My first experience with severe vertigo.

May 14, 2008

My first experience with severe vertigo.

I thought a good way to start out here would be to describe my first experience with severe vertigo. It happened 3 years ago, when I was studying in graduate school.

I was under a great deal of stress, in my job, my relationship and at school — with the added pressure that I now was graduating and needed to find a permanent job. When I think back on it now, it was an incredibly difficult period in my life.

At the time, I was drinking what I would say is an above average amount of alcohol to deal with the stress, smoking too much, not to mention eating poorly and not getting any exercise. My lifestyle had really hit rock bottom, and I was rewarded with an upper respiratory infection that lasted over a month.

I quit smoking during the respiratory infection (I was far too sick to smoke), but kept going to work and started drinking again as soon as I was feeling somewhat better (although I knew I should have gotten back to 100% before drinking again).

After making what I thought was a complete recovery from the respiratory infection, I went through about a week where I was drinking more than usual and consistently not getting enough sleep. On the Friday of that week, I went out for a beer with a friend.

After one sip of my first beer, I started feeling that something was not quite right. I felt like the room was spinning, and that the feeling was getting rapidly worse. My friend quickly paid the tab and we left the pub, but by this time I was barely able to walk.

I went home and the vertigo became much worse — to the point where I couldn’t get up off the bed. My girlfriend at the time called an ambulance, and I went to the hospital, where the doctor told me I had simply been drinking too much that week and to go home.

I went home, and started to feel fine for several hours. Then the second wave of vertigo hit me — and it was worse than the first. I went back to hospital, and was again sent home, since the doctor could find nothing seriously wrong with me.

The third wave of vertigo then hit, and was the worst of all. I didn’t go back to the hospital, since I thought I would simply get sent home again.

This round of vertigo was accompanied by severely blurred vision, vomiting and profuse sweating for around twelve hours (which if anyone experiences, I would highly, highly suggest ensuring that you go back to hospital).

Months later, i had an ear, nose and throat doctor tell me that what I most likely had was vestibular neuritis, which as usual, I’ll give you the Wikipedia definition of:

Vestibular Neuronitis, also called Vestibular neuritis, can be a paroxysmal, single attack of vertigo, a series of attacks, or a persistent condition which diminishes over two weeks. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, and previous upper respiratory tract infections. It generally has no auditory symptoms, unlike labyrinthitis. Vestibular neuronitis may also be associated with eye nystagmus. It is caused by inflammation of the vestibular nerve, the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain.

All in all, it was a terrifying experience from which I feel I’ve never fully recovered, and one of the major reasons for this site. I think getting out how I feel about this experience will perhaps provide me with some kind of closure.

90 Comments, Comment or Ping

Tyson

I have had almost an exact duplication of what you had, less any precursor of illness, I too was going through a stressful time, girlfriend, new job…but never was sick. I am a very healthy individual, I eat right and work out right…So…I decided to go out and party 2 days after my girlfriend decided to move out…it was devastating, and I went out and I drank, and drank pretty hard…fell asleep, woke up with what I thought was a headache…tried to just deal with it, it just never went away. My Vertigo was continuous, it never stopped from the time it started till about 4 weeks. My GP thought I had had a stroke or a brain stem tumor because of the duration and severity of the vertigo. After MRI/CT were clear I went to an ENT who said he “thought” I had uncompensated Vestibular Neuritis..but wasn’t sure.. It’s been 5 months now…and still battle this every day, I’m better through BVRT, but I feel I’ll never be the same…I feel your pain brother..

May 22nd, 2008
Vertigo Guy

I’m always sorry to hear that someone else had to go through this horrible experience — as I’ve said before, I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone. It’s a devastating thing to go through that is hard for anyone who hasn’t experienced it to understand.

Alcohol does seem to play some kind of role in bringing on the illness — I don’t know if it just weakens your immune system so that a virus/bacterium can take hold, or what the exact cause is (I’m not a doctor, of course), but it seems to be a relatively consistent factor in the onset of severe vertigo.

However, don’t lose hope Tyson. I remember for months after the first episode of vertigo, my ENT told me I would be recovered in a few weeks — and then I’d wait months, and not feel any better. The ‘brain fog’ was paralyzing and I felt completely unable to function. I too went through the ‘do I have a brain tumor’ experience, and the same as you, I had an MRI that was negative of any tumors or damage.

However, 3 years later, as bad as I feel some days, I feel a hell of a lot better than I did then. I still can’t push myself too hard — and I need to moderate stressful and demanding activities, get enough sleep, not skip meals, etc.

One thing I would strongly suggest is seeing a neurotologist. They deal with balance and hearing issues all the time, and they are the best equipped to help you (good that you were doing VRT). I’m still hoping they can help me with the issues I’m still going through.

Hang in there — we’ll get through this.

May 22nd, 2008
Tyson

Dude, I’m more active than ever, I work out 6 days a week, run, do stairs, eat like I’m a monk…as crappy as I feel I don’t let it get me down…it’s all in our heads anyway right…fight the Diz mate…

T

May 22nd, 2008
Vertigo Guy

Being active and eating right is a great thing to do — vertigo or not. When I got the vertigo the first time, I was definitely not exercising or eating properly, and I think both of those things didn’t help when I actually got hit with the vertigo.

Good to hear you’re fighting the good fight with this thing.

May 26th, 2008
Hicksy

Hi

Yep an almost identical set of events. The onset came on in three waves (on the same afternoon three years ago). The third attack was severe. EXTREME dizziness, vomiting etc etc. Confined to bed for about a week. The severe dizziness went away after about 3 weeks but ever since everything seems somewhat “askew” (everything is a bit disjointed and sometimes you feel you’re Not quite really there). I have had some more acute dizziness since, most notably when I’ve had a throat infection, cold or flu. However without a doubt tiredness and alcohol have a profound effect on how I feel on a daily basis thus I have knocked bozzing on the head as much as I can. As to exercise one of the accounts above is SO accurate to my experience. I can feel dizzy, go for a run and feel peculiar on the run and then feel great for ages after it. Don’t let the dizziness get you down too much; I did the London Marathon this year as a bit of a challenge and got through it fine. In others’ experience how long do the “after effects” of vestibular nueritus last for? I have heard references to “several years”. Yuk !!!

All the best to all
Hicksy

Nov 6th, 2008
Vertigo Guy

Hicksy,

I want to thank you very much for sharing your story here. It sounds like we’ve been through a very similar ordeal — and after over 3 years, it’s still (unfortunately) a day-to-day problem for me as well.

Exercise certainly helps, and I’ve been trying to keep up with that, as well as eat healthy and refrain from alcohol. Great to hear that you did the London Marathon! That would be tough to do even without any dizziness…

Nov 8th, 2008
Mary

Hi Everyone
I am so glad I came across this site. I just spent 12 hours last evening in the Emerg after 3 days of vertigo…I had a blood work up; urine test; ECG, and CT scan, which all came back negative The ER Doc said I should feel re-assured?…I am told I have an inner ear problem. He gave me Nova-Betahistine and told me to follow up with my GP. I have had previous instances of this before, but never this severe, or this constant…I have only taken one dose of this medication, but it doesn’t seem to be effective.
Question – Suggestions for help? I want to feel normal….very scary and hard to feel safe falling asleep…Can anyone relate?
Mary

Mar 22nd, 2009
Vertigo Guy

Mary — I’m so sorry to hear about your vertigo. I know it’s a horrible experience, and 3 days of it must have been awful.

I know it’s tough to feel reassured right now — but given that all of your tests came back negative, the doctor’s statement about feeling reassured probably stems from the fact that he feels you most likely don’t have anything life-threatening (i.e. brain tumour, that kind of thing).

I know how scary vertigo is — and I know it’s really tough to be alone and to be able to fall asleep. If you’re feeling great deal of anxiety and difficulty sleeping, you may want to ask your GP for an anti-anxiety prescription (something like Lorazepam). Talk to your doctor about your options in this regard if you’re feeling anxious.

And a few suggestions as to what you might want to do for treatment — first off, your GP will be helpful if you need a prescription for anxiety (as I said above), but is usually not so helpful in terms of knowing what’s wrong. I would highly recommend getting a referral to neurotologist (sometimes written ‘neuro-otologist’). They specialize in this area, and can be a much bigger help than a GP or ENT. Also, if they figure there was damage to the inner ear (as opposed to an ongoing condition like Meniere’s), I would highly suggest vestibular rehabilitation treatment (if you have insurance that will pay for it, then I would highly suggest trying it even if they think it’s something like Meniere’s).

I really sincerely hope you feel better soon Mary, and I hope this bit of advice is helpful.

Mar 22nd, 2009
Mary

Hi again Vertigo Guy

I was really touched by the sincerity of your response.You made me feel not alone. Your information and advice is very helpful. I plan to see my G.P. on Tuesday and will ask for a referral to a neurotologist. Something else interesting is that my blood pressure has been extremely low recently. It has always aired on the lower side, but not as much as lately. I discovered after more web surfing that the betahistine prescribed in the ER does help with “dizziness” as it actually lowers blood pressure….It all seems very cyclical…extremely low blood pressure can also cause vertigo! ( this was missed in the hospital ) After feeling really unwell today I stopped taking the betahistine. I am trying to be more brave and feel positive that this will be sorted out…I went to a Yoga class this morning and it helped distract the feeling of ” not being right”
Thanks Again…..hope to stay connected
Mary

Mar 23rd, 2009
Christina

Sorry to hear about everyone’s bad vertigo experiences. I know all to well how you feel. I have been battling severe vertigo for 4 years now. I go to the hospital for them to send me home with a medication called Antivert which is for dizziness. It does help to some degree but not today. I woke up feeling like I was in a washing machine and it had just hit the spin cycle. I began seriously sweating and then vomiting. I have never had this bad of an experience with vertigo before. I have went to the hospital so many times for this and they always send me home I wish they would just do a brain scan already. My family has a big history of brain tumors cancers and neurological issues but because I have no insurance the doctors just push me out the door with a simple cure…Ahhh this is so agrravating. I have 2 small children and the bouts of vertigo get so bad I can’t even get out of bed to care for them, so I have to bother my family to help me. Anyway if anyone knows any other things that might help me please feel free to share.

Apr 6th, 2009
Kristie

To All of my fellow vertigo sufferers,
I just came across your posting. I too suffer from severe vertigo. Mine wasn’t brought on by drinking, extreme illness, or anything like that. I don’t even know exactly what brought mine on. About 5 years ago, I had my first experience with it.
My doctor told me that it was an inner ear disorder that is usually brought on by a head injury, old age or (likely in my case since the others don’t apply) sudden motion of the head. The doctor told me that there were small particles in my inner ear that had come dislodged. In order to get rid of the vertigo, you either have to assimilate to it or, to speed up the process–subject yourself to the following torture (Although it is torture, it does seem to work)….
*
You lay on your back on your bed with your head hanging off the bed. You look to your left and your right, then look straight ahead and sit up quickly. It works best if you have someone pull you up (since you get so dizzy, your body stops cooperating). It’s extreme torture-making you more and more nauseas every time you do it. But it does help the vertigo disappear faster.
My doctor told me it helps the particles in your inner ear go back into place.
*
I have become more in tune over the past few years to what triggers the vertigo. The number one thing that I now avoid is any kind of sudden head movement. I now avoid rollercoasters (twists, turns, upside down). No sudden movements with my head. One of my “attacks” was brought on by spinning with my daughter on one of those little merry-go-rounds at the park. I would advise anyone suffering from this problem to avoid any such sudden head movement.
**
My doctor told me that there is no cure for it. You just have to learn how to live with it and what to avoid. I am much more careful about what I do now. I haven’t had a debilitating episode of vertigo in almost 3 years.
***
Hopefully this helps some of you….

