Vertigo

[Cowgirl]

The doc told me today that I have vertigo. The past two days I have woken up feeling like the room was spinning. He said it usually clears up on its own. He gave me a prescription for the dizziness, and told me if it doesn't clear up in the next week, go back and he'll try some exercises. I've read about the exercises online, and I don't really want to do it unless I have to. The exercises involve turning your head from side to side, which makes me feel like I"m going to puke. One of my co-workers knew someone who had vertigo for months. Anyone ever had it? And if so, how long did it take to clear up? TIA!

 

[Nanny Pam]

The doc told me today that I have vertigo. The past two days I have woken up feeling like the room was spinning. He said it usually clears up on its own. He gave me a prescription for the dizziness, and told me if it doesn't clear up in the next week, go back and he'll try some exercises. I've read about the exercises online, and I don't really want to do it unless I have to. The exercises involve turning your head from side to side, which makes me feel like I"m going to puke. One of my co-workers knew someone who had vertigo for months. Anyone ever had it? And if so, how long did it take to clear up? TIA!

PM crabcake. She gets it from time to time.

 

[smoothmarine187]

What causes it? My friend had that after we got in a car crash, but his was caused by him slamming his head into the back seat. It took a couple of weeks but its gone now. Did you bang your head on something?

 

[Nanny Pam]

Causes ....
Causes
Vertigo, or dizziness, usually results from a disorder in the peripheral vestibular system (i.e., structures of the inner ear). Dizziness also may occur as a result of a disorder in the central vestibular system (i.e., vestibular nerve, brainstem, and cerebellum). In some cases, the cause of vertigo is unknown.

Link

 

[Nanny Pam]

Common Causes of Vertigo (Dizziness)
A sudden onset of vertigo (dizziness) means that something is potentially wrong with the brain or blood pressure. Almost all conditions that affect the brain are potentially life-threatening. In the case of sudden vertigo, call your physician immediately.
Causes of Vertigo
Many times, vertigo is made worse by movement or changes in position. Two common causes of vertigo are labrynthitis (inner ear infection) or a condition called Meniere's disease. Both of these conditions are caused by fluid fluctuations in the inner ear. The ear sends a message to the brain that the victim is moving, while the eyes send a different message. Since the two messages conflict, the victim feels dizzy.
Another very common cause of vertigo that worsens with a change in position is dehydration. Dehydration often follows vomiting or diarrhea. Vertigo often causes nausea and vomiting, so it may be hard to distinguish inner ear problems from dehydration. Victims of vertigo that gets worse with changes in position should be seen by a physician. Untreated, inner ear problems can lead to a loss of hearing and dehydration can lead to shock.

Any condition that affects the brain can cause vertigo. One of the easiest ways to remember other causes of vertigo is to use the mnemonic AEIOU TIPS:

A - alcohol
E - epilepsy or exposure (heat stroke, hypothermia)
I - insulin (diabetic emergency)
O - overdose or oxygen deficiency (shortness of breath)
U - uremia (toxins due to kidney failure)
T - trauma (shock or head injury)
I - infection
P - psychosis or poisoning
S - stroke

Link

 

[kwillia]

The doc told me today that I have vertigo. The past two days I have woken up feeling like the room was spinning. He said it usually clears up on its own. He gave me a prescription for the dizziness, and told me if it doesn't clear up in the next week, go back and he'll try some exercises. I've read about the exercises online, and I don't really want to do it unless I have to. The exercises involve turning your head from side to side, which makes me feel like I"m going to puke. One of my co-workers knew someone who had vertigo for months. Anyone ever had it? And if so, how long did it take to clear up? TIA!

That sounds exactly like what I have... benign positional vertigo. I have never been brave enough to do the "exercises" as they most likely WILL cause a severe vertigo reaction while doing them and that is the most HORRID feeling in the world. But supposedly once you are through them, it will relieve the problem for an extended period of time. Did he give you antivert? BTW, decongestants DO help me when I get a flare up.

 

[kwillia]

Benign Positional Vertigo

Benign positional vertigo (BPV)—or simply vertigo—is a disorder of the inner ear. You feel a sudden sensation of movement or spinning when you move your head or hold it in a certain position.

