Vertigo is trying to ruin my Christmas!

yes - me too Vestibular migraine. It is well described in Oliver Sacks book "Migraine". He writes positively of it too. Sees it as eectrical explosions that can protect us...like a great clearing out of tensions. I take propanol as and when - especially if I anticipate a stressful or exciting time ahead. It's like all our fuses can be blown but there are good steps to recovery, no lasting damage. You get to learn the potential triggers. I haven't had an attack for 4 and a half years. Finding a neuropysiotherapist helped me enormously. My doctors and hospitals not at all.

It must be about 4 years ago that my adult son he's 41 now started with Vertigo.
He was a fit young man exercise was part of his routine, he ate healthily didn't smoke or drink to excess.
Then suddenly Vertigo became part of his life some days he was completely incapacitated which is clearly a nightmare when you are working.
He must have had every test known to man over the next 3 years moving from one consultant to another and no solution found. His diet and daily routine was scrutinised and all aspects of his life. He went on the NHS and privately he was so desperate get to the bottom of this.
It was found that he had a rare form of Migraine he is on medication now but with side effects but he can lead an almost normal life.

That is such good news!

Aah! I see someone has already told you about BPPV. It really does work, if this is the type of vertigo you have.

Vertigo! Aah! For anyone who hasn't experienced it before, vertigo is like being drunk and not being able to catch the bed the next time it comes round as, with vertigo, the bed is spinning faster than a bicycle wheel can spin. If you find you become dizzy when you try to turn over in bed, work out which way you are turning when you feel sick - to the left or to the right? If this does happen in your case, I have an answer. I'm on holiday at the moment but will be happy to tell you of a manouevre which has kept me free from vertigo for three years. Send me a message which I will pick up on.

Glad you are feeling a lot better Willa. Enjoy christmas.

I am so pleased to hear that you are on the mend. Have a happy Christmas!

First let me start by saying how much I appreciated all your kind and caring responses to my post. I also wanted to share that I am almost back to normal!

Yesterday, I turned the corner so to speak and was able to stop medication without feeling nausea. Today, other than residual lightheadedness (comes and goes), I feel like myself again; so much so that with DH's help, I just finished baking 3 dozen cookies and made 2 dozen 'booze' balls (actually made with Rum or Bourbon), but my family likes to call them that.

So, armed with a healthy dose of optimism, I expect I won't be taken for an inebriated person (not without the enjoyment of partaking, at least)

May everyone here enjoy the loveliest Christmas ever and may you all receive many blessings in the coming year.

With lots of love, Willa

It does sound like labyrinthitis, in which case the worst of it will go in about a week, so hopefully by Christmas Day you will be feeling better. BPPV only last about 15 seconds when you move your head or eyes in certain directions, but that can be relieved by an Epley, you will know the difference. None of this helps with your preparations, hope you can delegate, even if not to your standards! I could never get on with any of the medications, made me feel like a zombie even after I stopped them, they have a long half life. I do wish you well and a happy and healthy New Year!

Yes balance is very much affected for me too. We were advised that with middle ear problems the eyes take over instead, so at night/ in the dark we should use a light of some sort if going to the bathroom. We use a plug in light in the wall or else leave a light on in bathroom or hall.
I have had many attacks over the years, always taking quite a long time to recover. I did get sick of some friends assuming i was alcoholic or something, ( i am not!). With friends like that..etc.

Hi and you can see from the replies that everyone is different. When my inner ear infection with vertigo, didn’t go away, I was told that the virus had damaged the vestibular nerve which affects your balance. I couldn’t work for a year. Four years on life is normal but my balance isn’t as I’m plagued by lightheadedness, and dizziness. I know other people who have recovered in days or weeks. I hope you get better soon. You’re not alone with this clearly but it is so horrible when it’s at its worst.

My dear Mum always used to get what she called her "whizzy heads" stemetil fixed it every time. Poor you. Hope you are well soon.

Oh littleflo , I did smile thinking of you swallowing a fish, they are called Stugeron tablets. Bless you for that typo!!?

