BPPV

I get this awful condition from time to time, but fortunately usually with years in between bouts of it.

Have any of your doctors recommended Cawthorne Cooksey exercises? They involve slowly turning your head from side to side, then up and down which trains the brain to ignore the false balance symptoms it's receiving which cause the dizziness and nausea.

A physiotherapist came to my home to show me how to do them, then came back again after a few weeks.

If the balance problem goes on too long, it's worth considering being referred to a specialist at a balance clinic in a hospital. Not all hospitals have them, but the doctors there are expert in dealing with all manner of balance problems, and are far more knowledgeable than ENT consultants.

I believe they can even treat symptoms associated with Menieres disease, which is different to BPPV and more serious.

My DH is an expert at the Epley manoeuvre, thank goodness, I also take an antihistamine tablet each day, so far no attack since April, fingers crossed as always......

My wife has suffered with this for around the last 6 months and having the apley maneuver done correctly really is the only cure. However, it took us an age to find a physiotherapist who could do it correctly, this was after meeting with several other physio's and private doctors. Also betahistines and Q10 enzyme taken daily can help with any visual verigo. I'm glad to say after several apley's she is back to her old self

Yes on Tuesday nearly blacked out and my legs were like a rag doll and then sick x

The kind of situation that frightens me most is when walking along the street, then deciding to cross over.
Looking both ways, and if I do that too fast I go dizzy and fear falling into the street. Now I try to cross at a place where there's something to hold onto. Lamp post etc.

Thank you Minimoon all the ear balance things are horrid my daughter and a close friend of mine had labyrinthitis and my son had something similar no name given the doc did something to his neck and it got better quite quickly

When does BPPV stop and Menieres Disease begin?

My advice was also not to look up, no high level dusting, don’t look up at aeroplanes!
I always have to take travel sickness tablets if I’m a passenger in any form of transport now.
You can buy special ear plugs that you insert during take off and landing if flying anywhere, helps to relieve the pressure in the ear, I use them ‘just in case’.

I've had it once or twice and it's really scary when it hits you all of a sudden. I thought I was dying in my kitchen! Then tried to drive and had to turn back after 100 metres. GP gave good advice - warned me not to look out of train windows when I went away for a weekend, and he was so right! My medic sister recommended the Epley manoeuvre which can be found on YouTube. I have also had viral labyrinthitis which is similar but worse as I couldn't keep anything down and it lasted about a week before I could function anything like normally.

I also sleep on my good ear and turn in the morning very slowly. I saw an ENT consultant a couple of months ago who did the Epley manoeuvre and gave me a booklet showing how to do it at home.
It is the most miserable condition, obviously not life threatening but once you have had an attack you are always expecting the next one to happen.
It leaves me feeling very dizzy, I can't look up or bend down without feeling like I am going to fall over.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo BlueBelle.
I don't suffer from it myself, but knew someone who did.

BPPV. Another ‘well known’ abbreviation that I ve not heard of

Janet it doesn’t seem to be something that we can avoid, I sleep with 3 pillows and always sleep on my ‘good ear’ as I was advised by my Consultant. But I spend the first couple of seconds when I wake up wondering if it’s happened again. It’s horrid and I hate walking into walls and doorways! It can take me weeks to get back to normal and each time it happens it leaves me with more balance problems.

Thank you love I’m just scared it will come back I couldn’t walk I’d completely lost my balance and nearly blacked out xx

I've had it a few times too, sometimes followed by a fall.
But TG it's rare, and I've tried to learn to stand up and turn slowly.
Never tried the Epley manoeuvre.

I have just looked it up. What a horrible condition to have.
I have had a number of bouts of labyrinthitis, so I can empathise with you all.
The Epley manoeuvre is fascinating, I'm glad it was successful Janet.

Me too, started 3 years ago, I usually get it 2 or 3 times a year, DH is adept at the Epley manoeuvre.
But it takes me so long to get over it, had to cancel a holiday this year because of it too. It’s a miserable thing to have.

Phew!

Yes love xx

Did it work?

I had terrible attack yesterday completely lost my balance and violently sick doctor did the procedure x

Have you tried the Epley manoeuvre?

Oh yes I do janet21. Have done for nearly a year. I'm in the middle of a nasty attack at the moment. I can go months when I think it has finally gone and wham back it comes. Have you just been diagnosed?