Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Last night when I woke up, I felt so dizzy. I thought I'm going to faint. I asked my husband to take me to a clinic because of the intense dizziness. I took a sick leave from work and we went to Medical City in Ortigas.

9:30 PM, we arrived at the hospital. Waiting in the emergency room, I was thinking what might be the cause of my dizziness. So many thoughts running to my head. Am I pregnant? or Am I anemic? I know this is not due to low blood pressure, because I had it checked the other day at our office's clinic.

Around 10:30 PM, a nurse called me and guided me to a small room. The doctor approached me and asked me how am I feeling. I just told him what happened. He checked my blood pressure, and it is okay.

The doctor asked more questions and did some tests. In the end, the diagnosis is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).


Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) or benign paroxysmal vertigo (BPV) is a condition caused by problems in the inner ear.

BPPV is characterized by brief episodes of mild to intense dizziness associated with specific changes in the position of your head. It most commonly occurs when you move your head in a certain direction, lie down from an upright position, turn over in bed or sit up in the morning. Moving your head to look up or look down also can bring about symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. You may also feel out of balance when standing or walking.

Triggers:
May vary from person to person

* Changes in barometric pressure - patients often feel symptoms approximately two days before rain or snow

* Lack of sleep (required amount of sleep may vary widely)

* Visual exposure to nearby moving objects (examples - cars, snow)

* Tilting the head

* Differences between visual stimuli and the information received from the inner ear about one's location in space.

Anyway, my doctor recommends me to take Serc 3 times a day for 5 days. But if the symptoms persist, he recommends me to undergo therapy.