I missed going to see my first grandchild after she was born and also her first christmas because i was so ill with a bad attack. She is 8 now but i still feel a bit sad about it. i spent the whole time in bed home alone while dh and my other daughter who had come over from Europe were all together celebrating her birth and again over christmas. There was little point dh staying with me and didnt want to spoil his happiness.
This awful disease has a huge impact on sufferers and for me attacks started in 1984 but i have remained clear now for over 4 years. Fingers crossed its gone for good but i never say never.

I had vertigo once after a bought of flu, it was apparently the flu virus that had affected the nerve in the inner ear that controls balance. It was horrible while it lasted, and it lasted for about six weeks, then suddenly one day, I woke up and it had gone, and has never returned.

So I hope you will be as lucky as I was, or rather luckier, as I don't want you to have to wait six weeks for it to clear up.

Try to do only the really essential things on your Christmas list, or better delegate them to your DH, even if it means teaching him how to do them for you.

Rocknroll5me - I too get vestibular migraine. I treat myself with a sleeping tablet and sleep through it - and wake up just fine! No fancy treatments for me - I just knock myself out till it is over. GP endorses the treatment and supplies the pills!

Hi Willa.... I know that condition well. Triggered by an inner ear infection years ago...and I’ve had bouts ever since. Mine was so bad the doc had to come to me at home...he asked me to open my eyes and had to hold on to the bed. He said it was worst case he’d seen. Prescribed Stemetil...which took about 4 hours to kick in and worked very slopwly but it DID work! As regards xmas... let husband cope with it or not...all that matters is you at this moment..get well quickly Willa.

My daughter, who is a doctor, has used the Epley manoeuvre on me twice and it has worked in an instant.

My wife has had permanent balance issues 24/7 for past 45-50 years...almost from childhood. Despite intensive searches by Doctors.....last as an in patient in hospital for over a month...she remains undiagnosed. It has ruined her life, coat me thousands in fees from various sources claiming to cure the problem and been the source of much heartache. Medical science has not had a single answer to her condition and no doubt she will die undiagnosed...it's totally the luck of the draw if yiu find something that works for you....Seasons Greetings to one and all.

I'm having a bit of a relapse right now as well. Like shysal above, my first bout was when I was pregnant (for the 3rd time) 45 years ago. Woke up one morning to find the room spinning way above the speed limit and just made it to the loo in time be violently sick. My diagnosis was vestibular neuronitis. Have had milder symptoms on and off ever since, but also a whole host of other weird problems that may be associated: eye problems (inc. a week in hospital with unexplained double vision at one traumatic stage), neck pain under the affected ear when stressed, chronic sleep issues, out-of-the-blue panic attacks, not to mention all the rashes. Anyway, I'm off now to google John of Ohio to see what that's all about (thanks for the tip, duchessofherts. Meanwhile, willa45 and anyone else suffering at the moment, try not to freak out and just wait for it to pass. If things get stressful, sing a carol or two!

Yes I feel for you, I once had a viral infection and one of the symptoms was vertigo which lasted for 10 days.

I've just heard that a male cousin of mine suffers from this. He has been diagnosed with Ménière's disease which is something to do with the middle ear. Nothing the GP has given him has helped. It sounds just awful.

I really feel for you. It is horrible.
I have had the same thing but they called it "labyrinthitis". I too take stugeron for the nausea - I call them my wonky pills. Willa, it will get better, but sometimes it takes time.
It comes and goes, but recently with less and less frequency and shorter episodes, fortunately. I recognise the symptoms and take the pills before the vertigo starts. I get a horrific headache at the base of my skull. The first time ithappened, I though I had had a stroke!

Horrible and I really feel for you. I only had it once, the morning we were due to go on holiday! I got up from the table and fell on the floor, no balance whatsoever. This was back in the days when doctors did home visits and ours was there in half an hour. He gave me an injection and a some pills. I had had a bad cold and had been taking aspirin and he told me that aspirin can cause it! Who knew!. It went away, I slept all the way to Cornwall and it never came back. I have never taken aspirin again either.

Yes, Stugeron is my preferred medication. I find tiredness brings on the vertigo, as well as stress. It is indeed very debilitating at times, and extremely annoying. Strangely, I didn't suffer at all on a very rough sea when cruising - not a trace of seasickness or vertigo! Maybe I should live on a ship.