vertigo--results "Meneire's disease"

[Camelot Farms]

I am such a 'duh'! I thought you already had the air-in-ear test Gretchen. I wouldnt have freaked you out like that. I'm sorry.

Here is some better info with less drama.

1st, they have you sit on the edge of the table and wear a heavy pair of goggle that will read the movement of your eyes. Then they will flash or strobe some lights in front of you and ask you to follow them with your eyes. It isnt too bad, just hang onto the table and ask them for something to put your feet on. That helps alot. The light will be off when they do this.

Then, you will lay back on the table, still with the heavy goggles on, lights still off.

She/he will blow cool air into your ear. You wont like it. But, its a different kind of dizzy. More controlled than when you are at home. I had them bring in another tech to hold my hand and put one hand on my leg with pressure. Having something 'real' to hold onto kept me from feeling like I was going to fall off of the table. She keeps the air going until she gets the reading that she needs. Takes about 2 minutes.

They let you come back to your 'normal' state of dizzy before they do the other ear. Then they go back to warm air in the 1st ear and repeat the process. My panic came when they were done with the cold and the dizzy kept spiraling higher and higher even though she looked at the machine and said 'honey, you shouldnt be dizzy anymore, the pressure has droppped'. Wrong answer. That when I decided in my crazy brain that she must have gotten air into my bloodstream and I was surely having an aneurism... GAH! Thus the panic and anxiety.

Of course, once my crazy brain calmed down, I realized that there is no way for air to get into your bloodstream etc etc. I popped 2 meclizine and went home for a nice long nap.

So, your experience is going to me much better than mine! Promise!
Just plan to take a a comfy nap and not move around alot until your meclizine kicks in after the procedure. I had mine in my pocket and as soon as she said we were done, I swallowed them!

Fingers crossed for ya Gretchen!

 

[English Chick]

and lots of them Gretch... but your Dr has got to get this sorted ocne and for all... you are on a lots of meds... could one be interacting with another? .. just a wuestion you might want to ask the Dr.... hope your feeling better soon my friend ... luvs ya xx

 

[chicken_china_mom]

I am sorry that you are feeling so rotten. I have been there myself. I understand the whole vertigo thing. I've lived with vertigo for years. My doctor told me that since I had a terrible ear infection as a kid, and I was hit hard enough in the ear as a teen to have my ear drum perforated and I lost so much hearing in that ear, that the vertigo stemmed from that. So I have moments just about every day where the whole room seems to roll to the right, and I can no longer walk in the dark, even with a flashlight, I just stagger to the right and I have fallen and gotten hurt. I had a super bad attack last year where I felt like I was on the fast spin on a Tilt-a Whirl, and I fell. I tried to catch myself as I fell, and I went face first into a side table. I braced my arm between me and the table and nearly broke my wrist. My mother and daughter had to pick me up off the living room floor. Sadly, I have been on medicine for vertigo and it just wasn't doing anything for me. It gets even worse if my sinuses are congested even the tiniest bit. I have to be very careful at work so that I don't fall. I know I must have moments where I look like I'm drunk at work, but I don't drink, so let them do a test if they want! I'll come up spotlessly clean! I get the heart fluttering too. Sometimes it feels like I have a bird in my chest trying to escape. So far my doctor's haven't been able to catch it. All they did catch is that my heart is not set where the normal person's is. My heart is nearly all the way over to the left instead of closer to the middle like it should be. My blood pressure is normal, I've just experienced the heart palpitations for many years. Just take it easy, get lots of rest, and drink some echinacea tea. It will help you get over that sinus infection faster. Do you have a netty pot? If not, you should get one and try to clean out your sinuses. It might help with the congestion and help with the vertigo. Good luck and God Bless. I'll pray that you make a swift recovery!

 

[maplesky7]

funny... i don't have a netty pot but i used my little girls teapot once. ha ha ha. it's ok, i washed it afterwards.

i should try that.

today i was not able to take the meds and whoa boy...anything that could trigger one happened today...my old dog had diarrhea in the van and so i was bent over picking that up...the washer flooded on the floor...so i had to pick that up....my youngest messed around with this rubber light up ring that flashes red/green light and it was her big sisters and they couldn't get it to turn off so here i was trying to find the tiny button to turn it off... iy yi yi.... i tell ya.




and Camelot good idea...taking the mez. meds to my apt. OH WHAT a good idea!!!!


and no EC they are sure it's none of my meds and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with fluid retention in my sinus' and ears.... my ear grinds and i can feel it drain down my neck on the inside when i lay and sit up.

hugs to everyone... thanks for the bit of useful info camelot... and yeah.... i'm still freaked out... i hate being dizzy... i'm so fragile as it is and i puke all the time.... even during my labor 8 yrs and 3 1/2 yrs ago... it's just what my body does... sigh.

love,
gretch

 

[Camelot Farms]

Have they tried a fluid pill Gretchen?