The inner ear is located within your skull and consists of the cochlea, a chamber shaped like a snail shell, where sound is transformed to nerve signals for the brain, and 3 semi-circular canals that function like a gyroscope, relaying information about head position and movement to the brain.

The semicircular canals contain fluid and special sensors that, when disturbed, inform the brain of a change in head position. It is thought that when you have BPV small particles become dislodged within the inner ear and then bounce around when your head moves, triggering faulty signals that your head is still moving even after it stops. This sensation of movement or imbalance when you are not moving is called vertigo, the primary symptom of benign positional vertigo.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

That sounds exactly like what I have... benign positional vertigo. I have never been brave enough to do the "exercises" as they most likely WILL cause a severe vertigo reaction while doing them and that is the most HORRID feeling in the world. But supposedly once you are through them, it will relieve the problem for an extended period of time. Did he give you antivert? BTW, decongestants DO help me when I get a flare up.

Remember me telling you about a prescription I was given for dizziness that actually CAUSES dizziness? I totally didn't understand that one and never took the medication.

 

[kwillia]

Remember me telling you about a prescription I was given for dizziness that actually CAUSES dizziness? I totally didn't understand that one and never took the medication.

The killer is that most prescriptions given to ease the feeling of dizziness knock you out and all you can do is sleep. I find that the most important thing you can do is NEVER lay your head back or make sudden movements with it for approximately 3 months. I use about 6 pillows to prop myself up so that I sleep sitting up for those 3 months. I can never do things that require me to lay my head flat such as washing my hair in the bath tub. It takes about 90 days for the crystals that caused the bout to fully dissolve. So even if you are feeling completely well a month after the vertigo bout, you can cause another immediate episode based on bad choices in head positoning.

 

[Cowgirl]

Yeah, I think I've got BPV....I found this on Webmd.com, and the doc confirmed it yesterday.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo -- positional vertigo or BPPV -- is caused by movement of the otolith -- a tiny calcium particle the size of a grain of sand -- from the part of the ear that senses gravity to the part that senses head position. The person feels as if their head is turning when it isn't.

Kwillia, I did take decongestants on Sunday, but I'm not sure if it helped or not. I was ok if I was in one position, but as soon as I switched (either sat up or layed down) I'd get dizzy for a few moments. I hate that feeling!

Chasey, the doc gave me a prescription for Meclizine. I read on the bottle "May cause drowsiness or dizziness." I took it yesterday and didn't notice a problem. I took it this morning and I feel like I'm tipsy. I stumbled when I walked into work, and everything feels kinda floaty. That's the best way to describe it. I walked from the passenger side of my car to the driver side, and made a huge loop, and my boyfriend asked why I was walking funny. I don't know how the medicine is supposed to help....

 

[Cowgirl]

What causes it? My friend had that after we got in a car crash, but his was caused by him slamming his head into the back seat. It took a couple of weeks but its gone now. Did you bang your head on something?

:shrug: I didn't do anything abnormal. It just came on suddenly.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Chasey, the doc gave me a prescription for Meclizine. I read on the bottle "May cause drowsiness or dizziness."

Yep, that is what I was prescribed a few months back. I never took the medicine, though - just waited for my symptoms to fade.

 

[kwillia]

Yeah, I think I've got BPV....I found this on Webmd.com, and the doc confirmed it yesterday.



Kwillia, I did take decongestants on Sunday, but I'm not sure if it helped or not. I was ok if I was in one position, but as soon as I switched (either sat up or layed down) I'd get dizzy for a few moments. I hate that feeling!

Chasey, the doc gave me a prescription for Meclizine. I read on the bottle "May cause drowsiness or dizziness." I took it yesterday and didn't notice a problem. I took it this morning and I feel like I'm tipsy. I stumbled when I walked into work, and everything feels kinda floaty. That's the best way to describe it. I walked from the passenger side of my car to the driver side, and made a huge loop, and my boyfriend asked why I was walking funny. I don't know how the medicine is supposed to help....

No matter what meds you take... it seems to take several days before you will begin to feel normal again. And even if you are starting to feel okay, you can mess it all up by making a bad choice in head posiitioning. You really need to avoid laying down or tilting your head or making sudden turns to the right or left for the next couple of months. I find that the decongestants reduce the fluid pressure in my inner ear and that seems to help. But you have to take the decongestant regularly for a few days. One dose isn't going to help.

