OT: Vertigo

[BCS]

Today, I was supposed to start a 1000 K brevet. I have been training all year and felt very optimistic. Unfortunately, I never made it to the start.

12 days ago, I turned over in bed to shut off my alarm clock. The room started spinning very rapidly in a clockwise direction (no alcohol involved). Went to work feeling very odd. More dizziness at work lead me to cancel afternoon appointments. Once at home, I was bored so I went to the garage to clean my bikes. Bent over to remove the wheel. The spinning started again. I actually fell in the garage. Something is clearly very wrong here. Inside the house, I found that whenever I turned my head to the left, the spinning would start.

Called a friend who is an ENT doc and to him that I think I have BPPV-Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Went to his office the next day and the diagnosis was confirmed. They moved my head in a series motions to reposition the inner ear "crystals" that somehow got into the wrong place. Then they put me in a neck brace and told me not to recline more than 30* for the next 48 hours.

I spent the next 2 days trying to sleep in a recliner-impossible. With the neck brace off-finally got to lie down. The spinning resumed.

Back to the doc after the weekend, more head positioning and reassurance that things should get better.

They have not. Although the spinning is gone, I have the feeling that I just got off a roller coaster, all the time. Work is a struggle, have not been able to exercise at all.

Today, I am going for an MRI of my brain to exclude "the really bad but rare things". Monday will be spent having specialized balance testing. I am trying not to totally decompensate. I tend to have a pessimistic outlook when it comes to medical issues. Probably a byproduct of being in healthcare. Speaking to friends and to my patients, many have had vertigo and it usually goes away, it just takes time. Patience is not my strong suit.

[fiamme red]

Sorry to hear about your condition, and that you missed a brevet that you had been training for -- Central Florida 1000, I guess?

I suffered from vertigo a couple of years ago after being hit by a car (I landed on my ear). For a few weeks, I had to be careful not to look up, or my head would start to spin, and I'd have to sit down or lean against a wall until I regained my balance. It went away after a month or so.

[veloduffer]

Is it only certain head positions? If it's not, then you might have Labyrinthitis, which is an inflammation of your inner ear. It's fairly common and treated with drugs.

[SoCalSteve]

Today, I was supposed to start a 1000 K brevet. I have been training all year and felt very optimistic. Unfortunately, I never made it to the start.

12 days ago, I turned over in bed to shut off my alarm clock. The room started spinning very rapidly in a clockwise direction (no alcohol involved). Went to work feeling very odd. More dizziness at work lead me to cancel afternoon appointments. Once at home, I was bored so I went to the garage to clean my bikes. Bent over to remove the wheel. The spinning started again. I actually fell in the garage. Something is clearly very wrong here. Inside the house, I found that whenever I turned my head to the left, the spinning would start.

Called a friend who is an ENT doc and to him that I think I have BPPV-Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Went to his office the next day and the diagnosis was confirmed. They moved my head in a series motions to reposition the inner ear "crystals" that somehow got into the wrong place. Then they put me in a neck brace and told me not to recline more than 30* for the next 48 hours.

I spent the next 2 days trying to sleep in a recliner-impossible. With the neck brace off-finally got to lie down. The spinning resumed.

Back to the doc after the weekend, more head positioning and reassurance that things should get better.

They have not. Although the spinning is gone, I have the feeling that I just got off a roller coaster, all the time. Work is a struggle, have not been able to exercise at all.

Today, I am going for an MRI of my brain to exclude "the really bad but rare things". Monday will be spent having specialized balance testing. I am trying not to totally decompensate. I tend to have a pessimistic outlook when it comes to medical issues. Probably a byproduct of being in healthcare. Speaking to friends and to my patients, many have had vertigo and it usually goes away, it just takes time. Patience is not my strong suit.

I can SO relate to this! You are NOT alone.

I just went through this exact same thing you are going through. It rocked my world in a truly horrible way!

For me, the vertigo portion lasted about 6 days...It would happen only when I lay in bed and turn to the right. Also, when I got out of bed. BUT, that was not the worst part. The worst part is that you feel like you have motion sickness 24/7. I felt fuzzy all the time. It truly sucked.

