I've been suffering now for 6 months, I have good days and sometimes go a few weeks without getting really bad symtons (dizzyness, vomiting etc.). I can honestly say this is ruining my life, this may sound extreme, but with two young children that need attention all the time it can get really hard to cope. Does anyone know if stress can trigger off symtons. I sometimes find that when I have a lot to do, I start getting stressed just in case I get ill and I'm unable to do it and I think that's making me worse. Also does in ever go away completey?

Thanks

Hi Kash, when you have dizziness it can cause anxiety which in turn makes you more dizzy. bppv symptoms are full spinning vertigo associated with head movement. have you had any tests done and if you have been diagnosed with bppv have you had any treatment ie an epley manouver? Its very difficult when you have young children trying to cope but remember, you kids love you unconditionally, they will be happy with a hug on the days you cant do things with them.

have moved this post to the bppv section so that more folks will see it.

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We strongly advise anyone wishing to take up vrt or start/change/stop medication should consult their doctor first.

Hi Kash - stress certainly doesn't help. You need to pace yourself and not try to do too much. I know how hard it is to cope with children when you're dizzy but you just can't do as much as a non-dizzy person.
Dizziness definitely goes away for the majority of people - BPPV is usually curable by the Epley manoeuvre as Ags said.

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We strongly advise anyone wishing to take up vrt or change/stop medication should consult their doctor first.

Hi Pamela, thanks for your message. I had the Epley manuvere done a couple of days ago. Not sure if it's helped yet, but not feeling too bad at the moment. I've also been referred for an MRI scan which is quite fightening, especially the wait. Next consultation is in September, so it's gonna be a difficult couple of months!

Hi Ags, thanks for your message and kind words. I had the Epley manovere done a couple of days ago. Not sure if it's helped yet, but not feeling too bad at the moment. The consultant said I have bpv but also referred me for an MRI scan which is quite fightening, especially the wait. Next consultation is in September, so it's gonna be a difficult couple of months!

Try not to worry about being referred for an mri, it's standard practice and part of normal vestibular testing

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We strongly advise anyone wishing to take up vrt or change/stop medication should consult their doctor first.

Hi Kash, it can take a week or two to feel better after an epley. dont worry too much about the mri, as Pam says, they are kinda par for the course with dizziness. hang in there, things will improve. meantime use this board to vent if you feel the need and also to gain advice and make new friends along the way.

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We strongly advise anyone wishing to take up vrt or start/change/stop medication should consult their doctor first.

Thanks, I'm so grateful for this website, it's great to talk to people that know what I'm going through.

Hi Kash,

It sounds like you have plenty of stressors to act as a trigger, and I know I have thought a lot about whether it is stress that makes my BPPV come back -- as it does every few months for the past 4 years or so. It always seems like I can identify some stressful event that triggered it but I could just be deceiving myself?

From what I have read it sounds like it is more of a mechanical problem with debris building up in the labyrinths and maybe in my case it builds up faster than others or something. But maybe your vestibular nerves are more sensitive when you are stressed? Anyway, with young children I guess it's hard to avoid stresses.

I know even after the Epley maneuver has been done it takes awhile to feel fully myself, as Agnes says. Almost like you have the flu for a week after the maneuvers. So I guess that is normal, based on what others are posting.

Anyway, good luck, it's not easy but it's survivable and as all the doctors remind me, at least it's "benign"!

All the best,

Lester

Hi Kash
My ENT consultant suggested keeping a 'dizzy diary' to try to identify triggers. I found over time that any prolonged periods of (usually a combination of) over-tiredness / stress/ too much booze / illness like a cold / sleeping at irregular times usually precede an attack of the dizzies. I work shifts which does not help, and have been taken off night shifts for a while to see if I can get back on track.
Can't explain why this would cause the crystals to dislodge, but I suppose just being run down usually leads to people getting ill. Our weak spot is the inner ear. Others will get tonsilitis or headaches or whatever.
On the other hand my consultant says there are no documented triggers! They don;t know enough about it so we have to work it out for ourselves.

I really feel for you having to cope with this and parenting at the same time. If you haven't already I suggest you become ultra-boring for a while and start going to bed as early as possible. Sorry if that sounds simplistic. It's just that I have been trying to discipline myself to keep doing the things I enjoy but also say 'no' to more stuff, and I find that helps keeps me from getting into the stressed-about-being-busy-then-getting-ill cycle.

A few people have mentioned to me that it's worth getting CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) for the anxiety, if you really feel that is hampering your life as much as the dizzies.

Good luck. I am often told this can go away of its own accord. Here's hoping for all of us.
lol
Paula