Dizzy Spells

[Edma]

My lovely MIL gets really violent dizzy spells. It is very strange as she used to have them and then they went away for 3 years and they have now started again. The symptoms are different each time; sometimes the whole room is spinning, sometimes she feels like she is being squeezed. She is exhausted afterwards and it really affects her confidence as she won't drive or babysit my nephew and niece.
She has seen GPs and consultants and it seems they don't really know. they looked at inner ear issues and blood through an artery in the brain.
I was wondering if anyone has any ideas or suggestions as to what this may be?

This sounds like Menieres disease. My grandad had it and I have had a couple of attacks too. My doctor is also very reluctant to give it a label as menieres can't truly be diagnosed until post-mortem! You can read about it on the internet and the NHS website covers it here
As long as she has been checked out and had an MRI, it is probably nothing more sinister - I had lots of tests about 5 years ago after a particularly lengthy dizzy spell, including the MRI, balance tests, ear tests etc etc. They thought it could have been labyrinthitis at first, but antibiotics didn't make any difference. The other thing they mentioned was scar tissue from an infection in the inner ear, which can cause dizzy spells on and off for a few months. Hope that helps!

Thanks Quicksie. It does sound like Menieres. She did have an MRI and all the other tests. They actually told her today that there was nothing they could do.
I guess we just want to understand what it is, and it's just odd that it went away and now came back but I just read that Menieres does do that. Will read more about it!

I had a time of suspected menieres which went away eventually and do far hasn't returned.
My doctor put me on betahistine which stopped the vertigo attacks and they stopped after about 4 or so days. Could have been coincidence but was so relieved when it stopped as the attacks were so debilitating!

It does really knock your confidence, I had a hard time with work because I am a teacher and I couldn't get across the classroom without holding on to things! With Year 2 that tends to be tiny furniture and little people, so not ideal. When it got bad I was also put on drugs to control it, which did help. I don't think my GP was keen to put me on them due to the side effects so your MIL might need to stress to them how much it is affecting her life.
If you want to know anything else, please ask, my menieres hasn't reared its head for at least three years now, and lots of people recover and don't get it again.

Just reading this Quicksie. She went to see the GP who told her there was nothing else that could be done. I need to check that they have looked into Menieres.

So MIL said that the doctors mentioned Menieres a long time ago but it was dismissed because it causes progressive deafness which she doesn't have.

it does cause progressive deafness in some cases but most sufferers recover completely within a couple of years. I have not lost any hearing, neither did my granddad and he had it for a long time. My doctor can't confirm I have menieres as it can only be confirmed post mortem but they ruled out everything else. Whatever is causing it they can prescribe drugs for nausea and dizziness, they are the same thing you get for vertigo and some schizophrenic conditions. She shouldn't just put up with it, it will impact her quality of life and that isn't on!,