# What should I do? (Medical question) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387 "2017-05-25T01:31:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/21 "2017-05-25T19:19:28Z")
My wife had that. Benign positional vertigo or loose rocks in the inner ear. She went to the doctor who performed something called, IIRC, the Epply maneuver which fixed it immediately. He even taught me to do it in case of recurrence. But that was many years and I would not try it now. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/22 "2017-05-26T01:53:37Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > :dubious: šŸ™‚ What part of that seems confusing to you? ---
**Author:** ![Viscera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/258eb7/32.png) [@Viscera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viscera)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/23 "2017-05-26T01:59:16Z")
Having this right now, went to the doctor today. Quick dizziness-ish spells for the past 3-4 weeks when moving my head occasionally, lasting half a second or less. Finally went to the doctor today, and he is confident it is allergies (ears have a lot of fluid, etc). No symptoms that I would have noticed on my own. Script for a nasal spray and an as needed pill for dizziness, and then Benadryl for a few days, with Zyrtec as well. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/24 "2017-05-26T02:13:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > šŸ™‚ > > What part of that seems confusing to you? Perhaps the implication that ā€œone to two weeksā€ is a faster recovery time than ā€œseven to fourteen days.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/25 "2017-05-26T02:17:49Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Perhaps the implication that ā€œone to two weeksā€ is a faster recovery time than ā€œseven to fourteen days.ā€ Thatā€™s the jokeā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/26 "2017-05-26T02:28:32Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Thatā€™s the jokeā€¦ Oh, THATā€™s what that whistling noise wasā€¦šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/27 "2017-05-26T02:45:51Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Oh, THATā€™s what that whistling noise wasā€¦šŸ™‚ Turn your head and woosh. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/28 "2017-05-26T03:48:18Z")
Ok, I got whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/29 "2017-05-26T04:06:53Z")
Itā€™s a pretty standard issue joke used when telling someone they (or in my case their child) do not need an antibiotic prescribed and that in fact the antibiotic would be doing them no good. Usually itā€™s told as two days if we prescribe the medicine versus 48 hours if we do not ā€¦ but an episode of BPPV (without the Epley maneuver successfully performed) is usually closer to two weeks to resolution so modified a little. In any case the description: ā€œIt only occurs when I bend over or cock my head but when it happens the world spinsā€ is very textbook. Doesnā€™t make it for sure so, he needs the exam to confirm, but pretty likely. A good doc may perform [the Dix-Hallpike test](http://www.webmd.com/brain/dix-hallpike-test-for-vertigo-15884) during the visit to possibly confirm the diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/30 "2017-05-26T04:19:22Z")
Interesting - I can reliably induce a sensation like going over the top of a roller coaster by tipping my head way back. No one has been concerned about it. My neurologist (I have MS) seems to think itā€™s a party trick. But the cure is to not do that - I donā€™t otherwise suffer from vertigo. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/31 "2017-05-26T04:41:01Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > It usually goes away in about one to two weeks if treated with antibiotics (or water being shot in the ear) but can otherwise take about seven to fourteen days. Having suffered from recurrent vertigo all my life, I got this joke immediately. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387/32 "2017-05-26T10:49:35Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > Interesting - I can reliably induce a sensation like going over the top of a roller coaster by tipping my head way back. No one has been concerned about it. My neurologist (I have MS) seems to think itā€™s a party trick. But the cure is to not do that - I donā€™t otherwise suffer from vertigo. Thatā€™s interesting because my sister has MS too. Her bout was a one time thing, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-medical-question/787387.md?page=1)