being dizzy.

[19sp]

Had a vp shunt fitted 4 mths ago still got terrible dizziness.The Dr said I will get used to it

but when,i am so fed up feeling like I want to fall over.

[cat3]

Have you asked whether your doctor can prescribe medication to help with this. I have Stemetil which is really helpful on bad days. x

[19sp in reply to cat3]

Thay gave me the same meds,did no good at all.So the Dr said stop taking.

The Dr from London has assured me it will get better,but when they do not know.Thank you cat3x

[malalatete]

I would go back to your gp and see if they will prescribe anything. When I get my vertigo spells I end up confined to the house so I know how debilitating it is. Mine are sporadic and usually shortlived, thankfully, so not worth getting something for, but when I was first ill I was all over the place for a couple of weeks and the doctor gave me something then which seemed to help with the dizziness.

[19sp in reply to malalatete]

Thank you.I have tried the Dr and meds.I don't like the feeling of the shunt.i am told it will get better.I have recovered well from the SABH which was last year,which is why I have a shunt.xxI now know I am not alone.

[Matt2584]

You are definitely not alone 19sp, I have a VP shunt as well and that all came about from a brain tumour diagnosed in 1996.

The tumour was, and still is, located on the brain stem which causes a blockage of CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) also known as Hydrocephalus. So that is why I have the shunt in place all the time.

I have poor balance and at times minor dizzy spells but that is mainly put down to the part of my brain that cortols balance was damaged, the Cerabellum. At the time where it was really experiencing pressure was when my balance was very very bad. My balance has got a lot better since then but it is not 100%.

[19sp in reply to Matt2584]

Thank you for your reply.At least I am not alone,i thought I was.Thank god I do not have a brain tumor.The csf fluid was the result of the sabh which nearly cost me my life.So I am so lucky.I have never been drunk but i'm told that it is like.We will be better some time,lets hope.Good luck to you.x

[cat3 in reply to 19sp]

Believe me I do empathise with you. I had years of extreme dizziness after meningitis and, like malatete, was frequently confined to the house. It can be very frightening and depressing so you have my sympathy.

But I can understand that medication would have an uphill struggle against a shunt and I would definitely go back for help if the dizziness doesn't begin to improve soon.

Please keep in touch with us here ; I know how horribly isolating dizziness can be. xx

[Matt2584 in reply to 19sp]

Well, I like to think I am better now.

A brain injury is not like an illness like the common cold or anything which you can get better from.

A brain injury is for life.

Sure, there was a stage where I was seriously ill at different periods that lasted over a few years but at the current stage of my life, my health is great, my life at the moment is enjoyable (in certain areas) and I am happy. That is mainly what I want.

From my own experience and from others, as soon as you experience a BI, you have a new life, new personality. Not a completely new life though, more like your old life has been altered

I feel my brain injury has made me a better person.

I wish you good luck with the rest of your BI journey :).

MJ

[Hidden]

Sorry, I don't know anything about shunts. Do they check the pressure in your brain regularly? But I DO know how dizziness feels: I fell over and smashed back of my head on ice in 2009 and spun (span?) for 3 days = SO scary. Then again in summer 2011 bashed my head on a too-low beam in rented place and BAM, spinning again but not as hard this time and got better faster. Odd: beforeABI had NEVER had dizzy spell ever, not even after being hit in head with big stone thrown, just VERY tired after that and slept. Briefly knocked out with motorbike crash but never dizzy ever. Took quite a few tumbles too but only that one I hit my head.

My advice (for what it's worth) would be to see specialist/shunt doc. ?

Don't they tell you what symptoms to look out for and when to contact them - what are emergency symptoms etc. ?

[moo196]

Morning

Just wondered if the Brandt-Daroff exercises that I have used to good effect for vertigo/labyrynthitis several times might be useful ? can find them on internet ( tho take medical advice perhaps too before doing them) ..... my osteopath showed me how to do them and suggested that they work partly by "helping you get used to the dizzy feeling" ..... also I found that the anti-seasick wristbands were helpful ( non -pharmalogical so no interactions with any other meds).

Good luck