BPPV

Between the sinus/ear/eye infection and car accident I started getting these strange dizzy spells.  I would get dizzy when I bent over or laid down or rolled over in bed.  It felt like the room was spinning or like I was drunk.  I was having these issues for about 2 weeks before I mentioned it to a doctor.  She said I have BPPV or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and said physical therapy can help (which I’ve been going to anyways for neck and back pain). 

Apparently there are otoconia or commonly known as ear rocks that can get dislodged and start floating around in your inner ear.  These cause imbalance and misinformation is sent to the brain causing vertigo.

On Monday I had my physical therapy appointment.  She had me put on a mask (like a snorkel mask) that let her see my eye while she maneuvered me into different positions.  She would ask when I felt dizzy and she was able to see my eyes moving really fast trying to compensate for the dizziness.  She then put me in the positions shown in the picture to try and get the ear rocks back into place.

When the procedure finished she told me I had to keep my eyes on the horizon for the next two days as well as not lay down flat.  I have to sleep at a 45 degree angle for 2 nights and then for the rest of the week I have to sleep on at least two pillows and not roll onto my right side (the bad ear). 

If this treatment doesn’t work (only works for 80% of people) then there are some other at home exercises I can do to try to get things back in position.  I hope it works, but it is very hard to keep your eyes on the horizon constantly and not tilt your head up or down.