Apr 6th, 2009
Sandy

I am so glad to know that I am not the only one to experience vertigo. I have felt so alone.This has been the most terrifying experience of my life and the first time I have ever had vertigo. I know I have never been one to be able to ride amusement park rides, even as a child, because I would get dizzy and nauseated. I have avoided rides like the plague my whole life, but I never had any experience that could match this. This started the week of my birthday 3 and half weeks ago. My husband and I were just standing in my kitchen talking and laughing and all of a sudden the room started to spin like a merry go round, and I didn’t say anything because I thought well, o.k., this is odd but it will go away in a minute, but then it started to spin faster and faster and I broke out in a horrible sweat and I asked my husband to open the door, I needed some air, but before he could move, I hit the floor and began severely vomiting. He couldn’t even touch me without it making me vomit more and more severely. He called an ambulance since he could not move me. At the E.R. they did do a C.T. Scan and said they found nothing wrong and decided that I had severe vertigo brought on by inner ear infections in both ears. I had not had any problems with my ears as far as pain or anything.They got the vomiting under control with meds. and gave me meclizine for the dizziness. The meclizine did absolutely nothing to stop the spinning but, I have been taking it anyway in hopes it will help. But they sent me home with antibiotics and the meclizine and said I would need someone with me around the clock for a few days and that the dizziness would subside in three or four days and go away completly in a couple of weeks. Well, it did slowly get better and by the second week, It was more of a light headed, jumpy type dizziness. By the third week I was experiencing pain in my right ear and the dizziness was like in a holding pattern, it wasn’t any better or worse,and went to my doctor who decided to start me on another round of antibiotics only stronger this time and was told that if by the time I finish these, the dizziness and pain doesn’t go away then they will make a referral to an E.N.T. Well, I am now in my fourth week and I have three more days of the antibiotics and I still see no difference in that unsteady, light headed jumpy type dizziness. I do have a ringing sensation in my right ear and still a slight pain. I haven’t been able to drive in all this time and my husband takes me to do my shopping but when I do go with him, I feel as though I have lost all my security being away from my familiar surroundings. I cling to my shopping cart for dear life. It is so wonderful to know I am not alone in this. I think I will try the excercise that Kristie suggested of lying on my bed with my head hanging off the edge and see if that will help. One question do you only look to the right and left with your eyes or move your head in those directions? I have seen my chiropractor who said he could help with it but after the adjustment, I didnt see any difference. Please tell me this will go away. I am so use to being active and I can’t stand not being able to function like I did. I have a family depending on me and honestly, I am not the kind of person who likes to be taken care of. I like doing that for everyone else. I am finally able to do a few things around my home such as cooking, and laundry and some mild cleaning that doesn’t require me bending or moving to much, and I am now able to read a book without the words moving. When I focus on just one thing everything seems to stop moving, it is only when I move or look in a different direction that it starts again now.
I never thought I would be so happy to do laundry again……LOL. I am so thankful that I am not experiencing that severe spinning any longer and that it is just mild now but, I so want to be able to drive again and do what I am use to doing. Any and all suggestion will be whole heartedly welcomed. This is truly frightening and I feel as though I will never feel normal again. Thanks to you all for showing me that I am not alone in this. It is so hard to explain this to someone who has never experienced this themselves. They just can’t say anything to help.

Apr 21st, 2009
Justyn

Had Labrynthitis/Vertigo November 2008 I was playing golf, bent down to tee up my next shot when i felt weird!! Happened again and again, so i went home. Got through the door and just started vomiting badly for a couple of hours.Rested and went to the doctors the next morning, who diagnosed Labrynthitis and said it would go within 2-4 weeks.
Its now May 2009 and i am slowly beginning to feel like my old self?
It has been a horrendous 5 months for me and my family, backwards and forwards to the hospital and doctors, feeling anxious, depressed not being able to work.I still feel light headed and get dizzy after excercise, but feel 70% better than i did and hope i am heading in the right direction….
Its horrible unless you have experienced anything like it, people just don’t understand how terrible you feel 24 hours a day..

May 5th, 2009
Laura

Hi Justyn,
I got Labrynthitis in November 2008 also! The day before we were supposed to leave for Disney World I went to eat with a friend and all of a sudden the room started spinning. I was vomiting for a week anytime I tried to get up. I had no idea what was happening to me. I was on the couch for 2 weeks (cancelled our trip of course) and finally went back to work after that but it was slow moving and tough. It IS now May of 2009 and I am better yes, but recovered, no. Anxiety and depression have not helped the situation, only made it worse. And it is true that people just do not understand what you are going through unless they have experienced it. I just thought it was interesting how we got it at the same time and it has been 5 months for both of us and we’re feeling about the same now… i’d say i’m 60%. Some days are really bad some days are better. I hope that in time things will get 100% better for you and me!
Laura

May 8th, 2009
Marilyn Raffensperger

Hi there fellow shipmates,
I’ve spent the past week feeling seasick and wishing I were on a cruise ship instead of trying to sail through life with recurring bouts of vertigo.

My first vertigo attack came out of the blue in 2005. I was trimming my lovely yellow Graham Thomas rose bush. That day I was enjoying the sunshine and the lovely roses. And then I suddenly felt weird, went inside and within 10 minutes the world was spinning so much that if I moved, I vomited…. I won’t carry on with details. I ‘m sure you all have lived through similar events.

The first time I had vertigo, the doctor thought it was a virus. However, when I began having monthly recurrences of a fews days in bed with the world spinnning, the diagnosis became endolymphatic hydrops. I first tried the “wait and see if it goes away approach”. For a season my vertigo DID go away. Sigh. But then it came back with vigour. I then started taking beta-histine. Hang in there Mary, betahistine really helped me a lot, but it took a while for it to start working.

I have to avoid certain activities because the movement can trigger vertigo episodes. No dancing, no gardening, etc. If I’m feeling a bit off colour I also avoid certain kinds of visual environments like busy shopping malls. 2008 was a great year for me; as long as I avoided known troubling activies, I was fine. Last year I was delighted because I was able to garden for short periods. Unfortunately in 2009 my recurring vertigo episodes have come back. I’m trying to finish writing up my doctoral thesis in between recurring bouts of vertigo. This is a challenge.

I am in my late 40s and I think that changing hormones are the main trigger for my vertigo. I hope it will go away when my body completes its hormonal transition. In the meantime, I take beta-histine, avoid caffeine, avoid known movement triggers, and I try to laugh a lot. Vertigo is really an awful experience. And yes, stress can trigger vertigo. And as we all know, having vertigo causes stress. The best antidote to stress is laughter. So I enjoy life as much as possible. I even look for humour amidst the unpleasantness of vertigo. It is kind of funny that a malfunction in the tiniest part of my inner ear is powerful enough to render me helpless.

Sandy, it’s May now, and I sincerely hope that your vertigo has subsised. We had a workman at our house the other day who had had vertigo for six weeks. He had just the one episode. I wish for you that this is your one and only experience of vertigo.

Marilyn

May 17th, 2009
Donna

Hi all
I am just so tired of this “brain fog” as someone discribed it. I am not able to fully concentrate on anything since this started about 4 months ago. I am terrified of fainting somewhere, and sometimes it bothers my driving.
My doctor gave me gravol to start with, ran a whole mess of blood and urine tests, then gave me nova betahistine. I am two days in to that, and right now I feel horrible.
I think that the advice on caffine and alcohol might be something I haven’t tried yet, I do drink a fair amount of coffee and having a beer or glass of wine after work is a habit I know I can break if it stops this vertigo.
I am glad to have found this site, really has helped.
Donna

Jul 24th, 2009
Brianna

Hi Everyone,

Ive been researching and researching this for weeks now and I thought I would finally post and hope to get some feedback! Im sorry to hear that all of you are going through this. It totally sucks.

On June 12, 2009 (about six weeks ago) I was in a two seater sandrail (off roading vehicle, with a structure made of of metal roll bars). Anyway, we were going for a quick ride on the beach and I wasnt wearing a helmet nor a seatbelt (stupid me, I know). We were going about twenty miles an hour when we somehow hit a bump and crashed into the sand, which sent me flying straight up into a metal bar. I did not black out nor did I need stitches despite the blood. I actually felt great. I also fractured my L1 in my back. Four days later I suppose my concussion set in (confusion, disorientation, depression) and along with it came 24/7 Vertigo that has not gone away and not subsided. Actually, it sort of subsided for a week but now its back. I literally feel like I am on a boat every step that I take. Sometimes I feel like the floor is rolling, sometimes dropping out from under me, and sometimes pushing up against me. Fortunately it does not affect me while I sleep (thank god). I had a CT and MRI both of which were fine. All of the Drs. keep saying its “post concussion syndrome” which I believe for most of the symptoms (disorientation, nausea, and confusion) is completely accurate, however, through my research I have found it to be abnormal that my vertigo is not only constant but unsubsiding. I think there is a deeper issue. Does anyone have any ideas. Disagree/Agree? I see that many people get bouts of vertigo, which at the point I am at, would be greatful for.

Sorry that was so long but thank you for reading.

Brianna

Jul 24th, 2009
geraldine

Hi,
If you have a head injury the otoconia (gravity sensors) can be knocked off the otoliths in your ears and the otoliths then miss the weight of them, giving you constant disequilibrium and little relationship with gravity, a feeling that you’re walking on pillows and other drunken- like sensations.
Ear infection and respiratory tract infection can do the same to the otoconia. I have been suffering for nine months with these sensations and VRT – which is the only treatment option – has failed miserably.

Jul 26th, 2009
Brianna

Hi Geraldine,

Did you have a head injury as well? Through my reading I found that when one suffers persistent vertigo as a result of a head injury, it may be not of vestibular origin. Have you talked to your doctors about other possible causes?

Brianna

Jul 27th, 2009
geraldine

Hi Brianna,

I haven’t a head injury, which sometimes causes the otoconia to drop off, but I had a bad ear infection which possibly caused it. I feel as though I’m walking on a swing bridge…

Best wishes,
Geraldine

Jul 27th, 2009
joe

hello there! i am new with this vertigo crap. starting happening when my dad past away in april. living the the city right now, but, my home town is at near kenora, ontario. once i was started heading back to the city. oh yeah! my sister and her husband drove me to winnipeg for my flight, but, we had to stay in a hotel overnight. because, my flight didn’t leave until 8am. when i woke up early, about one hour early. when i open my eyes and started getting up. everything started spining like crazyness, i’ve rush to the bathroom. i said to myself, this can’t be right. i started vomiting, and couldn’t stand up or move. it just got worse when i move. my sister called the ambulance, they were even scare to come in the hotel. they thought, i had H1N1 virus. everyday now, i pretty much have vertigo. it hard to work, but i keep trying to go to work everyday, even when i have vertigo at work. people at work support me with my vertigo. medication i use is nova-betahistine, doesn’t help that much. room still spins, it helps with my vomiting to darn much. just wondering, how to do guys go to work? me, i have to, because, paying my debt.

Sep 16th, 2009
Geraldine

Hi Joe,
It’s really hard to get to work because getting from one place to another is a nightmare – I feel like I’m walking on a trampoline all the time. My MD gave me Propanalol, thinking that I might have migraine variant balance disorder but they just made me pass out in a car park. Every day is total torture and I don’t know the cause – I might as well have had a stroke or have MS, as it’s totally debilitating and ruins your life and for me has not got any better over the course of a year.

