about vertigos

[bluegardenia]

i had an awful episode of vertigos 20 days ago. i already had some, lets say one every year or every two or three years since 40 years, much before i knew i had sjogren that arrived in 2012. ususally it lasts 6-8 hours and leave me dizzy for a couple of days. i had labirintitis when i was a teen and all the ear and nose doctors rthat i saw never gave much attention to that. in fact i have lots of friends with the same.
this time, it started slowly in the morning but i could go out drive etc; i had a strange sensation in my eyes like if i  could see worse. i took the pill that i usually take  for vertigos, something that rules the pressure in ears ,but it did not help.  at midnight while i was going to sleep, vertigos started at their best, the room was turning so quickly that i did not have the time to take another pill , i could not even turn my eyes and i layed half dressed on my bed . i could not open my eyes but i noticed  i could open one and i had my phone near me  so after two hours i called emergency.i had to call my neighbour who has my key to open the door, i ws in panic and blood pressure was very high. they helped me to take the pills, i was more quite, i could make pipi so at five  in the morning they went away and i was better.
the day after things were fine and  i forgot everything but after four or five days i started to be dizzy and unsecure again and im still like that after 20 days. i went to the doctor, he wanted an mri that i did and that do not show anything .
the new thing is that i have tinnitus.
ill make tests for meniere after christmas.
my question is; anybody here with vertigo had a  sure diagnosis of this? and whats the relation with sjogren explained by a doctor? and which meds do you take to stop the horrible dizziness? and uncertainty?
thanks

[araminta]

Sorry to hear about all this, I know how horrible labyrinthitis is, and had it for several weeks back in 2015 when all my symptoms started.

I take Betahistine whenever I get this type of dizziness and it does help.   When it was really bad in 2015 I did some exercises I found online, you had to do things like walking towards a fixed point and keeping your eyes on that point while slowly turning your head to left and right.   It felt horrible to begin with but after a while it helped.   But I always have tinnitus.

I have a feeling once we get this darned thing it's always liable to come back, but I wouldn't think it's necesarily Menieres - you haven't said anything about deafness.

[bluegardenia]

thanks araminta; no deafness, sometimes  feel like if the ear where i have tinnitus was closed but its not fix and i hear well. i made some exams  to understand if i hear

[Carolina]

It sounds to me (not a doctor of course) that what you are experiencing is the worst case scenario with Meniere's Disease.

It can be completely disabling at times.

This is from the website of the Mayo Clinic, a very respected Medical Center.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of Meniere's disease include:

Recurring episodes of vertigo.
You have a spinning sensation that starts and stops spontaneously. Episodes of vertigo occur without warning and usually last 20 minutes to several hours, but not more than 24 hours. Severe vertigo can cause nausea and vomiting.

Hearing loss. Hearing loss in Meniere's disease may come and go, particularly early on. Eventually, most people have some permanent hearing loss.

Ringing in the ear (tinnitus). Tinnitus is the perception of a ringing, buzzing, roaring, whistling or hissing sound in your ear.

Feeling of fullness in the ear. People with Meniere's disease often feel pressure in the affected ears (aural fullness) or on the side of their heads.

After an episode, signs and symptoms improve and might disappear entirely. Episodes can occur weeks to years apart.

I have Fullness, Ringing, and Hearings Loss that comes and goes.  I do NOT have the horrible Vertigo.

My son has a mild case, with Vertigo occurring very seldom.

I wish you well,  BlueGardenia,

Regards, Elaine

[Fortitude]

I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease ten years ago, just at menopause and way before Sjogren's was suspected.  I take meclizine for the attacks of vertigo which come when they come.  I get so vertiginous that I throw up.  I also have tinnitus in both ears constantly which varies in intensity.  I was tested at the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary and Meniere's was confirmed.  Eight years later I was diagnosed with Sjogren's through a lip biopsy.  I have asked doctors if the two diseases are connected, but so far have received all "I don't knows."  Even less is known about Meniere's than Sjogren's in the medical world.  Good luck.

[bluegardenia]

thanks carolina and fortitude. thats what they suspect for me but its not sure i must undergo some nice exams  on 27 december. could be labirintitis. yes rthey do not know the origin of meniere but could be related to autoimmunity. great!!!!!!!!

[irish]

Sorry to hear that you are having such problems. They can really ruin many days as too sick to get anything done. I have had a lot of issues with dizziness for various reasons but seldon get as nauseous as you do. I hope you have meds to help you with these episodes.

I have to add that years ago when I first started on prednisone for my myasthenia the first thing I noticed was that my dizziness issues improved. That was very interesting. Before the researchers are all done I would not be surprised to find out that a lot of the other issues we have are caused by autoimmune disease also. Meantime we just live with no answer. Good luck. Irish