Vertigo

Someone please explain to me what it is and how to get rid of it?

1958 movie by alfred hitchcock starring jimmy stewart. Seriously several of us feel/share your pain. Google it for best info. Good luck.

It is caused when you get too much fluid in your inner ear and I was given Dramamine

My wife has suffered mild vertigo for many years until she finally got some good help. Her vertigo was induced by quickly turning her head or even just moving her eyes quickly. Because her dizziness and nausea was caused by altering her eye POSITIONS, it is called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). After researching Dr John Epley and his Epley Maneuver, she was finally successfully treated. After learning how to do it correctly she can now do it herself at home when needed, and that is now very rarely done.

Just google Epley maneuver for more info and videos.
Good luck

Go to a Doctor it can be very serious. My wife suffered with it when she was diagnosed with NPH it was to late.Has been in a nursing home for eight year with a shunt in her brain. lots of info available. We finally had to get the right Nuologist before we found out what it was an it was to late for complete recovery. gitrib
NPH

Here's what they diagnosed me with. Also known as labyrinthitis. Only had one attack,don't know what they gave my to stop the room from spinning,but it was a good half dozen shots of it in the backside before I could open my eyes and stand up. Miserable thing to have!
Peripheral vertigo

Vertigo. Dizziness and nausea. Kind of like what you felt when you used to spin around and around and around until you fell down, as a kid.

Could be caused by many different things. Some benign. Some life-threatening.

Sometimes it's a matter of "don't do that" if a particular action/activity causes it. Not a good idea to let it go undiagnosed.

Lot"s of possible causes, that can range from deadly serious to something that will pass. Best to have it checked as soon as possible.

I had sudden onset vertigo years back that ended up being what they call "labyrinthitis"-basically they attach this name to any inner ear inflammation for which they don"t know the cause. I could not walk for several weeks due to the dizziness, and had lot"s of trouble reading for months afterwards, but it eventually resolved. But they checked me for a stroke when I first went to the hospital, which I hadn"t even considered given I was in my early 30"s at the time. That"s when I realized that any kind of dizziness/vertigo can be a sign of something very serious. Go get it checked out.

I'm just winding down from a two week session of this dastary maddening affliction. Been getting it off and on for ten years. For me there seems to be nothing that can be done for it except to wait it out. Grrr. Jim

Mark, As other have said it is a condition called labyrinthitis. Easily diagnosed by most any Doctor. Their are small hair like membranes that reside in a minute pool of fluid in the inner ear that sends messages to your brain that verifies to your brain what your eyes are seeing. This is a common ailment for pilots who are doing a lot training in instrument conditions. Your whole world will suddenly roll around and you will not know which way is up. A side affect will also be violent vomiting as your body has been placed in the same environment that of a person who has become seasick. There are some medications that will help but it is not unusual to have to spend a week or ten days on your back.
I am sorry that this is not what you might want to hear but I have been there and done that and hope it never returns.

Vertigo comes from the inner ear. That's where your balance comes from. I had to study it in depth while I was in flight school. It can be caused by illness and I don't know anything about that other than it makes you sick to your stomach. In the case of flight vertigo it's from not being able to see the horizon. It is actually caused by your balance telling you something that don't jive with your eyes or what you feel. For pilots it comes from flying in the clouds where you can't see the horizon, if the plane banks for 30 seconds or so then with no ground or sight for reference that unlevel situation becomes level to you. Then when you return to level you will swear that you are leaning the other way. They tested it in the classroom with a chair with an electric motor that turned the chair around real slow. Someone would sit in the chair with blindfolds and the chair would turn. After 30 seconds or so the guy running the chair would slow it down to 1/2 speed. About 1/2 the people would fall out of the chair because they thought it had reversed direction. I have had it in flight and it's a powerful sensation. That is what crashes most small planes, the pilot gets vertigo and he thinks he's flying level and ignores his instruments because he figures they must be wrong and heads straight into the ground.

My doctor taught me an exercise somewhat like that. It worked for me.

