Bppv episode and pd symptoms

[Lionore]

I’ve had pddv vertigo started over ten years ago with episodes every few years. It’s not a serious diagnosis. Crystals in an ear get dislodged causing the room to spin. I received treatment for it but now I have balance problems and my pd symptoms are worse. My MDs expects gradual improvement but for now I still get dizzy if I look down and I’m unsteady at times. Anyone else have this experience?

[House2]

yes, I am currently doing neuro rehab which is helping. I am supposed to have a VEMP test, but getting it scheduled is proving difficult.

[kaypeeoh]

Yes, especially when peeing. Having to bend at the neck to avoid splatter I get dizzy spells. A neuro described how to lay down to reposition the crystals.

[House2]

It is important to distinguish between room-spinning dizziness which is associated with the crystals in the inner ear, from drop-in-blood-pressure-to-the-brain dizziness called orthostatic hypotension, from abnormal perception of gravity dizziness which comes from a part of the inner ear unrelated to the crystals. When balance became an issue for me I was diagnosed with orthostatic static hypotension. I was prescribed minodrine which helped very little if at all. And after checking my blood pressure sitting vs. standing countless times (the test for orthostatic hypotension)which was always normal, we pretty much ruled out orthostatic hypotension. Since I don't have any spinning sensations with my dizziness, it is not likely crystals. That leaves the otoliths (structures in the inner ear responding to the pull of gravity) as the likely culprit. If the otoliths malfunction, your brain has trouble keeping you upright. There is a test called a VEMP that specifically evaluates the function of the otoliths. I have a VEMP test ordered, but its taking forever to get it scheduled.

[ge1shh]

I have had two bouts of benign postural vertigo (BPPV - if that's what you mean), with a couple of years between each. It's now a few years since my last time, and I dread it happening again. I now sleep on two pillows instead of one, feeling more secure if my head is a bit higher, and am careful turning over in bed. Like you, I also take care looking down, and can't look up high easily any more. I don't know if there's any way of avoiding a full-on attack.