Vertigo ??

[Andrew Dwyer]

 

About a year ago I had a few days upon waking and sitting up I felt extremely dizzy and a little nauseous resulting in me laying back down and sleeping a little more.

I went to the hospital and they prescribed some medication, after a couple of days it disappeared.

 

Now I have similar symptoms only I seem to be getting this during the day time, for example, today I was working on a little diy project which involved kneeling down and looking up under a table.

I immediately felt dizzy, sick, a cold sweat, nausea and my gf said I looked as white as a sheet.

 

Last time I posted about this some posters suggested some head movement exercises and I tried them thinking they helped but this time no luck .

 

Is this vertigo ??

 

Any suggestions for a cure or relief ??

 

TIA

 

Andy

 

[cheeryble]

As this is all to do with head position it may be BPPV.......crystals in the inner ear shifting to the wrong place and disturbing the balance sensor hair cells.

I have had periods of this and I then avoid lying flat, always keep my head raised a bit when asleep or doing yoga.

 

There is something very successful ........85%ish if I remember.........called the Epley Manoeuvre. I would prefer that to meds, and it can even be self administered.

 

You may as well look these up on Youtube as me describe them. Good luck.

[Sheryl]

It may well be BPPV but should see a doctor first to rule out more serious cause like cardiac arrythmia or high blood pressure.

BPPV is very common in older people. Avoiding sudden head movements (or whatever movements eeem to trihger it) helps. So foes fixing your gaze on a fixed point straigjt ahead when feelung dizzy.

If prolonged or very frequent then Epley manuever.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Andrew Dwyer]

As this is all to do with head position it may be BPPV.......crystals in the inner ear shifting to the wrong place and disturbing the balance sensor hair cells.
I have had periods of this and I then avoid lying flat, always keep my head raised a bit when asleep or doing yoga.
 
There is something very successful ........85%ish if I remember.........called the Epley Manoeuvre. I would prefer that to meds, and it can even be self administered.
 
You may as well look these up on Youtube as me describe them. Good luck.

Thanks, yes I went to see the doctor just now and he said BPPV, gave me some medication.

I did do the Epley Manoeuvre before and it seemed to help but may have been the medication.

[Andrew Dwyer]

It may well be BPPV but should see a doctor first to rule out more serious cause like cardiac arrythmia or high blood pressure.

BPPV is very common in older people. Avoiding sudden head movements (or whatever movements eeem to trihger it) helps. So foes fixing your gaze on a fixed point straigjt ahead when feelung dizzy.

If prolonged or very frequent then Epley manuever.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Thanks Sheryl, as above, I went to the doctor and he confirmed it as BPPV.

I will persevere with the Epley Manoeuvre.

[Proboscis]

GO TO A DOCTOR! GET TREATMENT.

 

Let us assume for the moment that there is a medically qualified doctor on ThaiVisa, s/he would not diagnose you based on just what you have written and would not diagnose your condtion with confidence based on answering a few questions.

 

Instead you need to go to a medically qualified doctor who will examine you and may refer you to a specialist for further tests. And perhaps s/he might also refer you to a psychologist to find out why you thought you could get quality diagnosis through mentioning some symptoms on ThaiVisa!

[ehs818]

I've had Vertigo episodes before, but luckily it's been more than 4 years since my last one. The Epley Manoeuvre is what saved me. Here is that link on youtube:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq-IQWSrAtM

 

Try it beginning with your head turned to either side. After you've completed it, if the dizziness didn't stop, repeat the manoeuver but begin with your head turned to the opposite side.

 

THIS WILL STOP THE DIZZINESS. It won't cure you, that never happens. But it puts control of those symptoms into your hands! Good luck my friend.

[henry15]

I Have BPPV(Vertigo)

 

This cured it. Sometimes I have to repeat it.

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

GO TO A DOCTOR! GET TREATMENT.

 

Let us assume for the moment that there is a medically qualified doctor on ThaiVisa, s/he would not diagnose you based on just what you have written and would not diagnose your condtion with confidence based on answering a few questions.

 

Instead you need to go to a medically qualified doctor who will examine you and may refer you to a specialist for further tests. And perhaps s/he might also refer you to a psychologist to find out why you thought you could get quality diagnosis through mentioning some symptoms on ThaiVisa!

