Second Vertigo attack in 11 months

Hi Kellie .....I have Menieres so they tell me ..had my really bad attack in January....got over that then got another attack in May ..and I've been off work since. ....I have been to an ENT Specialist who wasn't very good. Had an MRI Scan ( my third) and was told I have an ananoid cyst which may or may not be causing my dizziness. ...saw a Neurologist and am waiting to see if they can do anything....it's a long process and I'm anxious all the time scared of going out in case I have another (wobble ) I call my episodes that ....so I can understand what you're going through .....so you will have to go through the process to find out what it is......I gave been on Betahistine, prochlorperazine and even Amitriptyline. ...at the moment I'm not taking anything. I feel okay but still have a slight wobble which I can deal with

Menieres is different from BPPV so hopefully that is NOT what she has. I've never had to take medication for BPPV.

Hi Kellie,

I've had BPPV twice - once in each ear, the last time being at the beginning of this year. I have to say your problem doesn't sound like BPPV to me. You're right - the periods of actual spinning last only seconds with BPPV and only come on when you move your head into the wrong position, although there's a low-level feeling of "sea-sickness" and instability all the time. I didn't get tinnitus, feelings of pressure in my ears or any change in my hearing.

It's true that the first day the recent attack started I did suffer the same symptoms as you. I vomited on and off all day, had almost constant spinning even without moving my head, couldn't stand up and was reduced to crawling to the toilet on my hands and knees. However, it had settled down to classic BPPV symptoms by the following morning.

The physiotherapist who fixed me two months after the onset of symptoms said the problem I'd had on the first day was probably because the wayward crystals had got into the lateral canal on their way to the more usual displacement in the posterior canal. He said this could sometimes happen, but always righted itself - or rather converted to posterior BPPV - after lying flat for a few hours, which was what happened to me. I don't know if this conversion period can extend to five days, but I suspect not from what the physio said.

I hope you soon get the appointment with the ENT doctor. Just a word of warning, though: some people on these boards have had good experiences with ENT doctors but it seems the majority didn't. I certainly didn't back in January when I saw an ENT. He looked in my ears, declared there was a plug of wax in one, which his nurse syringed out, and had me do a hearing test (which was OK). When I asked him what about the vertigo he said: "The consultation is over"! In my case it clearly was BPPV, as I recognised the symptoms from my other attack 25 years earlier, so my GP then referred me to a vestibular physiotherapist who cured me in a few minutes.

If you don't get any joy with the ENT, you should try and get yourself referred to a neurotologist or a specialist vertigo clinic. I hope you'll soon be feeling better.

I have had a similar experience. 2 attacks in 7 months and other times of feeling like an attack was coming on but so far no 3rd attack. I was diagnosed, after tons of different tests, with vestibular neuritis. I was told at first that it was BPPV but after the 2nd attack and a constant feeling of being "out of it" for several months, that it couldn't have been BPPV then. After both attacks it took me a week or more before I could begin to function normally, and really it was a couple months before I felt closer to 100%, although I am still not there yet. If you have had the more serious things ruled out I'd see a specialists and ask about vestibular neuritis. Seems like BPPV is most common so most doctors use that diagnoses first but if you are having multiple attacks it could be something different like VN or meiere's. Hope this helps.. good luck