Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I have a left-sided pontine lesion that is reaping havoc on me. It causes chronic persistent vertigo, trouble swallowing, and forces me to I&O cath FUN! Anyway, the thing that bothers me the most is the vertigo. It is there all the time now and when I start to do anything physically demanding (like vacuum), I get extremely nauseous and dizzy. TV and reading also make it worse. During exacerbations I can't get out of bed with it. They give me Valium for it, can't say it helps much but it does make me forget about it somewhat. Meclizine does nothing. Any suggestions or things you guys have tried? My MS specialist said nothing really treats CNS dizziness like that other than Valium, and I already am on the max of Baclofen.
Sorry to hear of your battle with vertigo. It is one of the symptoms I dislike the most. When I get vertigo my only remedy has been to lie down and rest. When I had a bad bout in 1982 I would literally spin my eyes in the opposite direction to make it stop. I felt as though I was actually going to roll out of bed and held onto either side of my mattress.
It appears that you have the right meds, but CNS vertigo does not always respond to meds (just like CNS pain). If you find something other than meds, please shar your experiences. Meanwhile, I really recommend you lay aside chores and rest because tomorrow will still arrive with or without a clean house! While TV and reading can make it worse, I would try closing your eyes and listen to an audio book, music, or even the TV or a movie.
__________________
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
The Following User Says Thank You to MSJayhawk For This Useful Post: MS22 (07-07-2012)
MS22,
I cannot give you any advice for the vertigo. But I do have a few questions for you. Did you have to start using I&O cath because you were getting UTI's? I have a brain stem lesion that is giving me swallowing issues and I have also had a constant UTI since May 16th. I think that I am not completely emptying my bladder on my own. How long have you had to use a catheter? Do you have to use an antibiotic to avoid infection from using catheters?
I started having to I&O cath because I was not emptying my bladder all the way. I had a urodynamics test done by a urologist. The first one that was done one year ago was mild retention and I only had to take meds, but this year it showed that I needed to start catheterizing. For me, I could feel that I was not emptying all the way, there was always pressure in my bladder. I also have numbness in that area at times. I have not had urinary tract infections either before or after (luckily), but I know that is a sign that you may not be emptying. You should see a urologist to get checked out.
The cath procedure itself is getting better...or I should say I am getting better at it. Companies ship catheters to you and for the most part they will ship tons of samples of different ones to try out. I do use a new one each time because my white count has been low, but you can wash them and reuse them.
