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Driving with vertigo

Posted , 9 users are following.

Sarahvertigo
Sarahvertigo

I have just ( yesterday) been diagnosed with Vertigo after an awful first attack of the room spinning violently, my eyes not focussing then nausea nausea nausea. 

I was given a treatment by the hospital physio apparently to assist with correcting the " crystals" wandering in my ear canal. It was a nasty experience and I've been given a set of exercises to do. I have felt tired and woozy since yesterday. I cant lower my head ..or roll over without dizziness and eye rolling. Can I drive? I need to drive. Can anyone advise please? 

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

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  • Waffalobill
    Waffalobill Sarahvertigo

    Posted

    I can't drive. Been over 5 months. Get vertigo just riding. That stuff happens and your driving, you won't be able to find the side of the road to pull over. With me slowing down fast makes it way worse.

  • Elise93
    Elise93 Sarahvertigo

    Posted

    I would highly not suggest driving if you're feeling so bad! I have had an unnown vestibular disorder for almost 6 months now, and haven't been able to drive. It's makes me so dizzy, I don't want to hurt myself or others on the road.

  • linda72262
    linda72262 Sarahvertigo

    Posted

    Hello Sarah,

    do your exercises religiously even it makes you more dizzy and rest when it gets too much. Walk as much as you can - 2 or 3 times each day. Your dizziness will subside. I wouldn't drive right away. Wait till you feel more balanced. Then, just drive a short distance and see how it goes. The physio will work!!!!!!

    best,

    linda

  • eleftherio33095
    eleftherio33095 Sarahvertigo

    Posted

    If the diagnosis was "crystals", and they have been moved back to where they should be, you should not still be feeling dizzy and woozy.  When did this first attack take place?

    Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

    Clinical Neurophysiologist

    Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

    • Sarahvertigo
      Sarahvertigo eleftherio33095

      Posted

      Hello, 

      two days ago. I went to the hospital in an ambulance...had tests all day plus a manouvre by a physio. Next day ( yesterday) I was much much better. Walked .drove. ..no problem. 

      Then I did the exercise last nightb, as given, and now  am in a pretty bad way. Very dizzy, cant walk much ..lying diwn is difficult as the room spins again. So, very worried. i've always been very active and travel a lot. 

    • eleftherio33095
      eleftherio33095 Sarahvertigo

      Posted

      After feeling much better, one would not normally have to do the movements again.  It sounds like the crystals have been moved again, perhaps to another position.  You need to do the movements again under medical supervision.  As soon as you feel better after that, do not do the movements again..

      Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

      Clinical Neurophysiologist

      Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

  • Clausa
    Clausa Sarahvertigo

    Posted

    I learned there are different maneuvers of otolith repositioning, depending on wich canal they entered. I think a good physician should, firstly try to figure out in wich canal they entered and then do the right maneuver.
    • Sarahvertigo
      Sarahvertigo Clausa

      Posted

      Hello,Clausa, 

      the hospital physio determined it was my right ear. And the exercises she gave  are for that. Now..I'm very worried as I am unable to walk without feeling dizzy. Yesterday after the hospital I was fine. 

    • Clausa
      Clausa Sarahvertigo

      Posted

      Your simptoms should diminish with each day, with each exercise. In my lasy episode, the first two days i barrely could go to the bathroom, on the 3rd i started walking inside the house, on the 4th i could go to work(the dizziness lessened after an hour of walking in the morning)
    • Sarahvertigo
      Sarahvertigo Clausa

      Posted

      I was pretty good the day after the hospital physio did an Epley Manouvre after my first attack. Then I did my first exercise and whoa....became terrible again and that slowly diminished over a few days until now. I'm now walking for several hours but only after 11 am. Before 11am ..I am a tad whoozy as I turn my head..Is that because of sleeping flat out with my head turning as I sleep? Walking helps for sure. I am really afraid to do another exercise though. The last exercise of the routine was truly horrible. 

      Thank you for your patience. 

       

    • lily65668
      lily65668 Sarahvertigo

      Posted

      Yes, that was my experience too. To tell the truth, I don't think either the manoeuvres or the exercises helped all that much after the episode 30 years ago, as I've continued to have vertigo on and off ever since. With this latest nasty episode, the ENT specialist I saw a week ago refused even to discuss vertigo in our 5-minute consultation! Fortunately, I'm not in the UK so I'll get a second bite at the cherry - well, as many bites as I want really. I'll wait another couple of weeks to see what happens, then go to a specialist vertigo centre. I should probably have done that in the first place.

      I also agree that walking helps a lot. When I first go out, I find I'm weaving all over the pavement like a drunk, but after about 10 minutes of walking I steady up again.

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill lily65668

      Posted

      Having it so long , the excersises may not work as fast. You need to untrained your brain. Then retrain. What they told me before.
    • lily65668
      lily65668 Waffalobill

      Posted

      Thanks - that was what I suspected as I've had this all my life. However, I'm not sure how much retraining is going to be possible at age 72.

      In any case, I'll get myself to a specialist vertigo centre this time. We can self-refer to most specialities here, but even if the vertigo clinic is off-limits I know my GP will give me a referral.

  • lily65668
    lily65668 Sarahvertigo

    Posted

    Hi Sarah,

    You have all my sympathy! I'm just coming out of a severe attack of vertigo that's lasted a month. I was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo 30 years ago, and have had regular attacks all my life.

    I'm in the happy position of not having to drive, since I live in a country which has exceptionally good, affordable public transport. Sadly, however, I have to say I can't see how anyone could possibly drive when they were at risk of having an attack. During the acute stages of vertigo, I can be instantly thrown into a state where everything goes into a wild spin and I just clutch wildly at anything I can. I don't see how I could control a car in that state.

    I also sympathise about that "repositioning treatment". I too went through it 30 years ago, and it left me feeling awful for several days. As someone else on this board has said, it's important to do the exercises regularly, even if it makes you feel worse at the outset.

    Unfortunately, the fix doesn't always last forever, whatever the received medical wisdom is. A colleague of mine has exactly the same problem, has now gone through two such repositionings, and still has occasional bouts of vertigo.

    Please give yourself a couple more days, to let all this settle down. I understand that some people have to drive, but it seems to me that the risks in your case are too great just at the moment.

    • Sarahvertigo
      Sarahvertigo lily65668

      Posted

      Thank you Lily 65668.

      Yesterday I was absolutely fine ...( at the hosptal the day before) but I did the exercises last night and ....wow....couldnt lie down without whirling...bad nausea.. 

      This morning now feel dizzy whoozy. Afraid for the rest of my life frankly. 

      Driving is a part of that as Intravel and live in a place its necessary! Aaagh. 

    • Waffalobill
      Waffalobill Sarahvertigo

      Posted

      Sounds like you have a crystal floating around . You may even have more than one. They got one settled in and another is loose.
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