Vertigo

[Jwilson]

Can you try and explain this vertigo (severe dizziness) to me?...i have had several episodes over the last 15 years or so and i just can't seem to get a straight answer.The severe symptoms seem to last 2 days or so and then lingering not so severe symptoms (ie bending over,looking up spinning sensations)seem to dissapate over a couple of weeks.I am a 38/M and in good health.Thanks for any helpful input.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

Vertigo can be caused either by an abnormality in your inner ear, or the nerves leaving this area. Causes of vertigo include inner ear infections, benign positional vertigo, a disorder called Meniere's disease, or potentially by structural lesions within the brain. I would recommend having this evaluated either by a neurologist or ear, nose, throat doctor. Then the different possibilities can be investigated. Based on the information you have provided, you do not fit into a specific category. Good luck.

[keeknap]

dont forget the possibility of metal poisoning. its been known you can get it from immalgam phillings.

[mls2go]

Yes, Vertigo is qualified as severe dizziness, which can cause a number of equilibrium problems from light headedness to just plane loosing your balance and falling down.  

You seem to have described a good deal of the way vertigo occurs, e.g. bending over, looking up, etc. The question is have you seen a doctor or Nuerologist about this over the last 15 years and if so have they diagnosed it conclusively?  

Over the last 15 years have you suffered from:

Tinitus (ringing in the ears)?
Inner ear and/or ear infections?
Multiple falls?
Any type of head injuries-concussion?
Closing your eyes and feeling like everything is spinning around you?

These are some of the questions (and answers) you can bring to your doctor, because some things have to be ruled out in order to diagnose vertigo.  

Although your description certainly sounds like it, your doctor may have you see a Nuerologist to run some tests just to make sure there's nothing else going on, which would be a very good idea.

Good Luck.

[Jwilson]

Yes ive been to the doctors and they say..."yup you have classic vertigo"and there is no cure/treatment for it and to let it run it's coarse.Yippee!... :(

[mls2go]

Cure? no. Treatment? Depends on which kind of Vertigo you have.  Can you answer the questions I asked in the previous post for me?  It'll give me a better idea of what your dealing with.  There's lots of stuff you can do to manage it.  There's excercises and other stuff you might be able to do to make you feel less like a walking yo yo.

I have Vertigo. There ARE treatments for this and a good Nuerologist would know them.  I can't believe you've gone this long without some kind of management treatment.  

Get back to me if you want to.

[WACKYNURSE]

Have you seen an ear, nose and throat doctor? Have they ever mentioned MENIERES disease? have you ever tried a antivertigo drug called ANTIVERT? Menieres disease is a recurrent and usually progressive group of symptoms.....ringing in ears, progressive deafness( not always) and dizziness (sometimes severe and intermittent) and sense of fullness in ears. look it up its interesting. Im not a doc, but have taken care of patients with it and they say the vertigo is bad when they have it and it often comes and goes
                              good luck        WACKYNURSE

[jan]

The other morning I had my worse ever experience with vertigo!

Have any of you ever seen things as looking thru a kaleidoscope?  That is how things looked.

[Jwilson]

Well i would have to say basically no to all your questions in your previous post.The spinning sensation would be the same with eyes open or closed.I basically could only manage one position in bed to prevent everything from spining around (hed turned to left side and proped up)also in the first 2 days the transition from bed to getting up takes a some time and must go very slowly.Once up and around it's just the opposite getting back into bed.It;s like it takes time for my body to adjust to the up or laying down positions.I tried some motion sickness perscription but it didn't do much for me...(forget name)

[FredZ]

like looking through a kaleidoscope? Migraine-associated "aura" visual hallucination? Check it out.

[mls2go]

Wow, 15 years of that.  Sorry you've been suffering so long with this.  

If you don't have any of the symptoms I suggested, then the Vertigo doesn't sound like it's related to inner ear problems, but more toward neurological issues.  

I have Vertigo that is more inner ear related. I have Tinitus and it's like having a 40 piece orchestra in my ears 24-7. Taking Sudafed helps sometimes, but I have a disease where Vertigo is a secondary side effect and when I rise from a sitting position I have to stand for about 10 seconds and keep my eyes closed until the room stops spinning and my ears unplug.

Getting online with a support group that talks about Vertigo would be a really good thing and I know they are out there cause I looked some of this info up yesterday.  I don't know if you have AOL or not, but if you log onto Web MD and put Vertigo in your Search box, you'll get a lot of info. on it and some stuff you can do to  treat it to make your life a little less airborn.

Good luck to you.

[Jwilson]

Thanks for the concern but i have only had this occur 4 or 5 times in the last 15 years or so and before my recent episode (couple months back)i hadn't had in in about 9 or 10 years ago.

[mls2go]

Wow, I forgot about MEINIERES, WACKY.  Thanks for bringing it up.  Whatta ya thing about JWilson's Vertigo stuff.  Doesn't sound life Meinieres, does it?  JW says the last episode he had was about 2 months ago and the symptoms he's describing doesn't sound like Meinieree symptoms.  Any ideas?

Sounds more like I'VE got Meinieres (excuse sp). I'll looke it up and do some research.  Thanks again!

[mls2go]

So since we've been posting, do you have a better idea of the definition of Vertigo or do you need more clarification?

By the way, does it cause you any anxiety when it happens, even though it doesn't happen often?  Must be weird when your just hangin' out and it just creeps up on you like that out of no where after several years. Doesn't give you a lot of time to prepare for an episode does it?