Vertigo Episode!

I get vertigo under a few different circumstances and have been prone since I was a child:

sinus infections (caused by illness like colds that progressed to sinus infection or sinus allergies gone out of control)
fluid in ears becomes unequal, like spinning down a hill
fever delirium
migraines
near-fainting as a symptom of Fibromyalgia

I try to stay hydrated to minimize risks associated the Fibro and migraines and I try to avoid changing positions too quickly from sitting to standing. If I do get dizzy I end up "holding on for dear life" until it passes and close my eyes trying to breathe through it like I did when I was pregnant and had severe morning sickness trying not to puke.

I expeirenced MY vertigo when I was pregnant. (35) My Mother has it, Aunt, Grandmother, Sister...basically all "blood" family women. I have always battled weight issues. I have had a few personal trainers. They simply DO NOT see WHY I cant balance on a ball.

Until you have it....you dont get it.

I am dealing with dizziness issues as well.. If you look at my question from yesterday, I posted something about a doctor suggesting it could be caused by anxiety, which I NEVER thought I had. Check out my question and the answers women gave me.. Good luck, I SO understand your frustration. I've been dealing with this for 9 months :0(

My friend had Vertigo.
She got medically examined, tested, all the things you had and all tests came out fine too.
Her's was from stress.
So she approached it as such.
To trouble shoot stress.
It has lessened now.

She got Acupuncture, which helped her.

This happened to me once. It's awful. But it turned out to be a very deep (and painless) ear infection. I did not have ear pain or discomfort of any kind. Antibiotics cleared up the infection and the vertigo went away. It's not the kind of ear infection that you can see (like with little kids and their common ear infections). This one was deep in the middle ear or somewhere. So you might have your doctor check out the possibility of this.

I have only ever had vertigo while ascending from a dive. It was caused by an imbalance of pressure in the ears. I equalised and equalised and the vertigo disappeared pretty quickly. It can be a scary thing to suddenly get dizzy and disoriented out to sea and underwater! From the answers here, it seems to be caused by a lot of different factors. I could not imagine how difficult it must be to have an ongoing episode of it.

I have bppv or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It is caused by debris in my inner ear canal. It took many tests by an ear nose throat specialist to make this diagnosis.

Your vertigo may be caused by severe sinusitis as diagnosed, in which case it will take time for the sinus' to heal. Did they x-ray the sinus' so that they know for sure they are infected or was that just a guess? Did they give you anti-biotics?

If you don't get better, I'd go to an ear nose throat specialist.

In the meantime keep hydrated but do not drink too much liquid because that can also increase vertigo. If bending over increases the vertigo, squat down instead. If changing positions increases vertigo, move slowly.

I think vertigo is the most difficult condition to manage life with. You have to allow yourself to do only what you can do and let the rest go.

You can google dizziness and vertigo and get lots of information. If you have bppv there is physical therapy treatment that has helped me.

My mom gets severe vertigo as an allergic reaction to some foods (for her it's red wine). And a friend had severe vertigo as an allergic reaction to molds. Anything new in your diet or environment (this is a bad spring for allergies, especially molds here b/c its so wet)? If you think it might be allergy related, perhaps something like claritin would help. And a visit to the ENT is a good idea. They could confirm an allergy (if that's it) and could rule out other possibilities.

I have a woman in my office who has severe vertigo episodes. She just had 2 appointments with an accupunturist and so far so good. she feels like it really helped. And the visits were at a special new patient price of $45 each. she said it didn't hurt just felt strange.

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Oh, dear, what an uncomfortable challenge – you have my sympathy. I had an episode like yours maybe a dozen years ago, was hospitalized for 24 hours with a huge bill, sent home with a few meds when stable enough, and then lived very "carefully" for about 6 months while symptoms continued to diminish. No cause found, just the vague explanation of "virus."

I hope you continue to feel better. Move your head very slowly whenever possible so the fluid in your inner ear doesn't create pressure tides (this is my own interpretation of cause and effect – it may not be very medically accurate). As Marda mentions, there is also the possibility that small mineral particles move around and land on sensitive nerves that translate the pressure as vertigo.

My son-in-law occasionally has vertigo events that he handles effectively using the "canalith repositioning procedure at home" – google this term to read explanations and instructions, and to see a video of how this procedure is performed. This is designed to move mineral particles to a less-sensitive space in the inner ear.

I wish you the best. Severe vertigo and the accomanying nausea can be completely disabling, but usually for a relatively short time. Complete recovery may take a few months, but life should continue to feel more "doable" in coming weeks. If not, talk to your doctor about it. I wish you the best.

My aunt has been going through this for years and one doctor wanted to make her deaf, said it would cure it! Thankfully she fled. haha

She finally saw a doctor who diagnosed her with migraines. This was a total shock to her, she never had a headache. But he's been treating her for the migraines and she's much better.

I'm sorry u r going through this... My Mom had terrible Vertigo 10 years ago right before my wedding and what helped her was a Doctor do a ear flush. I know it helped her right away and she has not had an episode since ;-) Good Luck! Hope it gets better for u!
A.

BPPV can be so frustrating! I've had problems off and on, but not for a while until earlier this spring. I found one thing that brings it on is rapid back and forth movement of my head, especially while looking down. Mine has never progressed to vomiting, though.

The last time it happened, I just used Benedryl to alleviate the symptoms... within 45 minutes, it was gone.

I've never tried to do the Epley maneuver, but I've heard it works.

Good luck with your vertigo.

I would make and appt with an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) Dr. I have BPPV and recently was diagnosed and successfully treated. It's true you can do the Epley maneuver at home, but it's important to know which ear is effected. I was treated last month and after just one treatment in the office haven't had anymore vertigo. Vertigo is so awful. I couldn't take care of our 3 kids ages 6, 3 and 1. If it's not BPPV, it could be labyrinthitis which is sometimes a viral infection that lasts for weeks to months. I'm so sorry for you and I hope you feel normal again soon.

Oh man! I have this! I was diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) by my general doctor. I swore up and down that he was crazy!! But the 2nd time it occurred I was desperate! So I tried his crazy Epley Maneuver and it WORKED!!! It makes me terribly dizzy/sick while I'm doing it and afterwards I feel extremely nauseous but it speeds my recovery 10 fold! I've done it 3 or 4 times since. You can find some really good links on Google for the Epley Maneuver. I am so very thankful to find this little "trick" maneuver because my dizziness will be gone overnight versus lasting a week or so. I hope you find out what is up with you! Feel better soon!

This could be Bppv- basically, the little stones that are in your cochlea that helpl with balance have come loose. I had this a couple of years ago and my PT did the Epley Maneuver on me to put the stones back where they would not cause problems.
I would see a neuro and see if it is bppv and he should either do the Epley Maneuver on you or refer you to a PT who can do it. It is rather disconcerting, but it is instant relief.
I WOULD NOT do the Epley Maneuver on your own as suggested by some posters. You can do more damage if you are not treating the right ear. Go to the Dr and get it done right.

I also have BPPV and do the Epley maneuver at home. There are some good videos on youtube that show you how. The first time I had a bout of vertigo, it lasted for weeks. I found that Bonine sometimes helps. Once I learned to do the exercises, I could get my balance back in days, last time only one day. The trick for me is doing the exercises in bed (I sit in the middle of my queen size bed so I don't fall off), then I carefully lie down on one side with my head propped up on pillows, so I'm sleeping at a 45 degree angle.