Benign Positional Vertigo
 

Hi Guys,

Last January, I had some nasal surgery and immediately afterward had a bad attack of BPV. Both my doctor and the surgeon were quite relaxed about the occurrance and told me it was a common complication following on from nasal surgery and that it will clear 'in time'.

The attack went on for some weeks and then cleared of its own accord. During this time, flying was out of the question, so I stayed on the ground.

After being clear of it for a couple of months, it came back. Although only in a very mild form. I still would not have felt safe flying with it, so once again I stayed on the ground for some more weeks until it cleared. After that I remained clear of it for some weeks.

Now it has come back again. The present attack is only very, very slight, but enough to make me ground myself again. Once again, I have been grounded for weeks.

My doctor's attitude is to say that I should just be patient and wait for it to go away. Looking on the Internet, however, I find that there are exercises that can be used to treat it and clear it much more quickly. It occurs to me that these exercises might even be performed regularly as a kind of prophylactic to prevent future occurrances.

Does anybody else have experience of this condition and in particular of the various modes of treatment?

Broomstick.

I would suggest to research the "EPLEY PROCEDURE" then find a chiropractor or health geek trained in this procedure if your research indicates Epley may assist your vertigo dramas.

Good Luck:

DD

Yep - it's the Epley Manoeuvre that you're thinking of. It's a carefully choreographed sequence of gentle head and neck movements.

Beware that after doing it/having it done, you need to remain vertical (i.e. sitting upright or standing) for 48 hours, otherwise the "bits" that the action is designed to reposition, settle back where they were and you're back to Square One. That means sleeping sitting upright for a couple of nights.

I had this done for me by my GP and an ENT consultant, both of whom ommitted to mention that. Sadly it didn't work for me even when followed up correctly, but I understand that many people with BPV liken it to using an "Off" switch.

It's non-invasive and minimally inconvenient compared to the effects of the BPV, so I'd certainly recommend giving it a try.

Thanks Guys!
 

Thanks Guys,

Many thanks, Guys, for your comments: it was the Epley Procedure, rather than the French alternative, that I was interested in.

Snogging tarmac,
Thank you in particular for your comment about remaining upright after applying the procedure. That is something I had not come across. I will apply it assiduously.

Broomstick.

Epley Manoeuvre
 

Hi Guys,

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the local hospital where they performed the Epley Manoeuvre for me. It took literally minutes to perform. I was told I must not shake my head for the rest of the day and must sleep with my upper body at 45 degrees for the next two nights. So within two days the problem was gone! Absolute magic!

Many thanks for the guidance on this thread.

Broomstick.