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BPPV diagnosed but unsure?

Posted , 6 users are following.

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Hi all, male 49 in otherwise fair health.

Was sitting having dinner one evening three weeks back when all of a sudden the room started spinning anticlockwise around me! had to hold my chair to stay upright. Really fast spinning.

Felt so tried wife put me to bed and I woke up maybe three hours later and could not stop being sick, the room still spinning around me. We called the emergency doctor who turned up about four hours later. He said he thought I had Labrinthitis, my own GP came out later still, by now the spinning had stopped but he said I had BPPV, he sees it quit often. 

There is the backgound.

OK I drive for a living so have been off work ever since the attack.

I am now left with a low grade feeling of lightheadedness (no spinning) Hall Pike does not show anything, but when I tip my head back and forward I do feel a slight increase. Some days are better than others. The feelings seem to come on after excersise, going for a walk, cutting the grass etc. I do have some eye distortion in the distance at times, get the occasional sharp pain in my head. What I need to know is.

1) Are my symptms typical?

2) How much longer?

3) Work and affect on public driving?

4) Do I have BPPV?

Really very worried, going back to GP in three days.

Oh, my BP is up of late, it's drug controlled normally.

Thanks for any help

Mike

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • shutdown
    shutdown

    Posted

    Thanks, two more quesitons.

    1) I got a kind of defness in my left ear tonight, sudden like having water in that ear, does this indicate which side is at issue?

    2) One problem I face when considering the Epley is that I have had no clear side at issue, Hall Pike? does not show up. Is this common? Mine seems to be triggered more by looking up and down. Thanks

    • lisa215
      lisa215 shutdown

      Posted

      It was a locum at my surgery who did the epley and he actually did the manouvre on both sides because I seemed to be having issues on both sides but upon doing the epley it became obvious that my problem was on my right side.

      I had weird noises and fullness in both my ears for a while which all seems to be part of this unfortunately.

  • paula59
    paula59 shutdown

    Posted

    Hi Mike

    I have much the same - had it two and a half years.  Had all the tests and mine is silent migraine.  Ive been given endless tablets to lower blood pressure but nothing worked, then epilepsy drugs to calm down the brain to stop the symptoms.  Couldnt tolerate any though.  Ive had MRI scan, which was normal, eply manoevre which was normal, hearing test normal.  Seen endless ENT,neuro surgeon cos of neck pain, and now two neurologists.  Ive managed to stay at work apart from a couple of days but I find my best days are in the week when I havent had a lie in.  Had trouble driving initially but after botox, was much better.  Eyes jumping around stopped.  Anxiety makes it all much worse.  I have goodish days and bad days, no connection about what causes it.  Got allergies and take anti histamine.  Look up SCM see if that rings any bells.

    • keith31290
      keith31290 paula59

      Posted

      Hi Paula

      Why did you have an mri if you have a migrane also confused why you would do epley for silent migrane ?

      There are many many drugs that will take away the silent migrane within a couple of days.

      I sounds like a good neurologist would be a great help and point you in the direction of some of these good drugs.

      Bppv and lab are much worse that a migrane

    • paula59
      paula59 keith31290

      Posted

      Hi Keith

      I guess you now know that silent migraine symptoms are equally as bad as lab and bppv and VN.  Its not got much to do with migraine, I could cope with the odd bad headache , but the constant vertigo and dizziness, that Ive had for two and a half years is never ending.  I had to have an MRI scan as they didnt know what was wrong with me.  They needed to rule out a brain tumour etc.  Then I saw endless ENT who still didnt know what was wrong, then neuro surgeon as my neck was stiff and weird, jaw and cheek ached.  Head still full of pressure and so were ears.But he ruled out any neck problems although I have a prolapsed disc at C3.  I was then sent to a neurologist who diagnosed silent migraine but this took a year.  I am now under another neurologist who specialises in migraine.  Ive had endless drugs for epilepsy and beta blockers but nothing works.  As I say I dont have any headache, its the other neurological symptoms, the dizziness which never leaves, the jumpy eyes pressurised head and ears, unable to walk steadily, wobbly pavements.  I would swop this for a headache any day.  So BPPV and lab are not worse than silent migraine.  Yes worse than normal migraine that you might get on its own on the odd occasion, but def not worse than silent migraine  Sometimes, I get really down and feel I cant cope with it anymore, its like being on a roundabout you can never get off.  As I say, been like it for two and a half years without end.

  • shutdown
    shutdown

    Posted

    Hi all

    Well after the doc appointment yesterday we are a little bit further ahead.

    It looks like I have actually got http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestibular_neuronitis this is because my symptoms have not followed BPPV but have followed VN. I am 4 weeks in, my doc wants to refer me to nurologist or ENT for assesement but there is a 26 week wait! I need to be back at work in two weeks max. So given this is viral I will be doing all I can to boost my immune system to help fight it off. The doc did say the virus would be long gone but what I am suffering is the damage and inflamation it has done?? If I take it easy for a few days i don't feel too bad, but like today we went into town and walked about a bit, when home I felt horrid, not dizzy but lighted headed and so tired, had to take to bed. I guess then my post is now in the wrong place?

    • keith31290
      keith31290 shutdown

      Posted

      Hi Mike your symptoms are exactly like my I also had a long wait on neurologist however I called them every day and told them I had been reffered and was there any cancellations that day I done that all week and got one! They asked me to go down straight away which I done

      Neurologist now thinks I have silent migrane got some tablets which seem to be working I am now suffering anxiety and panic attacks for some reason. It's never ending don't put pressure on yourself for the two weeks I really don't think you have control on how long it takes to get better.

    • lisa215
      lisa215 keith31290

      Posted

      I agree totally about not putting pressure on yourself to get back to work too soon. This sort of problem isn't like having a cold, sometimes you cant just fight through it, you have to rest and really try and recover before you go back to work. How long it lasts is very variable and you may recover really quickly, I hope you do, but if you push yourself to get back to work before you're ready you'll push back your recovery because you'll exhaust yourself.

      Arguing with your brain and concentrating on remaining upright are truly exhausting ☹ .

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