Author Topic: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?  (Read 4526 times)

Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« on: 02 January, 2017, 04:33:33 pm »
For the last week or so, my wife has had dizziness when getting up, nausea when standing, etc. Its especially noticeable on getting out of bed in AM. Was at its worst the 1st morning, but since then its not be as bad.  Also reports fluorescent lighting also gives her a bit of a headache/dizziness.  Anybody had any experience of this ?  Does it just "go away" ?
Thanks
Steve

Kim

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Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #1 on: 02 January, 2017, 04:39:33 pm »
IANAD but dizziness can be caused by a number of things, particularly those affecting the ears or cardiovascular system.  If there isn't an obvious cause, eg. lurgy causing pressure problems in the middle ear, then it's probably worth seeing a doctor in case it's an early sign of something nasty.

Many people, eg. barakta OTP, have to live with chronic dizziness.  It's not fun.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #2 on: 02 January, 2017, 04:56:58 pm »
I've had Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo a couple of times - really not nice at all in a keeping-a-bucket-handy-and-not-making-any-sudden-movements kind of way -  but Mrs sg37409's symptoms don't smell to me like they're quite the same thing.

FWIW, though, my symptoms went away after about a week with rehydration, rest, meds from the GP and doing this positioning sequence.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #3 on: 02 January, 2017, 05:02:23 pm »
Cross posted with Nikki

One possibility with vertigo when waking up may be Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV for obvious reasons!).

This is caused by small bits of stuff in an ear canal.

It usually goes away but may need manipulation.

I had a couple of episodes but it has disappeared for now (touch wood).  Very scary though, I thought it was a stroke.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #4 on: 02 January, 2017, 05:41:35 pm »
As above, possible ear infection, viral infection or something else. Make sure she gets to see the doc and not dismiss as something that will just disappear on its own.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #5 on: 02 January, 2017, 06:31:01 pm »
Me

Mine was brought on by many things, moving suddenly, lying down included.

Light sensitivity, including flashing lights, intense lights and fluoros, triggering headaches or a feeling of intense pressure in my skull. Also I developed a sensitivity to sharp sounds.

Docs eventually diagnosed me with 'vestibular migraines'.

I hope this isn't what your wife has, as they are real bugger to live with.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #6 on: 02 January, 2017, 07:09:21 pm »
7 years ago I got it whilst up some scaffolding. Couldn't make it to the ladder so some work mates dragged me in through a window. No one ribbed me believe it or not.

A few moths ago I got it whilst on a ledge, 2 stories up. I had taken my boots and socks off for a better grip. But as a result of the vertigo, they got wet with sweat. Slippery and terrifying. Stupidity was partly to blame.

Both cases phycological.

Aunt Maud

  • Le Flâneur.
Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #7 on: 02 January, 2017, 07:26:00 pm »
Hope you've had your dinner.

I had these and it caused much of the symptoms you described..........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awtieBXNw4g

 :sick:

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #8 on: 02 January, 2017, 09:19:01 pm »
Thanks for the feedback, all.
My wife is not at stage of going to docs, but we both realise if it persists or gets worse, then a visit is needed. I was aware of that manoeuvre, nikki, it was in some book I read recently.  ("Adventures in being Human" is a great book, highly recommended.)
Its the light and headache bit that is more alarming to me, but I know dizziness and all symptoms can be really debilitating. So far just watching closely/waiting. (I don't think its impacted wax, her hearing is no affected.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #9 on: 02 January, 2017, 09:42:49 pm »
I hope it works out ok. My neighbour has been gong to consultations for nearly 6 months. They thought it was vertigo but it wasn't. They've tried every test in the book and can't get to the bottom of it. She has been signed off work such is the debilitation of it as you well know. Cross thumbs for her and thoughts go to you. Keep up being so supportive. It's tough when a loved one is ill.

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #10 on: 03 January, 2017, 01:12:58 am »
am on an appalling network connection so I'll be brief.

This http://vestibular.org/sites/default/files/page_files/Vision%20Challenges_0.pdf document explains a lot of potential visual issues people can get with vestibular disorders - I have most of these to a greater or lesser degree all the time (and did so even before my balance disorder became debilitating in my teens).

I recommend avoiding triggers while in the acute stage of the illness and think about triggers as costing energy and energy being limited by whatever the issues are. If improvement does happen (with or without medical intervention) then don't overload on triggers too quickly as that can set vestibular issues back.

A lot of the problems with vestibular dysfunction of any kind is the body understandably thinking it is going to die and giving physical symptoms of anxiety. Any kind of anxiety reduction techniques can totally help stop the vicious balancefail and panic cycle which can get positive feedback loopy.

If symptoms continue for more than a few more days I agree about getting your wife to a doc, they will eliminate worrying things.  I do not rate the meds prescribed for balance issues as they can suppress the body's natural rehabilitation and reduce long term improvement for short term gain. My pharmacist said he wouldn't take the prochlorperizine I was prescribed and indeed I stopped using it because my research also showed it was dubious and in my case it wasn't even giving me improvement, just side effects...

Good luck, hope balancefail goes away, it's hideous and I don't recommend it.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #11 on: 03 January, 2017, 07:15:02 am »
Since my head injury in 2005 I have to be careful in order to avoid dizziness ranging from mild disorientation to serious motion sickness (rare, fortunately).  If it is bad then I can no longer stand up.

