Vertigo

Emp_Fab

Not the song.... the bloody awful dizziness.

I've suffered with occasional bouts of dizziness for years - nothing major though.  Little things like walking in supermarkets that have tiled floors, so I'm visually traversing a grid, could set it off and make me feel a little dizzy and the floor would appear to move a bit.

These past couple of months, I've had it bad - standing still and holding onto things bad.  Then it went away.  Tonight it came back completely out of the blue.  Walking down a road, turned a corner and BAM - mega dizzy.  It feels like when you try someone else's glasses on that are way too strong and then you take them off and go 'whooaaaaaaa'.

Anyone else get this, and what do you do to manage it ?

Sambostar

Nope can say I have, you are just genetically inferior.

richardhomer

Have you been tested for Ménière's disease?

My sister has suffered from it for about 40 years and the great guitar repairer Ted Lee developed it later in life.

It can be treated with drugs - worth getting it checked out.

Babones

Do you stand up too quickly?

TheBlueWolf

I get vertigo although it's not been too bad recently. I take medication for it.

Sambostar

But that's because you are mental too though eh.

TheBlueWolf

Sambostar;1062899" said:

But that's because you are mental too though eh.

I don't like to boast but yeah I'm a mentalist lol

tabbycat

labyrinthitis or menieries, or an infection of the inner ear. antibiotics and eardrops can fix it. go to see your gp asap.

btw, as a sufferer myself, wearing in-ear or even regular cushion type headphones for extended periods can greatly increase your chances of getting it. so not uncommon among musicians and recording people.

basically the heat multiplies the bad bacteria in your ear quicker than your immune system can deal with it. ears are essentially holes in your head, so a breach in the 'front line' of your protection from external bacteria.
under normal circumstances this front line is well defended by your natural anti-bac immune system, but once you start heating up the ear you tip the balance in the bacteria's favour and infections can manifest.

easy to remedy. but keep your earbuds clean and don't wear earphones for hours without breaks.

scrumhalf

I had vertigo last year when I had viral labyrinthitis. It started with a horrendous cold from one of my travelling companions and ended up with a blocked eustachian tube that left me deaf oin onbe ear until an op.

Emp_Fab

It's not related to standing up too quickly, just seemingly random events, but I'm beginning to spot a pattern; visual cues can trigger it (grids etc), and/or particular head movements (though I haven't pinned down which); One second I'm fine, then I'll turn to look at something whilst twisting or whatever and BAM.... dizzy city.

I have had a strange sensation of a tickling in my left ear for weeks now, like a hair is stuck in there.  I saw the GP who said there was nothing he could see in there (badum-tish), and prescribed Otomize ear spray.  I've used that for a week as directed, and the tickling seems to have gone, but dizziness has returned.  I also noticed over the past couple of days that my tinnitus has been louder than usual.

Grunfeld

Emp_Fab said:

It's not related to standing up too quickly, just seemingly random events, but I'm beginning to spot a pattern; visual cues can trigger it (grids etc), and/or particular head movements (though I haven't pinned down which);

With the tiled surfaces -- I've had that, even to the point where I'd have to sit down and wait for the sensations to pass, and I'm pretty sure it was associated with a shit load of anxiety and stress I was feeling at the time.  I couldn't say why that should trigger it, and my rational sensibility is a bit dubious, but the belief is there all the same.

Do you ever get dizzy turning over in bed at night?  Because an organic cause of dizziness associated with head movements is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and it's usually really easy to fix. 

Sambostar

I do get this, I really do.   If I'd said it wasn't due to poor oxygen levels in your blood stream, but I'd be lying.

Stand on one leg for half an hour with your eyes closed. 

Don't worry, at least you weren't convinced a seven pound coin existed and you crashed your van within the same month.

Mature Ash tree leaves do it to me.  Far out man.

Jump in, let them eat you up. It's all good.

richardhomer

Emp_Fab;1062922" said:

I also noticed over the past couple of days that my tinnitus has been louder than usual.

Tinnitus is a classic Ménière's symptom.

Bogwhoppit

Emp_Fab said:

Anyone else get this, and what do you do to manage it ?

@Emp_Fab

Yep, I've had this for years. I'm treated at UCH ENT (Grays Inn Road). Assuming its nothing sinister (get yourself checked out by your GP first)...

It could be anything from 'Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)', to a mild form of Meniere's. Full blown Meniere's  is incredibly debilitating.  Your GP 'should' - but I doubt they have the time these days' - carry out a maneuver to check for BPPV. Its similar to 'The Epley Maneuver', an exercise in moving debris out the posterior canal - a common cause of vertigo.

Further investigations will involve a procedure that places hot and cold water in the ear canals whilst wearing a kind of virtual reality mask, this contains video cameras that monitor your pupils response to the temp change of the water - this will cause vertigo, but that's the idea of the test.

Be warned, I went through a barrage of tests over eight years to finally receive a diagnosis, only to be told there is no successful treatment !  I was given medications that include - Betahistine dihydrochloride - which was useless, and practiced 'The Epley Maneuver' technique, which some medical professionals swear by, and others say is not effective.

It could equally be anything from a simple re-occurring infection to a partially blocked eustachian tube - although you would have the underwater feeling with any form of blocked middle ear.

viz

Hi Emp-Fab, yes it does sound like it could be Ménières; have you had any sensorineural hearing loss, either deafness in one ear, or distorted sound, or even the wrong pitch or double pitches? That combined with vertigo would really point to Ménières, or maybe a propensity for mini strokes. This is what I learned when I went through my recent sesorineural hearing loss episode recently.

Fortheloveofguitar

richardhomer;1062993" said:

[quote="Emp_Fab;1062922"]I also noticed over the past couple of days that my tinnitus has been louder than usual.

Tinnitus is a classic Ménière's symptom.
[/quote]

Migraines are linked too as with mine

Do you get them at all?

lloyd

Try getting off the high horse.

hotpot

Yes I'm going through the worst period EVER with it at the moment with similar symptoms, If I walk I have to hold onto something, I have to come downstairs on my bum for fear of falling, If I lie down the room spins & the nausea feeling is dreadful. I've suffered with spinal problems for years usually it's always been my lower back, sciatica on a weekly basis is no fun. apparently the recent scans I had show I'm getting nerves & blood vessels trapped in my upper vertebrae now which is causing this. If I move my head from side to side or up or down I hear dreadful grinding of bone, I'm shit scared to be honest as the consult said surgery is not an option because of risk of permanent paralysis. I'm doped up most of the time to relieve the pain & taking anti Inflammatory meds. this is the 4th week with it now.

When I've had bad it in the past it just disappeared on it's own accord!

PC_Dave

lloyd said:

Try getting off the high horse.

Mate... That's a bit harsh.....!

axisus

tabbycat said:

labyrinthitis ......

Mrs A has that at the moment. Felt dizzy at work and sat down. Next moment collapsed on the floor. They had to get a paramedic in. She had about 6 weeks off work and only returned about 3 weeks ago. Still not great, still on medication. Can take 6 months to get over apparently.

Rocker

I had it several times, the last time was a number of years ago.  In my case it was a viral infection that brought it on.  Sorry to hear of your problems @Emp_Fab - you have my sympathies my friend....