My husband was diagnosed with MS in Jan, but has had symptoms a year before.
i return from work every day with him telling me that he does not how long he can go on with his main symptom of vertigo and spinning … He says that every day for 2 years he’s been in a state dizziness and describes it to others as the feeling you have for the first few seconds after a ride on a big wheel … He has no medication, on the waiting list for physio and has waited so far 5 months… He says is that it… Is this my life now…
is there any treatment that people have tried for vertigo/ spinning … Has anyone else experienced this symptom or know someone who has… Is there any help for him … I feel useless … Is he going to be like this for ever … Does any have any suggest… Know any specialist who can help with this symptom acupuncture, cranial osteopath ,
do we both need to come to terms with the fact that this is how life will be…OMG
Well Mitch
if your husband has had vertigo for 2 years, he should have spoken to his GP over a year ago.
Strictly speaking, vertigo is the sensation of spinning, or that the room is constantly rotating, but never getting anywhere.
Yes, MS can cause this. So can problems with the inner ear (most likely cause), and certain eye problems.
The first question is what triggers it? Is it getting up out of bed?
If it is a persistent condition, the testing is almost as tedious as that for MS, as so many things have to be eliminated.
If it is related to motion sickness, or migraine, then anti-histamines can help (even cure it).
If (say) the problem is diplopia (double vision) it could be caused by the brain trying to fuse two different images (one from each eye) and not succeeding. An optometrist can identify this, and prism lenses can fix it.
The worst thing that your husband can do is to assume that it is down to MS, and not seek help for it elsewhere.
I have only had mild vertigo but do know a little of how hideous it can be. I never got any therapy or medication, but my MS nurse suggested some weird exercises, I was very sceptical but after a bit They helped me. It involved staring at a fixed point on a wall then rapidly swivelling my eyes to the extreme right then extreme left. Quite nauseating and unsettling but eventually my spinning world settled down. If it was severe I swivelled my head. Sorry if this sounds daft but all I can say is that it did bring some reflief.
I would also recommend making a fuss with your GP and let them know how bad things are.
And yes we did go to the GP and try serveral medications and then referred to ENT who eventually carried out the MRI which showed lesions. As you stated it was a process of elimination.
You are welcome, I am not aware of any place that the exercises are documented, sorry purely anecdotal. If you find anything please share it in this forum.
Can a vertigo type sensation be attributed to Optic Neuritis?
OP - you say no meds are being taken despite an MS diagnosis, but although unlikely to help with the spinning sensations, why have no DMDs been made available?
Spinning is bad enough, without a sense of hopelessness as well. a DMD can help the sufferer at least feel like they are doing something, anything, to help towards a return to a life less abnormal.
First of all, I feel it’s important to ask your husband’s medical team to look into this as there may be a number of causes.
Speaking from my own experience, I lived with this for 12 yrs of my life after dx with MS but on and off for a vast number of years before that.
With me it was a double whammy of damaged inner ear due to childhood infections inc a twice ruptured ear drum plus MS nerve damage.
The usual medications prescribed never worked so I was referred for neuro- physio I.e. Vestibular Therapy aka as Cawthorn Cooksey Exercises. Not for the faint hearted I admit but after the three months it took to complete , it completely eradicated my vertigo. That was 14 yrs ago by now and it gave me back my life enabling me to do things I’d never dreamed of. It did return briefly in 2012 after an ear infection and was then classed as BPV ( benign positional vertigo ) However the treatment was the same and once again it gave me my life back despite other MS symptoms. Please look into it - there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I experienced dizziness from day 1 and still do (2 years downthe line). subsequently i was prescribed betahistine dihydrochrode whilst still in hospital. whilst i still occasionally experience dizziness, it certainly does help as i know when i don’t take it. perhaps ask your neurologist about it?
hope this may be of some help, cheers fluffyollie xx
Hi Mitch, I can completely understand what your husband is going through. I woke up one morning in 2014 after an attack of vertigo to constant daily dizziness and I mean constant, not episodes that came & went…it was there all the time! Now after my ms diagnosis in Dec 2015, 2 lots of steroids and Dmd medication I am starting to feel ‘normal’! I honestly felt like I would always live my life with that horrid ‘disorientated’ feeling where I couldn’t walk without the world spinning around me!
I tried osteopathy but that didn’t seem to do much so did some neck stretches & strengthening exercises which I think did help. I would really suggest chasing up medication as I truly believe that this has helped settle things down for me. Although I still have other ms niggles I am finally feeling some relief from my dizzy world! Good luck Xx