It means I can't do certain work, an example being working on a vehicle lying underneath or working head down.  The effects usually last a few minutes but can take hours to wear off.  It shows no sign of being psychological.

Strangely, before my injury I was prone to headaches but now I hardly ever have one even though when they discharged me they gave me a barrow-load of pain killers that I never opened.

I suspect my injury will one day be my achilles heel but so far so good.. 
Move Faster and Bake Things

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #12 on: 03 January, 2017, 07:47:05 am »
Steve: I hope your wife gets back to normal soonest.

Hope you've had your dinner.

I had these and it caused much of the symptoms you described..........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awtieBXNw4g

 :sick:

What a strange choice of music!
(Veering off-topic... When I had blocked ears they used fluid to flush it out rather than poking with a stick. I wonder what the pros and cons of each are.)

Morrisette

  • Still Suffolkating
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Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #13 on: 05 January, 2017, 10:57:53 am »
Possibly silly question - she couldn't be pregnant could she?
Not overly audacious
@suffolkncynical

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #14 on: 05 January, 2017, 11:44:04 am »
Possibly silly question - she couldn't be pregnant could she?

That made me smile.  No she couldn't be, not at our age :-) (though I read about janet Jackson....)
She's feeling little better as time goes on. Suspects some viral thing as she doesn't show signs of infection
Just waiting ...

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #15 on: 06 January, 2017, 06:59:56 pm »
I had viral labyrinthitis one time (according to the quack).
Rode back from the pub, thought as I went to bed that I felt a lot drunker than the alcohol intake justified, and in the morning found that I couldn't turn over in bed without losing my balance, or move about without holding on to a wall for support.
Treatment was anti-nausea stuff (which I never took, not being subject to motion sickness), and the advice that it would go away in a week or so, which it did.

Zipperhead

  • The cyclist formerly known as Big Helga
Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #16 on: 06 January, 2017, 11:40:00 pm »
I've got some vertigo issues caused (I think) by anti-seizure medication (possibly in combination with beta-blockers). The first drug I was prescribed did nothing for the seizures but gave me an hour of room spinning every night when I went to bed.

The one that I'm taking now is not as bad, if I get tired then things start to get a little uncomfortable, if I move my head around too quickly it's not nice but the worst effect comes from going into the toilet cubicles at work, my brain tries to tell me than an earthquake is happening (even if I only go for a pee) and I feel the building moving up and down.

Strangely it's never been a problem when I'm riding my bike.
Won't somebody think of the hamsters!

Kim

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Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #17 on: 07 January, 2017, 12:00:43 am »
Strangely it's never been a problem when I'm riding my bike.

My experience of dizziness caused by ear infections is that riding a bike is surprisingly unaffected, compared to standing or walking.  I think it's because balancing a bicycle requires you to pay more attention to feedback via the handlebars than what your vestibular system is telling you.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #18 on: 07 January, 2017, 03:03:04 pm »
The process of walking is basically a process of continuously falling over and putting a foot out in time to stop yourself. Not a good combination with vertigo. It is jarring and discontinuous. Riding a bike is a smooth glide and not jarring. I could ride just fine in a straight line when I needed a stick to walk.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #19 on: 12 January, 2017, 06:02:46 pm »
Update: She's felt she's been getting better butslowly. Yesterday though was the first day in the co-op where the lights didn't affect her. She didn't hang around but the fact she was OK was good. She thinks (given timescales involved) it was some kind of viral thing.

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #20 on: 16 January, 2017, 12:34:25 pm »
Mrs Trekker suffers from bouts of vertigo and it's debilitating.

So far in the nearly six years I've known her she has had bouts that last from just a morning to periods of up to eight weeks in which it happens every morning up until about 2pm and she is left with a feeling of a hangover but without the night before fun. It comes on around a 6-8 month cycle but we don't know why it happens or what to do about it. There doesn't seem to be a trigger, we keep food diaries and exercise logs (now modernised with a Fitbit app).

The doc is not interested, usually they send her back out with sea-sickness tablets and a foul mood (well I think that is the side effect of having a doc not listen). It's finally taken us three years to even get to the point they are now finally sending her to see a specialist in London but it has taken a lot of convincing. The worst problem is not knowing what it is or how to manage it. Her appointment is in March and I'm going along to help describe what I see. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of it.

Hopefully sg, your wife is feeling better and this is a one off viral thing.
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Re: Anyone had any experience of vertigo ?
« Reply #21 on: 16 January, 2017, 03:22:09 pm »
Strangely it's never been a problem when I'm riding my bike.

My experience of dizziness caused by ear infections is that riding a bike is surprisingly unaffected, compared to standing or walking.  I think it's because balancing a bicycle requires you to pay more attention to feedback via the handlebars than what your vestibular system is telling you.
Quite. My own balance problems, due to my inner ears getting damaged by Gentamicin, are by no means as bad as they might be when riding my bike. I attribute this to the fact that there are 5 points of contact - feet, hands and bum - when riding, which provides additional feedback. I still have to be careful visually, and oscillopsia is a problem sometimes, but I've been able to continue riding.