I am praying that someone out there can help me or will at least tell me they have had similar symptoms. I’ve had increasing vertigo episodes now for over 15 years. Had a concussion in '07 from falling and hitting the back of my head. The vertigo started before that fall though. Every time it’s the same drill–wake up feeling dizzy with a slight pinch in my neck like I’ve slept wrong followed by dizziness and then full blown vertigo for at least 4-5 days. Day 2 is always the worst. I’ve seen a PCP, PT, Neurologist, ENT, Balance Specialist, Chiropractor and the only thing that has come close to relieving the symptoms is the chiropractor. He tells me that my right side (always the right side) of my neck is moved..the bone below my ear. He adjusts and it feels better until the next day. I’ve seen him every day this week, sometimes twice a day. It seems to have to run it’s course. I’ve had an MRI, CT Scan, and numerous ear/hearing/eye tests performed. I’ve had the Epley Manuever done and one time it did help. So I would assume that episode was BPPV. My neurologist dxd me with Vestibular Migraines as I matched all 6 characteristics of that. I do know I have migraine issues but no headache. For example I have issues with my eyes if I look at bright lights…orbs, light spots in eyes, dizziness afterwards. The neurologist put me on magnesium for the migraines as some study showed that could be helpful. I need to know if anyone else out there has the same symptoms. I’m at the tail end of an episode right now that started on Sunday. This is now Friday. I slept in a hotel with a thick, fluffy pillow and woke up on Sunday with a cramp in my right side of my neck. Boom…on Monday I woke up with vertigo. I made the mistake of not taking my own pillow to the hotel. I’m afraid to travel now as it ruins a week of my life. Please help me!
so many things can give you these symptoms it’s hard to say what it is. sounds like you need the usual vestibular testing. vng,caloric test etc. i have those symptoms but mine is menieres disease. the issues youve had may have given you this. its a fluid build up in the inner ear and endolymphatic sac.
HI there,
firstly i hope you are feeling better!! i am having an episode right now. i do feel off balanced quite iften but not enough to make me stop doing what i do! but once again today it feels like the spinning will start. the ent told me its most likely vestibular because i get ocular migraines as well. but nonetheless it diesnt make me feel better and i dont have anything that helps me! it feels like i just have ti wait it out and that reaks havic on ny anxiety!
i just want a normal life again where im not worries about this!
I keep seeing “caloric test” on this forum and have never heard of it. What is it? I mean, besides a diagnostic tool. There is no cure for Menieres is there?
I am getting better every day but I lose ground every time I have an episode and it takes me so long to get back to my normal. I feel for you having an episode. I have bouts with vertigo at least twice a year if not more often. I never know when it will strike. I have been bed bound before for a couple days. It’s so awful. Someone today suggested it could be hormonal related. I’m like you in that I want to have a normal life.
caloric test is when they put warm and cold air or water in your ears and record your eye movements. you have goggles on with tiny cameras in them. no light can get in. total darkness. it induces vertigo if your vestibular nerve is intact and working. if its not you feel nothing. no, theres no cure for menieres. they do procedures to limit attacks but you still get them.
becky
you should have caloric testing. look up a “dizzy clinic” in your area. usually in the major city near you. i have VM- while i take magnesium, that is not the only thing you should be taking. if you have VM- you should be taking an anti depressant to calm your brain. i am on norotryptiline. i see a doctor called an otolayrngologist. you should look this doctor up. a regular neuro a regular ENT- isnt going to be much help. neuro-ontology. i also saw all these drs you have before i was properly diagnosed. including a chiropractor. until you get to the proper doctor, get the proper testing, and right meds, you will continue to suffer with the vertigo and dizziness ect. also, vestibular PT- can be helpful too. the caloric testing is brutal, but it eliminates certain diagnosis, like meneirs, VN, labs. it helps the doctor know there is no damage to your ears. your brain is over stimulated. you have triggers you need to avoid. for now, try taking mecclizine until you travel home. its over the counter name brand bonine.
