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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

@maximillian

 

Aside from the tome I just wrote, wanted to provide a bit of advice for your suffering friend.

 

If she has positional vertigo, the best thing she can do is to avoid those head movements or positions which cause her to immediately experience vertigo.

 

For instance, when I'm having a vertigo issue, if I lay down in bed and turn my head to the left,  WHOA!,  it gets really bad, so I absolutely must not turn my head to the left when laying down on a flat surface.  (When this occurs, I had to immediately turn my head all the way to the right.)

 

Likewise, when the doc and PT messed up with me in our new city and I had many positional issues, it was heck just getting up off the toilet because most of us tend to lead with our heads and dip it some.  If I even dipped my head a tad, the whole room would spin.  Not something you want to do coming off the toilet.  LOL!  So, we had to get one of those aluminum arm frame things for around the toilet that provides an arm on the left and right so that I could rise vertically off of the seat versus moving forward and dipping my head slightly.  There's much more, but this gives you 2 ideas to share with your friend.

 

In avoiding the positions which exacerbate the vertigo, I was able to avoid a visit to my ENT via Alaska Airlines, as the vertigo resolved within 3 weeks.  However, I had to be extremely careful regarding body positions, the act of positioning and where my head was at all times.

 

Hoping for all the best for your friend.

Regular Contributor
Posts: 170
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Here is video of the eply manuever being done in office. There are exercises you can do at home as well.  https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Self+Epley+Maneuver&&view=detail&mid=98D33631CC52EC409CAF98D336...

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,427
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@LogoFan wrote:

@bonnielu wrote:

I suffer from this.  I get it twice a year usually when the weather changes.  It cannot be cured I am told.  If the crystals shift, usually when I turn my head in bed I get a sensation of dizziness where  I spin...everything is upside down and whirling.  It lasts about 10 seconds and then it takes a day or two for me to feel comfortable.  I do believe my grandmother had this.  I used to sit with her and hold her hand.  

 

The best treatment was the Epley technique but it is a movement that thrusts you forward and back and makes you dizzy until the dizziness disappears. My doctor who helped me with this retired.  NO more help. I am on my own.  I found a physical therapist who  gave me some exercises to do at home.  

 

When it strikes it is beyond words scary.  


Bonnielu, just an FYI.  I learned from my treatment with Chicago Dizziness and Hearing that there are more maneuvers than the Epley.  That works for a lot of patients.  However, it is used by physicians to attempt to eliminate vertigo.  Did not work for me.  I cannot even recall the name of the maneuver I do daily at home.  It is not the Epley.  This is the reason that Dr. Timothy Hain helped me.  With their equipment they can determine various things that will work depending upon the position of those crystals in the ear canal.  Just a thought, but if you are not in my Chicago area, perhaps you can call Dr. Hain's office and ask if they have a recommendation for a specialist in your area.

 

Take care and God Bless you.  Happy New Year to all !!!


@LogoFan.....could you describe the different maneuver you use?  I have tried the epley (when I have the courage to do it) and I never found it helpful.

 

I have a long history of vertigo attacks....1st one when I was 20....I always got up and flipped my head upside down to wash my hair under sink faucet.  Well this morning when I got out of bed quickly I fell down....felt strange/dizzy....went into bathroom to wash hair and that's when the whirling vertigo happened.  I had no idea what was happening.  I was messed up for about 1 week....it was the most awful experience.  I was so nauseated....horribly so.  My second bout was when I was pregnant with 1st child.  And then another attack several yrs later.  Finally husband and I went to ENT and he did a few tests not much but told me I most likely had Meniere's Disease!  went home and read about that and well needless to say that's a awful thing to have.  He never did any Eply on me and it was never mentioned.  Gave me script for diruectic...and antivert.  I sorta lived with it the best I could...caused terrible panic attacks when I get vertigo attacks and terrible of the charts nausea/vomiting.

 

I waited for my hearing to go....it never happened though.  YRS later I decided to go see a different ENT.  He did many more tests....MRI and ones tracking my eye movement in dark room....warm/cold water in ears to make room whirl and so on....all IMO horrible to go thur.  I cried....sorry but that's how awful it is for me.

 

Told me he really couldn't tell me why I am having vertigo attacks....not Meniere's as I would be deaf by now for sure and my hearing is perfect...pressure in my ears normal.  He did give me script for promenthazine....I still have it renewed.  And a script for PT....I was to frightened to go though.  Just the idea of anyone on purpose moving my head around triggering up vertigo on me and well forget it....I can't do it.  

 

So I live struggling with it....lately I have been having small bouts with it.  Sleeping with my head elevated...laying flat will bring it on whether it's my back or side doesn't matter.  But I'll say this leaning forward over the toilet vomiting doesn't make the room spin more....so leaning abit forward and not turning my head is a better position. 