My doc decided to try that yesterday so I'll let ya know how it works. She thinks that maybe keeping excess fluids off of my ear will help. I sure hope so cause a low pressure storm system is headed this way and I knew it before the weatherman told us... The change in outdoor pressure can send me off the deep edge of vertigo in a moment.

Isnt it amazing how our bodies work though? The perfection of it (when all is working right) is downright awesome. Just the right amount of fluid in your ear and all is right in the world but add or take away even a drop and chaos ensues. It really is quite miraculous....

 

[maplesky7]

well, i'm on a diuretic for my heart... but maybe you mean one of those boogey drier uppers? oh yeah, decongestant... ha ha ha... i've got a way with words tonight.

this is day 2 of no meds.... agony... test first thing tomorrow. darn typos.

k... we'll see what they say.

i know what you mean about stroms (ha ha typo) storms...i can feel it in my knee from my orthoscopic surgery back from hgigh oops school. and it's been pretty nice weather wise here.... i did see there's a hurricane activity or tropical stormy thingy looming although it's late in the season... don't know what the next week will be like for Northern IL.... hopefully calm.

eek, too many words.

bye bye,
g

 

[Whispering Winds]

I suffered from severe sinus infections for years, which in turn caused me to have horrific dizzy spells,when I worked in the school cafeteria. One time it came over me like a wave, and I barely made it home to go to bed. I laid in bed for three days with my eyes shut and only made it to the bathroom and back . . .went to a spec., and he put me on Singular which did help, but I never noticed what a difference it made until I started going to a chiro for my neck and shoulder. After a few months of treatments, I didn't have the dizzy spells anymore, and my sinus infections all but went away. This is coming from someone who was on the most powerful antiobiotics out there, as well as three days worth of IV medications, when nothing else worked. It is definitely worth a try! I feel so badly for anyone out there who has vertigo. It is the worse feeling in the world, and totally renders you helpless.

 

[maplesky7]

I survived the testing but it was misery.

The warm and cold air sent me over the edge. Following the lighted circles or squares dancing all over the wall was yucky. The electrodes on my head and neck and then turning my head to the side while she made those various pitched hammer clacks in my ear was unpleasant and my neck was very stiff and hurt holding it in that position and then it spurred on a very bad headache above my right eye/middle of my nose.

The lady Dr. asked if I was alright at one point and I said, "Define alright." And she laughed and said, at least your upright that's a good thing for this office. I told her her carpet was too busy and she laughed and said I wasn't the first one to say that. And then I said, "You and your torture chamber." And she said, there were other tests that other people in this field have that she wished she had, like the chair you get strapped in and even your head gets strapped and then the chair spins in circles.... I groaned and said, "I bet they have lots of vomit bags handy. Your lucky I already threw up before I got here... that took care of the chunks from last night's supper." And then she said, I take it you need more time before the next test?

That'd be a yes.

She didn't tell me much other than I do have some hearing loss in my right ear at the higher levels...probably because my tinnitus was so loud in that sound proof room I had a hard time hearing them. And she said I didn't have any blockages... so that was good... I think... I was hoping it was a blockage and then some meds or some vacuuming or whatever they do these days would make the prob. go away.

I don't sit down with the ENT until Mon. until then.... I came home and slept and slept some more. Thank Heaven for Grandma's. My mom has been here since ? when did it all start? like Oct. 29th? I love my mommy.

So I'm starting to more and more realize my face feels numb? That's gotta be sinus' yeah? It's mostly my right side...cheek...but now i'm starting to feel pain on my left side too. Guess that antibiotic didn't boot out that sinus inf.

hugs,
g

 

[redhen]

Poor sickie gretch!

I hope they fix you up soon!

 

[maplesky7]

*needs Mike for a day of hauling the leaves and burning the burn pile.*