Very interesting responses. I have learned to cope with vertigo. In my case it seems to be related to my blood pressure meds. I no longer ride motorcycles because of it. I just had an attack of it this morning. Better now. In my case regular suppliments of magniesium seem to help. There are more people than one might expect who suffer from it. Fortunately, my case is mild and manageable. I know people who have been hospitalized with it.

Dr. gave me a pill called anti-vert. It was years later that I discovered the source of my vertigo. I got it form sanding of old cars with lead paint.

I came down with a debilitating case of vertigo about 5 years ago while driving to work one day. I suddenly had to throw up, pulled the truck over and emptied my stomach, or so I thought. I knew that i could not work in this condition, so I turned around and started for home (35 miles). Well I had spell of nausia about every mile. Sometimes I could aim out the window, sometimes not. I was so disoriented that I could hardly see. My plan was to make it to a small town half way home, there was a EMS station there, and hopefully someone would be on duty. Well, driving about 20 MPH, I finally made it there, parked the truck and somehow managed to stumble across the parking lot where a couple young guys were washing an ambulance. I could hardly talk, smelled like puke and must have looked like hell. I recall one of them saying something about"alcohol induced". I did however, convence them to load me up and take me to hospital. Dr. gave me a shot and they kept me for about 12 hours. I did eventually see an ENT doctor who thought it was maniers disease. I lost about 3 weeks work, but eventally grew out of it. The most debilitating experience I have ever had, worse than triple bypass.

(quoted from post at 21:57:47 04/23/13) Someone please explain to me what it is and how to get rid of it?

Click to expand...

I had this hit me about 5-6 times in 2009-11? Once driving, at least I was on a country road, just pulled over and laid in the grass in the ditch. Twice was in a 80' high lift, the motion seemed to do it like getting sea sick, just sat in the floor of the cage till it passed. Wrecks the rest of your day don't it? I was told sinus conditions- pollen, head colds, can bring it on too.
Last time 'I thought I had it' I was leaning against the kitchen sink, window open, birds singing out there.... suddenly no sounds, weak in the knees, dishes in the sink were moving , no sound, stuff on the counter looked to be moving, vertigo again? stroke? heart attack? ... none of the above! The Virginia earthquake! even way up here, dishes were all moving together, so no clinking, birds don't sing in earthquakes... haven't had vertigo since!
So which is freakier? Toss a coin. A cold beer is good first aid. How to cure it? Live on the San Andreas fault?

I agree on the inner ear bit. Also having been in military aviation for ten years, I"m familiar with how it effects pilots.

I had one attack once. I was driving down a two lane highway, and all at once it seemed like the left side of the car lifted about two feet off the pavement. My immediate reaction was to let off the gas, and some idiot behind me in a huge pickup began flashing his high beams in my rear window. That didn"t help.

Then within a few seconds it went away. In assessing the situation, I"d just left a friend"s house. They have a little girl who is developmentally challenged, and shortly before I left, she"d gone on a high pitched screaming kick. Only thing I could think of is her screaming worked on my inner ears.

The whole thing only lasted less than a minute, but it was terrifying while it lasted. I"ve never had a problem since.

I had it for years off and on. One day my neck was hurting so bad i went to a Chiropractor. I mentoined to him i have vertigo so take it easy! He said he can fix that too. I thought ya right! Well to my suprise he did. After Three visits no more vertigo! What ever he did it worked.

I had it several years ago, and it got to the point that I was unable to go anywhere by myself since it would put me down almost instantly. Would be farming and I would have to call and have somebody come and get me and take me home. Then a deep sleep for 10-12 hours would usually put me back to "normal". Had an appointment with an ENT doctor one day and I got an episode just before he was to see me. Got a ride into his office in a wheelchair, no way I could walk, he took one look at me and immediately sent me to a neurologist. Neurologist did the Epley mueneuver (sp?) and I haven't had any problems since. THANKFULLY!!!!!!

And another thing, I would get small dizzy spells after a SMALL amount of drinking. (a beer or two with the guys, never was much of a big drinker) so I quit drinking any alcohol. Don't get the small dizzy spells anymore either. Took a shot of Ny-Quil for a cold one night and it made me dizzy.