Hi Becky43723,
I had the same symptoms for nearly 3 years now, I had so many test,MRI and blood test all normal..
just recently seen Neurologist which diagnosed me with vestibular maigraine which affected my brain and caused PPPD
I know is hard at first those symptoms affected me of doing my daily routine
but now I force myself of doing things and I won’t let it stop me to live.
so you need to see a good neurologist or ENT who can run 3 hours test in dark room which they put cold and warm water in the ears and they control your eyes in the computer so they can found out exactly the problem that kind of condition it won’t show on MRI
best of luck
sab
Hi Becky43723,
I had the same symptoms for nearly 3 years now, I had so many test,MRI and blood test all normal..
just recently seen Neurologist which diagnosed me with vestibular maigraine which affected my brain and caused PPPD
I know is hard at first those symptoms affected me of doing my daily routine
but now I force myself of doing things and I won’t let it stop me to live.
so you need to see a good neurologist or ENT who can run 3 hours test in dark room which they put cold and warm water in the ears and they control your eyes in the computer so they can found out exactly the problem that kind of condition it won’t show on MRI
best of luck
sab
Hi Becky43723,
I had the same symptoms for nearly 3 years now, I had so many test,MRI and blood test all normal..
just recently seen Neurologist which diagnosed me with vestibular maigraine which affected my brain and caused PPPD
I know is hard at first those symptoms affected me of doing my daily routine
but now I force myself of doing things and I won’t let it stop me to live.
so you need to see a good neurologist or ENT who can run 3 hours test in dark room which they put cold and warm water in the ears and they control your eyes in the computer so they can found out exactly the problem that kind of condition it won’t show on MRI
best of luck
sab
does meclizine work??
Yes that sounds perfectly awful. I had a broken eardrum a couple months ago from a bad sinus infection. After I had blood in my ear I decided I’d better go to the doctor but that was after a couple weeks from seeing the blood. I hate docs by the way. 
Anyway, when I went in they told me the eardrum had ruptured and that’s where the blood came from. My third round of antibiotics and I was finally better. Then a few days later my ear hurt. I went to the ENT and she said I had dried blood on my eardrum. She removed it but said it was basically her picking a scab off my eardrum with a pair of long handled tweezers. She sprayed some sort of solution in my ear and softened the scabs. I’ve never had anything hurt like that! Anyway, when she sprayed the solution in my ear I got super dizzy so I can just imagine the caloric test. Ick! I was really worried that I woldn’t be able to function since the ENT induced the vertigo but once she quit spraying the water, I was fine.
Thank you so much sab65033 for your advice and for sharing your story. It helps so much to hear from other folks going through the same thing. It’s true when you have something that doesn’t show on the outside, folks tend to not think there’s anything really wrong. I’ll have to look up PPPD.
I have not had much luck with meclizine. I had a neurologist years ago prescribe that drug for me and it didn’t seem to do much. Guess I should try it again. I tried an anti-depressant once and had awful side effects. I felt “high” and it was almost as bad as the vertigo. hmoosey, are your episodes controlled now?
I guess something I’ve forgotten to mention is that I had to DX myself with VM. I don’t even know for sure that that is the proper DX but I got online and did research and my neurologist said she “concurred with my findings”. Ha! The balance and hearing specialist I saw also said he had to agree with my findings. So why did I pay him nearly $400??? He did some testing but not the caloric test. I’m so thankful to have found this forum. I can’t thank you all enough.
meclizine is useless for bad episodes. diazepam helps alot. low dose,2mg.
i have had tons of tests over the course if 13 years. the fluid build up ruptures your ear drum and endolymphatic sac. i have had gentamicin injections threw my ear drum to kill the nerve which stops the false signals. i have had endolyphatic sac decompression surgery with shunt placement to help drain the fluid. basically they drill a hole in the side of your head and put in a shunt.
can buy meclizine over the counter now. or off amazon. no script needed
Is Diazepam an anti-depressant or anti-convulsion drug?
I looked up otolayrngologists near me. Guess what? The ENT doc that I saw that did the testing (spinning chair, eye tests with blinders/goggles on) is one. He never once suggested the caloric testing. I would hate the thought of doing it but if it brought me closer to a true dx I would suffer through it. Can’t be as bad as a week of this suffering. I am considering vestibular PT. My daughter in law’s sis is a PT that does that sort of PT. I’ve talked to her about it. I would just like to know if what is causing my vertigo is vestibular or cervical. Maybe it’s both.