 

I am of course the kind of person that gets car sick....sea sick....watching certain TV shows they way they film zooming in and out and all around as fast as possible SICK....I just try to avoid all of it and function that way.  For people who don't have this as a problem all I can say is read about it online and be understanding of us that suffer with it.  It truly is awful....heck the military even developed a weapon (sonic thing) that they can aim and it will induce vertigo (shudder) on the enemy!  It worked when they tested it out...as they said it can take down the biggest and strongest of men...you'll be completely wiped out on the ground.  I remind my H of this when he isn't the most understanding and used to tell me to "will it away" as if that works for anything in life!

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 35,612
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

What triggers my vertigo is dehydration. I am super careful about getting enough water because of this. I can feel an attack coming on when I haven't drank enough water.  I hate that feeling. Usually it goes away quickly when I drink lots of water at once. Otherwise it goes into a full vertigo attack and I can't walk or do anything but vomit.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,062
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

@tsavorite wrote:

 

!!!@LogoFan.....could you describe the different maneuver you use?  I have tried the epley (when I have the courage to do it) and I never found it helpful.

 

I have a long history of vertigo attacks....1st one when I was 20....I always got up and flipped my head upside down to wash my hair under sink faucet.  Well this morning when I got out of bed quickly I fell down....felt strange/dizzy....went into bathroom to wash hair and that's when the whirling vertigo happened.  I had no idea what was happening.  I was messed up for about 1 week....it was the most awful experience.  I was so nauseated....horribly so.  My second bout was when I was pregnant with 1st child.  And then another attack several yrs later.  Finally husband and I went to ENT and he did a few tests not much but told me I most likely had Meniere's Disease!  went home and read about that and well needless to say that's a awful thing to have.  He never did any Eply on me and it was never mentioned.  Gave me script for diruectic...and antivert.  I sorta lived with it the best I could...caused terrible panic attacks when I get vertigo attacks and terrible of the charts nausea/vomiting.

 

I waited for my hearing to go....it never happened though.  YRS later I decided to go see a different ENT.  He did many more tests....MRI and ones tracking my eye movement in dark room....warm/cold water in ears to make room whirl and so on....all IMO horrible to go thur.  I cried....sorry but that's how awful it is for me.

 

Told me he really couldn't tell me why I am having vertigo attacks....not Meniere's as I would be deaf by now for sure and my hearing is perfect...pressure in my ears normal.  He did give me script for promenthazine....I still have it renewed.  And a script for PT....I was to frightened to go though.  Just the idea of anyone on purpose moving my head around triggering up vertigo on me and well forget it....I can't do it.  

 

So I live struggling with it....lately I have been having small bouts with it.  Sleeping with my head elevated...laying flat will bring it on whether it's my back or side doesn't matter.  But I'll say this leaning forward over the toilet vomiting doesn't make the room spin more....so leaning abit forward and not turning my head is a better position. 

 

I am of course the kind of person that gets car sick....sea sick....watching certain TV shows they way they film zooming in and out and all around as fast as possible SICK....I just try to avoid all of it and function that way.  For people who don't have this as a problem all I can say is read about it online and be understanding of us that suffer with it.  It truly is awful....heck the military even developed a weapon (sonic thing) that they can aim and it will induce vertigo (shudder) on the enemy!  It worked when they tested it out...as they said it can take down the biggest and strongest of men...you'll be completely wiped out on the ground.  I remind my H of this when he isn't the most understanding and used to tell me to "will it away" as if that works for anything in life!

 

Tsavorite, I cried when reading you post.  Do not ever apologize for your feelings.  We all understand and have been there.

 

I did indicate that I do not know the name of the manever I do as maintenace at home every day, and is really hard to ddescribe.  I actually made the decision to keep doing this, but I have no major issues and Dr. Hain agrees it cannot hurt.  Everything I do is based on my diagnosis of BPPV "Bilateral Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo."  There are multiple conditions that cause vertigo.

 

I recognize some of your triggers.  I have not been to a movie or taken the subway here in Chicago because I am afraid the loud noises and movements would trigger a problem.  I understand those TV shows with crazy movement.  I also never lay on my back without elevation that is sometimes necessary for other medical visits of tests, etc.

 

There is no way I would ever try to give medical advice because we are all different.  A lot of your symptoms sound similar to mine - that is all I can say.  I sleep only on my left side because the major part of my issue with those crystals is in my right ear (that decision for me was made during therapy at Chicago Dizziness and Hearing).  I mentioned earlier the state of the art equipment they use that pinpoints things no ENT or physical therapist can do.

 

One thing I can share is drink lots of water and keep your sodium intake down.  I limit myself to 2,000 mg of sodium per day, or less.  When you start counting sodium, you will see how difficult this can be sometimes.

 

I do not know where you live.  Perhaps you can call Chicago Dizziness and Hearing here in Chicago for a possible referral to a specialist in your area (or even call Mayo Clinic for a referral).

 

Never let anyone minimize your hurt over this issue.  I would give anything to wish this condition (and others)  away.  I totally understand because I cannot ever achieve perfection with my symptoms because of other issues pertaining to my head.

 

Hope this helps a little.