Vertigo

[PaulaS]

Hello anyone,
I'm getting very frustrated with my vertigo spells. My family Doc doesn't seem to know what to tell me. She has done the blood work and urine analysis and all is normal. I said it might come on when my heart rate goes up with exercise or nervousness so she had me wear a heart rate monitor for 24 hrs...of course then I didn't have a spell. All was normal with my heart rate.
So, then I got referred to a supposed Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. I didn't realize going into the three appointments now that he deals with allergies mainly. Allergy testing was done and it turns out I'm allergic to everything. I really don't think the vertigo is caused by allergies and this Doctor hasn't explained much at all to me other than he wants me to take allergy injections and stop having coffee, tea of any kind, chocolate, "junk" drinks, etc...also I am supposed to allergy proof my home, use cotton mattress, etc. He had called for x-rays of my neck and sinus and they came back normal. I think I am still on a list for a cat-scan.
My vertigo has been bothering me for a couple years now. I am 27 years old. It scares me because I have no clue what may be the problem. It will come on out of nowhere and last maybe three minutes but takes a lot out of me...I feel nauseated and tired after. Sometimes it happens when I'm exercising. Also, I think it could possibly be related to stress??? Some days I'll feel like I'm on the verge for hours at a time. I also notice that it seems to come more frequently during the winter months??
I've read on this forum about the chiropractor and I may give that a try.
It's just so hard when you don't know what causes it. I'm hoping to see a different specialist that doesn't just deal with allergies. The waiting lists for everything are horrendous so it may be a while.
Any other thoughts on this???

[Outlander]

First off, you should try to get a referral to an ENT doctor who specializes in vertigo. My ENT suspected right away that something had gone awry with the vestibular nerve in my ear, since I didn't have all the symptoms of Meniere's disease (ie, tinnitus, hearing loss in addition to vertigo.) The first step was to check my hearing, and next to arrange an appointment at a local hospital for and ENG (electronystagmography) where various things are done to try to induce vertigo, and this tells them a lot about the cause. In one test, they pour hot water into your ear (one side at a time) and then measure your eye movements to determine how much vertigo is caused. With me, the difference between the left and right sides was greater than 50% - normally there is less than 15% difference between the right and left. This told them that my right ear (the vestibular nerve in my right ear, to be specific) was causing my vertigo. So I really recommend you get an ENG test!

You didn't say if you have tinnitus (ringing in your ears) or hearing loss - if you do, you could have meniere's disease.

As for stress and temperature causing vertigo - yes, I think there is a link with me too. However, I tend to get vertigo after exercising or after a stressful situation, when I am calming down (and my heartrate and BP are coming down to normal levels). My vertigo seems to come on when I am in a suddenly warm environment - like coming out of the cold into an overheated room, or having a very hot shower, or leaving my airconditioned house and stepping into 100 degree heat! Not much I can do about those things, except now I only take lukewarm showers and have installed grab bars in my shower in case I get vertigo and fall down.

No doctor has ever told me that allergies can cause vertigo - I think your doctor is a bit nuts, frankly! The only dietary restriction I've ever heard of for the treatment of vertigo is reducing salt and increasing fluids. I notice that vertigo is more frequent when I'm dehydrated.

I hope you can get some relief! For some treatment options, please read my post "after 17 months, finally some relief". And don't let them inject anything in your ears!

[PaulaS]

I already feel so much better after getting some feedback. I think the allergy guy was a nut too!!!!! I'll go back to my doctor and make sure I get the right referral! Living in a smaller community I'm finding that referrals can be made very hastily...I have a cyst in my breast and instead of being referred to the right Doctor I was sent to a dermatologist who wondered why I was there to see him...talk about frustration and embarrassment...I drove two hours out of town on bad roads to see a "specialist", got there and showed him my breast and then had him say "why did you come to me"? He then referred me to a surgeon who was wonderful. There can be such differences between Docs.

[LizP1961]

I just think the allergy doc wants money...but I used to get the shots then stopped all together. like 3 months or more is when my 1st episode of Vertigo came on. Im still not getting the shots either. OTC allergy meds work just as well. Im getting my first ENT workout Monday, the 6th of April. Not sure what is going to be done but I had to stop taking all my meds for this and no caffene. I will post back how that goes. I want this vertigo gone. It has been since August of 08 with my first one. My vision is now effected but not sure if that was the newest meds. Good Luck all

[Outlander]

Hi PaulaS. It sounds like we've been through the same thing and sadly, vertigo started to take over our everyday life.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the specialist you were referred to (the wrong type of MD, obviously!) and I know how hard it is to find a good, competent specialist like an ear, nose and throat Dr (ENT) like I did.