Thanks for your advice, although if you had bothered to read the 2 posts above yours you would see I already went to see a doctor and got confirmed that it is BPPV .

 

While asking people on TVF is not guaranteed of an educated reply there are posters on here with sufficient medical experience to warrant heeding their advice.

Also some posters on here have suffered the same symptoms and can offer options which helped them with relief, something that the doctor might not be aware of.

 

The long and the short of it is a diagnosis from an authorised medical practitioner is always preferable any advice from people who have suffered the same symptoms is always welcome whether taken or not.

 

For example the doctor prescribed medication and stated if the symptoms continue for me to return for an injection, he did not mention the Epley Manoeuvre which is widely accepted to help in this matter.

 

The thread is only 7 ( now 8 ) posts long it wouldn’t have hurt you to have read them all !!

[Andrew Dwyer]

Thanks to those who have recommended the Epley Manoeuvre, I will take the advice on board.

[adisornc]

There is a similar exercise by Dr. Carol Fisher from Colorado that works for me. What I like about her is that she explains what happens to the crystal in your ear with each movement you make. Just google her name.

[jojothai]

Scary when this happens.

You can do the half somerault by carol foster. It worked very well for me.

If it is bppv you can check. The check is stated in the online advice. Be careful to have good support when you check, (and when you do the exercise) it can spin you wildly the first time or two

You must find out which ear it is.

The check will tell you.

 

Read the advice on how to sleep, if i remember with head raised and do not sleep on side that has the ear problem.

Do it for 5 days or so.

Do the exercise when you need to but should not need too often. A couple of times a day was enough for me over a week or two.

Dont repeat it too quickly, you should not need to.

[AlQaholic]

Have you considered low blood pressure? The whitening your partner observed suggest something along that thought train. It could be a combination of BPPV and low blood pressure.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Have you considered low blood pressure? The whitening your partner observed suggest something along that thought train. It could be a combination of BPPV and low blood pressure.

I visited the hospital yesterday and my blood pressure was okay, didn’t see the actual result but they did check it twice.

It’s almost exactly a year ago since my last “ episode “ and I seem to remember it was mainly when I woke up in a morning then.
But, my gf did state that I went “ white “ then also.

[Gecko123]

Just to throw this out there for others with similar symptoms, I have had a few bouts of dizziness which pretty much kept me confined to bed for several days at a stretch that I believe were caused by food allergies or toxins in seafood. The first time, which was the most severe, was after eating mussels. Several other milder bouts came after eating those small orange dried shrimps. I also got suspicious that some bad Hellmann's mayonnaise might have been the cause of another episode. Basically, I haven't experienced any problem since I started avoiding those shellfish, and got rid of the jar of suspect mayonnaise. I had no history of vertigo prior to these episodes. I do feel for the OP as vertigo is such an awful feeling.

 

[john smith]

I had the same experience mine was benign positional vertigo. Cawthorne head and neck exercises were recommended by my Doctor. You can download the pdf. I would consult a Doctor before self medicating. Symptoms include nausea unsteady on feet and whirling sensation. Diagnosing the problem my doctor held his finger in line with my nose and about 7 inches away. With my head not moving he slowly moved his finger from left to right and back again several times at medium speed and Instead of my eyes following his finger at a smooth normal speed they flicked when following the finger. It was possibly only one eye that flicked as I later read that the problem is normally in one ear only. Either way their was eye flick.

[Andrew Dwyer]

I had the same experience mine was benign positional vertigo. Cawthorne head and neck exercises were recommended by my Doctor. You can download the pdf. I would consult a Doctor before self medicating. Symptoms include nausea unsteady on feet and whirling sensation. Diagnosing the problem my doctor held his finger in line with my nose and about 7 inches away. With my head not moving he slowly moved his finger from left to right and back again several times at medium speed and Instead of my eyes following his finger at a smooth normal speed they flicked when following the finger. It was possibly only one eye that flicked as I later read that the problem is normally in one ear only. Either way their was eye flick.

Thanks, interesting, my doctor pretty much diagnosed BPPV from my symptoms and the fact I had it on his computer records from a year ago.
He asked me if I had had surgery and stuck a stethoscope on my chest ( along with blood pressure test ).
Prescribed some medication and told to go back for an injection if symptoms don’t improve.