Sep 18th, 2009
Jim

Well I guess, I’m an old hand…. I got sick in 1999 – almost exactly 10 years ago!.. Felt what I can only describe as “unusual” for a few days, then came down with a cold/flu, one that went tried to get on with my daily life, but over the following 3 weeks I degenerated into a housebound wobbly mess. For me the visual aspect was the most disturbing (mentally), as my balance sort of functioned ok (as long as I avoided complicated environments etc etc).. After several months battling I was diagnosed with Vestibular Neuronitis, and told to do rehab therapy, the anxiety side became a major issue… Over the following 12 months I improved dramatically, but never recovered, I’d say I got to about 80%, and since then things have been up and down… Sometimes I’ll have periods whereby I feel nearly normal, but long distance travelling, or busy enviroments stir my symptoms up, and periodically I get episodes where my balance get’s really messed up (infact I’m having one of those at the moment, I feel like I’m being pulled downwards to the floor) – however, I’m far better at dealling with it now, but what concerns me, is I’m not sure but I sometimes wonder if I might be worse than a few years ago (I certainly did more a few years back, but I also remember having a lot of very bad days!)… It’s also not clear to me, whether my system periodically get’s overloaded and “forgets” to compensate for the damaged balance system, or whether there is something underlying going on which keeps causing further damage to my system..

Sep 21st, 2009
Jeff

Great site, VertigoGuy. There is strange comfort in numbers and I just read many posts from others who have experienced very similar symptoms to my own. I have had these symptoms since June 30th (3 months ago) and I recall the start date vividly because I had never before experienced dizziness and nausea at the same time. My GP gave me all sorts of horrendous possibilities (brain tumors, cancer, MS, etc.) but blood tests and an MRI ruled out the more serious of these. I was referred to an ENT who diagnosed viral labrynthitis, though all agree there is no way to really confirm this diagnosis since the inner ear is encased in bone. The ENT did say that it could be a neuro issue, and both he and my GP have been stumped by the amount of vomiting I have experienced. This, for me, has been the most challenging symptom. I eventually went to a neurologist who diagnosed vestibular neuritis. I had a series of hearing tests which seemed to confirm this diagnosis, and the treatment is no different – you simply ‘wait it out.’
I have a drugstore worth of pills at home – from antivert to valium and several anti-nausea meds as well. For me, none of them worked well and I’m off all pills at this point. My dizziness is now barely noticeable and I’m trying hard to avoid getting sick, as the neuro advised this will come back with any other illness as the brain will stop compensating for the vestibular injury when other illnesses present themselves.
I dropped coffee and alcohol completely, but have resumed drinking a cup of coffee in the morning again. I throw up nearly every time I attempt alcohol (and I was always a “good drinker,” meaning I probably bordered on alcoholism). I guess it’s a good thing to give up – little good comes from it. The best way I could describe my symptoms is to liken them to being drunk. But not the good drunk feeling – I mean the one when you wish you would have stopped sooner as your body no longer does what you want it to do.
My nausea persists and I’m going to a gastroenterologist tomorrow about that, though I am pretty sure the cause is this vestibular issue. It is way worse in the morning, so I have gained newfound empathy for pregnant women with morning sickness. Wretching on an empty stomach every few days is an awful way to start the day.
Like others, I have found exercise helps. I know I had many days when exercising was out of the question, but as the dizziness subsides, I’m putting on my running shoes again and I feel great after a good run.
I’m amazed at the number of people who have had this. May you all make it through and return to good health.

Oct 1st, 2009
Linda

Great site
I had sudden hearing loss in my left ear Feb28 09 I went to a walk in clinic because my ear was ringing and screaming so bad I couldn’t feel
the left side of my head the Dr. dx sudden hearing and sent me to the ER
for MRI of the brain which thank god was normal the started me on high
doss of steroids and anti viral meds this was on Sat. Monday had an appt. with ENT he confirmed dx by Tues I couldn’t even get put of bed everytime I sat up my body just slammed its self back down.The next
week or so I was so “drunk” all over the place walking totally exhausted
going out of my mind etc. I had all the hearing tests and caloric test
which was the worst thing I have ever been though. It confirmed vestibular damage as well as hearing loss. I decided to see a Neuro ENT He confirmed and helped me understand my condition much more
I have 45 dec. of hearing back I can only hear loud deep noises. The most recent thing that’s happened is when I hear a loud noise I feel like I’m going to fall have almost fallen a few times loud claps of thunder
makes my legs weak so I saw my ent spec. today and he called it drop attacks and said it’s normal with my condition. i start balance P.T next week hope it will help anyone else experience this? It’s frighten
I ‘m scared
have seen him twice.

Oct 13th, 2009
maria

i dont want to think about it . it makes me sick just the word vertigo makes my hairs from my head stand up . i remember the first time i had it i was sleeping turn my head to the other side and that was it i througt i was dieing last me a week . then it came back withing two week did m.r.i on head came back o.k. went to ear and throat dr told me i had pbbv vertigo gave me a paper with exciese to do at home did it for to weeks thanks to the lord my god it is gone i feel great i pray that this vertigo does not come again i have faith in god that it wont come back again i pray for all of you

Oct 13th, 2009
Linda

Well I had my first balance pt found out a lot about myself things I have been guarding like turning my body with my head bending with my head up it seems a lot of my problems are up down amd side to side can’t stand heel to toe with my eyes closed. My right eye does not want to work. A lot of interestng she gave me exercises to do at .I having done them faithfully twice a day and I think it’s helping I don’ know about the drop attacks yet I really just want to stay at home in the peace and quite does anyone have vestibular neuritis with balance issues I don’t have dizzy spells I just can’t walk without feeling like I am falling to the left and my hearing really sucks my good ear picks up sounds from seems like miles away it’s driving me crazy I take valium and it does help but I feel totally left out of this world anyone have my symptoms and suggestions I’m desperate

Oct 17th, 2009
Susie

Hi. Just wanted to share with someone who understands since my whole family and friends think I’m insane now. I had my first attack 3 yrs ago, woke up with the room spinning for several hours. When it finally stopped, I was sort of off balance for a couple weeks. Then it finally passed. Since then I’ve had a couple bouts after reading for long periods but they only lasted a day or so. I always thought it was my eyes, but my eye doc says they’re fine, and glasses are fine, so I dismissed that until now. In Oct. I had an attack, and it has never gone away since. I’ve been to every doctor just like you all, and am told I have an inner ear disorder for which there is no cure. I’ve tried all the meds, which make me lightheaded so I feel even worse. Gingerale sometimes takes the edge off the nausea but doesn’t stop the dizziness. I get pressure in my ears and head, almost a tingling feeling, but no hearing loss. I feel the same as most of you, floor dropping, someone pulling me backward over and over again, a slow churning motion, tilting, depth perception all screwed up. I can’t even take stairs anymore. I heard mention of a condition called heterophoria/hyperphoria recently which describes perfectly all of my symptoms and some of yours as well, but it’s apparently a new breakthrough treatment, so there are only 2 doctors in the country who treat it properly, one in Birmingham, Mich., and one in Reedley, CA. I contacted them both begging for anyone closer to me who treats it, but they’re the only ones. I’m now trying to convince somebody to take me there for the testing and hopefully treatment since Reedley is only 4 hrs from me, but my family and friends think it’s all in my head., and I can’t drive that far on my own anymore. I’m terrified and all alone, and no one will believe me that it’s not a mental condition. I still think it’s my eyes, and the heterophoria/hyperphoria is an eye condition. Has anyone been treated for or heard of this? I’m gonna keep trying to convince someone to take me. Maybe I am just losing my mind.

Jan 26th, 2010
Lorna Clarke

My first vertigo attack was 8 years ago. I woke up, got myself a cup of tea, and the room started spinning. That episode lasted only that day, but my latest attack was just over a year ago. I literally rolled over in bed to turn off my alarm, and the room started to violently spin. That attack lasted a week. I was prescribed anti-nausea, anti-dizzy and anti-anxiety drugs. Saw a neurologist who told me to stop taking the pills. He says vertigo is an inner ear/brain thing – there is no cure. I had to let my neural pathways reform, and my brain had to learn that my body wasn’t actually moving. Everyday, I feel like I’m swaying, especially if I move quickly. I find my anxiety brings on the attacks. My family and I are going to Disney World this summer, and I doubt I’ll be able to ride anything fun. I guess I’ll keep their spot in the line! Vertigo is a disability – my quality of life is less than it was. I can’t play certain things with my kids, or even drive sometimes. Unless you’ve experienced vertigo, you can’t understand.

May 27th, 2010
Bernadette

Hi all just wondering if u could help?

My boyfriend has had vertigo for the past 6 months we’ve been under a great deal of stress this past while bck and it seems his symptoms started around this time. He’s been to his G.P several times and to the emergency room a few too he’s waiting on a hot and cold test? At the minute but he’s terrifered to leave the house he won’t walk any where far he says he fine whilst driving but I’m afraid of him taking a dizzy spell while on the road.
Is there anything I could do to help him get over his fears I feel bad but it’s staging us down cuz he just won’t go amy where or do anything wat could ur love ones do to help??

Thanxs
B

Jun 3rd, 2010
sarah

Hi all,
I had a bad day today with vertigo/dizziness,i had my kids in the car after picking them up from school and had a dizzy turn and lucky for me i had a lane to pull into to sit until it subside.
Ive been battling vertigo now for nearly 10 years,it has been constant with no relief.Ive learnt to live with it as no medications worked for me.
I had to change jobs as bright lights make my vertigo worse and i cant do shopping,i havent been to a shopping mall for 9 years.It is difficult with kids as we have to work around my vertigo when we plan things.
And Bernadette your b/f sounds so much like how i am,for the first 4 years of having my vertigo i wouldnt leave the house or walk far,I had 2 babies as well to care for which i had to have alot of help from my family ,We didnt go out anywhere ,i guess my ex got fed up with the burden of me and he decided to walk out.
I do hope and pray that oneday i will wake up and feel great like i did b4 i got this horrible illness,But after having it for 10 years i dont think thats going to happen sadly,i just do the best i can each day and i do push myself to live close to a normal life.
I wish you guys goodluck and Bernadette just be patient with him and get him to take little steps at a time ,i couldnt drive for 5 years and then i just started driving down the end of the street and back and then drove a little further and a little further each day and finally i got the courage to drive again,although its uncomfortable, its a good feeling to at least have some independence.
I wish you guys all the best
Sarah

Jun 11th, 2010
Sherri Farr

I had my first horrible rounds of vertigo and spinning 6 years ago while painting my family room. Looking back, I am amazed how few doctors, even ENT’s were familiar enough to recognize the specific vestibular disorders. It is such a process to figure things out! For me it was a relief to Finally find the right doctor, a balance clinic, education, therapy and especially a specific diagnosis. Even if I know there is nothing else to be done, I know what I am dealing with. It has been a lonely, life-changing thing to live with. You lose so many of your choices and things that you love. I have bilateral vestibular neuritis, and while it has never been as bad as that first year, it is so there in my face, every day, goes up and down, and when it is bad, it is bad. I still get horribly down when my symptoms are up again. I hate it. Part of it is the loneliness. No one really understands, and it goes on and on. I think everyone in my world is ready for me to just get better and rejoin their lives. I think I am the only one who understands that this is now my life. That is the lonely part. That’s why I loved stumbling onto your site here, and all you people who know what it is like. It is a great help to read your experiences and thoughts. Thanks!
Sherri

Jun 17th, 2010
Laura

I am so glad I came across this site as I felt I was on my own and really felt like I was losing it. My first experience was when i got out of bed in the morning and i would stumble and fall into the wall, from there it seemed to get worse and one day i had my 2 year old grand daugher on my knee and we were having a great time spinning around on a big swivel chair, it was then I noticed how dizzy and sick I was feeling, this was not like normal dizziness, I felt ill and panicky, from then it has got to the stage where I can’t walk without a stick, I am terrified to go outdoors in case i fall, I stagger about and I’m sure people think I’m drunk.The doctor has referred me to a neurologist and prescribed betahistine tablets , I have only been on them for three days but i feel a slight improvement, I think or maybe its wishful thinking, its all a bit of hope isn’t it. I can’t do anything, for instance I have just hung out the laundry and when I came back in I felt sick and dizzy , it is a horrible condition. I can go to the shops if i walk very slowly and try and not move my head, which isn’t easy. I also went through the thoughts that I had a brain tumour, well I hope everyone does get a bit of relief and I am hoping my betahistine are going to work because this is survival not life. Sarah you say about independence, you are so right I felt like I was losing mine because I had to get my son to go to the shops for me etc. I didn’t know other people suffered from this because at one stage i thought it was all in my mind. So thanks for this site and its good to hear everyone else experiences.
We just have to keep hoping for some cure for this.
I hope you all find some relief soon, even 5 minutes without dizziness would be better than winning the lottery.

