I went to the doc yesterday and was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). In other words, I get dizzy and lose my balance when I move my head certain ways. The diagnosis wasn’t a surprise to me, and neither was my doctor’s referral to occupational therapy to have Epley maneuvers (canalith repositioning) done. Unfortunately I was so busy trying not to walk into a wall :smack: on my way out of the exam room that I neglected to ask my doctor this question.
Is there any way this treatment can make my imbalance worse? ATM I just have balance issues and have to be careful walking, bending, and turning my head too fast. (Unfortunately I can’t drive either, but I almost never go anywhere anyway.) I’m a little worried that when I go in for the treatments they’ll move me further along on the vertigo scale and I’ll be completely unable to function and have to stay in bed and throw up into an ice cream bucket.
I do, of course, recognize that none of you are my health care provider. I’m just looking for some reassurance.
There is actually a clinical test for BPPV, where they put you into different positions, then look for nystagmus in your eyes (a rhythmic beating up and down or side to side of your eyes). Did they actually do this diagnostic test, or just “guess / assume” that that is what you had?
I had many balance problems after losing my hearing in one ear. They thought I had BPPV, but the diagnostic test showed that I didn’t. So my point is: be sure that you have BPPV before they do the Epley maneuvers.
In my case, it just turned out that I had become “unaccustomed” to those positions. The treatment: put yourself in those positions over and over until you’re accustomed to them again. Not fun, but mostly effective.
But of course, don’t do this on your own, either. I have a friend with Meniere’s disease and the treatment is nothing like either of these. There’s no cure for Meniere’s, although it may be controlled with medication. She could still drive, for instance, since her attacks were very acute but very predictable and sporadic.
They did do the tests and I had what my doctor called a “very positive” leftward nystagmus. With that and the manner of onset (sudden intense vertigo after rapidly turning my head) and the lack of any lateralizing symptoms, both of us are pretty sure this is BPPV. Unfortunately they can’t get me in to have the treatment until a week from tomorrow. I don’t suppose it’ll go away by itself in the interim (she said wistfully).
As rachelellogram suggested, I won’t try doing any positioning exercises myself. I’m at the age where I don’t really want to take risks with things like balance. One wrong move and I break a hip and then it’s off to the Home.
My mom suffers from positional vertigo; usually she just wakes up in the morning feeling dizzy and weak. She has canalith issues in both ears, which makes treatment a whole heck of a lot of fun for her (if fun = vomiting) because fixing one ear occasionally causes problems in the other. It might take 2-3 tries at the Epley manoeuvre before her symptoms go away, although it nearly always succeeds and is the only thing that can give her relief. She has vertigo attacks maybe 5-10 times a year (it really varies a lot). In general, she avoids moving in certain manners and is really only able to sleep in one position without getting dizzy.
Since this has been ongoing for years, my father and brother have both learned how to perform the manoeuvre on her - she lies on the dining room table and has it done. If they can’t succeed within a day or so of onset of symptoms, she has a wonderful doctor who will basically see her whenever he’s in his clinic - it takes 5 minutes and pretty much always works when he does it.
Before Epley, she’d be bedridden for the better part of a week. Now, at worst, she’s out or slightly dizzy for 2-3 days, and at best one day. The severity of her vertigo attacks varies, so sometimes she’s able to drive and go to work, other times she isn’t and works from home or takes time off.
It sucks to have positional vertigo, but she’d rather have that than one of her migraines!
ETA: her vertigo issues started in her 30s. She turns 60 this year. She’s been dealing with this for a long time!
I do a kind of home brew Epley on myself when I feel the dizzies coming on. Basically, I sit on the edge of the bed, and flop slowly on my right side, then lie there for a while. I sit slowly back up, flop slowly on my left side, lie there a while, then sit up. Then I flop back, flop forward, and repeat. (I was going to say “ad nauseum” but that’s kind of a moot point…) I usually do it for 15-20 minutes, and, if I’m not feeling better the next day, do it all again. It’s horribly unpleasant for that 20 minutes, but it often gives tremendous relief!
Sudden Kestrel, I wouldn’t recommend this approach if you have muscular or skeletal problems. But thought I’d share my experiences anyway - BPPD is kind of a pain, but this usually makes my symptoms completely disappear. I also make sure to keep hydrated - I’m often dizzier in winter, when the air is dry and I drink less water.