The vertigo part is now completely gone. I still feel like I have the motion sickness, but to a much, much lesser degree.

I think it is truly about patience. I also think you can do those modified Epley exercises on your own. I was told up to 3 times a day.

I wish you all the luck in the world. Inner ear stuff is the WORST! I never knew how bad until I lived it.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat, vent, whatever.

Steve

[Dekonick]

Dang - that sucks.

I have no input to offer on this one other than to say I can relate (suffered more than my share of ear infections as a kid and young adult - vertigo sucks.)

[sloji]

Try some meclazine (bonine in the stores) it will help to get you through the tougher times and that floating feeling...i've heard most often it can be viral when it's not bppv and just takes time. I went through it last year and had a couple of bad bouts over a 1 week period and then an off balance sensation that lasted near 8 weeks and no problems since.

It sucks plain and simple sucks...and i'm not a doctor so ask first on the meclazine, it's like dramamine for motion sickness and for me it did wonders.

[SoCalSteve]

Try some meclazine (bonine in the stores) it will help to get you through the tougher times and that floating feeling...i've heard most often it can be viral when it's not bppv and just takes time. I went through it last year and had a couple of bad bouts over a 1 week period and then an off balance sensation that lasted near 8 weeks and no problems since.

It sucks plain and simple sucks...and i'm not a doctor so ask first on the meclazine, it's like dramamine for motion sickness and for me it did wonders.

It does help a bit (it was prescribed to me - OTC). I didn't mention it because it does have some side effects. It makes you very drowsy and dries you up.

Its the same as Dramamine. 25mg every 8 hours.

[Louis]

The human body is so resilient, and yet, it is amazing how the littlest thing out of the blue can have such a huge effect on you.

Best of luck with your recovery.

Louis

[54ny77]

Oh man, where do I begin? Yes, I have it as well (BPPV). It's Russian Roulette here every morning, my friend.

So sorry to hear you have it. Believe it or not, it's quite common, much more than people realize.

As much as it is painful to do, you have to learn how to do a modified Epley maneuver. Basically you induce the spinning from the affected side (depending on what ear has the issue), do a series of turns and re-positioning, and then sit up. Get ready for cold sweats when you're doing it, and try not to focus on wanting to hurl. No joke. Sometimes it takes me a half dozen or more times to get the spinning sensation to stop completely. With each successive maneuver, however, the spinning is lessened and I become desensitized, eventually getting to a tolerable loopy feeling. Friggin exhausting, all of it. A few epley's are faster acting than meclazine, and it's a drug-free alternative if you care about that sort of thing. Believe me if there was a drug that cured this permanently, even if it had funky side affects, I'd be all over it at any price.

Tests worth having, in order to make sure it's not something more serious, include: MRI, cat scan, doppler sonography, the usual battery of hearing tests (oh and see an ENT specialist who's practice is licensed--AND insured--to perform epley maneuvers, as some of them are not).

If you want any more info, feel free to PM me.

[BCS]

Thanks for all of the helpful responses. Just got back from MRI: No brain tumor or any other abnormality. My ENT taught me the Epley maneuver and I can extinguish the spinning. I tried Meclizine last week. Made me very drowsy with little relief. Going to have some specialized hearing and vestibular testing on Monday.

[onekgguy]

I experienced this as well when I crashed hard after hitting a dog (http://vimeo.com/15487359) . I had a doctor put my head through a series of motions just as you described but I was totally fine before leaving his office. He didn't have any special instructions for me and I never had any issues with it again.

Did you suffer any sort of blow to your head?

Best wishes for a full and fast recovery.

Kevin g

[Louis]

after hitting a dog (http://vimeo.com/15487359)

Kevin, after that we had such high hopes for your Hollywood career.

You were supposed to make it big and take us all with you so we could be your retinue of adoring fans and water carriers.

What happened? :p

[Chris]

Mine started a few weeks ago. Tilted my head back while sitting to stretch and when I came back upright, bam, thought I was going to pass out. Happened this week when swinging with my girls and then a bad episode like the first one at work again. I was nauseous all evening yesterday. I work at a Heart Hospital so I assumed I was having a stroke or something :). Buddy of mine told me it's likely that I am having Vertigo which may be related to some allergens here lately. I am starting the Epley exercises today and we'll see how it goes. I feel for you man.

