Labrynthitis. Help!

[TheOtherGirl]

Three weeks ago my Mum had her flu Jan. Within three days she started feeling extremely nauseous whenever moving about. Her GP thinks it's labrynthitis and has tried her on three different anti nausea meds but nothing is working.

If anything I think she is getting worse. She feels nauseous just sitting still and as soon as she moves at all she feels dreadful. She keeps going hot and cold too.

I feel so sorry for her, she looks awful and is obviously really suffering. All she can manage is to nibble on dry toast or a dry biscuit, but she has lost weight.

The nurse told her that there's little they can do if the anti nausea meds don't work, and that she just needs to wait it out.

Just wondered if anyone had found something that helps, she's getting desperate

Aww i'm super sorry for her. My dad had Labrynthitis and i've had episodes of dizziness that I never got diagnosed.

Has she tried the Brandt-Daroff Exercise? (Tip no.1 in that article).

I found it really helpful, basically you sit on the bed and quickly lay down to one side. Wait for the dizziness to settle before resuming upright position. Then doing it the other way.

Thank you

Could it have been triggered by her flu jab? The timing is very coincidental.

No, it's just a coincidence.

There's not a lot you can do..I've had a lot of vestibular problems for years including lab. She needs to start cawthorne-cooksey exercises asap. It usually improves slowly over 2-8 weeks.

DH had this recently, he went to a local Nuffield hospital to see their physios who could do vestibular rehabilitation therapy (poss the exercises mentioned above). We had read somewhere that although mainly used when someone has chronic labyrinthitis, it was worth investigating when newly diagnosed. Not cheap at £65 for the initial app then £40 per session after, however it helped enormously and he went back to work after 6 weeks (not 100% cured but soooo much better). The word on the street is that once you have had it, you are more susceptible to it - so we are making sure he doesn't get too tired etc now.

At your mother's age, she should go and see someone who is able to perform the Epley manoeuvre on her. www.ncuh.nhs.uk/our-services/epley-manoeuvre-quick-guide.pdf

I wouldn't recommend trying this yourself, however.

My MIL has started to have severe bouts of benign positional vertigo, but she goes to see a neurologist who does this and it fixes her, for a while at least. Apparently her eyes judder very slightly, which is a sign that there is a crystal build up in her ears (just what she's been told by this neurologist) and the Epley manoeuvre sorts them out somehow.