dizzy/off balance

Ears, nose and throat
1

It started over 9 months ago, one evening I was watching TV and when I got up to go to a different room I suffered bad vertigo. Everything was spinning and I had to hold onto the walls to move around. I put it down to being tired and went to sleep. When I woke up I didn't have vertigo anymore, but my balance was really off and I felt really fuzzy headed and everything seemed dull.

After that, I felt off balance all the time. Then again about 5 months later I woke up with vertigo. When I looked up at the ceiling, I couldn't control my eyes, they were rolling to the side in my head. Later on that morning it settled down and I was back to being off balance. Again a month or so ago I was reading in bed laid with my head on my hand on my side and I got vertigo again for a minute or so, then it went.

My GP says I have BPPV and gave my some tablets that I tried. They do make my balance feel better, but I had to stop taking them as they made me so tired I couldn't function.

So now I am back to being off balance, it varies during the day. Some times I feel 95% ok, others pretty unsteady. I tend to feel wobbly when I first wake up, then good on the morning and worse later on in the day. I quite often have a mild to moderate headache where it feels tight across the top of my head. The worse the tightness, the more dizzy I tend to feel. I had a couple of migraines lately where it affects my vision, and strangely once the visual migrain finished I felt much steadier.

I feel fine sat down, its just when I am up and moving around I feel off. I feel like I get better over time, then get hit with vertigo again and Im back to square one. For a few weeks about 6 months after the initial attack I felt back to normal except for a few minutes during the day.

I find my balance is worse if I get anxious or tired.

Ive tried excercises for BPPV I saw on the internet, but when I use the test to find out which ear is affected by lieing with your head tilted back and to either side both sides seem to be affected. My eyes flick back and forward.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading, but does this sound like BPPV or something else? Has anyone had anything similar? I really just want to feel normal and not notice my balance anymore. It seems to be lasting a very long time if it is BVVP

2

Billy have you seen an opthalmologist? Had a routine eye exam even?

3

Several points, Billy.

You can be unlucky enough to get BPPV on both sides at the same time. I've had it on both sides, though not at the same time. I'm currently in the process of recovering from the latest attack.

I'm wondering on what basis your GP says you have BPPV. Did he do the test you mention? Tablets won't cure BPPV anyway, they'll only damp down the symptoms till you recover spontaneously. If it's really BPPV you need to have the Epley manoeuvre performed. But don't attempt to do it yourself by looking it up on the internet. This manoeuvre needs to be performed under medical supervision.

What bothers me more is that it might not be BPPV anyway. There are other conditions that cause vertigo. You need to be tested properly, either by a neurotologist, an ENT doctor or a vestibular physiotherapist (though I'm not sure whether the latter actually exists in the UK). A neurotologist is best. If there's a vertigo or vestibular disease clinic in a major hospital anywhere near you they'd have all the facilities for the necessary tests to diagnose you.

Please don't let your GP fob you off with pills until you know exactly what's wrong. You have a right to insist on a referral, so don't let him/her tell you otherwise.

4

Thanks for the replies.

I have noticed my eye sight has got worse lately, especially for reading. My eyes sort of drift apart if you know what I mean. Maybe my eyesight isn't helping as I seem to rely heavily on my eyesight more due to my balance being off..

The GP tested my for neurological problems. I had to touch my finger to my nose a few times and run my foot down the shin on my leg, or something like that. I passed all those tests fine and he concluded that it was BPPV as the dizziness I feel is due to head movements, which is true. If Im sat down not moving I feel fine.

Ill go back and try and get referred to a specialist of some sort.

 

5

Well I would. Get your eyes properly checked by an opthalmologist for sure.

Also you are talking about neuro problems. Are there other issues too not mentioned in your post?

6

No, no other issues. I thought they checked neuro funcions to see if dizziness originates from your brains processing of information and coordination, or if the infomation is false coming from the inner ear.

 

7

Oh sorry yes of course. They do that. I do think you need your eyes checked. I am lucky in London 2 good eye casualty departments here you can walk into.

8

"I was watching TV and when I got up to go to a different room I suffered bad vertigo."  Were you sitting when you got up, or lying down when you got up?

Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

Clinical Neurophysiologist

Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

9

I was watching TV (Games of Thones to be exact ). I was propped up on 3 or 4 pillows watching it from what I remember. Definately more laid than sat. Its a long time ago. I didn;t have vertigo at all until I stood up and then something happened and the room was spinning.

Any ideas what it could be?

 

10

If it is BPPV, then the tablets is not the treatment of choice, but specific exercises for your inner ear. However, because you no longer talk about vertigo with more frequent head movements, then it does not sound like BPPV (the episodes associated with this are more frequent).

Therefore, you need to seen someone with more experience in vestibular disorders, such as an ENT doctor with an interest in neurotology, or a neurotologist.

Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

Clinical Neurophysiologist

Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

11

I rarely get vertigo, only if I lie flat on a bed with no pillows or if I look underneath something, so obviously I try not to do anything like that. The rest of the time, I just feel off. Like my head is a few seconds behind my movements.

Occationally, if I stand up from bending over for example I feel like when I stop the motion of standing, my head has carried on going for a split second and I feel like Im falling.

I have felt better this week actually, for a couple of days I was about 90% most of the time, with just a few dizzy spells where I got a tightness over my head and a mild head ache. Usually I gradually get better over months, then I have another vertigo spell either late on an evening or first thing in a morning and I am back to square one, so Im hoping no vertigo comes back.

i got my eyes checked, nothing untoward showed up. Im getting glasses to help with reading and close work, so Ill see if that helps.