[LegendRider]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Vertigo always reminds me of Gianni Bugno.

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/03/sports/cycling-rider-taking-classical-approach.html

[bobswire]

Have gone through it twice myself. Took about a week for it to completely subside (both times). I forced myself to work through and control it so I was able to function doing simple tasks, the more I moved the better I felt. No bike riding though.

[onekgguy]

Kevin, after that we had such high hopes for your Hollywood career.

You were supposed to make it big and take us all with you so we could be your retinue of adoring fans and water carriers.

What happened? :p

There's still hope. My daughter and I intend to try out for The Amazing Race in a few years when she's done with college and I'm retired. We'll be billed as the first step-father/daughter duo. We'll throw a huge party with our winnings and you'll all be invited...in Minnesota of course.

Kevin g

[JER3]

I just went through this same deal two weeks ago. Mine was set off as a result of what seemed to be a faster than normal descent and stop in a small commuter plane. I felt like crap for about a week before getting diagnosed. I did the exercises and tried to get some extra rest and its subsided for now. Its a very frustrating and humbling experience.

Be sure to resist the temptation to get on the bike unless its on a rock solid stationary trainer!

I wish you luck and hope you get relief soon!

[KeithS]

My wife was diagnosed with BPPV and was referred to a PT for treatment after the initial treatment at the ENT clinic. The PT did a great job and the relief was almost immediate. It has re-occured a couple of times but not as lasting. It sucks to get old.

Good luck..

Looking forward to KG's party too.

[RABikes2]

BCS,

I am so sorry to hear about your vertigo, but please know that sometimes things happen for a reason.

I know quite a few of the cyclists that are doing the 1000k this weekend. On Friday, friends - Betsy, Paul, and Patrick, had just left a control around the 80 mile (+ -) and were riding up US 1. It is a 55 mph zone with a bike lane that they were riding in. In their 3 - man group it was Paul, Patrick, then Betsy. Clear skies, beautiful day, no obstructions, in a bike lane, and a 20 year old girl plowed into the back of Betsy sending her over the vehicle and smashing her into the road, also running over her bike destroying it. She then hit Patrick (who also went down hard) and Patrick went into Paul, who kept it upright. The driver then went off the road and hit a tree. Fortunately, the witness/driver behind the girl was back far enough not to hit Betsy and stopped immediately to block the road. He was a first responder on vacation and stabilized Betsy until the ambulance got there. Betsy and Patrick went to the ER and were released that night. No broken bones, but Betsy has stitches in the back of her head, back of left leg, and knuckles, knees, gluts, and more parts on her entire right side are a mess with road rash. She's pretty beat up. Patrick will heal too, but all three have been through a horrible time.

Charges are pending on the driver, she was definitely at fault, no blood or other tests were administered to her at the accident, and our riders are a flipping mess.

Paul just finished a 5 month, 7,000 mile bike journey across the US w/o incident and had to witness in his mirror what was happening. This is the second time in less than 3 years that Betsy has been hit from behind. It's eerie how similar both her accidents are to each other except the first time, her and two other riders saw in their mirrors the driver was going to hit them as it happened. This time, there was no warning. She has had two bikes destroyed, recovered from her injuries the first time, and now will have to endure this recovery. More importantly, thank God they are all alive.

I hope you feel better BCS (do I know you from the brevet series?). Again, I'm sorry you are dealing w/ the vertigo issues, but always know that things happen for a reason. Glad you are safe.

Best regards,

RA

[BCS]

What an awful story. That could have easily been me. I feel foolish for complaining about being dizzy.

[RABikes2]

I feel foolish for complaining about being dizzy.
Now imagine that I'm wagging my pointer finger back and forth in front of you as I say: "I don't think so!" You have every reason to complain about the dizziness and it is very important that you take care of the vertigo issues, they are real.

I just got a call from Betsy and for the beating she's been through, it's amazing how she is doing.

