Vertigo

[Bugzy88]

Since October of 2008, I have had a rocking sensation that is so strong now, I feel like I'm walking on the deck of a pitching boat on the high seas. These episodes can last from a few seconds to minutes but seem to repeat over and over. The sensation is worse when I am standing or walking for more than a few minutes. It also seems to decrease after I lay down for a few hours (like when I go to bed,) although I do have rocking sensations when I first lay down. When I wake up in the morning, it takes anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours for the symptoms to reappear. I rarely ever feel nauseated. I also have the feeling that objects become closer than they appear (like the car mirror), especially when I'm in a car. I've stopped driving. I am also exhausted at the end of the day.
I've gone to an ENT doctor who did the ENG, hearing test and bloodwork. All tests are fine except my red blood cells are slightly low. I'm being sent to a neurologist next. I'm waiting for the referral to go through.

Has anyone had this type of vertigo? I don't really spin, just feel like I'm being tossed to and fro on a ship. I feel a pressure in my head also. Thanks for anyone's input.

Bugz

[dizzeeguy]

yeah i get that too.....rocking back n forth i notice it when i try to sleep sometimes....other times it feels like everything shifts to the right.doctors say i had severe ear infection and takes long time to heal.kinda feels like you're drunk.i'm looking into alternative medicine to heal damaged cartilage....

[Bugzy88]

Now I went to a neurologist who prescribed baclofen because my neck is always stiff. He seems to think that might be a reason why I get rocking vertigo. I've also just completed a transcranial doppler and a test that tests my auditory nerve. I have to wait a whole month before the neurologist sees me again. Meanwhile, I'm still not driving due to the rocking sensation. Anyone have any of these tests?

Bugz

[melschool]

Hi,
I'm 50 years old and have had several episodes with this debilitating health issue. A great doctor gave me a very simple exercise I can do on the edge of my bed with my feet dangling off the side. If you do it several times a day (I do it 3 times a day - depending on the severity and my nausea level), you can get rid of it earlier. I suggest you keep doing the exercise for about a week or two even after the verigo is gone. The exercise goes like this:

1. The bed should not have any pillows and be a flat surface before you begin. Begin by sitting straight up and looking forward (I count to 10 "one thousand").

2. Then slowly lower your body so that your shoulder touches the bed, but before your head touches the bed you tilt your head up so that your eyes are looking to the ceiling. This can be immensley uncomfortable and sets on the dizziness - maybe to the point of throwing up, depending on how severe it is - but this is suppose to happen.

3. When the dizziness stops you sit up and look straight ahead - count again - and wait for the dizziness to stop.

4. Then you do the other side and so on. I repeat this 3 times on each side. There's no magic number as far as I know. The more, the better.

Believe me it's not fun but it WORKS! I had it so bad once my daughter had to hold my hands in front of me and I cried. But since that most aweful episode the cases have been less severe. As soon as I feel a vertigo episode coming on I do the exercises right away and it goes away within a few days. Good-luck. I know what you're going through. In fact, I've been battling an episode this week - which is how I found this site.

[Bugzy88]

Thank you for your suggestion ... however I just got my report back about the transcranial dopplar and the audial nerve tests. They show minor disturbances on the left side and a possible narrowing of my basilar artery (the one that flows into the brain from the neck. The neurologist also noticed my left eye tends to move (nystagmus?) Now ataxia and [Occlusion and stenosis of basilar artery without cerebral infarction] have been added to my diagnosis of vertigo. Now we're waiting on a MRI and another series of blood tests looking for viral infections that may have caused the nerves to not communicate correctly. I'm not sure how I feel about the findings but I am somewhat relieved that maybe we're on the right track now. Wow!