BPPV-Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

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Joe
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Yeah... first time I've ever heard of this.. well, had an apparent issue with this on Monday.

www.mayoclinic.org

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org www.mayoclinic.org

It actually woke me up at 3:27AM, I could barely walk/crawl from the bed to the bathroom. It causes extreme dizziness and because of that, nausea. At first I thought I had some new flu strain but no fever, sore throat, runny nose or any typical flu symptoms. I then thought it was food poisoning but I've had that and this felt 100 times more severe. All I could do Monday was lay in bed and not move.

Tuesday was much better, the nausea was gone and the dizziness was reduced by about 60%.

Wednesday the dizziness was at about 15% so I felt okay to drive to an urgent care location to see what they had to say and the Dr. there basically said 99% of the patients that come in with my symptoms have had an issue with BPPV. He said since I'm improving, I should continue to do so. Some take days or weeks for this to go away. There are even movements you can perform to get the dislodged crystals back to the desired location but you need to go to a specialist as there are a different sequence of movements depending on which ear and where the crystals are located. The Dr. stated that unless the symptoms get worse they should only improve and go away.

This would have been tough if touring. I assume it can happen when not sleeping and would have been nuts if on a bike when it happened.

I'm getting better and just thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone else has, or might, experience it in the future.
 
Wow that doesn't sound "benign" at all! Hope you get back to normal before you end up having to get a Can Am...
 
My daughter has vertigo, a couple of times a year. I don’t think her doctor has ever mentioned BPPV, so I’m sending her the article. I hope your condition improves quickly.

John
 
Joe, have you been running around in circles lately, are those di-lithium crystals, been laying down on the job, or been banging your head against the wall?
Seriously though, hope all is well. Back when I was a kid, we'd spin and make ourselves dizzy... totally helpless and nauseating as I recall.
 
I think this is kinda like an appendix, it may flare up or never flare up... I haven't seen anything yet that gives a way to avoid it or causes.
 
Glad you are recovering. From what I've heard about vertigo, most of it happens when you are resting and start moving, not so much if you are in a car (or bike). Had this happened on a tour, one would have to hunker down in a hotel/motel/campsite. Yes, getting out of a tent for pit stops would be quite rough.
 
SMSW said:
Glad you are recovering. From what I've heard about vertigo, most of it happens when you are resting and start moving, not so much if you are in a car (or bike). Had this happened on a tour, one would have to hunker down in a hotel/motel/campsite. Yes, getting out of a tent for pit stops would be quite rough.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I can work with that... as long as it don't happen when riding I'm good.. lol
 
Basically, you have rocks in your head. Well that's what my mom always told me.
The good news is that the physical therapy is almost 100% effective and only takes a couple of sessions to get the crystals to settle back where they belong.
 
Wow, never heard of this. Hope you make a full recovery!
 
The only time I get vertigo is when I'm close to the edge. I don't do well with heights. So I stay away from things like stairwells, walkways around atriums, observation points like at Niagara Falls etc,etc..
I'm glad your vertico can go away Joe, mine does if I stay away from heights.
 
I see patients with this frequently. I’ve had it as well. Usually, the person can recall what movements cause the dizziness to come on. I had it early last year and it lasted for about 6 months before resolving (of course, on intermittent basis), then came back late last year briefly, and now is gone again. I would notice it when rolling onto my left side and the vertigo would last for a few seconds before resolving and sometimes I would stand up and be unsteady briefly.

It’s a little disconcerting, but as long as better in the short term, not to worry
 
my wife has random episodes of this, with no apparent rhyme or reason behind them. She's been to various doctors and wasn't able to find any permanent solution to the problem. She's had the condition for 10-12 years, but only has a few episodes each year. In her case it seems like the recent episodes are less intense than the first ones years ago, so she pretty much goes on with her normal day when it happens, which is always when she's sleeping AFAIK.
 
Hi Joe:

Very sorry to hear of your difficulties with vertigo.

It is possible that it will not recur. I had a similar episode about 18 years ago - it was quite scary, but like you reported, it passed after a few days and I have not had any recurrence since then. I hope you have the same outcome.

Michael
 
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