Sending positive thoughts for your positive recovery! Take care BCS,

RA

[nervexpro55]

Today, I was supposed to start a 1000 K brevet. I have been training all year and felt very optimistic. Unfortunately, I never made it to the start.

12 days ago, I turned over in bed to shut off my alarm clock. The room started spinning very rapidly in a clockwise direction (no alcohol involved). Went to work feeling very odd. More dizziness at work lead me to cancel afternoon appointments. Once at home, I was bored so I went to the garage to clean my bikes. Bent over to remove the wheel. The spinning started again. I actually fell in the garage. Something is clearly very wrong here. Inside the house, I found that whenever I turned my head to the left, the spinning would start.

Called a friend who is an ENT doc and to him that I think I have BPPV-Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Went to his office the next day and the diagnosis was confirmed. They moved my head in a series motions to reposition the inner ear "crystals" that somehow got into the wrong place. Then they put me in a neck brace and told me not to recline more than 30* for the next 48 hours.

I spent the next 2 days trying to sleep in a recliner-impossible. With the neck brace off-finally got to lie down. The spinning resumed.

Back to the doc after the weekend, more head positioning and reassurance that things should get better.

They have not. Although the spinning is gone, I have the feeling that I just got off a roller coaster, all the time. Work is a struggle, have not been able to exercise at all.

Today, I am going for an MRI of my brain to exclude "the really bad but rare things". Monday will be spent having specialized balance testing. I am trying not to totally decompensate. I tend to have a pessimistic outlook when it comes to medical issues. Probably a byproduct of being in healthcare. Speaking to friends and to my patients, many have had vertigo and it usually goes away, it just takes time. Patience is not my strong suit.
BCS i know what you are going thru, about 5 weeks ago i was having the same symptons as you are. I was told i have Labyrinthitis. I have been taking meclazine for about 4 weeks and so far the spinning has almost gone away but the nausea and fuzzy feeling is stronger then ever. Good luck and keep us updated.
Jimmy k

[SoCalSteve]

BCS i know what you are going thru, about 5 weeks ago i was having the same symptons as you are. I was told i have Labyrinthitis. I have been taking meclazine for about 4 weeks and so far the spinning has almost gone away but the nausea and fuzzy feeling is stronger then ever. Good luck and keep us updated.
Jimmy k

You may want to try the modified Epley maneuvers. Go to YouTube and search for them. There are a few good videos.

Not sure if they apply to you as they work for BBPV. I know the classic symptom of bppv is when you lie flat on your back and then roll over to one side, if the room spins.... If this is happening to you then the Epley maneuvers will probably help you...

The nauseous and fuzzy feeling TRULY sucks!!! For me, it was worse then the spinning room. That went away pretty quickly, but the fuzzy feeling was ther 24/7.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or just want to chat about it. I am no expert, nor do I pay one on tv, but I just went through what you are going through...I'm at the tail end of it and still have some pretty bad days...and some good ones as well.

[54ny77]

Guys (or gals) there's a handy device called the "Dizzy Fix" out there that forces you to do an epley maneuver. It's from Canada, and is basically a baseball hat with a tube in which a little colored plastic ball is suspended in some sort of liquid. The goal is to rotate your head and pass the ball from what side to another.

Honestly, it's kind of overpriced and you need a prescription from a doc (an ENT will prescribe it for you), but at the time, i was buying anything and everything I could that would help me, so I gave this a whirl. If you learn the epley properly (which is very important), you don't need the hat device (the "Dizzy Fix").

Make sure an ENT or neuro doc who is properly trained in doing the epley teaches you well. Certain angles of head tilt are effective, some are not, as is the rate at which you turn your head and rest in one position. You'll get the hang of it.

Good luck!

[BCS]

Actually starting to feel a little better. Made the mistake of taking my son to see Jackass in 3D. Had to take off the 3-D glasses. Today, I went back to the ENT. They could not induce vertigo with any head positions. My hearing is normal as is the VNG. Then they put hot and cool liquid into my ears to induce vertigo-what a strange sensation. In addition to having presented with classic BPPV, they found that one side had a weaker vestibular response than the other, consistent with vestibular neuronitis. Usually due to a viral infection.

