weird symptom- is this familiar to anyone?

The Epley Maneuver often works for dizziness resulting from displaced ear crystals. There are many videos on YouTube showing the maneuver. I emailed a video to a friend for her husband, and it worked to stop his dizziness. If it is ear crystals causing the problem, this could be worth a try. Ideally, it would be best to have someone with you if you decide to try the maneuver.

 

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Great that so many gave input on this or that physical malady. I'll dissent, here, on the cause of your vertigo:

A few months ago, I woke up dizzier than hell. I said nothing to Janet, as I didn't want to spook her before she left for work. Over the next few hours my symptoms subsided. I had my suspicions as to their etiology.

A few days later, Janet woke up so dizzy that she could barely make it to the bathroom to hug the porcelain. She stayed home from work, a rare thing for her. Eventually, she was OK.

We have CO detectors, so I ruled that out. I decided it was Austin's air that got both of us. Before CV19 reared its ugly head, the morning TV weather had daily reports of the "fog" in the air. Except it wasn't fog. It stunk, and it put a bad taste in your mouth when you ventured out into it. I've been here for forty-two years. "Fog" has never been a normal, morning occurrence, until recently. Smog is what's going on.

In our once small-ish city, we have now reached a tipping point: We have too many people, driving too many cars, to too many businesses, pumping out too many pollutants into our air. The result is SMOG, not fog.

Only recently can you clearly see Austin's skyline on a morning commute. Until CV19 hit, and closed so many businesses, reducing morning traffic by 90%, that skyline was obscured by haze/smog.

If you're in a city where the population has exploded, you may have become dizzy for reasons similar to Janet's and mine. If not, you still may be getting air from other cities that's causing your problems.

We are trying to take steps to leave Austin, but CV19 has muddied those waters, even as it's cleaned up the air. We'll see what tomorrow brings.......
 
MickaC said:
@JaniceM Wow.... sorry to hear about your health scare..... sounds like you've answered some of your own questions.....was thinking.....could Vertigo be a possibility. You're right in saying, that often symptoms are treated, but the important part, the cause, is sadly over looked and not dealt with. Hope you get feeling better.
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My guess was Vertigo, too.
 

In my opinion I'd check your blood sugar and hydration. I had similar symptoms a few mos ago and at that time was not eating enough or drinking enough water. But if that continues I'd be sure to consult an MD.
 
win231 said:
I've had similar experiences. A few years ago, I started to bend to pick up something off the bed & as soon as I moved my head, I started to fall. I found that tilting my head left or right also caused the same falling sensation. I was fine as long as I kept my head vertical. That lasted the whole day, then disappeared. I didn't see a doctor, but I read it has something to do with an inner ear disturbance. Balance seems simple but it's complicated & it doesn't take much to upset it.
I suspected the problem was caused by my trying to clean my ear canal by letting water into it in the shower. The problem hasn't returned since.
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I had the same issue two years ago and agree. It has something to do with ? crystals ? in the inner ear. The exercises (held tilting) worked for me. Like OP, JaniceM, I'm rarely sick. I noticed the problem most by just walking up/down a step. Unfortunately, this was during a time when I was trying to finish painting a high stairwell on a propped ladder!
 
Years ago I had a severe case of vertigo which turned out to be a middle ear infection. Literally couldn’t lift my head with my eyes open without wanting to vomit..Had to be led to theBR. Dr Rx a strong decongestant by phone , but it was a couple of days before I could really stay up Nd longer before my senses were normal again. Go to Dr or urgent care, preferably with someone along.
 
I went in for ear related dizziness and my doc said nothing goes in the ear for cleaning not even water. I don't understand that because every store has ear wax dissolver. When I go in for checkups they use a water filled plunger to clean my ears if necessary.
 
It sure sounds like vertigo. I've suffered with it for years, but seem to have it under control now. It's the crystalline "rocks" in the middle ear that somehow come out of the "box" that they're housed in. Having the Epley procedure done is most helpful, sleeping on the Unaffected side helps & doing balance exercises also helped. I finally saw a PT who really did help me. Good luck!
 
Whatever the cause for dizziness....it needs to be determined, and treated....especially as we get older. Falls are, after all, one of the biggest causes for disability as we get older. My wife has ongoing issues with Vertigo, and a couple of years ago, she got out of a chair too fast, and took a nasty tumble, and could barely stand up. I rushed her to the hospital, and luckily she had only severely strained her ankle, and had to wear a brace for a couple of weeks. She has issues with earwax building up in her ears, and the doctor told her to regularly treat/rinse her ears with Debrox...which seems to keep things under control.

On a more severe note....one of my old friends had dizzy spells, and fell one day getting out of the shower. He fractured a vertebrae in his spine, and it damaged his spinal cord. He lost the use of his legs, and was confined to a wheelchair....and over the next couple of years his health declined and he passed away.

Do Not ignore dizziness....it can be an indicator of serious future problems.
 
