Anyone ever had vertigo?

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Soulive

Soulive

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It woke me up around 6am this morning and scared the crap out of me. I'm pretty sure its being caused by my sinuses backing up into my ear, but I'd love to get rid of it. I'm taking decongestants now to drain my head out. Has anyone ever had this problem before? Its starting to make me nauseous...:(
 
I dont know if you can call it that exactly but I had alot of balance problems when I had an ear infection of some sort.
 
BuffaloSabresBrewer said:
I dont know if you can call it that exactly but I had alot of balance problems when I had an ear infection of some sort.
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This is beyond balance now. The room actually spins every 10 minutes or so...
 
Yeah, I have had the same thing you are describing. Maybe worse. All I could do was stay in bed. If I got up I got dizzy, nauseous and would throw up. SWMBO and my roommate finally got me some gatorade and got me to the doctor. I got some strong decongestants, some antibiotics, and a steroid shot. About a day later I realized that the right side of my face was paralyzed. The inflamation (or infection or virus or whatever) had caused the area around my facial nerve to swell. This is known as Bell's Palsy. After I realized that I didn't have a brain tumor, it was quite funny. This is the sickest I have ever been in my adult life and probably could have been prevented if I had gone to the doctor a few days earlier.

So, I would suggest to stay hydrated, get some nasal spray decongestant like Afrin. Also, go and give them your ID at the pharmacy and get the good stuff (pseudophed). And go to the doctor if it dosen't get better soon.
 
Beerrific said:
Yeah, I have had the same thing you are describing. Maybe worse. All I could do was stay in bed. If I got up I got dizzy, nauseous and would throw up. SWMBO and my roommate finally got me some gatorade and got me to the doctor. I got some strong decongestants, some antibiotics, and a steroid shot. About a day later I realized that the right side of my face was paralyzed. The inflamation (or infection or virus or whatever) had caused the area around my facial nerve to swell. This is known as Bell's Palsy. After I realized that I didn't have a brain tumor, it was quite funny. This is the sickest I have ever been in my adult life and probably could have been prevented if I had gone to the doctor a few days earlier.

So, I would suggest to stay hydrated, get some nasal spray decongestant like Afrin. Also, go and give them your ID at the pharmacy and get the good stuff (pseudophed). And go to the doctor if it dosen't get better soon.
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Thanks, I will follow that plan. I get the dizziness worse when I'm laying down. When my head is upright and not tilted, I'm ok. Sleeping should be fun tonight!
 
Never had vertigo but known of a couple people that did. Not fun and puting off the doc only makes it worse
Beerrific said:
About a day later I realized that the right side of my face was paralyzed. The inflamation (or infection or virus or whatever) had caused the area around my facial nerve to swell. This is known as Bell's Palsy.
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You're lucky, that can be periment. Happened to my brother about 20 years ago. To this day when he gets tired or a little drunk the left side of his face starts to droop.
 
Virtuous said:
You're lucky, that can be periment. Happened to my brother about 20 years ago. To this day when he gets tired or a little drunk the left side of his face starts to droop.
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Yeah, most people have some lasting effects. I was lucky that I was young and got the doctor faster after seeing symptoms. And the doctor loading me up on prednisone before there was any nerve damage.
 
Soulive said:
Thanks, I will follow that plan. I get the dizziness worse when I'm laying down. When my head is upright and not tilted, I'm ok. Sleeping should be fun tonight!
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I would go to the doc stat. I blew out an eardrum surfing and got a nasty infection, which resulted in the symptoms you're describing. Essentially the higher or unequal pressure inside of the ear canals makes your balancing system go all goofy. So you eyes tell your brain one thing, and your ears tell it another. So your brain tells you to sit down and throw up.

If it's caused by an infection, I was told by the doc that it will not go away on its own. You need antibiotics to kill the nasties.
 
I had an ear infection last year and any time I moved my head too quickly, the room would spin. My doctor wanted to do a MRI! I told him, let's knock out the infection first. After 36 hours of antibiotics, the problem was gone. Hasn't come back.

Had a follow-up with an ear specialist. Everything was nominal for my age.
 
blacklab said:
If it's caused by an infection, I was told by the doc that it will not go away on its own. You need antibiotics to kill the nasties.
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I think he should try Star San first!
 
david_42 said:
I had an ear infection last year and any time I moved my head too quickly, the room would spin. My doctor wanted to do a MRI!
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And people wonder why health insurance cost so much..:mad:
 
You can get it while scuba diving, thankfully I never had it to me while I was. I have narced before while diving, that was a hell of an experience!
 
I'm still f'ed up today. I had to call out of work since I don't feel comfortable driving. I don't think its an ear infection, since my ears don't hurt or feel weird. I'm still congested, so I think thats what is screwing me up. Either way it really sucks...
 