It sounds like you might want to correspond with someone who has been there and shared the horror of vertigo. Seriously, nobody knows how horrible it is to live with until it's happened to them. I define my life as "Before" and "After" vertigo - how sad. But my pharmacist husband did hours and hours and hours of research and found a medical treatment (medications) that have reduced my attacks
by 90%

Are you interested in emailing me? I'm a 36 year old housewife and former nurse, so it's in my personality to reach out and try to help others. Please reply if you want me to give you my email address. I want to repay the miracle of remission from vertigo so that someone else can have a normal life again too...

Goodluck and don't give up hope!
Outlander (aka Debbie)

[LizP1961]

Im sorry you have this also. I used to go to the allergy doc, shots and all. I did give them up last spring after a abnormal mammo (every things ok). I also just went to the ENT (ear nose and throat). He just looked in my ears and up my nose and looked at my throat and said you dont have any infections. What a joke he was. But I did make an appointment with the audiologist. Went through the eye and hearing test. Nothing happend. Nothing happens with any of the specialist. But thank god my family doctor has seen the bad stuff. He's referring me to another Neuro doc. but so far I have not had a spell now for two and a half weeks. Im actually babying myself when I lie down. But I do get wiped out after I have them. Not always am I nauses (sp) when they happen. I really dont think the allergy doctor is going to help except take your money. Im still paying mine off as we speak. My doc said see the neuro then if that dont help he wants me to go to the cleveland clinic. They have a vertigo clinic there I guess..but that will be the last resort. I sure hope some one finds out whats causing this in all of us. We just need to keep up the hope. Sorry this is so long.

[dennymas]

Don't you just hate it when doctors shuffle you around when they don't know what's wrong or they just don't want to deal with another dizzy woman. They don't ask the right questions which leads them in the total opposite direction of diagnosis.

I was first told it was a virus in my inner ear. Then just recently I was told I had too much fluid behind my ear. She said I wasn't bad enough to be referred on to use the 'tilt table'. I'm sure she was meaning the Epley maneuver or something similar. How does she know how "bad" I am??? Frustrating!

I am now convinced that mine is brought on by different positions I put my head in as episodes were brought about by painting, cleaning high walls and cleaning a floor on my hands and knees. So this would be Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV). Get yourself very informed, do a lot of research and have something to back up your symptoms. They might be more apt to listen. When you exercise do you do a lot of head movements? I don't even feel I could return to my exercise class although it's never bothered me before but now I'm scared to do pretty much anything that might set it off.

The next time I have symptoms I am going to try the Epley at home. I'm studying this and feel I can do it. I am willing to try something that doesn't involve doctors.

Stay in touch.

[ekazaz]

Debbie/Outlander: I'd like to hear about the meds your pharmacist husband found for you. I just got over my second "Grand" vertigo attack in one month. You can email me if you like, please: [moderator note: e-mail address has been removed]. Thanks, Ed

[TerriM]

Outlander: I too would like to know what treatment you are taking to reduce your vertigo. I had it really bad with my last pregnancy 12 years ago and did not have any flare ups until about a month ago.

[zeegrrl]

My two cents and I'm no specialist, just a sufferer of allergies and vertigo who has read up on both: The allergies and/or sinus infection cause drainage that can drips into your ear(s). I have noticed that when my allergies are really bad, the vertigo flares up. The thinking of my doctor is to get the allergies under control (for me weeds and dust mites, so I had to allergy proof all my bedding and noticed a change for the better in the allergies) to eliminate one of the variables possibly causing the vertigo.

They ran an MRI scan on my brain to make sure that the vertigo was not neurological i.e. an acoustic neuroma aka brain tumor on the auditory nerve. Next, I will get an MRA to make sure my heart is healthy. Vertigo can be a result of brain tumor or heart disease and it's best to rule those two serious possibilities out. Then, we're going to take it from there.

Another thing I've noticed is that if I work out too much i.e. 90 minute intense yoga class, followed by 80 minutes of cardio, and not enough hydration/food, I also get vertigo. That's what happened to me this last time. I most likely have Meniere's disease, as I also have hearing loss and tinitus. The low sodium diet and eating right has helped it to almost go away.

I have to agree that the Epley manuever seems completely whacko, but I have a really bright and good doc and he insists that it can't hurt. So, as lame as I think it is I'm trying it along with everything else mentioned about and it seems to be working. It's definitely a process of troubleshooting to hopefully identify the trigger. Hang in there and good luck!