Vertigo and the elderly

My disabled husband was diagnosed with vertigo by the gp. He was given an appointment to have the manoeuvre done - but it was in 5 months time. I contacted the local ‘spire’ private hospital. The manoeuvre was done there 2 days later. Success!! They gave us a sheet showing how we could safely do the manoeuvre at home if it recurred. It did about a month later and we followed the instructions - success!! It has not recurred in the last 9 months.

That’s good news special,k. Feeling dizzy is horrible .

I couldn't do those exercises am only 68...she should be given tablets for vertigo or have her ears examined first....I certainly could not lay on my side..get a 2nd opinion

I’m 60 and have been having bouts of vertigo regularly for a couple of years. I was prescribed those same exercises, but found they didn’t help. In fact, they worsened the nausea which accompanies the dizziness.
I looked on YouTube and found there were hundreds of alternative ones recommended with clear instructions.
Some of them are far less physically demanding than what your mother-in-law was prescribed. You just have to try them and see if any are effective.
However, I also stumbled upon some videos on there using Presure Points to help with vertigo. These mainly require acting on Pressure Points on the hands which are far easier and which may work for her.

I’ve done the exercises too and they can work with only doing them once or twice.
It’s pretty straightforward. You and another could perhaps help her .i think you can see it bring fine on YouTube. . It makes the difference between being dizzy and feeling perfectly ok in a short space of time. Worth exploring

I get vertigo occasionally and for years I was told to do Brandt Daroff exercises. They never worked.
Last time I saw a GP she diagnosed BPPV and I found YouTube demos of the Eply manouvre and did that myself. Apparently GPs don't like to recommend it but it works like magic for me.
However I am not a frail 90 year old. I am also dubious about a diagnosis by a paramedic. Paramedics are brilliant at their job but the are not doctors. Dizziness can be caused by many, many things.

As much as I respect our ambulance personnel, I do wonder how they are able to diagnose BPPV without the correct tests. I suffered vertigo for over 20 years and had to have an MRI and several other tests before a correct diagnosis. I would certainly recommend a GP appointment before attempting any exercises/manoeuvres, particularly bearing in mind her age and frailty.

A friend had a physio do the Epley manoeuvre and repeated it herself. It was a really good for treating her vertigo, which was a side effect of medication.

The internet says the Brandt-Daroff is an easier version of the Epley, suitable to do at home. However, that still doesn’t mean easy for a 90+ year old and I’d not be at all happy about my mum attempting these unaided.

I think that your MiL should try to get a private appointment with a physio to help her complete the manoeuvre. A single private physio appt is not too expensive and well worth it if it helps to alleviate this horrible and limiting condition.

Further investigation is important, but for about 60% of instances of vertigo it is just not possible to identify a clear cause.

She’s on a waiting list for a physio to help her with them

Some physio depts are walk in.
Which would save her the wait.

I suffered with this in my fifties for a few years (known as top shelf vertigo). It included feeling dizzy when turning over in bed. My GP tried the epley manoeuvre without success, I saw an ENT consultant who performed the manoeuvre for me by physically movimg me into different positions, which was successful. 20 years later it hasn’t returned, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t happen again. Maybe a consultant could do this for your mother-in-law. Hope you find a cure for her.

This is very important! I was hospitalized with acute vertigo about 12 years ago and was in hospital for a couple of weeks while they tried to figure it. Two things were massively helpful. They prescribed stemetil www.nhs.uk/medicines/prochlorperazine/about-prochlorperazine/
And when I was out I realised there was no appropriate physio treatment on nhs so I had one appointment privately with a neurophysiotherapist. She was brilliant. No exercises as such but a vestibular mat to stand on, reminding your feet when you get up where you are. Feet flat on the floor wriggle your toes so the brain isn’t confused.
Before that I had a vertigo episode start by suddenly moving my head so avoid that.
Mercy be I have not had an attack since. Your poor muminlaw, it’s a horrible condition. Often diagnosed as labrynthitus for which there are many causes. Certainly not always crystals. I think the para medics got on the wrong track there.

Thanks Rocknroll, I’ve been in contact with a neurophysiotherapist, so it’s great to hear they were so good with you.

I did those exercises and they worked for me

I hope something can be done to help tour mum in law.

Obviously this is just anecdotal, but both my husband and I have had Labrinthitus. They put him on vitamin D and I started taking it too (having checked first with the community nurse). It has kept it away for both of us. Maybe it might be worth discussing this with your Mum’s GP? I hope she is soon sorted 💐

I dont know how your mum in law is expected to manage this on her own. My husband suffered with this for over 3 years & was told several times to do these exercises. They did nothing to help. He is a strong, able person but the same exercises were not easy & had no affect at all on the vertigo. He saw the GP last week on an unrelated matter but was dizzy on standing up. The GP put him on a bed & manipulated his head into different positions & told him to sleep on his back on several pillows for 3 nights. He has not had any vertigo since. Please look up BPPV, Benign Paroxysmal positional vertigo. I really hope she gets the support she needs.