Hi. i wanted to ask a couple of questions about this head spin thing!
I had a heavy cold for 2/3 days and a day or 2 afterwards, I woke up, tried to move and my head felt as if it was spinning, the room swirled, this lasted just a couple of seconds. But it came and went all day, often when lying down, moving from side to side in bed, or when I tilted my head back. . The next day I felt OK, but it came back again.
I visited my doctor, he told me it sounds like labrythitus, caused by my sinus's being blocked (they do get blocked, it's true!) and maybe an ear infections. he gave my antibiotics and some prochlorperzine tablets to take for a week/10 days.

I don't get the visual room swim thing now, but still have a general lightheadedness, plus a swirling back of head feeling when I look up or lie straight back in bed,or move head from side to side in bed.

Having read a couple of threads on here about BPPV, it sounds similar, although I am younger than the age given (onset around 50?) and have had no ear problems before or head injury.

I'm hoping of course that this will just go away, sometimes I feel like I am unbalanced when I walk and thus people will think I am drunk!

Help!

Thanks.
Jacqui

Oh and my question really is: what do you think, when should I go back to my doctor if it doesn't stop and is there any other thing I could do to make it stop!

Hi Jacqui ... you're right, your symptoms do sound a lot like BPPV. I also have had BPPV and am under 50, no head injury, etc. Supposedly in 50% of the cases, the cause of BPPV is unknown ...

You may want to check into seeing a neurotologist - they specialize in inner ear disorders and can tell you whether you have BPPV or labs. If it's BPPV, it can be treated pretty easily with the Epley maneuver. Although you may still have lingering feelings of imbalance after the maneuver, it will stop the true "spinning" sensation. If you check out the VEDA website, they have listings of neurotologists by area .... www.vestibluar.org

Hi Jacqui,

Do you only get the spinning when your head is in a certain position? Does the spinning stop as soon as you reposition your head? If that's the case, it sounds like BPPV and you should probably get tested and then treated for it. Just because you're younger, doesn't mean you can't have it, btw. I've been diagnosed with it and I'm 34, no head injuries, ear problems etc. And like ssdizzy said, the cause is often unknown.

Feeling slightly off-balance is pretty normal. Your brain is getting conflicting signals. If it is indeed BPPV and you've been treated successfully, that should go away fairly quickly.

See if you can get in with a specialist.

Hi Jacqui,, I'm still new to these boards too, but 'am starting to feel a lot more comfortable, and I'am starting to underdstand a lot more about the things that I have been going through. The members on here are truely Awsome :angel: s. For now my Dr. says I have BPPV too. I've had no head injuries, don't suffer from alergies, no sinus problems, I don't even get ear infections,,( that's what's most confusing for me!!) My episodes seem to come on after a real bad cold,or bad virus. I get over what ever it was that made me real bad sick, but then a couple of days or even a week,, then I get hit. This time I was off balance for about 2 days. But then the 3rd day it hit me full force,and like it has in the past,, I wake up and try to sit up,(to get out of bed),, and right away I go limp,usually to my right side, but it was me left side in 05. I go limp straight back down to the bed and everything is spinning. I go into my Dr. and he has done the Epley Maneuver,and this time ('am gonna ask him to be sure next appt.) but I think he did the Dix Hallpike Maneuver. Anyways, the spinning slowly went away,but I was still getting them on and off for a while. I could go on and on and on :( But I will also tell you these folks on here can help you understand a lot! And since knowledge really is power ! I'm learning that the more you read,and understand the more power you gain and eventually the better you start to feel. And I think for me,, it's going to make the biggest difference the next time I see my Dr. which I'm sure will be this week, for my MRI results, and hopefully, it things keep up like today :D ,, maybe I'll be well enough to get back to work !!!!!!! So for now like they tell me, and I feel I can join with them in saying,,, we're here to try to help and support you as well as we can, hang in,, read up as you can,, and keep fighting,,
Good Luck

Thanks everyone!
Can these inner ear crystals be seen on a mri? Do I need an mri to be diagnosed? I live in England so things are not quite the same, I will go back to my doctor who will, i presume, either refer me to a ENT person, or ask for an mri.

I had never heard of BPPV before so it's all new to me!

I seem to get this looking upwards, and lying in bed and turning onto my right side. Just getting out of bed is pretty dizzy -inducing too. The spinning is quite short, I will experiment to see if it stops when I reposition my head!

I'm getting used to it now, and it's not freaking me out so much, mainly talking to you guys has helped, as I realise that it's hopefully not something terrible that is happening to my brain!

Another thing, I was worried at first that the light-headedness would make me faint....it hasn't so far, and I was wondering if anyone hre had passed out from that feeling? I have low blood pressure and at first I thought it was a blood pressure thing, not an inner ear thing.


Thanks again!

Jacqui

If you have BPPV:

You shouldn't pass out from it. It's simply little rocks floating around in the wrong ear canal and that messes up your balance system. Your body, your unaffected ear, and your eyes are telling you where you are in space, while your affected ear is telling you something completely different. That's what screws you up and you get the spinning sensation.

Some people get nauseous to the point of throwing up from it. Others don't. That probably just depends on how sensitive you are. You haven't mentioned that, IIRC, so you're lucky there.

Turning towards the affected side, especially lying in bed and turning over or any similar motion, should produce the most severe symptoms. If you can manage to stay in that position, the symptoms should subside after about 30 seconds to a minute. If you move out of the position, the symptoms should go away almost immediately.

That looking up makes you dizzy is very common with BPPV.

No, those rocks can't be seen by an MRI. They will diagnose you based on your history, symptoms and your response to certain tests, mainly the Hallpike, afaik. Oh, and ruling out other things which is where the MRI comes in.

Now, even if you don't go to the doctor and have the crystals repositioned, in most cases the spinning will just go away. The explanation is that either you reposition them yourself by moving around in bed or that they dissolve. It would be good for you to get checked out further anyway, just to make sure.

Good luck and hope you feel better!

Hello to all, I have that same fear too,, that I may pass out,,,(dizzies while trying to walk) especially if I'm not touching,or able to touch something I know "for sure" is not moving. Though I have had other BPPV attacks before, this time is my longest lasting episode. Mine come on shortly after I get over a bad cold-virus. But,, though I do sometimes fear passing out,,,, I never have yet so far.

I sure hope your able to get back on track and feeling better real soon !