Vertigo and the elderly

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.

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 did those exercises and they worked for me

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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 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

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

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.

I have had vertigo quite a lot. These exercises always work but obviously not suitable for frail people. However its best to try eg vertigon tablets widely available and very effective. But check with her other medications for interactions, on internet.

I have been taking betahistine for many years and it’s been a long time since my last attack of vertigo, but want to avoid it returning so have carried on with it just in case, as it’s a horrible experience.
I hope your mil feels better soon. I don’t think she shoukd try to do anything on her own which makes her uncomfortable. There are so many reasons for dizziness, it’s not always about crystals , in the 40 years I have had this problem crystals have never been mentioned.
Sparkly hope you feel better soon. It can take time so be patient.

I had a severe dizzy spell. The doctor recommended the excercise to me. They are on line from , I think, Southampton medical school via NHS. It worked for me. It seems to be a case of re setting the crystals in the ear. Hope your MIL recovers.

My husband was diagnosed with BPPV and was given a link to online exercises. I held his head and moved it around as suggested. It took about a week to go. Apparently it’s because crystals in the inner ear move into the wrong place and the exercises are to make them go back.
He was quite sick the first few times of trying to!
It’s horrible and quite scary. I could actually see his pupils moving involuntarily!

I was diagnosed with vertigo 12 days ago and prescribed tablets for it.
Betahistine I was prescribed.

I am 85 and suffer with spinal stenosis and arthritis. I was diagnosed with BPPV after a fall when I broke my wrist. The GP sent me the Epley manoeuvre on line but I could not swing my legs together . I had a few near misses (falls) while trying to do the manoeuvre so decided to stop doing it. The vertigo cleared up and I now only suffer it occasionally. No-one checked whether I was doing the exercise. I think it was recommended to get me out of the surgery! I now get a warning (double vision) if I am about to suffer a bout of vertigo, I so find the nearest chair to sit down. Takes about 5 minutes for the dizziness to pass. I understand what the manoeuvre is about but it is a bit drastic for elderly infirm patients.

Has she had her blood pressure checked recently?
Low blood pressure can cause vertigo.

Thanks everyone this has all been really helpful. She was diagnosed with BPPV by paramedics (who also ruled out a stroke) they also spoke to her GP. Thanks to your advice I’m now clear that it’s reasonable to say that these exercises are beyond her. She’s on a waiting list for a physio to help her with them . In the meantime her symptoms have improved a little so, hopefully, the medication is beginning to work. Thanks again for all your input.

As has been said, dizziness can be symptomatic of other issues. I would insist on a GP visit. I've only heard of these exercises being done by a medical professional.

if it is BPPV then the Epley manoeuvre might cure it - the manoeuvre itself lasts about 3 or 4 minutes and it is not pleasant BUT then most people are cured. Well worth it. A few people are only cured temporarily but if the vertigo recurs the Epley Manoeuvre helps - till the next time. Below is a link for right ear BPPV.

www.uhs.nhs.uk/Media/UHS-website-2019/Patientinformation/Audiology/Home-Epley-manoeuvre-to-treat-BPPV-right-ear-2783-PIL.pdf

If you have left ear BPPV you can find instructions on line and some medical people will help. If not BPPV then I doubt Epley would help.