A friend of mine literally had mineral deposits form in his inner ear. They basically upset his sense of balance (that's where you get your balance). The room would spin, etc. There is a procedure where you lay in different positions for certain amounts of time and this is how one can get the 'rocks' out of ones head :D.

I lost someone very dear to me from, of all things an ear infection. Spread to the Mastoid and into the brain causing multiple strokes and swelling of the brain. All in a matter of less than a week. Not to freak you out, but in some cases you don't want to screw around.
 
I had this happen to me a couple of years ago. I got it so bad that I had to go out of work on Short-Term D until it cleared. After numerous tests, they found that I had an infection in both ears. If I stood up, I had to steady myself. I had to walk along holding onto the wall to maintain balance. It was like being drunk as I walked or on a boat that is tossing back and forth. Driving made me quezzy. It took a total of about 2 - 3 months before I would say that I was 100%. I was out of work for a month. I was on every decongestant and antibiotic they could give me and it just took a long time to fight it. I am always extremely cautious anytime I get a cold now. I do not every want to have it again. I felt nothing in my ears while I had it, everything was just fine and no other symptoms. They basically were plugged. When I blow my nose, one of me ears always pops. During the inbalance, neither one of them would pop. They eventually did when all of the fluid drained from the ears.

I feel your pain. Hang in there and relax as best you can. You need to stay on those decongestants and antiobiotics to kill that ****. It can be tough, I know. One of the things you should ask for is to see a ENT (Ears, Nose Throat) doc b/c they can help address it faster.
 
Soulive said:
I'm still f'ed up today. I had to call out of work since I don't feel comfortable driving. I don't think its an ear infection, since my ears don't hurt or feel weird. I'm still congested, so I think thats what is screwing me up. Either way it really sucks...
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I would get to the doctor today if I were you. It is possible that you have an inner ear infection and feel no pain since it is quite possible that you might not have pain receptors there as compared to the middle ear that hurts when infected.
 
I've got the same thing. From what I've gathered so far it's something that is going around and is probably somewhat contagious. I gave it to 2 of my 3 roomates, I still have it 3 weeks later and I know a lot of people that are coughing and having sinus issues right now.

For me it started as a cough, but I felt absolutely fine(thought nothing of it). A week later it felt like I had an ice pick in my forehead. Went to the doctor, he gave me some antibiotics for a sinus infection, and prescription ephedrine. All of my stuff is gone and I still have a cough and sinus pressure. So I figure it's a virus of some sort at this point and nothing I can do anyways.
 
For me it is definitely the sinuses. I would be lying in bed and turn my head and the whole room would spin. It would take me 5 minutes to slowly move my head from one side to the other and not get the spins. I'd let that side of my sinuses drain, then back to the other side. Then I would slowly get up. Vertical was much better. Then into a nice long hot shower and blow all of the snot out. I will get stuffed way at the back of my sinuses. I could still breath fine, just a lot of pressure at the back.

I'm not a fan of decongestants, they make me too wired. I use expectorants to loosen things up. Drink plenty of fluids. If it's real bad, some steroids do wonders. Also a good salt water flush up the nose helps a lot. I use a little bulb and spray and snort it up. This really helps to loosen stuff up.
 
pjj2ba said:
For me it is definitely the sinuses. I would be lying in bed and turn my head and the whole room would spin. It would take me 5 minutes to slowly move my head from one side to the other and not get the spins. I'd let that side of my sinuses drain, then back to the other side. Then I would slowly get up. Vertical was much better. Then into a nice long hot shower and blow all of the snot out. I will get stuffed way at the back of my sinuses. I could still breath fine, just a lot of pressure at the back.

I'm not a fan of decongestants, they make me too wired. I use expectorants to loosen things up. Drink plenty of fluids. If it's real bad, some steroids do wonders. Also a good salt water flush up the nose helps a lot. I use a little bulb and spray and snort it up. This really helps to loosen stuff up.
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I think we're in the same boat. I am taking Mucinex since I also don't like being wired. I have the same problem with the back of my sinuses getting backed up. I have some saline I can snort, I'll try that too. I just don't think its an ear infection. Are you talking about nasal spray steroids?
 
I get vertigo every single time I get a head cold. Alergies do it to me too. My ears clog right up and I can't keep my balance. My Dr. blames it on scarred eustacian tubes from the severe ear infections I used to get when I was kid (no idea if this is true or not). I've even had scans of my head to rule out tumors and fungal infections.

I don't go the the Dr. unless its bad enough I can't drive. When I do go, she prescribes steroids. I try to beat it before it gets too bad by taking allergy medication to dry out my sinuses and lots of Ibuprofren to bring down any swelling. This works pretty well for me.

Best of luck, man! Hope it goes away soon.
 
Beerthoven said:
I get vertigo every single time I get a head cold. Alergies do it to me too. My ears clog right up and I can't keep my balance. My Dr. blames it on scarred eustacian tubes from the severe ear infections I used to get when I was kid (no idea if this is true or not). I've even had scans of my head to rule out tumors and fungal infections.