The Epley Manoeuvre ( plus other similar exercises) are widely recognised to assist relief.

But good to see that a Thai doctor ( I am assuming your doctor is Thai ? ) has recommended some exercises for this issue.

[runamok27]

3 hours ago, adisornc said:

There is a similar exercise by Dr. Carol Fisher from Colorado that works for me. What I like about her is that she explains what happens to the crystal in your ear with each movement you make. Just google her name.

Works great. 

 

 

[Mansell]

3 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Thanks for your advice, although if you had bothered to read the 2 posts above yours you would see I already went to see a doctor and got confirmed that it is BPPV .

 

While asking people on TVF is not guaranteed of an educated reply there are posters on here with sufficient medical experience to warrant heeding their advice.

Also some posters on here have suffered the same symptoms and can offer options which helped them with relief, something that the doctor might not be aware of.

 

The long and the short of it is a diagnosis from an authorised medical practitioner is always preferable any advice from people who have suffered the same symptoms is always welcome whether taken or not.

 

For example the doctor prescribed medication and stated if the symptoms continue for me to return for an injection, he did not mention the Epley Manoeuvre which is widely accepted to help in this matter.

 

The thread is only 7 ( now 8 ) posts long it wouldn’t have hurt you to have read them all !!

Doctors are not going to tell you about things like Epley as there is no money in it for them, and they may well have not heard of it here in Thailand. The Epley can stop the symptoms, as I have done this with myself. Vertigo is pretty common in women over sixty. The tendency is for most people to run to a doctor, when many times if you do a little research many things can be resolved with more knowledge. 

[Pedrogaz]

My mother ad I have long suffered with BPPV. It is episodic and so will go away by itself. It often comes on in warm climates where sweating causes a relative deficiency in hydration......drink lots and lots of water, it may prevent an attack and it will help the crystals in your ear to redissolve.

[khomlong1]

Flunarizine is what I use for vertigo allacks. You can buy it over the counter. 

[Krataiboy]

Perhaps worth having your carotid arteries scanned, a simple and painless procedure. I did this after having a lot of dizzy spells. It turned out one artery was completely blocked other 60 percent occluded.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Perhaps worth having your carotid arteries scanned, a simple and painless procedure. I did this after having a lot of dizzy spells. It turned out one artery was completely blocked other 60 percent occluded.

Thanks, that indeed looks like a good idea .

[Yme]

Suggest you consult a vascular specialist and get an ultrasound of your carotid arteries done.

[GalaxyMan]

I found that cutting back on THC intake did the trick. ????

[DoktorC]

23 minutes ago, GalaxyMan said:

I found that cutting back on THC intake did the trick. ????

???? i was going to suggest the opposite... a hit of thc oil gives me instant relief. ????

[GalaxyMan]

9 minutes ago, DoktorC said:

???? i was going to suggest the opposite... a hit of thc oil gives me instant relief. ????

I couldn't get out of bed or move my head without throwing up after a few days of oil capsules, along with the usual combustibles. I look at my capsules now and wonder do I dare?

[Bundooman]

I have been suffering from bouts like this for two years. The Epley maneuverer did help once, but I found I was too nauseous to even try it. My doctor told me that it was due to my age, (73), tiny particles of calcium breaking loose in my ear canal and giving me vertigo, by upsetting my balance.

 

When the incidents were bad I always managed to stagger to the bathroom, - sudden urge for a crap - followed by a good vomit, down some water and lay down, sleep for an hour or so. OK on waking up. I experienced a dizzy spell in the water in Phuket about 16 months ago - scared the life out of me while those around me must have thought I was drunk as I staggered out of the sea and sprawled on the sand. A short sleep cured it, then back to normal. I had eaten prawns the previous evening and had downed a few cocktails, probably not enough water either.

 

As these bouts continued, I began to link the bouts with drinking alcohol, but not enough water, becoming dehydrated, (which never occurred when I was younger), I linked it to Prawns and I also linked it to my eyes, (I wear glasses for reading and small work), working too close to my computer and prolonged use of my Kindle. Maybe my 3 year old spectacles, from UK are now no longer suitable for my eyes?

