand.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Carmie — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 18:27:26 GMT

IMO, Bonine is better than Dramamine. Bonine doesn't make me sleepy and it can be taken without water. It is a raspberry flavored chewable tablet.

Dramamine tastes bitter to me and needs water to be swallowed. The tastes me sick. It is difficult to swallow a pill when vertigo hits. Just the taste makes me throw up.

You also have to buy the less drowsy Dramamine to get the mecalazine ingredient.

Re: Positional Vertigo

haddon9 — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 18:47:13 GMT

I had vertigo that lasted from the end of Aug. last year to the first week of Dec. It would come & go. Sometimes a few days would go by and I would feel fine but then it would come back.

One time in particular I was driving down 95 to take DH to his therapy and I thought that I was going to faint. I had to pull over for a while before continuing. I would become very woozy & light headed.

I realized that if I kept my head in a certain position I would fee much better. I went online and there are YouTube videos on how to do the Epley maneuver.

I also spoke to my doctor about it and she suggested trying the maneuver. I had to do it several times before it finally went away.

If you realize that the symptms aren't bad when holding your head a certain way than the Epley maneuver probably will work for you.

It's an awful feeling! ...good luck!

Re: Positional Vertigo

Icegoddess — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 18:53:11 GMT

@granddi wrote:
@Icegoddess Epley maneuver, Very important advice. Very easy instrucitons on YouTube.

It's interesting that you mentioed COVID related inner ear/balance/verigo related symptoms.

I lost part of my hearing in one ear after my first (or second) covid vaccine. At the time there was not a lot of medical experiences with such reports. Now the ENT says yes they are hearing lots of reports/complaints from patients involving hearing loss- vertigo associated with covid. The audiologist said their office if full of covid related hearing loss.

After having covid I had positional vertigo. In office Epley was done and then I followed at home. It was the most nauseated horrible feeling. It was worse than thje vertigo but it resolved after 2-3 treatments. I also took steroids too.

@granddi , I don't know if that episode had anything to do with the shot or with having Covid. I had my shot in May and I had my normal yearly visit to my ear doctor in June. No problems at that time. However, I returned in late August with the problem, which I had had already for a couple of weeks.

I can't remember exactly when I had Covid. It was after having the shot though. DH brought it home to me. It was a very mild case consisting mostly of a headache. As long as I took Advil Cold & Sinus, I could keep it at bay though. I also lost my sense of smell. No lingering effects that I know of.

Re: Positional Vertigo

ALRATIBA — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 20:26:49 GMT

@conlt

I've had a three episodes over the years. MDs prescribed antihistamine Meclizine.

Also - there's OTC Dramamine that one doc told me about - I keep some around just in case of another episode. If you can't get to the doc, check with your local druggist.

Re: Positional Vertigo

conlt — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 20:50:47 GMT

Thank you for all of the responses. I just ordered some Bonine on Amazon. My Vertigo comes and goes. My primary care thought I might have TMJ, then low blood pressure. I don't think the dizziness is from either. It is only in my left ear and it feels "full" sometimes.

Interesting the poster that posted about the eye. I was at my Ophthalmologist a few weeks ago and he saw an abnormality in that left eye. He follows me very closely and this spot is new. He asked me about a condition that I have called Prolactemia. I have 2 benign tumors on my Pituitay Gland that once secreted prolactin. My body was all messed up, thinking it was pregnant. The Pituitary sits right behind the eyes and the tumors can press on the optic nerve and cause blindness, usually with the peripheral vision.

I was surprised when he asked me about the Prolactemia because I am in remission with it since 2017. I have had no problems since then.

I might need to get another head MRI so they can see what is going on.

The Pituitary is no where near the ear but who knows.

Vertigo is miserable.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Q4u — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 21:31:01 GMT

I have had vertigo and it is a horrible, debilitating thing. I also get dizzy because I have a hard time drinking the amount of water/liquids I should, and I really do try. The other aspect of my dizzyness was my thyroid. It was determined that was one of the issues and I went on Tyroid medication, which has stopped any vertigo (been 3 years.) If I get dehydrated and dizzy I immediately drink water and is goes away in about 30 minutes.

Re: Positional Vertigo

cindyNC — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 22:59:19 GMT

I've had bouts of vertigo from sitting too long and then standing. The doctors told me it was from the circulation being cut off from my legs while sitting. Then a few weeks ago, I blacked out and fell....hurt my knees, sprained my ankle. This time my doctor told me it was from the crystals in my ears. She said she could see my eyes going in and out of focus and was surprised I was able to drive to the office.

Was speaking to the BF's DIL, and her mother had the vertigo issues..........due to an undiagnosed UTI. Funny thing is that the week prior to my episode, I had just ended medication for a UTI.

So who knows at this point! I was prescribled the same medication that's in sea sickness pills...a few of you have mentioned it in this post.

Re: Positional Vertigo

Ronettes — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 15:19:59 GMT

@conlt wrote:
Thank you for all of the responses. I just ordered some Bonine on Amazon. My Vertigo comes and goes. My primary care thought I might have TMJ, then low blood pressure. I don't think the dizziness is from either. It is only in my left ear and it feels "full" sometimes.

Exactly why I use Allegra D, a decongestant to dry out my sinuses, which helps my ears, when I start feeling any type of dizziness.