Vertigo......the end of sailing for me?

[Tomahawk]

Liz1 just sent me a PM to allert me to your woes...
You are not alone, First Officer gets it very bad...

Precursers are tiredness fatigue stress and mixing beer with wine.... She once spent two months in bed after a very stressful time at work (financial service industry as the crash was begining two unfold and the doo dah was hitting the fan).

The best cure is total rest and doing nothing...Obvously that may be difficult of tihe boss or customers want you to performe. The good news is there is a medication called "Betahistine" ... sort of sturgeron on steroids that really kicks the vertigo. And don't touch any booze for about four days..

You do get over it. But it can be slow..

Pm on its way

 

[dylanwinter]

Thanks for all the advice and sympathy....vertigo is certainly no joke...

I will try the epley manoeuvre if the symptoms don't clear up within a week...but my main fear is that I will get an attack when I'm out single handed...even with a crew it wouldn't be pleasant .......just the short drive to the docs with Mrs Scruffs had me reaching for the pail !

Grrrrrrrrr....it's really getting me down....

Sorry .......I sound like Marvin !

Best of luck to you Richard

you are only a couple of years ahead of me age-wise

as soon as you get better... sail more... work less

D

 

[ronmarson]

I have had vertigo for a few years now. I have problems when I look up or look from side to side quickly, but if you are aware of the limitations that this places on your sailing ability I don't think it is a reason to think of giving up sailing. I hold very tightly to the mast if I need to look up to untangle a rope, or sort out a problem with a sail, and I wait for the world to stop spinning before I let go.
I sailed my new(?) boat from Southampton to Galway mostly single handed without too many problems. I was careful of the weather, careful of my tiredness, and not afraid to stay put and read books until I was happy to move on.
If I give up sailing just because I get dizzy I will sit on the patio and still get dizzy and be unhappy.
Capt. RoN

 

[oldvarnish]

If I give up sailing just because I get dizzy I will sit on the patio and still get dizzy and be unhappy.
Capt. RoN

I salute you

 

[nigelmercier]

... the doc has prescribed Stemetil ...

I was going to suggest the same. I took it for years as a young man, I used to get dizzy when standing up. This has recently started to happen again, so I'm off to the doc myself.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

About three years ago I experienced vertigo for the first time in my life while my wife and I were driving a motorhome around NZ. I was doing all the driving and felt a little queer one afternoon but pit it down to the winding roads. Woke up next morning with the ceiling spinning and stayed in bed for three days. Eventually managed to get to the doctor (Jenn driving and me trying not to look anywhere but straight ahead), was prescribed Stemetil, and two days later it was all over and we were on our way again. I have no idea where the vertigo came from, but it hasn't been back since. So I hope this is your one-and-only brush with it too.

Mike

 

[Tam Lin]

Had a middle ear infection some time ago - it was horrible! I felt like I was going to fall over, I was lying in bed at the time! SWMBO took me to the docs who gave me an injection which helped but I was off work for a couple of weeks.
Hope you feel better soon and I do sympathise, it really is not nice!

 

[Heckler]

It came on Wednesday afternoon in the boatyard, I had just set up the jib on the roller reefing and was feeling good about the coming season. I then began to feel nausious and my head started spinning ,not literally , and I felt like I was going to faint and/or fall over.Managed to get home and Mrs Scruffs took me to the Doc who told me I had 'proper' vertigo and it could take weeks to wear off.

I've spent the last two days in bed lying down and feel as miserable as sin....I've quizzed the symptoms on the internet and it looks like even if you shake it off in reasonable time the chances are it can reoccur without warning.... a bit inconvenient if I'm on my own bobbing about on the Blackwater as I' m prone to do.

I guess that the question is has anybody else out there had this and how has it affected your sailing plans.

I'm guessing that if you are on the forum then you haven't stopped sailing completely...so maybe there's hope yet

PS: flowers and bowls of fresh fruit most welcome.

Had viral labrynthitis a few years ago, it came on suddenly, I fell off the chair, the world was spinning, the nee naws thought I had had a stroke. Blue lights all the way to hospital!
Was given some pills and sent home, spewed as soon as i tried to sit up! like the whirling pit when bladdered!
Spent a week on the put you up bed downstairs, finally started to get a bit better day by day.
Thought it was the end of my life! seriously! But it got better, slowly! My tinnitus got worse and I got deafer!
Am fine now and have been for years. Life comes back, if you are the same as me, there is light at the end of the tunnel
Stu