What direction should I point this person?

Hey, everyone, I just have time for a quick note right now. I was contacted by a friend of a friend who has vertigo issues. When my friend found out that I have issues, she connected the two of us.

The person with the issues just wrote to me (I’ll call her “Jane,” not her real name). Jane described her vertigo this way:

Jane: “I have found that when I feel it coming on, if i tilt my head back as far as I can, it eases. But it is never fully gone.”

I can send her a bunch of info, links to Hain’s website, this site, etc. But her comment about tilting her head back is interesting. Does anyone have an idea of why this might help? @flutters, I know that you have mentioned something about an orbital something… Does this fit into that realm at all?

I was just thinking, man, I’m glad I don’t have to answer that. Then you called me out specifically! Made me laugh at my own inadequacy.

I’m thinking she’s probably performing part of the Eppley Maneuver on herself. She might want an ENT or VRT to do a BPPV treatment for her.

Or, it could be her atlas is out of place. That’s atlas orthogonal chiro or maybe a physical therapist.

Have her look at VEDA - specifically at BPPV and then Google Atlas Subluxation. She might find her symptoms in there. While perusing the VEDA links for all of our other common issues, she can see if any of those things ring true.

It sounds less MAV than structural to my layman’s ear.

Atlas - that’s what I was trying to think of.

Thank you, @flutters. I’m working at the moment but I think I’ll be speaking to her by phone at some point and then I’ll send her a barrage of emails and info. :slight_smile:

I’m working, too. I’m so amazingly behind.

Good luck!

@Manatee Sorry if I got to this too late, I just wanted to add that it seems strange and a bit not like the rest of us experience that tilting her head back makes her feel better. For me it’s a huge trigger and makes me terribly off balanced.

Also, for what it’s worth, I’m a bit skeptical about the atlas orthogonal procedure. I know some people and chiros swear by it. I had the procedure done maybe 4.5 years ago, and it made me feel instantly better (like clearer head, no pressure, etc) the INSTANT it was done and while I was lying still on the table. But once they had me sit up I got MUCH dizzier, felt like I was going to throw up, had to lay there a long time before I could leave, and was dizzier for a month after the procedure. It actually made me housebound for a month when I hadn’t been housebound at all at that stage. I did return for more of their follow up treatments, but eventually stopped. The chiro “claimed” she made one calculation error and wanted to do the procedure again and thought that would fix it, but after getting so much worse I didn’t want to have my neck vertebrae “touched” by that puff of air ever again. Nor did my family want me to. It was far away and I had gotten worse so I had a combination of my mom, dad, and great uncle driving me. They all didn’t want me to get it done again either. But, I think it can work, especially maybe more towards whiplash cases, so I don’t want to discourage anyone. Just be skeptical and use caution, do your research, etc.

Yes, @Jess09, I agree that the tilting the head back thing sounds unusual. I don’t have dizziness very often but if I tilt my head way back, like looking at the stars, sometimes that will do it.

I’m going to speak to her sometime on the phone. For now, I sent her a bunch of information on good websites (such as Hain’s), support groups, VEDA, etc. I also sent her some information on the UCLA group of neuro-otologists, because she’s within driving distance of Los Angeles. Next to Dr. Hain, I’d say that probably the UCLA group and the Massachusetts group are the top doctors in the U.S. for dizziness and vertigo.

@Manatee That’s really nice of you to send all the information. It must be nice to have all those great resources at the start of symptoms. If I only knew then what I know now…sigh.

Crazy that you mentioned looking at the stars…maybe 1-2 months ago I had a dream where I was outside looking at a shooting star but then it started zipping all around the sky (in my dream I wasn’t aware that I had dizziness or anything) and I started following it with my eyes and body to watch it. It got me instantly spinning dizzy that I collapsed to the ground in my dream and woke up SPINNING dizzy feeling the same way and lightheaded on top. It was AWFUL. I have only had 2 dreams that have made me wake up dizzy but it’s one of the worst things ever.

@Jess09, yes, that’s one of the great things about forums and groups like this one. People share information and it really helps to not feel so alone, and to not have to start from ground zero in trying to learn about it.

That is weird about your dream! Ugh!

@Manatee Yeah I was kind of wondering how a dream like that was even possible!!! I rarely wake up dizzy, sometimes once I change positions I am, it was all very weird. I just hope it doesn’t happen more frequently!