vertigo or something more??????

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Specializes in LTC.

Ok nurses....I need some help here...my mom started getting dizzy this past saturday and of course didnt tell me about it til monday when she went to the md. He gave her antivert, which didnt work...then he rx'd some steroids which apparently arent working too well either according to my hubby. she said that she was so dizzy at some points that she couldnt walk...I went over today and noticed that she'd had a fall...or more...she had a bruise on her chin and cheek she said she got it by falling when she tried to grab the tv remote...and off the couch she went. she takes 400mg of dilantin qd for a seizure disorder she's had for a lifetime and has been seizure free for several years...anyways...she seemed ok today...balance was good..gait steady...denied any headaches, numbness, tingling, and no n/v...after I went to work my hubby tells me when he went over there she couldnt get up off the floor...she was flopping like a fish and he put her on the couch and after that she was ok. her md says he cant figure out what it is other than vertigo but should vertigo last this long???? Ive never seen it go for nearly a week? Im starting to reallllly get worried here and I dont know if i should get her an appt with ENT or a chriopractor....this is just not normal for her. Do any of you either have vertigo or have dealt with this before at some point? If so...what did you do or what helped make it go away? Also note....her labs have been fine, ears were clear, vs wnl. What else could this be? Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Can't really say what might be going on with your mom, but I can tell you that I had a sudden onset episode of vertigo a few years ago that lasted about three days. If I were a boat I would have been "listing to starboard." I had to hold on to things to walk around the house,and antivert didn't help much. Holding on to solid objects did seem to help, and the vertigo came and went. Did her doctor do an Epley maneuver (moving her head and body into different positions) to see if she got some symptom relief? If the problem is crystals in the inner ear, steroids probably wouldn't help much.

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Specializes in tele, oncology.

It probably wouldn't hurt to give her seizure doc a call and get his/her input on the situation. There's so many different things that can cause vertigo, with their root causes in different systems, that it can be very hard to pin down what it is.

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Specializes in LTC.

nope...he didnt do anything to her except look in her ears, nose, vs, rx the steroids and say he didnt know what it was other than vertigo. I asked her if he did anything with her head and she said no.....i talked to some nurses i work with yesterday and they recommended a chiropractor...highly recommended one...one nurse said she had the bpv type of vertigo and went to a chiro who did that epley manuever on her and within minutes she was feeling better and could walk and hasnt had an attack since then. I called and told my mom about it this am and she said she wasnt sure if her insurance would cover a chiro but i think now days most insurances do cover some chiro costs. if i call her neurologist what are the chances that the doc would actually talk to me without an appt and go from there? she sees a neurologist yrly for her seizure disorder. This is just so unlike her. I read that phenergan sometimes helps with the vertigo but I dont know how she'd do with it....it puts me out for 2+ days when I have taken it for n/v. and makes me feel sooooo bad afterwards with a hangover effect. She said shes still taking the antivert and is ok as long as she sits down for a while.

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No chirocracking necessary! :) You can get instructions on how the Epley maneuver is done online http://www.webmd.com/brain/liberatory-maneuvers-for-vertigo and help her do it at home. It's just a pattern of head and body movements. You could guide her gently through the process. If it helps, you've likey got your answer. If not, no harm done.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

I'm sorry, but the requesting and offering of medical advice is against the TOS of the site.

You need to either have your mom contact her PCP and/or you accompany her to an appointment.

We hope this resolves without further problems and she is o.k. Good luck.

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