Jul 2nd, 2010
Jayne

Thank you all for sharing your experience. Mine started 2 years ago. I too was told a viral infection and was put on antibiotics. After that was refered to an ENT. Diagnosed with BPPV. I have not had one day of not feeling uneasy. Unless you have been there you cannot explain how you feel to anyone. Two weeks ago I suddenly woke up at 2 am drenched and so dizzy I could not open my eyes. This was the most severe I had ever experienced. Just my husband laying his hand on the bed starting my vomiting. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they did what you all have described, antivert, valium. Helped the first couple of days( maybe you think it is helping because all you do is sleep) but forget it after that. I also have had MRIs CT scans all negative. I just want a miracle drug to stop this. Do any of you feel a pressure in your head, where you just want to put your hands to your head and push to make the pressure stop? At times all I want to do is cry because it is such a horrendous feeling. I just want to be me again.

Jul 12th, 2010
Laura

Thought I’d give an update.After a few weeks of being on betahistine, I do see a marked improvement, the worst thing is trying to find a cure on the web because there are so many similar things. I have pressure on the left side of my head but I would say my balance is 80% better but some days it’s worse than others, I managed to go out without my stick yesterday but I had to walk veryslowly, so it hasn’t gone it has slightly improved.I still feel sick and dizzy at times but it comes and goes.Give the betahistine time to work. I’m no where near cured but I can now function. Hope you feel better soon Jayne.

Aug 1st, 2010
Heather Greene

I have been dizzy / off balance now for over 3 months. I feel like I am on a boat constantly. I had my first real vertigo attack this past Saturday that landed me in the emergency room and they did a CT scan. The can was normal and now I go back to the ENT this afternoon to see where we go from here. Has anyone had severe weakness and shaky legs with vertigo? I feel like my legs are made of jello when I walk, maybe it’s from trying to keep myself steady for so long now. When will this ever go away?????

Sep 1st, 2010
Karen

My first experience happened after having a few drinks in the hot sun with friends one day. We then went out for dinner and while sitting at dinner I suddenly got very hot and super dizzy. I excused myself and went to the restroom but couldn’t stop the room from spinning. I felt like i was losing control of myself. It was so scary. I walked straight out the front door of the restaurant and got in my car and started driving home (which in retrospect was the wrong thing to do). Part way home I was so nauseated and dizzy that I had to pull over and vomit. Somehow I made it home but I had to go straight to bed and felt horrible. The spinning was so bad. It has now been 4 months and things have not improved. I feel horrible every day. I have a lot of pressure in my head, a constant feeling of movement all around me, I sometimes feel like I’m falling over when I’m actually sitting still. When I lie down at night the room spins worse than if I’m standing up. I take meclizine for the dizziness which helps a little bit but I always feel like I”m walking around in a fog. I am going to Vestibular Rehab in a few days and am hoping they can do something to give me some relief. I feel as though my quality of life is next to nothing. I have a 3 year little boy and I feel so bad when I have to lie on the couch and tell him I can’t do things because “mommy is too dizzy”. This is just horrible and nobody seems to understand unless they’ve experienced it themselves. I’m so glad I found this website!

Sep 4th, 2010
Robin

I have been suffering from bouts of vertigo for over 10 years – I am in my mid 40′s now. I was told by the one PT in town who actually helps people with vertigo that I am the worst case she has ever seen. Boy, that made me feel great, right!

I have learned to self-treat with the Brandt maneuver and sometimes even the Epley maneuver. Look those up online if you don’t know about them. The Brandt maneuver is done several times per day over many days/weeks and the Epley is done once or twice and then you sleep sitting up for several days and try not to move your head at all during the day. If it doesn’t seem the Brandt is helping then sometimes I’ll do the Epley. It is a crap shoot in all honesty. Eventually my bouts go away, but I always have issues with feeling dizzy and imbalanced. I often just do the Brandt maneuver even when I’m not in an acute bout of vertigo, just to hopefully prevent one. I used to get vertigo episodes all the time and now I’ve staved them off a bit. I’m actually in a horrible one today, it started two days ago, so everything is kind of blurry as I type, but I too, like many others, have learned to function with it. You just have to, there is no other choice.

The first episode I had is similar to so many others, couldn’t stop the spinning with my head in any position. I saw a PT and she had me do the Brandt maneuver. Once I did the Brandt maneuver it improved a great deal and I could actually look straight and have my head in that position. I have been told I have it in both ears, although for the past four or five years I tend to only treat the left side. I haven’t slept on my left side in around four years. I have chronic neck pain from sleeping on only one side. I also can’t put my face down, as that triggers vertigo as well. I try to sleep on at least two pillows so my head is never totally flat.

There is no rhyme or reason to what triggers mine, honestly. For years I never did anything bouncy or fun because I was so afraid I would trigger my acute vertigo. Now I do more – sometimes I go dancing and I’ve even hit the waterslides with my kids and believe it or not, neither of those things has triggered my vertigo. But then this week, when I did absolutely nothing bouncy, I am in a horrible bout. So I have decided to live my life as much as I can (I don’t do roller coasters or spinning things) and I do the Brandt as a preventative and basically I hope for the best.

I have two children who have had to grow up with a mom who has vertigo and many times I have had to miss things because of it. Next to the actual physical and emotional discomfort of suffering from vertigo, is the frustration that no one understands. My husband has never been very compassionate about it and my friends try to understand but they don’t. I dislike feeling like the “sick” one, so I try to downplay my dizziness and my vertigo bouts. From the outside I look normal and so it is hard for people to understand how incredibly horrible and debilitating it is. Only you all can understand. I wish I had a support group I could go to and feel some camaraderie, because I don’t get it at home. Even when I’m in these bouts I have to cook for myself and do so much for myself because my husband just doesn’t really care to help me. He has to help with some things, like driving the kids, but I know he’s resentful. I wish he could appreciate that he doesn’t have to suffer with this and be grateful that he is healthy and able to do everything.

Anyway, good luck everyone – check out the Brandt and Epley maneuvers and keep positive. We all have a disability, just one that is not typically recognized in society, and we just have to be strong and educate people (including doctors!) whenever we can. There are more of us out there than people realize, which is unfortunate, but at least we all know we are not alone!

Oct 9th, 2010
Karen

I posted above on Sept 4th and had been having constant dizziness for over 4 months. My doctor put me on a new medication for my migraines called Topamax. My dizziness has since gone away. Apparently it was associated with my migraines afterall and possibly all of the stress I have been under from losing my job and going through a divorce. So after being on the Topamax for about 2 months, I am dizzy free. I still live every day on edge waiting for the dizziness to come back and I have noticed that when I get stressed or get a migraine the dizziness does come back but not as severe.

I hope you all find something that helps you. God bless!

Karen

Oct 9th, 2010
Jan Clarke

After suffering with episodes of vertigo for 3 years, getting more frequent and lasting longer as time went on, despite trying numerous different drugs, none of which seemed to help. I read on the internet a suggestion that cutting out dairy may help.
It did, within 48 hours of removing all dairy products (milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt, butter ghee etc.) from my diet I was free of vertigo and have remained so for over 2 years apart from 3 occasions, 2 of which I can definately say were due to me trying some dairy, the third, I can’t explain, which is why I’m back on the internet looking at vertigo websites.
I don’t expect it to work for everyone, but it must be worth a try?

Nov 5th, 2010
Ramesh

I got mine last friday night, I came from office and was watching TV, suddenly I felt the spinning of room, within 10-20 mins, I was on floor vomiting, and sweating. My wife and a friend took me to ER, they did all the scans, and said it is vertigo probably from ear infection.
It is 3 days now, I feel exactly what others are describing, a dizziness while moving head or walking, I am hoping it will disappear in a week as they said in ER. But from above comments I am getting an idea it may take longer that, would probably would have to live with it. I am trying the Epley’s procedure daily..hope it would help, or I have to see a ENT soon.

Dec 7th, 2010
Ramesh

It is day 5, i am feeling lot better. I went for walk and had difficulty processing the thing i saw. I having confidence that i will do better.

Did any of you had probelm with driving after vertigo attack, I have to drive sooner or later. how long it took for you guys.

Dec 9th, 2010
priscilla

a lot of stressin ayear. my husband died after a year at home;dememtia,etc’a total kee replaceme t.cataract surgerya stroke,followed by this horrmific vertigo. i live alone;often i cant tell wethher itnis stroke effects or not. last visit to er confirmed vertigo i wll see neurologist i two week,thenent. I AM DESPERATE THISHAS BEEN FIVE WEEKS OF HELL

Dec 26th, 2010
Nola

a lot of stress i ended up with it twice it started from a migraine attack on the 5th August 2010 vertigo came out on the 9th August 2010.

It started slow dizzy and I could not walk I had it for about four days I completely recovered (so I thought) it returned a week later I was in bed and the room started to spin I thought I was having a heart attack and I stated to vomit this went on all night an ambulance was called and they couldn’t do anything.

The next morning I went to my GP and she gave me an injection I was still vomiting I had trouble with my speech vision and walking.

I had seven weeks of hell.

Jan 3rd, 2011
Nola

Hi Ramesh,

I tried to drive with it just around the block and felt sick when I got back. Then I was trying to sit in my car in the garage and still felt sick.

I then decided to wait until I was completely clear just to make sure my hearing was 100% again.

N.

Jan 6th, 2011
Syndie

Wow, a lot of people have experienced vertigo. I too have had severe vertigo. I do not drink or smoke. One day about 15 years ago, I started getting minor dizzy spells. They usually went away within minutes. However, one time I suffered these spells while driving. I was able to pull over and call my husband to pick me up. Each episode got more intense. One evening, I had to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. I felt really dizzy. I shrugged it off as getting up too quickly. That morning, when I got up to get my son ready for school, I fell to the floor. I was down on all fours and could not get up. I could not keep my balance while on my hands and knees. I tried desparately to crawl to the bathroom. I was so sick and could not stop gagging. I had to lay still with my eyes closed or the whole world would spin out of control. It was like getting on a carnival ride that just would not quit. I went to my doctor and he diagnosed it as a severe case of vertigo. He said that it could last for a few hours. The severe part went away after 1 week and it took another 2 weeks before I was able to drive without getting dizzy. I continue to have vertigo to this day. I have had 4 severe attacks since my 1st. Each attack lasted for 3 or more weeks. My most recent severe attack was just the other day. Thankfully the severe part only lasted 1 day. I have to be careful with walking. I lose my balance often and sometimes it may appear as if I were drunk. I am currently dealing with stresses but I can not recall if I was under a lot of stress during previous episodes. I will just have to pay attention during my next attacks, if any. However, I did notice that I get a bunch of little dizzy spells before I get the big one.

