OT: Veritgo and Me

So last week I started seeing a physical therapist about my issue with vertigo. I have had it for 20+ years and simply learned to compensate since every doc I ever went to was fairly ho-hum about it. But my new pcp (new as in I just started going to her in March) was all trippy about getting me in to see someone about it. So I go and they do tests and are like "yep something is off although after so long it may be just your brain that needs to be re-programmed to stop over correcting but lets do some more tests next week." So we do more tests today and now they think I may have some actual physical damage in the left ear, not just me compensating for an ear infection from 20 years ago, since I did not do well on the tests. Apparently not everyone in the world looks down at the stairs going up and down and has to use the railing AT ALL TIMES, veers left when looking at the sky while walking , wanders faaaaaaaaar left while walking over or around obstacles , falls backwards when they turn out the lights , climbs out of bed and turns in circles trying to get oriented before wandering into the bathroom in the middle of the night.

ETA: It's nice knowing I really do have an excuse for being a "dizzy blonde"

It's great they have found a reason for your vertigo. My Godmother has suffered debilitating vertigo for years and still doesn't know what may trigger it or why she gets it. She's seen a neurologist had testing, scans, anything and everything and as far as they can tell everything looks structurally fine.

Here's hoping the PT helps you!

oh my goodness unewillow I really feel for her. Tell your godmother to ask her pcp about Eppley (sp?) Manouvers. That's what my pcp sent me to PT for and they have all these tests they make you do first. Nothing too hard (walk across the blue mat and when I say look up, look up but keep walking. Go down these stairs turn around and come back up yada yada yada) the one that freaks me out is the one where they have me tuck my head into my shoulder then they lay me back really fast. That one made me actually black out. Not good and I hope they don't EVER do that to me again. But I'm working on these eye exercises they gave me to do now. They give me a headache but I keep working on them. Hopefully they start helping. At least I don't feel like I'm going to fall over everytime I go up or down the stairs right now lol.

Oh my, I just started getting dizzy 4 days ago.  I don't really know why all of the sudden I am getting these periods of vertigo that last about 4-5 hours.  I have some friends at work that checked my blood pressure and blood sugar at the onset and two hours into the vertigo and everything came out normal.  I am eating well and even added a protein shake just to make sure I am getting all my nutrients.  I haven't started any new medication and haven't been sick in 6 months....so who knows why I am getting these dizzy spells.  A friend of mine told me to try motoin sickness pills and they seem to do the trick.   
 

I just can't imagine having to deal with this for as long as you have.  I am sure it has become a part of your normal life.  I have to still feel bad because I am complaining after only 4 days and here you have been dealing with it for 20 years.  I wonder how long it will last for me???  I hope your doctor get to the bottom of your problem and you are freed from this horrible vertigo.

Cmagouirk: check this out. maybe this is the problem for you?
http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/bppv/bppv.html
This is what they thought the problem for me was orginally but now they are thinking possibly scarring from the inner ear infection I had while pregnant with my son. But I still have more tests to go through when I go back next week so we will see.

Oh my goodness...I just flashed back to 1995ish when I was on the Adkins diet.  I was doing well on it but I had to stop because of vertigo!!   I attributed it to the diet itself but I'm wondering if it was because I eliminated TOO MANY carbs from my diet??

Just a thought....

Editted to add:   I didn't intend this response for the OP but for Crystal (cmagouirk) who started having vertigo 4 days ago.