Saturday, January 4, 2014

Spinning Strategy

So I'm still trying to figure out this whole BPPV (vertigo) experience over here.

This is seriously weirdo.

I never can count on being able to stand up, roll over in bed, or lie down without taking the chance that I will end up fanny first on the ground. If I'm lucky. I think I'm fortunate not to have taken a face plant yet. When it strikes, I feel as though a giant invisible hand is pushing me down to the ground with unbelievable force leaving me nauseous and head spinning.  Sometimes it's sickeningly overpowering.......and sometimes it's just gone.

I'm supposed to be taking meclizine every twelve hours, but I have come to the conclusion that all this drug seems to be doing for me is making me even more dopey and unstable on my feet and have quit taking it.

Last night somewhere around midnight, I reached over to my nightstand and felt the spinning begin. Well this is just ducky, I thought. I carefully sat up and wondered what to do. My doctor had given me a set of exercises which I have abandoned along with the meclizine because after repeated attempts to complete them, I find myself significantly more miserable. So I decided not to try them again.

Instead, I wobbled to my feet and began to carefully walk slowly and deliberately.

Step.
Step.
Step.
Step....

Hm. My interior top began to slow it's spinning.

Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.

Hey. I realized that I felt significantly better.

I spent the next twenty minutes roaming around the house. I experimented with lying down on the couch and getting back up again with frustratingly variable results.  Dizzy. Not so dizzy.

Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.

Finally after most of the vertigo and nausea had passed, I gingerly went back to bed making certain that my barf bag contraption was close by.


Whew.

Today, whenever I felt unsteady, I would stand up and step step step step step.

I think it's working.

Yes, I'll follow up with my doctor. And I'll keep ya'll posted.

8 comments:

Blogger Mama said...

It's interesting what seems to help each person who experiences vertigo. I find when I have mine that if I lay on my side completely still that my dizziness goes away. And when I say completely still I mean that I don't even move my eyes, hands... Move nothing.

Anonymous said...

I suddenly had this appear last year at Christmas time and it has reared it's spinning head multiple times over the last year. I have found that mine most often has been associated with my atlas being out of alignment. Good thing my chiropractor is getting back from her trip to Europe this weekend and I have an appointment with her Monday. Like you, mine will usually clear up within a few steps, but those first few I'd better have something to hold on to. For some reason the treadmill I'd planned on spending some time with this morning doesn't seem like a good idea.

Anonymous said...

I've had bouts of vertigo as well, but mine have been diagnosed both as BPPV and Vestibular Migraine. I'm not sure either of these are correct, as mine tend to last for a few months, then disappear as mysteriously as they arrive. The bouts used to be shorter, but definitely began since I've had Sjögrens. I'm sorry you've been dealing with it, it's quite debilitating!

Shara from Seattle said...

I can keep telling you guy's until I'm blue in the face but it's inflammation. It travels. It show's up and a doctor only knows so much so they give it their names, bursitises in the hips, the knee, the elbow, plantar faciitis, carpal tunnel and in the inner ear is where we get vertigo. They see a symptom, throw a name on it, look it up and treat you with drugs or what ever area is being hit that month, tell us to exercise, give us a crutch, a hot cold therapy and off we go to get surgeries and supplies. Our GENETIC disease presents with all of these different symptoms that will come over us until it moves on to affect another area. Every doctor you go to will call it what they are most familiar with. Are you hearing me now?

annie said...

For me, I do notice an increase in
bppv when I am more fatigued than normal, due to not having had
enough rest or sleep. This also happens when I'm standing up too long and need to sit down, but am unable to (i.e. standing in line somewhere and there's nowhere to sit down).Sometimes there's no explanation for the vertigo, although there is dysautonomia in sjogren's.

I think I did mention that if a member of your family has this, you are more likely to get this also, although it is not genetic. My Mom has bppv and meniere's disease, poor her. She was told to watch her caffeine and salt intake by her ENT specialist.

So far, my episodes are not too severe, although they have been happening quite often this past year, sometimes multiple times in one week. Dealing with pain and fatigue is difficult enough without having vertigo to add to to the problems. I do hope you will get better soon, Julia.

Annette said...

I was lucky enough to have only one episode but it was a doozy. I could see my eyeballs do a sort of back and forth thing (I'm sure there is a scientific name for it).
It was very scary - lucky for me the exercises worked - the Eply manouver. I went to see the top ENT and only saw the fellow. They thought i was not complicated enough and said come back if it didn't work.

Heda said...

Maxalon and rest worked for me. Special care when crossing roads. No sudden eye or head movements. Don't want to depress you but like others have said, it has a tendency to come back. Fortunately though the return bouts were never as severe as the first bout. Surprised and comforted to hear that so many others had the same thing. Hope it passes quickly, Julia.

Kelly said...

Vertigo and the attendant nausea are the worst. I'm so sorry to hear you have been stricken. My Dad has Meniere's and he takes Ativan, Zofran and Meclizine all together at the same time and then just goes to bed to wait it out. That cocktail seems to help him get better sooner than he used to do. Hope you are better soon!

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