Relapse of vertigo after 5 years - so disheartened

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi, sorry this is a long one!

I first had vertigo when I was 21. It just happened one day during the summer and lasted for over a year. The first five months I was bed bound but slowly started to recover thanks to meds and VRT. I managed to get back to college to finish my degree and live away from home. Jan 2016 I got a job with an hour and a half commute each way. Slowly vertigo started affecting me again up until March where I had to move home because it was so bad. Since 2012 (first diagnosis) I had been told it was ear infection>labrynthitis>VN>migraine vestibularopathy to my most recent diagnosis which is PPPD. This last year has been me trying to get well enough to get on with my life but for the past four days it is back with a vengeance. I am so nauseous I can't eat but thankfully I don't have spinning although I am very dizzy. I am doing VRT five times a day and it is better than day one but I'm still so sick.

I forgot how frustrating this illness is, no one knows how sick you are but yourself. I am so disheartened that this is it. My twenties are nearly finished and I haven't been able to live my life at all. I want to work and save and get a home. Ultimately I want to live my life. I'm so frustrated and tired of this. I'm sorry to sound so whiny and moaning, I am just at the end of my tether. I don't know if I should lie down and wait for a few weeks until it hopefully passes or force myself to get up and move around. I would love to hear anyone else's experiences.

Thank you!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    VRT 5 times a day is alot. Pushing yourself won't make it just go away. May make it worse.

    • Posted

      Thanks for replying! I was afraid of that too but my vestibular physiotherapist said to do VRT five times a day at the moment and in a few weeks she will re-evaluate me.
    • Posted

      Sometimes they start you off a little to aggressively. Not everyone is the same. Mine did same thing. Then I called her 2 days later told her I was trying my best but it's making me sick to my stomach and real dizzy for 7 hours after doing them. She told me to back off. Cut my times in half. Had me do them twice a day. Told me to gradually increase time and go to three times a day after a week. Sometimes you have to go slower. A week later I spoke to my ENT and told him about it. He said same thing. Don't push it til it makes you sick or very dizzy for long periods after. It will make you worse.

  • Posted

    Lisa don't give up. I developed vertigo about six years ago after a stroke although I am beginning to wonder if it was a severe vertigo attack and not a stroke. No brain damage was found. After many hospital stays and tests and cat scans of every inch of my body they could find nothing. Just a year or so ago after fearing I was having another stroke went to emergency for the umpteenth time I got an emergency room doctor who felt it was vertigo and told me he suffered with it himself. He gave me a few tips one being to sleep with my head elevated so I got an adjustable bed. I also had my sinus checked out because this doctor said vertigo can be caused by sinus infection. Finding I had a severe blockage I had surgery which has cut down on my sinus infections which I would get every three months. Now it's been 9 months. Just had a severe attack yesterday where I could not get out of bed. I called my allergy doctor and got an appointment same day but couldn't get out of bed. After three attempts I finally made it after holding the bridge of my nose. That steadied everything. Once I was up walking around the dizzy went away and I made my appointment. Sure enough I had a bacterial sinus infection and given antibiotics. I'm doing well. I have minor bouts of dizziness daily over the years but have learned to deal with it by closing one eye for a few seconds. This seems to stop it and i have continued to work over the years. Also for me looking distance into a tree top or at something far away helps a lot. Don't know why. I have gone to three different eye specialists and my eyes are working perfectly so that is not the problem. I hope some of this info helps. There are doctors that specialize in treatment called vestibular disease specialists and rehabilitation. They find ways to help you deal with it. You may find different solutions that work for you. Take care. Diane

    • Posted

      Thank you for such a lovely comment. I needed to hear that badly. Sometimes in the depth of it, it is hard to see the wood from the trees. I know I am getting better again it will just take time. It's all very frustrating but I keep reminding myself I felt this way in 2012 and it got better. I just have to wait for that to happen again! Thanks again, Diane!

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