vertigo.....

[Farmr Mike]

This summer I got hit with what was a disabling bout of vertigo. I had been sailing in some really rough water for a couple of days, and then returned to work and exhausted myself. I was nailed one morning while drinking my coffee...put right to the floor. Unable to walk for three days/drive for a week/put out-of-service for 3 weeks. The Doctor just chuckled and said there is nothing he or I could do provided it was improving. It's now two months later and I still can't look up into the rigging and am always bit unsteady. I have only sailed on gentle days. I worry if this happened when I'm soloing. Has this happened to other sailors? Is my dream to sail to off-shore to far-reaching destinations over? I have never been motion-sick or experienced vertigo before. I'm also a pilot and not sure about my future.

[Zanshin]

Regardless which ticket you have, see your AME before getting into the cockpit of an aircraft, as a bad vertigo attack can be debilitating and deadly. This is usually considered a reason to get grounded until it is cleared up! I've had students freeze up completely in the air due to bouts of vertigo [usually after circling around at steep angles in gliders] and they usually didn't really recover until they were on terra firma.

[Gadagirl]

Try the Eply maneuver. It worked for me! There's plenty of info about it online and several videos on YouTube, here's one;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SLm76jQg3g

Hope you feel better soon!

[Farmr Mike]

Thanks... I've grounded myself...(from Flyin') for now, until I see what happens.
I've tried the Eply thing, and haven't done much so far. But maybe now that a feel a little better, I may try again....Thanks
.

[StuM]

Epley only works for BPPV caused by a mechanical problem in the inner ear.

The two "P's are the key factor: Paroxysmal Positional. It is characterised by sudden onset of short term vertigo during movement or change in orientation of the head.
"Unable to walk for three days/drive for a week/put out-of-service for 3 weeks" and always bit unsteady" don't really seem to fit.

If the symptoms fitted, I would expect that your doctor would have tried Epley.

That said, there is no harm in trying it.

I've had BPPV twice (both times after playing around in the water with lots of duck diving and rolling) and it took a few Epley repetitions before it suddenly came right.

Benign – it is not life-threatening
Paroxysmal – it comes in sudden, brief spells
Positional – it gets triggered by certain head positions or movements
Vertigo – a false sense of rotational movement
- See more at: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) | Vestibular Disorders Association

[groundtackle]

Do you have tinnitus and hearing loss affecting one or both ears as well? If you do you may have menier's disease
I got it at 39 and had problems for 5 years until I had surgery to decompress my inner ear



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[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mike.

[denverd0n]

I suffer from BPPV on occasion. One thing that can trigger it is getting too dried out. I have allergies and used to take antihistamine/decongestant combination drugs. I have gone to straight antihistamines (and sometimes use nose sprays) and this has noticeably reduced the episodes of BPPV. Keeping well hydrated also seems to help, as does the Epley maneuver.

I will say that the very first time I experienced this it took a couple of days before I was able to get up and move around without the room spinning. It's a bit like being stinking drunk, but without the buzz or the headache afterwards. For me, it usually happens when I've been laying down and sit up too quickly.

Good luck, whatever your issue is.