I hope you all find a way to cope. It has not been easy. I have yet to find a medication that makes the dizzy spells go away. I usually wait until they go away on their own. They ususally do.

Jan 11th, 2011
Donna

I got these dizzy feeling 3 years ago, thought it was my panic attacks coming back. I hadn’t had panic attacks in 10 years. Found out after many tests it was Vertigo/Miniere’s disease. Dr. gave me novo betahistine and it took a few days but it worked. Dr. said they don’t know what causes Vertigo nor why the meds work but they do. This is the second time I get this. Got dizzy at night going to the washroom. Had water in my ear from swimming, thought it was that but dizziness continued till I googled water in ear and dizziness and vertigo came up. I then when to see the dr. to ask for more novo betahistine. It does work. Wish you all well.

Feb 13th, 2011
Ivan

This is all a lot of great information. As a current subject of this grand experiment, I’m a little disheartened at what appears to be a complete lack of any real treatment for this…

I woke up around 1230am last Tuesday and felt oddly dizzy, but fell back to sleep. However upon awaking in the morning, I opened my eyes, my head flopped as I tried to turn it, and the world was going nuts. My eyes were tracking left and trying to readjust, the world was spinning, and then I tried to stand up. It was like I was spun around at warp factor 8 and then set out for a walk… You can’t quite do it… I stumbled in a circle blessfully back to my bed.

I quickly learned that I had to stay completely motionless with my eyes closed, and did that for about 36 hours with the odd horrifically painful and stumbly trip to the head.

After 36 hours the amount of spinning subsided a little and I could open my eyes. My wife wanted me to go to the hospital, but I could NOT move that far… No bloody way. Plus I lost a little fluids on the second day (I absolutely refused to throw up the first 24 hours- it wasn’t easy- but no moving helped).

So anyway, this all started the tuesday morning and by friday I was able to stumble to my doctor who showed me some exercises that I already tried (and didn’t work) and she perscribed Serc, that doesn’t seem to do anything though I’m still taking them.

It’s now a full week from when this started, and it’s my second day back to work. I can turn my head at a reasonable speed, but too fast will cause dizziness.

I also feel so tired everyday. Just wiped out. And my ears occassionally feel muted and my head feels so heavy and foggy at times. My left eye also started getting a little strained today for some reason.

This is all really pissing me off. And I’m honestly a little concerned that it can pop back up any time. What do I do if I’m driving to work an hour from home and this happens? Especially if it takes so long for the extreme symptoms to abate like they initally did. I couldn’t even walk for 36 hours with out falling all over the place and getting severly ill.

It’s madness I tells ya. MADNESS! heh…

Feb 15th, 2011
Keith

I found this site today because it’s the first day I’ve been able to use my computer again after a severe vertigo attack three days ago. Unlike some of you, I seem to be improving after 48 hours. I’m a brewer (I own a brewpub) and was alone early in the morning brewing, when I heard a snap, followed immediately by dizziness. I finished what I was doing over the next 15 minutes, then sat down, and finally crawled away to vomit. I was unable to move until found 45 minutes later, then taken to a hospital by ambulance, where they gave me all sorts of medication, but I was still vomiting when I left that afternoon. I had a respiratory infection about two weeks ago, so that seems to fit as well. The good news is that I’m improving after about 48 hours of misery. It seems like this must be different from those of you who have regular bouts with this, because once the room stopped moving for me it doesn’t seem like it will start again (fingers crossed). Anyway, I am determined to get back to work a.s.a.p., as my family depends on it!

Feb 19th, 2011
Mary

I am sitting here laughing at these posts. Laughing only because it is such a relief to know that other people get what I went through. I guess misery loves company. A bout of this happened to me about four months ago and I am terrified that it will happen again. It was the worst thing that I have ever gone through in my life. It was so debilitating. My husband didn’t understand at all. I have a three year old daughter and I couldn’t take care of her. I was so sick. Normally I get seasick real easily, but this was insane. It was about five days of the world spinning and spinning and spinning. I thought it would never stop. But thank God it did. And I pray that it will never happen again. What helped me was just laying down, and taking Benadryl and also seasick medication. But really, nothing helped too much. I feel really bad for those of you that have a chronic condition with this. I also had a sinus infection about two weeks before. I would say it was definitely connected. Anyhow, good luck to you all.

Mar 16th, 2011
Lulu

I have central vertigo. Usually brought on by stress or thinking about vertigo itself causes anxiety and the attack to occur.

It’s a true struggle, but we are all special people going through this.
God is always there for us NO MATTER WHAT. He know’s our hearts ♥.

Just think positive and live life to the fullest. Don’t be afraid
Our preception of things is what makes it good or bad in our minds, therefore, no matter how hard it is, know we will ALL get through this. Our job is not to be ashamed, spread the word to people and let them know it will be okay.

Much love to everyone ♥ Never give up hope, stay positive and blessed.

Apr 5th, 2011
Ollie

Ollie:I got my dizziness after I had a knee replacement in Feb./10. Two weeks later I got up and I was dizzy.Am still the same till today. I have had all the tests MRI,cat-scans,went to ENT Dr.also had hearing & balance test done.Also went to physico treatments which the ENT suggested.Which at this time I was told to do the excerises Epley &Liberty Manoeuvres.But nothing helped.I also need to hang on to something while at the mall.Can’t do any gardening as I can not bend over for very long time as I would fall over.I have a hard time talking to some one for a long time.Have taken all kinds of meds like serc etc.nothing seems to help.Sure would be nice if some Dr. would come up with a cure for all of us.I feel sorry for all the people that have this dizziness.Cause I know how you feel. May 30th,2011.

Apr 30th, 2011
binita

hi all !!! i had a vertigo only a week before while i was exercising.. at first i thought m feeling dizzi n stopped the exercise n sat on a couch with my legs up i thought it was helping when suddenly everything started to spin then i started vomitting n it will not stop… i called a taxi then when the taxi was here could not even move a step then i rang ambulance but ambulance was at the gate n retruned did not take me as it was not life threatining. went to A& E in a taxi n had to wait but i was constantly vomitting.. i was given antisickness don’t know wat injection n again after waiting finally seen by a Dr. he examined me gave me a drip, check my urine n blood gave me aciloc inj n by that time i was feelin lil better as vomitting had stopped n was sent home.. i rest for one day n the following day i went back to work.
i was told it was a sudden movement of head while exercising might have caused vertigo.. m not sure cause the exercise i was doing was not new to me… i tried to go back on exercise but then again i left it in the middle cause i felt like it was comin back.. i just opened the window n sat there to breathe air but it didn’t hit me… but after reading all the stories m afraid if it will come back… cause it was a horrible experince.. i am 30 years old n i never fainted or had never felt dizzi in my life before..

May 6th, 2011
Tee

On Tuesday after a field trip, my world changed I became extremely dizzy and felt like I was moving to the right as I walked. I knew immediately that something was wrong and drive straight home, where for the next 6 hrs I continued to feel this way on and off. I finally went to the ER, that’s where I discoverd I have Vertigo. I have a appointment with a Neurologist in June. I pray that we all overcome this disability. Thanks for sharing your stories.

May 20th, 2011
Jordan

I have had this vertigo for 4 days straight now. It is what I imagine hell would be like. I cant get out of my bed without becoming so light headed that I faint. My doctors seem to treat it as nothing more than a nuisance. They say that my passing out and being taken to the ER was self-induced from anxiety. I say FUCK that! Forgive my language and anger but I have never been anxious in my entire life and I know that what im feeling is not something that i have brought on myself. I need help but it seems as though noone believes what I tell them. What are some treatment options? I just want relief

May 22nd, 2011
HeatherTN

Hi There,

Thank you so much for this article. I first keeled over with severe vertigo 14 months ago, and as a result, although I have improved somewhat, I have lost my job and a 32 year career in nursing because I pose too great a risk to be able to work in a clinical area due to my feeling unsteady. Along the way, they also found a meningioma brain tumour tucked under the brain and pressing into a part of the mid brain called the Pons, that is supposedly ‘incidental’. Today I was discharged from the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic that manages such things here in the Uk, with the advice of ‘keep doing the exercises’. The only diagnosis being offered is that of ‘ongoing imbalance probably due to incomplete compensation of peripheral vestibular weakness’.

Like you, prior to my collapse, I had endured a winter of respiratory diseases and viruses, mostly as a result from working in a busy medical unit and then the onset of the vertigo which was then thought to be benign postural, but after medication, the ‘Epley’ treatment, and 3 months, I wasn’t recovering and still need a stick to mobilise with. Despite the exercises and being as active as I can, I can’t get past a certain point, One day I’m reasonably ok, then am either feeling really unsteady and/or shattered and sleeping for days after that.

Problem is, I am trying to get early retirement on Ill health grounds as any attempt to do any kind of work has ended in failure, but all the literature says this should be better after 12 months! But I am not, so I am very grateful for your article as now I can show I am not the only one. I guess what the specialist is saying is, he doesn’t know but despite the assertion that my imbalance and perception thereof is ‘vague’ it is anything but. However the tests for this with me are pretty much ok apart from falling backwards and to my right, which makes me suspect that the brain tumour is having more an effect than indicated, since it is on the right side.

So one will struggle on, but like you and others are saying, one wonders if I’ll ever fully recover. Best of luck to you and thank you for your insight. It has been a big help to me.

May 25th, 2011
angie

Friday before thanksgiving, I woke in the middle of the night with intense vertigo….threw up and then spent the next few weeks feeling like I was in constant motion. Got tested at OSU ear and eye instiutue and was diagnosised with vestibular neuritus with 30 % perm. loss of function in the right ear. they speculated it was caused by a virus. I did PT and home cawthorne cooksy (sp?) exercises. These exercises are meant to cause “compensation” to teach the brain to compensate for the loss of function in the right ear. I actually have days where I do not feel like I am on a airplane flying at a high altitude. Unfortunately, the brain does de-compensate, and the symptoms will re-appear. Which has brought on an anxiety disorder. I have since learned that it is very common for vestibular patients to feel great stress/anxiety that eventually leads to panic attacks. Which is exactly what happened to me. So if you are diagnosied with a vestibular disorder, it might be beneficial to talk to your dr/specialist about some sort of anti-anxiety treatment. I am not sure which is worse, the vertigo or the anxiety attacks. The good news is that the cawthorne cooksey exercises really do help. They will make you feel woosey/nausia….but that means they are working to teach your brain to compensate. Yet be aware that your brain can de-compensate and triggers for decompensation are travel, alcohol, and illness. Yet compensation is quicker as the brain re-learns pretty quickly. The instinct is to remain unactive when experiencing vestibular symptoms. Actually, the opposite is true. If you have vestibular neuritus, keep moving. Do chores…..exercise…even if it makes you dizzy, keeping active helps your brain to compensate quicker. Just avoid driving or working with machinery. Best of luck to all of you….you are not alone. I highly recommend Cawthorne Cooksey exercises for those of you with vestibular neuritus…..it really does help.

