BPPV/Menieres/Vertigo
I am suffering from BPPV or Menieres or Vertigo, there seems to be confusion in the medical profession about the condition, but for the layman it is a condition of the middle ear which causes dizziness and nausea. The effect is like sea sickness or motion sickness and it varies in strength from a slight loss of balance to the whole world spinning on it's axis making the slightest movement most uncomfortable. The medical profession don't seem to know what it is caused by, the treatment is to take strong sea sickness tablets to deal with the symptoms and to hope the underlying cause goes away! There seems to be nothing effective at treating the cause.
I had a bout of the condition 18 years ago and was prescribed the strong sea sickness tablets, which I took for about 10 days as prescribed. During the course I was not allowed to drive or operate machinery/climb ladders etc and getting to work was not really on as the tablets made me drowsy. After a few days, when my balance had returned and I could walk without assistance my partner did drive me to the airfield and I serviced the brakes on a microlight aircraft.
The condition struck me again on 21st September. Due to Covid19 I had to "see" the doctor by telephone call. I was unable to do anything more demanding than lying in bed, despite taking Stugeron, and when I staggered to the loo, leaning against the wall all of the way, I would sit there leaning against the wall while the world spun around me until it slowed down enough to attempt the return journey. On the advice of the pharmacist I didn't take the prescribed Prochloperazine until late in the afternoon and the sensitivity to motion diminished during the evening and by bedtime I was back on an even keel. The tablets were allowed to be taken 2 at a time, up to 3 times a day. I managed to sleep right through the 2 in the morning dose time and then forgot when I got up for a pee in the early morning as I was still OK balance wise. My head did still feel a little full of soup but my balance was fine. When I got up I was still a little soup headed but my balance was good. I didn''t take the tablets. By mid morning I was even better so we loaded the car and set off for a planned holiday. I was fine for about 4 days and then I had a mild recurrence of the symptoms, again it was cleared up by one dose of the tablets. This has been the pattern for 2 weeks now, every 4 or 5 days I get a bit unbalanced and take 2 of the tablets and after a few hours I am steady on my feet. So far I have not been affected on any day I have needed to drive. I have not even thought about going flying.
And this is where the problem arises. I need to get in a couple of hours flying and then play chauffeur to a flying instructor before the end of the month to keep my licence valid. The aircraft is available, the weather is a bit variable but I don't know if the motions of flying will cause a return of the symptoms. I have been OK driving the car some 500 miles in the last two weeks but I did have my wife along and she would have been able to take over the driving should I have become unwell. I don't have the same luxury with the aircraft.
Has anyone any experience of this condition who can offer some advice regarding getting back in the cockpit at the soonest? The recurrences I have suffered so far have all started with the first stirrings as I woke up in the morning, I have not been struck later in the day. I am hoping that once I am up and about and steady on my feet I am set up for the day and flying won't have any effect but I don't know. Anyone?
Rans6.......................