 

Two years on, I often feel the onset of dizziness and I,

 

1) Focus desperately on something ahead of me,

2) Keeping up my intake of water daily, attempting to eke out at least 2 litres per day. water by my bedside and if I get up, taking a few swigs.

3) Avoid prawns, but other shellfish appear OK, (mussels, cockles, etc), 

 

Now, I am wary of the slightest indication of dizziness. Water is my constant companion. I stop reading or doing computer work, cast my mind back to my last intake of water and drink water. It's usually that. Maybe 3-4 hours since I last drank.

 

It's something I now realise I live with. I'm fit otherwise, work out early mornings Monday to Friday and treadmill on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm careful of what I eat and drink. My blood pressure is and has always been fine and I'm not overweight, nor am I a worrier. I don't smoke, either.

 

Hope this has been helpful.

[Andrew Dwyer]

I have been suffering from bouts like this for two years. The Epley maneuverer did help once, but I found I was too nauseous to even try it. My doctor told me that it was due to my age, (73), tiny particles of calcium breaking loose in my ear canal and giving me vertigo, by upsetting my balance.
 
When the incidents were bad I always managed to stagger to the bathroom, - sudden urge for a crap - followed by a good vomit, down some water and lay down, sleep for an hour or so. OK on waking up. I experienced a dizzy spell in the water in Phuket about 16 months ago - scared the life out of me while those around me must have thought I was drunk as I staggered out of the sea and sprawled on the sand. A short sleep cured it, then back to normal. I had eaten prawns the previous evening and had downed a few cocktails, probably not enough water either.
 
As these bouts continued, I began to link the bouts with drinking alcohol, but not enough water, becoming dehydrated, (which never occurred when I was younger), I linked it to Prawns and I also linked it to my eyes, (I wear glasses for reading and small work), working too close to my computer and prolonged use of my Kindle. Maybe my 3 year old spectacles, from UK are now no longer suitable for my eyes?
 
Two years on, I often feel the onset of dizziness and I,
 
1) Focus desperately on something ahead of me,
2) Keeping up my intake of water daily, attempting to eke out at least 2 litres per day. water by my bedside and if I get up, taking a few swigs.
3) Avoid prawns, but other shellfish appear OK, (mussels, cockles, etc), 
 
Now, I am wary of the slightest indication of dizziness. Water is my constant companion. I stop reading or doing computer work, cast my mind back to my last intake of water and drink water. It's usually that. Maybe 3-4 hours since I last drank.
 
It's something I now realise I live with. I'm fit otherwise, work out early mornings Monday to Friday and treadmill on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm careful of what I eat and drink. My blood pressure is and has always been fine and I'm not overweight, nor am I a worrier. I don't smoke, either.
 
Hope this has been helpful.

Yes very helpful thanks.

I have had 2 bouts of this, 1 year apart, haven’t smoked for more than 20 years and gave up the booze about 3 years ago, I’m 58.
My blood pressure has also always checked out okay.

I don’t relate the dizziness with any form of seafood and regularly eat fish , shrimp, mussels ,prawn and squid etc( the only one I steer clear of now is oysters after Hepatitis A back in ‘91).

I do try and drink at least 3 litres of water a day but agree sometimes I just forget. Occasionally I’ll put aside two 1.5 litre bottles to drink every day and that seems to work out okay.

I also agree that the Epley and other such Manoeuvres are difficult when the last thing you actually want to do is put your head in different positions !!
I can manage it on a morning when I’m laid on the bed after waking up but when it hits me at other times I just want to lay down perfectly still with my eyes closed. Also, luckily, I don’t get the urge for a crap !! ????and as yet have not actually vomited so maybe mine isn’t as bad as yours ?

So far I had it almost exactly a year ago, eventually went to the doctor for medication and it was resolved a couple of days later , so probably 6 days in total.

This time I’ve had it since the weekend, tried to resolve it with Epley but find it hard and eventually ( again ????) went for medication.

If it becomes more frequent then I will certainly force myself to do the Manoeuvres as it seems like there is no long term cure.

Good luck with yours and hopefully you can find something to control it.
Someone posted that medication is available over the counter and maybe worth looking into .( flunarizine )
Wonder what Sheryl has to say about regularly using this ??