May 27th, 2011
Mari

i am glad i came across this site and know that i am NOT alone. im 20 years old and im freaking out!!!! my family and i went camping in april (2011) and i was perfectly fine excited about our camping trip and on a friday night i decided to take a couple shots of vodka. well bad idea about an hour later i sat down started eating and as soon as i got up everything was spinning at first i thought ok maybe the vodka is kicking in either way i got soo scared i went into a panic attack i felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest soo my dad and boyfriend took me to the ER.. the doc sent me back assuming it was bc of the alcohol..well the next day i woke up feeling dizzy but i figured maybe i have a lil hangover going on so i tried to brush it off all saturday then sunday (the day we came back home from camping) i still felt bad, again i brushed it off then came monday, tuesday, and i was really scared so i made an appointment. my app was the followin friday they told me i had a reallly badd inner ear infection and alot of fluid built up. so i took some pills for a week and was starting to feel alot better so the doc took me off the pills then BOOM again it came back. i went back to the docs had alot of tests done everything came back negative and she told me it would take some time for me to recover from the damage my infection had caused. well its now been over 2 months and i am soooo scared i still feel weird and odd but NOT as bad as i felt before.. my point is ive been really freaking myself out lately thinking that i might be going crazy because its impossible to still feel sick for this long. but i read how some of you still feel that wayy for monthss which calms me down a bit. i have even thought im possesed or something. im runnin out of excuses and been soo scared. i dont go out anymore i feel like im gna faint or get dizzy if im out at the store or anywhere. i hate this and noone understands what im feeling its hard talking to my family about this bc they think its ALL in my head and im making myself feel this way which again it takes me back to believing im driving myself nuts.. i just want my life to be normal again.. i would appreciate if anyone writes back to me..like i said im freaking out.

Jun 11th, 2011
Geraldine

Hi Mari,
This is an invisible illness, so people do not remember or understand that you feel bad. I have had similar for three years now. I had the same sensations 12 years ago and it took two years to feel better. It takes my brain a very long time to compensate. You could try vestibular rehabilitation exercises which you can find on the web to provoke your brain to compensate quicker. Don’t worry that you’re going mad – the nervous and balance systems share pathways, so if you get nervous your dizziness gets worse: it’s a vicious circle.

Jun 13th, 2011
laura

Hi Mari I am so sorry this has happened to you, sometimes it is scary but its better if you ride with it, i’ve been like this for a year and had just about every test under the sun and they can’t find anything wrong, i’m now agoraphobic because like you i am terrified of having an attack in the street plus the fact i can’t keep my balance when i walk so most people just sneer and assume i’m drunk.I hold onto walls to get around but i am just coming out of a bad attack, well i call them attacks, where i can do nothing else but go to bed and wait for it to pass, i feel sick too its awful, so i sympathise with you, keep coming on here and write how you feel, it helps to know your not on your own. people don’t understand because as geraldine says it’s an invisible illness but a most incapacitating one.

Jun 13th, 2011
Mari

today i am feeling alot better. i stopped over thinking everything i just have to much time in my hands i babysit and im not currently working or going to school so im always home and well what do i do? think think think “why is this happening to me” “is it going to go away” sooo many things run in my head at once that i breakdown and cryy BUT i am going to try and live my life as normal as i can all this staying home is depressing when im out with family i find myself happy and not even thinking about the vertigo then out of nowhere there it is in my thoughts and it ruins my day. i guess its not much about FEELING dizzy its more of a FEAR of “omg what if i do this then i get dizzy, what is everyone going to think” kind of thing that holds me back. well in the other hand I was offered a summer job today.. i had been looking for a job before this happend to me and i kinda had given up now and this oppurtunity came..the thing is i am reallllly scared.. should i just go for it?? maybe it will help to distract me from making myself feel dizzy idk guyss .. i was also suppose to start college next month and im all over the place.. maybe this job will be a good thing….ahhhh

Jun 13th, 2011
Gerrit

On 5/27/11 I was on vacation in Pasadena. At 11pm I was in my motel room laying on the bed reading the news paper when suddenly the room started spinning. The spinning sensation was so bad that 15 seconds later I was on the floor vomiting my dinner in the motel room waste basket. I thought I had food poisoning. Through the night I continued severe vomiting where that last ounce of liquid demands to come out of my stomach. I was sweating but had no fever. I could not hold down any liquid and got dehydrated to where my legs started shaking and were painful. I was unable to walk, so to get to the bathroom I crawled on my hands and knees. At 9am my wife drove me to the Huntington hospital ER. They determined that since I did not have a stomach ache, nor diarrhea, but was nauseous and was vomiting from the spinning sensation, that I had vertigo. A nurse was unable to insert an IV into arm because my veins were collapsing due to dehydration. Another nurse was able to insert an IV in my hand and over the next four hours I received three bags/pint of saline solution which removed the pain from my legs but did not remove the spinning sensation. They gave me an Antivert pill which they told me would help with the spinning sensation but I’m not sure it did anything. Through my IV they injected Valium which helped a little. I was discharged at 5pm and stayed at my brothers house. I was very tired and could not read anything because of the spinning sensation. Two days later my wife drove me home to the San Francisco bay area where I took five sick days off from work. My family physician saw liquid behind both ear drums and told me that I had a virus that caused the vertigo. I did not have a cold or flue in the month before my vertigo attack. My family physician prescribed Transderm-scop 1.5 patch which he told me would take away the spinning sensation. I used it for a week and I don’t think it did anything. Nine days after my severe Vertigo attack I was able to drive a car again and get back to work. It has now been four weeks and I feel 97% better, very little vertigo and I am much less tired. I’m glad I found this web site where people describe there Vertigo experience since mine is so similar. I was shocked by how disabling vertigo is. It is much worse than having a flu.

Jun 23rd, 2011
Sacha

I’m so happy I found this site with all your stories and expierences. It is of great help to deal with my anxiety and even panick attacks.
At least, that is what it is according the doctors.
I too was rushed off to the hospital by ambulance. I felt light headed (I don’t really fall to the floor even though everything is spinning… it’s more that I feel I’m weightless). Then I felt my blood rushing through my arms and hands, even got blue fingers, so my husband called the ambulance. After a lot of tests (even had a CAT-scan), they said I have BPPV but I donot have some of the symptoms. I can walk and move my head swiftly and nothing happens. I can bend over, gardening and all is fine but then I sit still, or lie down and I feel dizzy, as being too drunk. And this triggers my heart to race like idiot and I thought I was having a heart attack or something.

They did all the tests possible and it should have made me feel relieved that my body is fine but I still feel tingling in my arm(s) and hands so now I try to breeth deeply and tell myself (outloud): “you’re fine, you’re healthy, it’s “just” some crystals in your ear on the wrong spot” and that helps a bit but reading all your stories is hopefully more helpfull as I was still not completely convinced that getting dizzie could make my body go in panick mode and causes my heart and blood to race like that. I’m not a panicking person at all !

Now I may not drive which is a problem since I live half hour away of any town/stores and also because I’m a truck driver,together with my husband.
They gave me Nova-Betahistine but can’t say the pills help much, if at all. Doctor told me it can go away in a week but might take up to 8 weeks. Luckily my husband still can drive truck on his own. When this is going to last as long as with some of you guys I must find another job !
It’s been a week now and I start feeling pressure in my right ear so that must be the problem spot. Can’t they ‘flush it out’, whatever is in there? I guess not by reading all these experiences.
Well thanks ‘for listening’.

Jul 4th, 2011
L. Knight

Had my first experience on July 2, 2011. Vertigo came on like a freight train. Passed through by sleeping for a few hours. Had noticed that I was a bit tired and relaxed prior to the episode.
Had another attack 3 days later, another one a week after that. Today I was sitting at a desk and had the worst attack yet. It lasted for 3 hours with vomiting. Had to crawl to the restroom. Now I feel fine. What the heck is going on?

Jul 25th, 2011
H. Greene

It is a scary feeling and mine lasted for about 5 months last summer! I am so sorry that you are going throught this but hang in there it gets better.

Jul 29th, 2011
Diana

Had my first experience in April of 2011.Thought it might be my heart so complete work up done. Very strong heart and clear arteries But they did find a brain aneurysm.I guess I was meant to find that. I was admitted for 2 days for testing with all the heart stuff and a dr. at the hospital told me it was severe vertigo. I had never heard of it.I had been vomiting 3 to 4 times a week. That dr. put me on Meclizine for the dizziness. I also have M.S. so I thought it might have something to do with that. I have gone a month without any symptoms and am back on Meclizine and will stay on it for a couple weeks and see if everything goes away. I take several drugs for the M.S. and think some of those must help also. I do think heat has something to do with it. I have noticed when I get very hot The waves of nausea show up. I don’t drink very much so that wouldn’t be the culprit for me.

Aug 1st, 2011
Tess

So thankful for this site!! I am 12 weeks pregnant and have always suffered from severe seasonal allergies. Four days ago, I woke up earlier than usual with a throbbing headache. I iced it thinking it was just another tension/allergy headache and continued on my day. I was helping my Mom/physician at a horse show when the dizziness hit me. I am also hypoglycemic so my Mom assured me I would feel better after eating…..which I did not. I loaded up my two young boys and somehow managed to drive the short distance home after assuring her something was not right. Four hours later I begged for my mother to come get me and my boys as my oldest was trying to microwave a frozen pizza and I had realized that I was completely incapable of taking care of them. I refused to move unless I had to go to the bathroom and I vomited every time I got up….sometimes it was when I got up, when I got there and when i got back…VICIOUS cycle. With my Mom being a doctor, I depended on her expertise, but I’ve now come to the conclusion that until you have felt vertigo on this extreme of a level….you just simply DON’T GET IT!! So yesterday, I had enough and my ex-husband (who so kindly was helping with the boys) came and picked me up and took me home. My neighbor and sister INSISTED that after 3 days of vomiting (at this point foamy bile – forgot to also mention that I had my gall bladder removed in 2009 ) and not eating that there had to be something the ER could do for me. As most of you felt, a trip anywhere that involved moving seemed impossible at the time. I called my OB, who managed to squeeze me in after I gave them the whole low down over the phone. Upon stumbling down the corridor with help from my neighbor and my trusty friend the Halloween (puke) bucket, the nurse asked me if I was feeling dizzy….hmmmm. We aren’t going to even acknowledge that question, I thought. My OB of course looked me over and sent me to the ER for dehydration and further evaluation. And so my adventure continued to the ER, with my bucket now filled with errrr treats?? lol….where the triage nurse (who is looking down the whole time) asks me again if I am experiencing any level of dizziness. I pretty much wanted to give up at this point. Apparently using your eyeballs to assess your patient is no longer required in the medical field..nor is any kind of personality. So after what seemed like my 50th time explaining the events of the past 3 days and making sure they knew I was 3 months pregnant, I was stuck with an IV and given Zofran for the nausea (which was a God send, by the way). It amazed me that as miserable as I felt, and I know I looked it after not showering and vomiting profusely for 3 days, how completely apathetic the staff was. As we all have said, we wouldn’t wish this kind of suffering on ANYONE!! I was then taken for x-rays for a possible sinus infection which came up positive (although I still feel no symptoms). I was discharged feeling more hydrated, but definitely not more at ease with my situation. The NP (not doctor…and there is a HUGE difference) gave me a prescription for the Zofran (still my best friend) and for Penicillin, which I specifically told her my body does not respond to, for the sinus infection. I woke up this morning with high hopes, but alas, all I have to say is that I haven’t puked in 24 hrs. I am still extremely dizzy, but extremely hopeful that things go back to normal soon. I am very blessed to have such caring friends and family around to help care for me, but I hope to be able to care for myself soon. I have decided to go to the chiropractor tomorrow if I my world is still spinning, so cross your fingers and I will do the same for you all!!