I don't go the the Dr. unless its bad enough I can't drive. When I do go, she prescribes steroids. I try to beat it before it gets too bad by taking allergy medication to dry out my sinuses and lots of Ibuprofren to bring down any swelling. This works pretty well for me.

Best of luck, man! Hope it goes away soon.
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Thanks for the info. What type of steroids are you usually given?
 
Soulive said:
Thanks for the info. What type of steroids are you usually given?
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Good question. I actually don't know; its been about 2 years since I last had them. I do know you have to pay attention to the dosing schedule since they require you to taper off the dosage at the end of treatment.
 
Beerthoven said:
Good question. I actually don't know; its been about 2 years since I last had them. I do know you have to pay attention to the dosing schedule since they require you to taper off the dosage at the end of treatment.
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Ok, I'll mention it if I end up going to the doctor...
 
Mine is still sticking around, it's not that it's painful or anything, just really really damned annoying.
 
I had that about 2 months ago. It turned out to be an inner ear infection which the doctor said I wouldn't necessarily feel. It lasted for about a month and a half. During the worst part of it, I absolutely couldn't walk for a week and had to take work off. I fell quite a few times during this and it was just horrible. It seemed worse after I had been in one position for a while then tried to move. Whole world got tipped on it's side...Not fun.
 
Hey. Most vertigo is caused by inner ear infections. Bacterial or Viral. You may not feel an inner ear infection otherwise. The do not always cause pain. This is an infection or swelling in the area of the ear that deals with balance.

Get it checked ASAP or you could end up with permanent damage!
 
This is no joke.. it's for real...

Sometimes when you get an ear/sinus infection, little crystals called "ear rocks" form. In certain situations, these crystals can drop into the areas in your ears that are used to maintain balance and whatnot. Your ear is like a big concentric wort chiller. When you are standing up, the crystals fall away from the part of the ear that is used for balance and for some reason when you lay down, they fall back on.

Believe it or not there is a simple maneuver that you can do that will take the vertigo away, and it works... my doctor did it for me:

http://www.tchain.com/otoneurology/disorders/bppv/bppv.html#office
 
I left school early yesterday due to being dizzy, and decided against going this morning because I was so dizzy. Unless I have my head leaned up against thing, I get dizzy, like I just got up too fast and all the blood rushed out of my head. I assume it's because my ears are plugged up with the sore throat/cold that I have, but I haven't had any nasal things happening yet. I went to the doctor for similar symptoms a couple years ago and they took my $20 copay, then tested my reflexes, looked in my ears and told me to take it easy, and I'd be fine.
 
Yes, but recurring vertigo is dangerous. Depending on what causes it, it can become permanent, hitting you at random. This can lead to you even having your drivers licence restricted or removed.

And not all doctors are, er , smart.

Recurring vertigo should be checked by a ear, nose and throat specialist.
 
Well I haven't had it since the 2 years ago, and I'm currently experiencing a cold now. If I don't get better soon, I'll have my mom take a look then go to the doctor. That's my favorite part about having a nurse practitioner mom, the "Mom, am I dying?" calls, and asking her to come check me out.
 
Denny's Evil Concoctions said:
Yes, but recurring vertigo is dangerous. Depending on what causes it, it can become permanent, hitting you at random. This can lead to you even having your drivers licence restricted or removed.

And not all doctors are, er , smart.

Recurring vertigo should be checked by a ear, nose and throat specialist.
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Denny is right, about both doctors and vertigo.

I had recurring vertigo for quite a while, and went to a specialist. He took me seriously and did a thorough workup, including scans (I think they were MRI) of my head - which basically turned up nothing. I spent some time on antibiotics and steroids and the vertigo mostly went away, except sometimes after a headcold.

Whenever I go see my regular doc, she always asks about it.

I also have constant ringing in my ears.
 
Just an update...the anti-histamine and expectorants have seemed to help. Now I'm only getting the dizziness when I wake up in the morning and its goes away sooner each morning. I'm highly conviced its due to sinus congestion but I'll keep the infection possibility in mind...thanks
 
Oh, you know what else might help...NSAIDs. I like Aleve. They can help reduce inflammation and swelling. Be careful they may not mix well with alcohol.
 
Soulive said:
I think we're in the same boat. I am taking Mucinex since I also don't like being wired. I have the same problem with the back of my sinuses getting backed up. I have some saline I can snort, I'll try that too. I just don't think its an ear infection. Are you talking about nasal spray steroids?
Click to expand...

Both types of steroids. When I first developed the problem I got a steroid shot and pills. That gave pretty quick relief. Now I've got the nasal spray steroids and that has been pretty good at keeping the sinus pressure down (plus the antihistamines and mucinex)
 

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