 

[Cowgirl]

No matter what meds you take... it seems to take several days before you will begin to feel normal again. And even if you are starting to feel okay, you can mess it all up by making a bad choice in head posiitioning. You really need to avoid laying down or tilting your head or making sudden turns to the right or left for the next couple of months. I find that the decongestants reduce the fluid pressure in my inner ear and that seems to help. But you have to take the decongestant regularly for a few days. One dose isn't going to help.

This really sucks...I hate sleeping with more than 1 pillow, but I'll go ahead and prop myself up more. I usually blow-dry my hair upside down for a few minutes...can't do that. I'll start taking the decongestants again...

Thanks for all the help though!

 

[kwillia]

This really sucks...I hate sleeping with more than 1 pillow, but I'll go ahead and prop myself up more. I usually blow-dry my hair upside down for a few minutes...can't do that. I'll start taking the decongestants again...

Thanks for all the help though!

Here is my suggestion on how to sleep comfortably while pretty much sitting up. You need several pillows. Place one long ways on the left and one on the right. Then bridge at least two across the top. This will make a U-shaped pile of pillows. This will allow you to sleep somewhat on your side while still being propped up. You need to avoid sudden turns of the head. You cannot turn your head upside down. You cannot lay your head flat. You need to do this for at least a couple months just to get over this bout. That means no going to get your hair cut where you have to lay your head back for them to wash/rinse it or at least be prepared to react should you get sudden vertigo.

I can go for months and sometimes years without an episode, then all the sudden... WHAM-O! I've done tons of research trying to find out if there is something in particular that causes the crystals to form since they are the culprit in all of this. I've not been able to find anything yet.

 

[Cowgirl]

Here is my suggestion on how to sleep comfortably while pretty much sitting up. You need several pillows. Place one long ways on the left and one on the right. Then bridge at least two across the top. This will make a U-shaped pile of pillows. This will allow you to sleep somewhat on your side while still being propped up. You need to avoid sudden turns of the head. You cannot turn your head upside down. You cannot lay your head flat. You need to do this for at least a couple months just to get over this bout. That means no going to get your hair cut where you have to lay your head back for them to wash/rinse it or at least be prepared to react should you get sudden vertigo.

I can go for months and sometimes years without an episode, then all the sudden... WHAM-O! I've done tons of research trying to find out if there is something in particular that causes the crystals to form since they are the culprit in all of this. I've not been able to find anything yet.

My understanding is that the crystals are there, but just become dislodged? Maybe I read something wrong.

The worst thing for me now is the alarm going off in the morning. My reaction is usually to get up quickly and hit snooze....Well this morning I just about fell on the floor when I stood up.

 

[robbie]

please make sure you get a good dentist and ask him to check you for TMJ. I too had dizzy spells then I had good head aches and a lot was first thing in the morning. Grinding your teeth and jaw joint problems and event a traumatic event can give you TMJ. After treatments and wearing mouth pieces every night and I took some anti-inflamatories I have been free of symptoms for a few years. The inflamation can cause dizzy also.
I go to Dr. Dimitri in Waldorf, great Dr.

 

[Cowgirl]

please make sure you get a good dentist and ask him to check you for TMJ. I too had dizzy spells then I had good head aches and a lot was first thing in the morning. Grinding your teeth and jaw joint problems and event a traumatic event can give you TMJ. After treatments and wearing mouth pieces every night and I took some anti-inflamatories I have been free of symptoms for a few years. The inflamation can cause dizzy also.
I go to Dr. Dimitri in Waldorf, great Dr.

Thanks robbie, I'll keep that in mind. I really don't think it's TMJ, because the symptoms don't really fit. I read about TMJ on the website (www.tmj.org).

I went about a week symptom free of vertigo, but for some reason Saturday night I got a little dizzy again. I'm still slightly feeling it, but it's getting better. It seems every time I get dizzy now, the recovery period is getting shorter. I don't know what I did to trigger it on Saturday night...probably turned my head too quickly.

This is going to be such a pain if I have to deal with this for the rest of my life.