Wow! I just checked out that Epley Maneuver. I did that very thing when I had a nasty attack of Vertigo. I've had it so bad that any motion at all caused me to empty my stomach. I get motion sickness like crazy, and flying requires loads of gravol. I remember doing that same motion as the Epley maneuver, in order to get out of my bed. It was just the only way I could do it. I might check out the Chiropractor suggestion as well.

Thanks for this thread, it might lead me to some help. I had the Bends many years ago, and the doctor told me that was what caused it. I've had some kind of pills to deal with it. I would rather deal with it without pills...

Bye for now,

Troy

Mark,
Please go get it checked out thoroughly by Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) docs at a large reputable medical clinic - they will also have a Vestibular Lab, where they do balance tests. They will refer you to a Neurologist if needed too.

Could be a lot of things. I used to be a tech in the ENT/Audiology, Vestibular department of a large medical clinic.

I have explained vertigo by having people recall how dizzy they were when they were the drunkest they ever got, and then to multiply that feeling by 4 or 5 times. When I get a vertigo episode, I cannot do much of anything besides lay very still. Oh, I guess I can vomit pretty well.

The first time I had a vertigo episode I thought I was maybe having a stroke. But I had my wife check me for my eyes being equal and reactive, and they were. I also did not have weakness on one side, so I did not have her call for an ambulance. That first episode lasted about 3 hours, which I spent on the bathroom floor. I vomited several times and was sweating profusely. When I started feeling better, I was exhausted and ended up sleeping for more than 10 hours.

That was over 20 years ago. I had more episodes and did a bunch of doctoring. I was diagnosed with Meniere"s Syndrome. When 2 surgeries and a bunch of medications really did nothing to help me, I was more or less forced to retire. I could no longer be a reliable employee, as the episodes of vertigo seemed to happen when I was most stressed and when I was most needed. I also lost almost all the hearing in my left ear and my balance is sometimes not good at all. Thank God I was covered by a good pension system that allowed an early medical retirement.

Now about 20 years later, I still have "dizzy" days, where I just sit in the recliner. I can feel an episode coming on about an hour before they really hit, so I dare to drive. Many times I have sat in a parking lot for hours, waiting for the episode to pass, and for it to be safe for me to drive again. But the episodes do not come as often as they used to now. My doctors have told me that Meniere"s will sometimes "burn itself out", but so far that has not happened for me.

If you are having intense "dizzy spells", you may be having vertigo episodes. As others wrote, the episodes may be a symptom of other problems, probably with the inner ear. It could be something as simple and curable as a bacterial ear infection, or something as dire as cancer in that area. I strongly urge you to go to the best Ear, Nose and Throat specialist in your area. Such a physician SHOULD be able to diagnose your problem, and might be able to help you get over it.

Hopefully you will not be diagnosed with Meniere"s Disease. My experience with that disease has not been good. It has been painful and scary, and nothing the doctors tried to do seemed to help much at all. On the other hand, it has not ruined my life, only my hearing and my balance. I have many more good days than I do bad days. But it is always there.

If you are laying in bed, which you know is not really moving at all, but it feels like you are in a small boat on the roughest seas imaginable, you might be having a vertigo episode. In my experience, the episodes have lasted from about 2 hours to about 36 hours, but then they would go away. Be ready to vomit in some container, because you probably will, but plan to wait out the episode. I have heard that some people get some relief from drugs like Dramamine or Meclazine, but they didn"t help me a bit.

Good luck, I hope they can tell you what is going on!

Had vertigo no less than 12 times in my life. After trying all usual meds, doc said hold your nose and blow through each ear separately til they pop. If your ears clear, it will end. Hold nose and each ear on at a time. Do not break eardrums. This worked 30 years ago and still does, something to do with air tubes between ears and middle ear or ear drum. Just blow till you get crashing noise in ears. If you are scared, don't try this, please. It works for me over and over. Dave

Rest of story, this was maintained for over 24 hours. Would have killed myself but could not figure out how without leaving a mess. Had to sleep standing up. Some people get relief by exercise of the head. Good luck with this dreaded disease. Dave