JaniceM said:
A couple of mornings ago, I woke up. It was like being on an ocean wave instead of a bed/mattress- moving around, pulling me down. Not sure if this is a definition of lightheadedness, but it was extreme enough that I had to crawl to the bathroom. After prepping for the possibility of needing medical care, I sat outside to get fresh air while trying to figure out where to go and how to get there. Within a couple of hours, it subsided.
I had slight dizziness this morning, and a couple of times a few weeks ago, but the episode I described was the worst. Is anyone here familiar with something like that?

Quite a few years ago, I was diagnosed with calcium deposits in inner ear canal. One episode was similar to the one I described, and went to ER. That time, and other times, I was given a prescription similar to Dramamine. In other words, treat the symptom instead of the cause. I learned a relatively minor surgical procedure could cure it permanently, and learned there are exercises to prevent the dizziness.

I have also hypoglycemia, plus am also prone to dehydration.

I'm one of those people who almost never gets sick, and go into panic-mode when anything is abnormal. So I'm wondering if anyone here experiences this symptom, and if the cause was determined.
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Sounds just like the symptoms of Vertigo! I get them once in a while and it is very unpleasant. I get quite nauseated as well. Take care.
 
I had hypoglycemia for 8 years after I returned home from Vietnam. I went to a doctor (Endocrinologist) at the Cleveland Clinic. He put me on a new diet of protein. After a few years, I was much better and as time went on, it lessened. Finally, after 5 years of dieting, my glucose tolerance test returned to normal. Now, I just have to be sure to eat on a time schedule and to make sure I eat a fair amount of protein.
 
911 said:
I had hypoglycemia for 8 years after I returned home from Vietnam. I went to a doctor (Endocrinologist) at the Cleveland Clinic. He put me on a new diet of protein. After a few years, I was much better and as time went on, it lessened. Finally, after 5 years of dieting, my glucose tolerance test returned to normal. Now, I just have to be sure to eat on a time schedule and to make sure I eat a fair amount of protein.
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I never heard that about protein.. thanks for the info!!!
 
JaniceM said:
I never heard that about protein.. thanks for the info!!!
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So, this was back in the ‘70’s until the ‘80’s, so there may be better methods, but this works. The idea is that protein turns into sugar. The downside is that unused or un-burned protein turns into fat, so you need to be careful not to exceed more protein then you burn off in a day.

When your sugar level drops, you will know it. You experience a myriad of symptoms. Shakes, a little dizzy, sweats, heart may beat faster and almost like a panic attack. If that happens, grab a Hershey bar. Quick energy. If you are out and about and walking a lot, burning calories, take something that slowly turns into sugar and gives you energy like; an orange or orange juice (no sugar added), cheese or a small piece of cooked meat. Good protein.

Once you get the routine going for you that works, it becomes routine.
 
MickaC said:
@JaniceM Wow.... sorry to hear about your health scare..... sounds like you've answered some of your own questions.....was thinking.....could Vertigo be a possibility. You're right in saying, that often symptoms are treated, but the important part, the cause, is sadly over looked and not dealt with. Hope you get feeling better.
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I agree. I’ve had vertigo, sounds like that to me as well.
 
Many years ago I was diagnosed with Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).I was told it had something to do with crystals in my inner ear. I was also advised never to let water get in my ear because it could trigger me becoming Dizzy. It still happens to me once in a while .
 
I had something very similar about 10 years ago (it was decided that a new medication I was taking caused it) I tapered off that med, and the dizziness etc did totally stop in my case.
 
JaniceM said:
A couple of mornings ago, I woke up. It was like being on an ocean wave instead of a bed/mattress- moving around, pulling me down. Not sure if this is a definition of lightheadedness, but it was extreme enough that I had to crawl to the bathroom. After prepping for the possibility of needing medical care, I sat outside to get fresh air while trying to figure out where to go and how to get there. Within a couple of hours, it subsided.
I had slight dizziness this morning, and a couple of times a few weeks ago, but the episode I described was the worst. Is anyone here familiar with something like that?

Quite a few years ago, I was diagnosed with calcium deposits in inner ear canal. One episode was similar to the one I described, and went to ER. That time, and other times, I was given a prescription similar to Dramamine. In other words, treat the symptom instead of the cause. I learned a relatively minor surgical procedure could cure it permanently, and learned there are exercises to prevent the dizziness.

I have also hypoglycemia, plus am also prone to dehydration.

I'm one of those people who almost never gets sick, and go into panic-mode when anything is abnormal. So I'm wondering if anyone here experiences this symptom, and if the cause was determined.
Click to expand...

The only time I ever had to crawl to the bathroom was when I had vertigo. Never went to the doctor. Cured with the exercises doctors recommend. Lie flat with your head on a pillow upon waking and slowly roll your head from side to side. Keep your eyes closed as this helps.

OTC meds for motion sickness can help this. Also D-Vertigo which is a cream you rub behind your ear. Best luck.
 


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