Hi, Subs!
I read your posts to Belle about your spinning episodes during your BPPV phase. How did you know the phase was past and what was it like once it was past? Just curious about what you wrote.
I haven't had any actual spinning for about 2 months. Just the imbalance and my eyes just feel 'busy'. I can't focus on anything most of the time and just completely hold it there. There isn't much movement, but I can tell there is some. I don't think even a doctor just looking into my eyes would be able really to detect it. Is that still vertigo even tho' there isn't any actual spinning? It feels like it and is very unsettling. Today has been better in that respect. When I do the focusing on an object and shaking my head back and forth quickly and up and down quickly for a minute each way it seems to really help. I do that several times a day.
Also, talking about moving your head in different positions. I move my head all over the place and it doesn't cause any spinning, so do you think that is a good sign? My ENT dr. and the balance therapist from Chicago told me not to restrict head movement, but I have read different articles on BPPV that makes it sound like you should be careful with head movement with tendencies toward BPPV.
Even when I am in bed I make sure to sleep quite a bit on my right side even tho' that is my bad side. It sometimes makes me nervous but so far haven't had any problem that way.
Just some more thoughts and questions! Today my balance is better and not really too dizzy, just got heavy head and tight neck. It is weird how if one thing is better there is ALWAYS something else that isn't right. It is hard not to get weary!
You keep up that 100% and enjoy the Christmas season!!!
Blessings!
Vicki :)

Hi Vicki

..."How did you know the phase was past"...

I was doing these exercises for it(BPPV) at home:

"The Brandt-Daroff Exercises are a method of treating BPPV, usually used when the office treatment fails. They succeed in 95% of cases but are more arduous than the office treatments. These exercises may take longer than the other maneuvers -- the response rate at one week is about 25% (Radke et al, 1999). These exercises are performed in three sets per day for two weeks. In each set, one performs the maneuver as shown five times. "...

So when I no longer got the vertigo while doing them---(the vertigo would usually occurred on the first exercise attempt)---I thought/figured the BPPV phase had ended---if the next time I did them---the vertigo returned--on the first exercise attempt---I knew I was not out of the woods(phase) with the BPPV---i.e., all the "ear rocks" and not dissolved/returned to their correct position---or had come back out again---because I had moved/positioned--to cause that to happen.

..."and what was it like once it was past?"....

I no longer got the vertigo when I did the exercises---and you must continue the exercises---well past the time when that occurs--- to fix the BPPV problem---however---while I did not get the vertigo while doing the exercises---I still felt off balance and out of it when I moved about--due to the injury---to the inner ear--by the virus(VN part of the prob)--which was the thing---that caused the BPPV--in the first place.

I never restricted my head movements, i.e., never made certain movements---but if I made the one---that I knew---for sure---would cause---vertigo---I was well aware---before I attempted them---of what would prob happen---and physically and mentally prepared for it.

Yes--this xmass(03)--sure will be different from xmass 02--- ;)

:cool:

I have to comment something. The information that's OUT THERE is only the most basic stuff, and it's regurgitated over and over and over. You're proof that what you're experiencing isn't explained in that information.

What also isn't explained..or may be, I'm just not looking hard enough -- is that this attack you've had (I mean from the first minute you felt not normal to now because you aren't recovered from it even though you don't have vertigo spells) and all the things you are doing to retrain your brain is only good until the next time you have an attack.
YOu have to go through it all over again. The brain recovery is only until the next attack. But, you may have also had a viral infection that affected that part of the ear that has caused inflammaton to last longer and it may take a while for it to heal.

The therapy trains all of your balance mechanism, which stems from the ears to the brain, then to all the other walking/functioning the body does. it's all attached because it all relies on the messages constantly being sent and received to and from the brain.

I really can relate to Sub's mental and physical prep to go through the vertigo.
I don't antagonise or encourage a vertigo spell if I'm out and about, but the little dizzies and small vertigo I get I brace myself and just go on. I think I've just had it for too long. But, when it goes on and on and on relentlessly for years...it's certainly depressing.

Try not to let your fear get the better of your situation...I've never been afraid of the dizziness, but I do really hate having them. I'm always anxious and cry the first vertigo after a nice long period without it, because I know the attack could last a very long time (and I have so many things I have to do), and there's so much compensating mentally for it the first little while. I think the ignorance I had while basically growing up with it hasn't stopped me from doing things because I know it will eventually go away. As I've aged, I have other stuff to deal with on top of that...and it takes more effort to function. It does wear me down. But in saying that...as we get older, our ears/balance function less efficiently....and I do fear for when I'm old because I will probably just be to darned tired to deal with it.

It's a relief to see that others are also doing as I have done and believed for years, and that there's actual information on it.

Subs, you sure have a knack for the research...it does help and explain a lot!!

Maybe you'll write a book....."surviving BPPV"!

Best to you both,
quincy

Subs, have another question for you. I was doing the Brandt-Daroff back in Aug. They didn't make me feel any worse untill on the 25th day of doing them. That day, I had laid to the left--ok..Then layed to the right--the room started spinning very fast. I called the ent and he told me to stop doing them and they started me on the cawthorne-cooksey....I am wondering now, after what you said, should I have kept on doing them? Would they help me now or hurt? Thanks, Belle

Hi Belle

When that happened---("Then laid to the right...") did you continue doing the set(s) and if you did---did the spinning--stop---in other words---when you laid down and got the spinning---did you stay in that position---until it stopped--and then came back to the middle---or did you---jump up--because of the vertigo---and if you did not jump up---when you went down on the right side again(after going to the middle and then down to the left)---did you get the vertigo again???

