Thursday, July 8, 2010

More on Vertgo

 

Please feel free to skip this if you have no interest, but I have had several people ask about my vertigo to compare it with theirs.  

This is a follow up on my blog of a couple of days ago.  I do have vertigo (well I knew that!).  My doctor thinks it has been brought on by allergies, probably because of my work with the cats. BUT  he does not want me to quit the Animal Shelter.  He thinks if I take one Claritan on the days I go to the shelter it may get me through.  Apparently it all has to do with the ear, nose and throat tubes.  The allergies cause inflammation and swelling hence the vertigo. There is an exercise I have to do.  You sit on the bed with your head dangling over the edge.  First you turn your head to one way and keeping the body flat, lie down  with your head still turned to one side, drooping over the edge.  I have to have Barry there to catch me and make sure I don't fall off the bed. I then have to wait until the swirling stops , maybe a minute or two.  Then sit up straight keeping your head turned until you are sitting upright and then turn your head to the center again.  Then you do that again only this time turning your head to the other side, lie down and wait and then sit up.  I don't recommend you do this unless you have someone with you, because when I lie on my left side the vertigo returns with such a swoosh that I have to grab Barry, even though I am not falling.  It really feels like you have been picked up and thrown across the room!.  After the worst of this I have great difficulty sitting up again.  I am also usually highly nauseous.  I have to do this once a day until the vertigo goes away which could be one - three weeks.  The upside to this is that as the day goes on the vertigo decreases and the second day I didn't throw up.  There are other similar exercises which you can find on Google called the Brandt Dorf method.  I have not found them quite so effective, but the vertigo experienced during them is not as extreme.

Below is what I wrote on my blog last year explaining what actually causes the vertigo........

"Went to the physical therapist yesterday. She explained very carefully and clearly how little 'rocks' surrounding the nerve hairs in the vestibular canal (inner and middle ear) can get dislodged causing the nerve hairs which control balance from doing their job properly. In addition, there is fluid in this canal and if you are dehydrated the fluid thickens and the hairs cannot work properly. They are supposed to sway like reeds in a stream as you turn or bend down, and then return to their normal upright position. Thickened fluid or the 'rocks' can prevent them from returning upright. Hence dizziness ensues. She did a couple of movements with my head and then I had to refrain from bending down at all for 24 hours and I had to sleep sitting up for one night."

I feel sure this is more than you want to know about vertigo!

I will post a more interesting blog tomorrow I promise.  


5 comments:

Gillian Mowbray said...

I sympathise as I've had this problem in the past, although nothing like as bad as yours. I once went to the dentist and when he put the chair back to vertical the whole room swung before my eyes and I had to stay in the waiting room for a while until I could safely walk again!

Autumn Leaves said...

Egads. I don't think I could force myself to do such an exercise. Seems like it would exacerbate the problem rather than help it!

Boomer Pie. said...

OMG...I suffer from the same thing. Spontaneous vertigo. You never know when it will happen. And for me it lasts for several days with lots of vomiting. It's very tricky because sometimes you go for several months or even a year between episodes. The treatment you wrote about is called the Epley Maneuver. Sometimes it sort of works...sometimes not. My ENT thinks my vertigo may be Meniere's disease which involves a loss of hearing. So far I can hear quite well, so I'm hoping I don't have that. It's extremely frustrating because you are afraid to travel because you're worried you might have a vertigo episode. Once I get the vertigo...I have to lay in bed for hours or even all day before it subsides. One tip...when I feel it finally subsiding...I have my husband buy me a Wendy's frosty and that seems to help. I may write about this on my blog because I think a lot of people suffer from some form of vertigo and there does not seem to be a cure. So glad you posted this.

Anonymous said...

oh dear - chiropracter caused it in me - on my LAST visit

Elizabeth said...

Oh Chris, I'm so sorry you're suffering with this. I have a similar kind of problem (but its caused by my neurological trauma, not vertigo)when I do too much or get over tired, so I really do feel for you. I'm still praying that you might know the full healing power of JESUS. X