dear All, excuse the hour…v. Insomniac!
quick question…of late I have been very dizzy. All of the time. Feel as though the world is spinning. I am certain that it is common in MS. Is there anything that I can take or do to relieve the dizziness? Love Ali
there is a series of exercises that people with vestibular problems do.
google physiotherapy for vestibular disorder, the treatment is called Vestibular Rehabilitation (VRT)
Thank you Carol, do you know if this dizziness will last forever? It is debilitating enough that I don’t think that I should be driving,
It has been about five days?
Hi Ali
If you are very dizzy, you’re right, driving is a bad idea. If your head spins as you drive round a roundabout, it’s dangerous. So listen to what your good sense tells you.
Vertigo can be part of a relapse. You can help it by doing exercises as Carole suggests, vestibular exercises do work. They can temporarily make you a bit more off balance and nauseous, but ultimately they do work.
If you have physio help, ask them for some exercises. Otherwise, google vestibular exercises or vertigo exercises.
If it goes on for too long (more than a couple of weeks) and you’ve tried the exercise route, see your GP.
Sue
Dear Sue, thanks for your reply. This MS is such a roller coaster. Obviously lots have it much worse, but as new symptoms appear, it is so worrying, debilitating and sad. I keep having to reinvent myself. I had imagined being an old woman, charging about in my Golf GTI…tragic. I will have to replace it with a scooter!
No you don’t Ali. Start doing some exercises. You can cure it. Honestly. And it need not be an impediment to charging about in your Gti.
An easy one to start with is you sit without back support (maybe on the edge of the bed?) together with a pen/pencil/some other stick type thing - I’ve used a shoe horn!! But that’s me, I don’t have pens handily about the place anymore. And some way of timing yourself in seconds if possible (I use my iPhone, but if you don’t have a handy timer, just count).
Hold the stick type object in front of you and swivel your head from side to side, keeping your eyes on the stick. Do it for as long as you can, if you are very dizzy, it may only be 10 seconds, but whatever, just as long as you can. Stop timing it and recover your equilibrium. Once you have, do it again, trying to do a few seconds more.
Do this several times a day. Each time just try to increase by a few seconds.
Eventually you should aim to be able to do 2 minutes. When you can do that, you’ll find that your head is much better.
There are lots of other vestibular exercises on line. See what you can find and what you can manage to do.
Don’t write off driving without trying to fix it!!
Best of luck. And stop comparing yourself to people who are worse off, we all have MS. It’s a bugger however you are affected.
Sue
Dizziness was my worst symptom when I was first diagnosed. Nothing I`m aware eased it. Two years on and it has now cleared up almost 100%. I wish my fatigue would do the same.
Dear Sue, thank you for your promising words. I have been doing some you tube exercises, but I feel a bit too sick with it at the moment. I am hoping things will ease and maybe it was the hot weather? And Scudger…flipping heck! Yes the fatigue thing wipes me out for about two days every week. You might imagine that if I sleep from 8 in the morning until eight in the evening I wouldn’t sleep at night, but on my real fatigue days I could sleep through an earth quake. Warmest thoughts x
hey, ok so the first thing is this wont last so you have to be patient and let it pass I know its easy to say bit it will pass. secondly there isn’t a magic pill to stop this so all I can recommend is balance exercises small but often I think coz doing them more for longer will defo make you sick. Oh I just noticed wot I did there (patience)the same happened to me but it soon passed but we all different eh just take it easy for a while and this will pass I promise you! from one insomniac to another xx
Dizziness lasted about five days. Four days clear, but it is back with vengeance. I add deep, deep fatigue to my ongoing symptoms too.
scared that I won’t get back to work. Scared that I won’t be fit to start taking taking plegridy. Scared that I won’t drive permanently again. Scared that I don’t have Remitting, because i don’t seem to get a break from it. Arrrgh.
question is. Has anyone had acupuncture for vertigo?
No to your question about acupuncture Ali.
But you are being a tad impatient with MS. It won’t behave just because you give it a good talking to. Nor will a relapse remit after just a few days. And being scared to death by a symptom never chased it off either.
I have had vertigo several times. It always got better. I remember stopping driving because I felt dizzy driving round a roundabout. (But I’ve not driven due to mobility issues for 6 years.)
But give it some time. If you feel nauseous with it, you can get a drug called Stemetil from your GP. Otherwise, carry on with the exercises. They will make you feel worse at first, but eventually they work. And relapses do get better. You just have to give it time.
I’ve had MS for 21 years. It was only about a year ago that my neurologist reluctantly said, yes, it’s progressive. And that is quite a common time for someone to go from RR to SP. Some people never transition to progressive. Others start as progressive, but thus far your disease pattern is RR isn’t it?
Hoping it goes soon. I do agree, it’s a horrible feeling. I feel for you suffering it.
Sue
Dear Sue, you are so right about my impatience, as debilitating as my symptoms are, my imminent return to work is worrying me too (I have been signed off for 8 months). I just can’t see me working like I did before MS. I think that I am simply coming to terms with the fact that MS might not allow me to return to work. I need to change who I was and giving up work may well be fine. We have our house on the market though because if I can’t go back to work and our house doesn’t sell, then we go bust. Your advice though is so welcome. I will calm down and let it all take its own course. Love Ali
Sorry about the dizziness.
The GP gave me a course of antibiotics for mine but the exercises were more effective.
Sometimes it rears its ugly head; or should that be wobbles my ugly head? But it is only temporary. I see it as a reminder to take my movement easy-I’m not the man I used (want) to be.
Best wishes, Steve