Aug 17th, 2011
Megan

Im so sorry for what happened to you, last night I was exausted and past out earlier than usual and i was woken up 5 times to a rapid moving of the room it seems, i tried to stand but i coudnt and it didn’t go away for a minute or two. I tried not to fall asleep because whenever i did it would happen again and again. I felt queezy afterword, and I still feel dizzy even though it is morning. I am so scared, i am only 14.

Aug 20th, 2011
Vertigo Guy

Megan — I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been struck with vertigo… I know how bad it feels and how hard it is to deal with (going on 6 and a half years for me of dealing with varying degrees of vertigo every day). I want you to know however, that there are solutions to this, and most of the time vertigo will only last for a short amount of time (a day or two).

I would highly suggest that you see a doctor even if you feel better. They can make a proper diagnosis of what’s wrong, and provide medication or rehabilitation exercises to make you feel better. It’s also helpful much of the time to request a referral from your family doctor to an ear, nose and throat specialist, who has a bit more experience dealing with this type of thing.

Most importantly, know that you’re not alone in feeling this way. As you can see from this site, this is a common ailment and something that you will likely recover 100% from!

Feel free to write back here any time!

Aug 20th, 2011
kim

I have had vertigo now for over a week. I am not getting any relief from the dizziness. Can anyone tell me did you just wake up one day and it was gone. Everyday when I go to sleep I pray I am going to wake up ” normal”

Aug 21st, 2011
Angela

Hi, I’m 42 and am experiencing my first bout of severe vertigo.
It started a fortnight ago. As I walked from my desk to another part of the office my walking felt strange (fluffy) and I felt woozy, this happened a few times the same day. The woozy sensation was similar to how I felt when I was pregnant, low in iron and suffering from morning sickness. Since then I’ve had a constant, fuzzy head and a pain mainly at the back of my head and down the back of my neck. Last Saturday I spent the whole day in bed because I felt so ill. I felt like I was drunk but had the headache of a hangover. I went to work on the Monday but during a pretty stressful team meeting I experienced an almighty headache which reduced me to tears. I went straight to my GP from the meeting and was prescribed Prochlorperazine. I spent a ‘fuzzy’ week sleeping mostly, I fell over getting dressed once and had to cling onto the washing line to steady myself when I tried to hang washing on the line. I returned to my GP yesterday who changed my medication to Betahistine Dihydrochloride. Two tablets later and I haven’t slept all night but fingers crossed.

Aug 23rd, 2011
Robin

Hi,

I posted last year and wanted to know if any of you live near the Seattle area? I live in NW Washington and would like to know if there are others like me in this area – let me know if you can.

Just a side note: I am on vacation right now and, of course, I am in a severe vertigo bout. Seems to happen almost every time I travel somewhere…fun, fun, fun! Does this happen to any of you? Flying on an airplane could very possibly be a trigger.

Thanks and hang in there everyone!

Robin

Aug 23rd, 2011
Helen

Hello everyone,

It’s comforting to read that people are going through the same thing as I am. It all started early last Sunday morning, I had a bad headache during the night, behind my head- near my neck. The headache went away and then I felt okay. The previous day, I was outside for about two hours and it was really hot. I felt like I was getting heatstroke. Back to last Sunday, I felt my right index finger tingling and then an hour later my right arm felt tingling. I started to worry and I thought I was going to pass out so I called an ambulance. They paramedics said that everything was fine, my heart was okay and they said I had a panic attack.

I went to my doctor the next day and he ran all kinds of tests, blood test and urine test. They later came back normal, my red blood cells were normal too. The doctor said my reflexes were very good too.
I couldn’t go to work all week, so I stayed home. All kinds of thoughts went through my head about what this could be. I feel dizzy when I walk or move my head. The only thing that helps is lying down.

Last Thursday, I thought that maybe this could be vertigo? I went to my doctor yesterday again, and they said that I could have vertigo, but they still want to see my CT scan results, which I’m scheduled to do on Sept 9. My doctor said that the ct should be normal, as I don’t show any neurological symptoms.

I noticed that my ears were hurting last Sunday and the doctor said I have some build-up in my ears. My right ear hurt alot when the doctor inserted the scope in my ear, I actually said “ouch” aloud during the examination. I sometimes feel a sense of movement on my scalp when I lie down. Do any if you feel this burning sensation on the scalp- maybe burning is too strong a word- it feels like a tingling sensation.
I just want to be myself again, my husband and 8 year old son have been very understanding, but I sometimes get scared when I think the worst.

My in-laws have had vertigo as well and they make me feel better when they describe the same symptoms that I have. I’ve also heard of other people whom I know that have had vertigo and have gotten better. I didn’t realize how common this ailment is and how many people get it. I wish that the doctors would be more knowledgeable. You would think that they would be able to diagnose me from the beginning.

I’m sorry if I’ve rambled on but I have so many questions, I guess it means that my brain is working okay!

Aug 27th, 2011
Alex

Hello

My first experience with vertigo was so bad, it was about 2 months ago. At the time I was working out 4 to 5 x’s a week, a couple of times while I was doing so I began to notice that I would get really dizzy and I would have to stop doing the workout. After a few days I began to start getting nauseous. A whole week I went without going to the doctor. It was the worst week. I wasn’t able to eat anything for like three days because of the nauseousness. And I would always feel so dizzy. After that I decided to go to the doctor and get checked out, and that’s when he told me I had vertigo. It’s been really hard the last couple of months having to learn how to control it and deal with itit’s still not getting any better, but I hope one day it will.

Aug 30th, 2011
Dilip

Hi All,

Good to hit this forum to know so much about this dreadful disease. It all started for me 6 months back. One unfortunate day I woke up with spinning head and vomiting. Rushed to the Doctor thinking it as sever gastric problem but he rightly pointed it out to Vertigo. It completely went off after 2-3 weeks. I got this back yesterday and with no nausea this time. As some people suggested I tried to do balance exercise but it aggravated it and had to vomit several times. I think its not a good idea to carry out balance exercises when vertigo is in peak condition. My Doctor says that I should only exercise after a week or 2.

Thanks again and wish speedy recovery to all.

-Dilip

Sep 7th, 2011
Mary Jo

I am teary just reading all of these posts. I have had vertigo for about six years, have seen ent, 2 neurologists (bad idea) general practitioner etc.
the only relief I have had is from my chiropractor who performed the Epley maneuver. It works sometimes, other times it does not. I am amazed that the stories are so alike. Everyone has looked at me like I a crazy, and sometimes I feel crazy. I have children and a job so I cannot let this get me down too much. My advice is stay active, sleep well and try to reduce stress!!!! This is a big trigger, when you do not take care of yourself, your body will make you take notice.I have some form of dizziness almost everyday, I have learned to live with it. Doctors seem to know nothing about it, because they cannot see it. Take care all

Sep 16th, 2011
Rachel

Hello there, I live in the Seattle area… I am really glad that I came across this site, I think it’s great that someone made this site due to their experience in this vertigo. When I read “Vertigo Guys” post… I couldn’t believe how exact it was to my symptoms. I’ve got to tell you, this is by far one of thee worst feelings I’ve ever experienced in my life…

My 1st vertigo experience recently was… I had fluttering in my ears one day… and I couldn’t figure out what it was… So i just waited it out and went to bed and woke up the next day… Later in the day, I got this rush of dizziness out of nowhere. It was sooooo severe… The fluttering in my ears came back, it was so loud. I was sensitive to all sounds. My fan sounded like a helicopter propeller. A car driving by outside sounded like a huge Semi truck. All sounds were heightened and magnified dramatically. I literally felt like I was going to go crazy. Also i was very sensitive to light. I was squinting my eyes and plugging my ears and crying. I felt like I was being attacked. I could barely stand. Was holding onto things tightly as I was walking. When I would let go, it felt as if someone was controlling me with a remote control. I would walk right into the wall as i was intentionally trying to avoid walking into the wall. This lasted about a good half hour to a hour. The other day about a week after that vertigo incident….

My 2nd Vertigo attack was:
In the middle of the night, I was in bed, about 2:30am watching tv, trying to fall asleep but couldn’t… went to the bathroom and came back.. I had felt completely fine, then a few minutes after I laid back down in bed I had this sudden rush of dizziness/vertigo again. No fluttering in my ears just vertigo at this point. I couldn’t figure out if it was just anxiety because I do have anxiety issues and panic attacks, but not as of recently. So I went to the bathroom and washed my face and breathed deeply and slowly. Making sure it wasn’t low oxygen. Because I felt like I was going to faint. It kept getting worse and worse… I was starting to get weaker and weaker and really scared. So I went to the kitchen and got some water and went and sat back down and drank the water, still felt weird, then…. here comes some more symptoms… I started getting really hot, not sweaty but really dry heat. My face was flushed and I felt like I was burning up and dehydrated. Then I started getting nauseous. And felt this strong urge to throw up. Went to the toilet and gagged myself and nothing would come out.. finally i got a tiny bit out. I felt like I was going to pass out at the toilet. It was terrifying. I finally laid down and got so tired that I couldn’t keep my eyes open and woke up sore all over from the tension but the vertigo was gone. Very weird. I think I have similar symptoms to the *VESTIBULAR NEURITIS* So I think I am going to get referred to a ear, nose, throat specialist. There’s one down the street from me. Tonight… I feel the fluttering in my ears again…. So I am scared about what might happen. I sooooo hope I don’t go through this again. :/ I took a non-drowsy claritin so i hope that helps.

So Robin, I live in Kent very close to Seattle. I can relate to you. If you want someone to talk to feel free to respond here and I will check this periodically. Sounds to me like you might want to try out some Dramamine when you are traveling. Its sold over counter. It might help with motion sickness. I have to use it for trips too and it helps me!

Sep 18th, 2011
Diana

I was told I had vertigo 2 week ago..I had no idea what it was.. I do not get the symptoms that I have read about, I do not get dizzy nor feel like the world is going around, I do however have trouble concentrating, I feel like my head goes numb and I also feel this when I walk for to long. I am taking college class’s at night and I don’t know how I am going to get through this as just doing homework hurts. Sound at times also hurts me, I am more sensitive to certain pitches especially when I am having an episode. While having an episode and if someone makes noice, laughing or simply talking, it feels as if they were doing all this directly in my ear. I keep having episodes all day. Can anyone relate
to these symptoms? I feel desperate especially at home with my kids, I just can’t be myself.

Thank you
Diana Rodriguez

Oct 3rd, 2011
MMS

I too had similiar problems. About two years ago It started when I was exercising, doing crunches, where I started to feel sick to my stomach. Just thought I overdid it and for a few days just felt off.

Then I felt a little strange before going to bed. Went to get up at 6am and as soon as I got up, I fell right back on the bed. It felt like I was being thrown on the bed, almost like going on a ride where centrificial force pins you. Since my husband was not home and I couldn’t get up I called 911 and was taken to the hospital. But as soon as the emt’s moved me, I started vomiting… which went on from 6am to 4pm. All ct scans and mri came back normal. I wasn’t able to stand for two days and was not released from the hospital for 3 days. Was out of work for several weeks.

Well almost 2 years later… it happened again. Felt strange when I got up and by the afternoon everything was spinning. This time I took valium and drammanine and literely didn’t move my head for 4 hours.. I found even if I moved it slightly down or sidways, I immediately felt like vomiting. So here I am 4 days into it and I’m finally able to get up by myself with the use of a walker. The reason I writing is because I found the trick is to not move when you feel the spinning. The last time this happened, the emt’s started moving me which immediately sent me for a tail spin and once at the hospital the same thing happened because they kept moving me to take tests, give me shots, etc. My recommendation is to remain still take Dramamine and valium which the doctor told me relieves the pressure in the ears and try to sleep it off. At least the vomiting subsides. Also, I did have a complete work up after the first episode and went to a balance clinic for testing, which only confirmed that they really can’t do anything.