:cool:

Hi Subs,Thanks. I had to wait for the vertigo to stop, the room was spinning sooo fast, and then I sat back up and got up. Tried to calm down. Then called the ENT. I have not even tried to do them(brandt-daroff) since that time. It scared me so bad, cuz that was the 25th day of doing them. It was the saturday before Labor Day-- I recently started wondering, IF I had kept on doing them, even though ENT said stop, would I be better by now??? Anyways, what do you think? Belle

Hi just bumping this up...another question--i usually do ok in the store---today--i felt like i had on the glasses again--it felt like heavy pressure in my head mashing me down and the store looked all funny--I think its normal but just checking...Usually things just look real blurry and I feel a sense of panic.Not this pressure feeling...Thanks Subs, Belle

Hi Belle

...."I sat back up and got up."....

The exercises we(you and I) are talking about are tough--and most---Doc's don't have people do them---because of that---which is what---I said---in my post that your responding to.

The reason for that---being---you don't stop--because of the vertigo--you continue on---so when the vertigo starts(right side in your case)--you wait for the vertigo to stop(as you did)---but then---the exercise--requires you to go to the next position(setting up) do the count in that position and then down on the left---then up to setting---then down on the right.

The exercises will not work---if not done that way/in that fashion---but like it says in the post---it is--tough and rigorous---because there can be a lot of vertigo---through out the entire 5 set sequence---a lot of people can not take/stand that---but like the articles say---it works in 95% of the cases--but it is a BEAR!!!!! :dizzy:

Would it have helped you to continue---there is no way of knowing---for sure---and it is usually good to follow the Doc's advise----time will tell!

:cool:

Hi Belle

...."I sat back up and got up."....

The exercises we(you and I) are talking about are tough--and most---Doc's don't have people do them---because of that---which is what---I said---in my post that your responding to.

The reason for that---being---you don't stop--because of the vertigo--you continue on---so when the vertigo starts(right side in your case)--you wait for the vertigo to stop(as you did)---but then---the exercise--requires you to go to the next position(setting up) do the count in that position and then down on the left---then up to setting---then down on the right.

The exercises will not work---if not done that way/in that fashion---but like it says in the post---it is--tough and rigorous---because there can be a lot of vertigo---through out the entire 5 set sequence---a lot of people can not take/stand that---but like the articles say---it works in 95% of the cases--but it is a BEAR!!!!! :dizzy:

Would it have helped you to continue---there is no way of knowing---for sure---and it is usually good to follow the Doc's advise----time will tell!

Oops--forgot this one:

..."another question--i usually do ok in the store---today--i felt like i had on the glasses again--it felt like heavy pressure in my head mashing me down and the store looked all funny"....

For me---some times I did ok---but then on other days--not so good---I could never pin down---what was making it that way---but it did not last---just all became---ok days---all the time---strange???????????????????????????????

:cool:------------------------------------------

Thanks again Subs. You know this is such a tough road to have to travel, with all kinds of twist and turns not expected....Thanks for staying here and helping us so much. I guess I will survive to holler for you another day!!! Belle

Belle,

I just have a quick question for you......which is your affected side, the left or right.

How are you feeling now after this scary episode?

It is correct, you let youself have the vertigo during the exercises, let it finish, then on to the next position.

I had to do them in the early 80's, but a little modified. My doctor said I'd be realllly mad at him, and I was so nauseated when I first started them at the start of an attack. I had to do them 10 times, twice a day.

There is a benefit if the problem you have is cupulolithiasis -- meaning that the crystal(s) is stuck to the cupula. With the head movement, you can actually have it fling off.

I've had it happen to me, actually I try to get it to fling off by different movements, and when it happens, it's a very fast most violent spinning and it feels as though the top part of my head has just flown off my head. Although, sometimes I've attempted it and it kind of gets more off balanced..but eventually I can get it off.

Hang in there, you are really a determined person. Just getting to know what happens when you have the attacks is something you need to know so that you can deal with it should it happen again in the future.

I've stopped myself on occasion from the vertigo during exercises because it's so mentally exhausting. I just go back later when I'm less rebellious. It's OK to have ups and downs while dealing with it. But, you can get to learn to function with it. And then one day, poof...it'll be gone. A most happy day for sure.

Best to you,
quincy

Hi Qunicy, Thanks for your help. According to the ENG, my left ear is the "bad" one. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. When that happened to me,during the exercises, it was 3 days later that I went in to see the audiologist and they did the dix-hallpike and it was neg. even though I had been spinning at home. Thank you and I pray that it is very soon this mess just goes away. Thanks, Belle

Hi,

I can really relate to the spinning and dizziness really bad in the morning and at the time of the appointment NOTHING....GO figure -- and thinking WOOHOO!! It's gone!!, only for it to return that night. Especially when it sometimes takes weeks to get an appointment. Ah, the joys of BPPV.

Yes, I hope you get a break soon.

Best to you,
quincy