Vertigo From Cervical Spine Surgery?

[nopain]

The chances of you having BPPV are not that great. But it can't hurt to try.

This link should be more helpful.

http://www.tchain.com/otoneurology/d...bppv/bppv.html

You still want to keep your appointment for sure. Make sure you note positions which cause your symptoms so you can tell your Doctor. I have a really tough time with this because once I realize I'm having vertigo it's all I can do to just get in some position to make it stop, let alone remember what exact position I was in when it started. I tend to get it in the middle of the night. I'll have night sweats and try to get up and can't. Weird feeling. I can only assume it's because of some strange position I get my neck in when I'm sleeping. I stopped using pillows because I can't keep my head on them and I just end up feeling worse when I do.

About 2/3rds the way down on the link in this post you'll find this information:

HOME EPLEY MANEUVER

The Epley and/or Semont maneuvers as described above can be done at home (Radke et al, 1999; Furman and Hain, 2004). We often recommend the home-Epley to our patients who have a clear diagnosis. This procedure seems to be even more effective than the in-office procedure, perhaps because it is repeated every night for a week.

The method (for the left side) is performed as shown on the figure to the right. One stays in each of the supine (lying down) positions for 30 seconds, and in the sitting upright position (top) for 1 minute. Thus, once cycle takes 2 1/2 minutes. Typically 3 cycles are performed just prior to going to sleep. It is best to do them at night rather than in the morning or midday, as if one becomes dizzy following the exercises, then it can resolve while one is sleeping. The mirror image of this procedure is used for the right ear.

There are several problems with the "do it yourself" method. If the diagnosis of BPPV has not been confirmed, one may be attempting to treat another condition (such as a brain tumor or stroke) with positional exercises -- this is unlikely to be successful and may delay proper treatment. A second problem is that the home-Epley requires knowledge of the "bad" side. Sometimes this can be tricky to establish. Complications such as conversion to another canal (see below) can occur during the Epley maneuver, which are better handled in a doctor's office than at home. Finally, occasionally during the Epley maneuver neurological symptoms are provoked due to compression of the vertebral arteries. In our opinion, it is safer to have the first Epley performed in a doctors office where appropriate action can be taken in this eventuality.

Don't take this the wrong way, but it's interesting to see other Cervical Problems related to Vertigo. It's one of those symptoms that occurs but is not nearly as common as our friend pain. It's nice when you get to experience both - NOT.

Please let us know what the ENT comes up with for your diagnosis. I really do hope it's something like a simple ear infection. The cure rates for that is really high and doesn't take that long.

[tinypoms]

I know actually how mine starts and stops. I have to be in bed for about an hour or so and if I turn my head to the side, either way, mostly to the left, the room spins. If I just keep it there it stops in about 5 seconds.

I am hoping it is an infection or BPPV as anything else just scares me.

I do appreciate all the information that you are giving me.

Joanie

[tinypoms]

All of a sudden the vertigo stopped Saturday night. I have an appointment with the ENT on Thursday. Should I cancel it? Do you think I got it from laying on my back in bed for a month? It started a couple of days after I started laying on my side. I don't want to go to the doctor is all he will do is take my money. Do you know if he can determine how I got it and if it will come back? Can he do the Epley Manuever on me if I don't have the vertigo anymore?

Joanie

[mmglobal]

Joanie, I'm so glad that the vertigo stopped.

A week ago, Diane got out of bed and was slammed with vertigo. This has never happened before. We thought that she stood up too fast or some other nonsense like that, so she got back in bed to relax for a few minutes. It was clear that she did not feel normal, but we still tried to write it off as no big deal. After about 10 minutes, she got up again and was still dizzy. We discussed the possibilities and both agreed that it was probably nothing, but how can you ignore this... It would be stupid to have a stroke and write it off to 'no big deal'. We decided that it was prudent to hit the ER. They were not too worried, but did a head CT to rule-out the bad stuff. The head CT showed that she did NOT have a sinus infection... it would have been nice to be able to say, 'probably a sinus infection', but that was taken away. The ER doc seemed completely uninterested beyond covering his rear... "go see your doctor on Monday!" I guess that is a good course of action, because by Monday - 2 days later - the vertigo was gone and it seemed much less urgent to us as well. The ER doc says that he sees this all the time.

I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in this. Even though it turned out to be nothing, I think that unusual symptoms that could be something much worse, should be dealt with. You have to rule out the worst possibilities. Your symptoms seem to have lasted longer than Diane's... I hope that they remain gone. Let us know what you decide about seeing the ENT... please let us know what he says.

All the best,

Mark

PS... Nopain... great info about bppv!

[tinypoms]

I hope Diane never gets this again. It is so scary especially the first time. I also hope mine never comes back. I think I will go to the ENT because I also would like a CT scan to rule out the bad stuff.

Joanie

[Diane]

I read Mark's post on my vertigo and just wanted to add a few details. I thought that it was interesting that the night before and while sleeping I had upper back and neck pain at high levels. I woke several times and thought about taking some pain meds, but decided not. The vertigo was severe and I could barley walk. I had never experienced anything like this. I wasn't terribly concerned, but thought I'd feel really dumb if I ignored it. I had read recently in a nursing magazine that sudden onset of vertigo can be a sign of stroke and should not be ignored. If I had taken pain meds,I would have thought it a reaction to the meds. Even though the ER doc said it's not possible,I still wonder about the connection to my neck. The Antivert put me to sleep and I slept most of the day. After a day of rest my upper back and neck were fine and the vertigo gone.


Diane

[tinypoms]

Hi Diane,

I am so happy that you are ok. I had my vertigo for 3 weeks. It was only one day of vertigo when I stood and laid down. The rest of the days was what they call BPPV, positional vertigo. It only happened when I would roll over in bed. It is such a scary thing especially the very first time. I hope I never get it again. I am going to the ENT tomorrow to hopefully find out why I got it. It is strange that it happened a couple of hours after I took a new pain medicine, but since it lasted so long, it could not be from that.

Joanie