In the words of my MD when I asked if it can happen again, he said “try not to think about it, because it can make you crazy”… This SUCKS

Oct 4th, 2011
Robin

Hi Rachel,

So sorry to hear about your experiences with Vertigo. If you want to contact me I have a lot of experience with this. I’ve been dealing with it for so many years and have seen many doctors in the Seattle area. I can try to answer any questions you may have. Just let me know.

I continue to suffer from bouts of BPPV that make my life hell, but I get through them, like so many others. I was just out of the country and I got vertigo for several days – that was a ton o’ fun – NOT! As with many other people, even once the acute symptoms subside (room spinning in from of my eyes and severe dizziness in my head) I feel funky and my vestibular system is extremely sensitive for days, sometimes weeks afterwards.

Well, stay strong everyone – we do have an invisible disability that not many people understand so we definitely need to support each other!!

Oct 10th, 2011
laura

After two years of hell and doctors not really having a clue,being fobbed off with travel sickness pills, i finally got to see a consultant and he told me i had been overdosed on medication from my doctor for a long time and a few pills were interacting with others, so was taken off most of my tablets apart from my high blood pressure and thyroid tabs i feel 80% better ,i also have inner ear damage, my left ear is painful all the time and constant hissing in it. The sorer my ear is the worse my balance becomes. The consultant told me i have Dorsal stream disorder which has to do with the back part of the brain and I am having it explained to me next week. I do still get dizzy and lose balance but i don’t have to walk with a stick, I can go out on my own now as i developed agoraphobia for a year, people still look at me as if i’m drunk but i’m used to that now,part and parcel of this illness for all of us. The worst thing is that doctors don’t seem to take this serious and it just ruins your life, but i think we all have to learn to live with it. Hope others have found at least an explanation for their dizzies, its the not knowing too. i know i will always have this but life could be a lot worse i suppose

Oct 10th, 2011
Kenneth

Hello everyone, I have had my war with vertigo for a little while now, even though I havent gone through a full on attack in about 5 months. Seeing all these similar stories brought me a bit of inner reassurance that I am not alone in this. I still have my off days here and there, like my mind isnt fully working with my senses and I feel fuzzy, but this mostly happens at work and not at home. I have no idea why I got vertigo, I eat fairly healthy, i workout about 4 to 5 times a week, and im only 25 years old. I remember being at Fuddruckers, ordering, then that spinning sensation came over me. I thought it was because I was really hungry, so I ignored it. I finished eating and it was still happening, so I had to have my gf drive us home. It passed after I got home and napped for a couple of hours. I had three more severe bouts, and the doc prescribed antivert. I feel easily anxious now and feel as if I am going to have an anxiety attack sometimes. I was never like this 6 months ago. Hope you all get better.

Oct 16th, 2011
daphne

undiagnose and fearful of the worst
My sensation of dizziness/vertigo, imbalance seems to have been triggered by a trip away from my home (argentina) and what is most known to me, just a year after my father died (2010)
I´m 27 yrs, a musician and I came to paris for 4 months… I`m one week away of returning home and since the first weeks of my stay here I began with a feeling of dizziness, vertigo that hasn´t gone away… I started feeling it at the apartment in front of the computer, thought it was nothing, then after some days i had a panic attack or something and nearly fainted at the metro… then i started feeling it more often…
i´ve always been anxious and do cognitive therapy back home, somewhat on the hypocondriac side… I´ve done blood tests here in paris (not sure that counts for MS) oto.neurologist after a month and something of first symptoms (fukuda test, tandem gait, standing with eyes closed, fingers to nose, my pupils checked, postural, inner ear and eyes motricy all seem normal, no nystagmus or ataxia, he said he found me more than anything stressed, just and hypovalence of the right side but not confirmed because i succedeed at a more reliable test) , MRI, babinsky test, blood pressure normal. And i still feel dizzy and when i walk a subjective feeling of not being well balanced. I still walk, ride bike, play the drums and sing, go in the bus or metro and don´t feel motion sickness…
So I search non stop the internet believing i have something wrong, that this can´t just be anxiety, evethough i know of a lot of cases that can be just that and i don´t underestimate the power of my mind. Having experienced the symptoms for so long (it´s gonna be 4 months)… I search forums of multiple sclerosis and think I have that.. and with the symptoms not going away i began to have trouble sleeping and became nervous, so i started taking bromazepan to have some sleep at night and freak out less… it´s been difficult i must say, would love some support..or any opinion about how to proceed…
love,
daphne

Oct 29th, 2011
LORI

It is wonderful to find this website and not wonderful to know that this vertigo is not just going to go away for ever.

I had my first bout last year, I woke up quickly cuz I thought I was late for jury duty. Immediately when I opened my eyes the world looked short-circuited. I am not exagerating at all when I say I only saw jumping patterns, I had not vision at all. I closed my eyes dropped to the floor and started vomiting, crawled to the bathroom on all fours and stayed on all fours with my head against a wall, vomiting and scared beyone belief. I did not want to move. My family called the paramedics who, picked me up and carried my by hands down 2 flights of steps with me vomiting all the way. I kept my eyes closed for two days, too scared to open them. The doctors did whatever (don’t know) for a few hours and then sent me home. With the meds I slept for about a week. Slowly the dizziness started to go away and I could go back to work. I have had two smaller bouts since then, one during a morning weight exercise class, and one a couple of days ago (again in the morning). Like so many of you I am scared to do things to set it off. Once you have had true Vertigo, you will do ANYTHING to avoid it coming back… Does anyone know of any new medication of medical development? if so please post for us.

Take care all,
Lori

Nov 8th, 2011
Asia

Hello,

I had onset of vestibular neurinitis on 29th May this year – it was so horrible and frightening that I remember the exact date it happend. I have been unwell since. The crisis lasted 3 days, which I had spent in a hospital as I couldn’t eat. And the 3 following weeks I spent at home, in bed, ‘fine’ when lying down motionless, going crazy in my head just listening to the radio and unable to do anything – like a veggie. I was extra sensitive to any noise and I could not stand any company – everything irritated me. After those 3 weeks I went back to work. It was so difficult, I continued feeling unwell, exhausted, irritated and I looked horrible – pale and just sick. It’s almost 6 months now, and even though I am now finally getting better, it’s not all fine – I feel anxious, I am scared of driving, I get these ‘spells’ of feeling uneasy (for no apparent reason) which last for couple seconds at a time. I am very forgetful and have trouble concentrating sometimes.

It feels strange suffering from this, it’s not like a disaility really, but it certainly feels that way sometimes. And as someone mentioned above – most literature says that it goes away relatively quickly. But from my experience, I would swear by what those few sources in the web say – it takes long to get better and some symptomos continue for many months.

I have been wondering about something though – I know that in my case Telfast (allergy medication I took for a while and had stopped just before getting VN) had something to do with it. I wanted to ask if any of you have taken Telfast or any similar medication before the onset?

All the best to all of you suffering from NV or general vertigo.

Take care,

Asia

Nov 11th, 2011
Tina

I am so glad I have read this today, I am getting very worried about feeling ill all the time and very fed up with it. My first bout of vertigo was when I was pregnant with my first child it lasted four days and knocked me for six, but thankfully that was it, until a couple of times when i was pregnant 13 months later with my next child. I then would have the odd day when I would feel dizzy be off work, (nobody understands vertigo, the joke to them is don’t go up ladders !!!) I only work two days a week and normally my vertigo hits the night before!! I had a a car rear end me in May and since then I am getting prolonged vertigo, I have to get on with it and find it worse when I stop, but since returning from New york less than two weeks ago it has been awful, for four days I was on a “boat” and went to the docs who have finally referred me to a ENT for MRI, but the last two attacks have knocked me for six, I feel like I am getting a sick bug, no dizziness take to bed then wake up during the night feeling sick, then by the time I get up in the morning have a dizzy foggy sicky feeling all day, I know I seem to be getting off woth this lightly compaired to some of the stories i read, but I am not getting quite down and fearful that I may have to live with a days aleast out of every week of my life being ill, I have concerts booked my passion and I am so worried I will have an attack it almost makes me not want to do anything! My kids are getting fed up with saying goodnight to me when I am already in bed, and my hubby as much as he is great when he is home, cannot take time off to look after me or the kids!

Sorry I know this is a really long post, I have felt like people don’t understand how dreadful I am feeling, I am getting my husband to read this later.

Thanks

Nov 30th, 2011
Sonya

Today, I had my first experience with vertigo and my first experience with an ambulance (and I didnt even get a siren lol.) I suffer from chronic ear infections…but I have never had vertigo to the point of vomiting and severe sweats. Sucks because I was feeling so much better today than I have in weeks. Now I read once you have a vertigo experience, you should expect more…very scared. Damn.

Sonya

Dec 7th, 2011
Jennie

Firstly I want to thank everyone for posting about this condition, it does make life easier to bear when you know you are not alone, secondly the net appears to be one of the first ways to hear about any available relief… Fingers crossed some is found soon.

My first episode started on the 22nd December with a bunged up feeling, I had a short day at work on the Friday then came home to bed and stayed here throughout Christmas eve, by Christmas morning the whole world was spinning and it took everything I had to get up and watch my young daughters open their presents… By 10am I was vomiting profusely with no sign of stopping and my husband called the emergency doctor. He prescribed me Stemetil to help ease the nausea, my family came over and took my daughters away and a neighbour plated up my husband some Christmas dinner! I stayed still in bed for 24 hours until the nausea had subsided.
I started vomiting again in the early hours of the 28th by which time my body had started to struggle, an ambulance was called and I was admitted into hospital and given fluids and an anti-sickness injection. By the 30th I was allowed back home.
New Year’s Day passed with little dizziness but the nausea returned with a vengeance on the 2nd… Again 36 hours rest helped ease the sickness and I made extra effort to keep drinking fluids. All was well for 2 days then the nausea returned but I fought it off, then last night it became too much so I am sitting on an incline in bed trying to recoup all the lost fluids again and finding out as much as I can about Vertigo.
I also suffer from Multiple Sclerosis which has been shown to have a link but very little data on the MS sites which is why this site is a godsend xx

Jan 8th, 2012
Hot Mess

I just had this happen to me also. I was at work and it came on hard and fast . Major spinning and horrible vomiting.I had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance . They gave me anti nausea meds and a med to slow down the spinning. It does work but makes me very tired. It is an amazing and scary thing to go thru.

Jan 25th, 2012
jaq

I recently got into a car crash on Dec 6th 2011. It was a Week exactly before I was supposed to get married, and it caused a huge stress to me and my family. I suffered a laceraion on my head, lacerates liver, and a high ankle sprain with a fractured fibula. After about a week in the hospital, I started feeling really dizzy. I got really nauseous but only have. Thrown up once. The dizziness is really bad some days and OK the rest, and I’ve been keeping a journal of how I feel daily. I’ve had a brain CT, MRI, both coming back negative. My GP just says its the trauma from my accident, but it should have been getting better by now right?

Feb 2nd, 2012

Reply to “My first experience with severe vertigo.”

Links.

Links to useful, related sites.

BADD (Balance and Dizziness Disorders Society). A British Columbia balance disorders group.
Dizzytimes.com. A community for dizzy people.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Patient Education – Balance. Things you should do before seeing your doctor about dizziness.
Somebody stop the floor. A blog about dealing with a balance disorder.
The Neurology Channel – Vertigo. A great description of the symptoms and potential causes of vertigo.
The Otoneurology Index. Information and resources about dizziness, balance and hearing.
Vertigo at Wikipedia. A good definition of vertigo.

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