Treatment options include doing nothing and waiting for full improvement, Meclizine and other vestibular suppressants, short course of steroids.

I am going to avoid any meds at this time and hope I continue to improve.

Thank you to all who have shared their experiences and offered support. It is genuinely appreciated.

Bruce

[54ny77]

I say go for the 'roids. Perfect TUE exception.

Ride the day prior on your hardest long loop with lots of climbing. Record the time.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Tell us your new time.

:D

[SoCalSteve]

Hi all,

Just checking to see how my "vertigo mates" are all doing...

For me, the vertigo has gone away completely, but the crappy feeling of motion sickness is still there for most of my waking hours. Sometimes the feeling clears for a little bit, but then it comes back. I have better and worse days.

How is everyone else fairing? Same symptoms as me? Better? Worse?

I hope I feel better soon, this feeling TRULY sucks!

Steve

[BCS]

After another crappy day on Tuesday, I decided to take the steroids. Started the Medrol dose-pak last night. Made me very jittery and got almost no sleep but I have to say the inner ear symptoms are better today. Fingers are crossed for continued improvement.

[54ny77]

bcs: definitely post here (or pm, if you prefer) on how the steroid treatment is going (my prior post joking aside :D ), as i'm interested in hearing about it. i've passed on any other pharma approaches thus far.

steve in slo--i have that feeling most of the time. yeah it sucks.

this thread is motivating me to get off my duff and go to nyu's rusk institute for some follow up (which i've been avoiding), which is supposed to be well known for rehab'ing vestibular disorders. if anyone knows anybody there, i'd really appreciate a contact. the thought of going back to a hospital for more tests is not very appealing (i spent about a month getting every test known to mankind at mt. sinai)... :crap:

[SoCalSteve]

bcs: definitely post here (or pm, if you prefer) on how the steroid treatment is going (my prior post joking aside :D ), as i'm interested in hearing about it. i've passed on any other pharma approaches thus far.

steve in slo--i have that feeling most of the time. yeah it sucks.


this thread is motivating me to get off my duff and go to nyu's rusk institute for some follow up (which i've been avoiding), which is supposed to be well known for rehab'ing vestibular disorders. if anyone knows anybody there, i'd really appreciate a contact. the thought of going back to a hospital for more tests is not very appealing (i spent about a month getting every test known to mankind at mt. sinai)... :crap:

I'm the "other" Steve... :D

How long has this feeling gone on for? Went to my ENT today and she said...time, just give it time...she could not find anything wrong with me...

She said if it stays the same or gets worse to contact her in a week and she will set up a CT scan to get inside my brain...

BTW, this all started when I started taking a high dose (10 mg) of Medrol 4 times a day... I reacted horribly to the steroids...

I don't wish these last 3 weeks on anyone...vertigo and imbalance stuff is not fun at all...

[nervexpro55]

Hi all,

Just checking to see how my "vertigo mates" are all doing...

For me, the vertigo has gone away completely, but the crappy feeling of motion sickness is still there for most of my waking hours. Sometimes the feeling clears for a little bit, but then it comes back. I have better and worse days.

How is everyone else fairing? Same symptoms as me? Better? Worse?

I hope I feel better soon, this feeling TRULY sucks!

Steve

Hi Steve
Im feeling the same as yourself, but today i went in to have a molar and #19 tooth removed and im feeling it now since the novacaine wore off.

Hi Bruce
Glad to hear your doing better today. Keep up updated on your new meds.

Jimmy K

[54ny77]

steve, i've had this issue since roughly november of last year. it's not exactly what i'd call fun.

i do my best to be consistent with "cawthorne" exercises (you can google 'em to see what they're all about) as well as gaze stabilization exercices. they help desensitize me to various ranges of motion.

for what it's worth, if you're near laguna hills, it's worth a visit to see this guy: nirav patel at complete balance solutions. most likely will need a prescription from an ent, but maybe not. he tested me extensively and helped me out earlier this spring, when i was traveling in cal. on biz and had a whopper of an attack...the day i was supposed to fly back to nyc. needless to say, i didn't get on the plane....

http://www.completebalancesolutions.com/