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General health

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Original poster

My mum felt VERY dizzy yesterday, so dizzy it made her sick.

21 replies

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 09:57

Fortunately she was sitting down at the time (on the loo actually) and eventually it calmed down. it was about 1:00 p.m., she had only had a milky coffee and a slice of toast (her usual intake for that time of day)

She spent most of the afternoon resting in bed, (actually, it doesn't take much for her to do this ), but when I spoke to her at teatime she still hadn't eaten anything because she had been sick.

I haven't spoken to her yet today (she's not an early riser, never before 11). But I put the symptoms of dizzyness and being sick into NHS direct diagnoser, and it said "Ring 999" Which seems like a huge over-reaction to me.

Has anyone got any experience of these symptoms? I'm suspecting that her blood sugar is getting too low, as she only eats a meal once a day (evening, about 8 ish). Any Ideas before I speak to her again?

OP posts:

FluffyMummy123 · 17/12/2007 09:58

Message withdrawn

Saturn74 · 17/12/2007 09:59

or vertigo

Original poster

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 10:03

well she's 77. Acts as if quite old (see thread about her coming for Christmas), but I keep telling her 77 isn't that old, and that she's perfectly healthy (well until yesterday).

OP posts:

Original poster

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 12:39

Arghh it's happened again, while she was just lying in bed, talking to me on the phone. Any other ideas.

Do doctors ever do housecalls these days?

OP posts:

NomDePlume · 17/12/2007 12:41

my ex-MIL used to get this but hers was down to Meniere's (sp) Disease

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 17/12/2007 12:44

could be anything manner of things..low, blood sugar etc to more worrying things,
however as im now into my 3rd year ofimbalance caused by labyrinthitis..I can tell you that labs does the rounds at this time of year and it could be that..however I would recommend that she is seen quickly by a gp to rule out more sinister reasons.

ArcticRoll · 17/12/2007 12:46

Phone the GP surgery.
As cod says it may be labyrinthitis but in view of her age she should be seen by doctor.

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 17/12/2007 12:48

haas her dizziness been persistant since yesterday?? or coming and going?? does she feel dizzy if she moves her head into a certain position?

popmum · 17/12/2007 12:48

as cod said could be labyrinitis, my mum gets it, lays her up for days

info

fkokeshi · 17/12/2007 12:49

Does she have a hearing loss?

Original poster

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 12:54

Just these 2 spells of dizzyness, yesterday on the loo, and just now lying in bed, talking on the phone. That spell only lasted about 1 min.

fkokeshi, she's got the usual old age hearing loss, has the telly up too loud for us, you know the sort of thing.

She's supposed to be coming up to us for Christmas, travelling on Saturday. Oh God, I can't take everything down there, anyway, dh is working over christmas.

DH says it's so she can't come on the train, she's trying to make me drive to fetch her. Soooo cynical .... but....

OP posts:

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 17/12/2007 12:55

.
if you want to look for the symptoms of labs and other vestibular disorders
go to www.dizzytimes.com

what type of dizziness is she describing??
for example, does she feel as though she is spinning, or falling, or lightheaded?

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 17/12/2007 12:58

sounds like she might have BPPV, which is not uncommon in older people..it is caused by harmless crystals in the ears, dislodging and floating round the inner ear..when the head is moved..it causes dizziness lasting no more than a min..a simple eaxm in the doctors can confirm it and there is a ten min head movement to treat it.
also hardening of the arteries in the neck, ahritis of the neck, cervical spondylosis can all cause those symptoms are are more common in older people, a gp would want to rule those out first.

noughty · 17/12/2007 13:16

I agree with Space cadett- Benign Positional Vertigo. Benign as in harmless, crystals dislodge and float about putting you off balance. I had it before. Felt like the room was spinning. It went on for months until I got a correct diagnosis and then a consultant did soem wierd manoevours on me (Fnarr, fnarr!) where he tuned me and tipped me up til he got the crystals back into place, seriously I'm not joking!! It corrected it immediately after months of intermitteant dizzy spells.

Original poster

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 13:17

SpaceCadet, thanks for your help on this.

It's really severe spinning type dizzyness. I'm terrified that if she gets it while standing up she'll fall, and everything will escalate.

Oh I've got a bad feeling about this. She has a Dr's appt on Thursday. I don't think she should wait, but prob won't get an appt before that anyway (her GPs abso crap)

OP posts:

Original poster

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 13:20

noughty.

Ho Ho, I can see my mum loving being spun round to get the crystals back in place.

OP posts:

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 17/12/2007 14:55

it definitely sounds like BPPV..get her to the gp asap..the good thing about bppv is that its not sinister so dont worry.
diagnosis involves something called the dix hallpike manouvre, where the patient is brought from a sitting to a lying down position very quickly and the eye movements monitored for a few seconds, if this test is positive, then the epley manouvre is carried out with involves, lying the patient down and turning the head into different positions, which relocates the crystals into a harmless chamber in the ear where they cant cause any more problems

HereComeTheGirls · 17/12/2007 16:44

it could also be a viral inner ear infection, in which case it will go away..don't panic!!

Original poster

clumsymum · 17/12/2007 16:59

Thanks for this.

I've tried to ring her, but she's gone for her usual visit next door on a Monday, so she feels up to that.

My main concern is that if she comes here for Christmas with this either a) she'll fall down our stairs (she lives in a bunglehouse) or b) she will say she daren't go home and need to stay for weeks.
When she broke her ankle (8 yrs ago) she stayed with us for 7 weeks and nearly sent me scatty, and dh elsewhere !!!

OP posts:

Original poster

clumsymum · 27/12/2007 13:21

Well, She's beern here since Saturday, and we had an episode of Dizzy & sick on Christmas eve, another one today. She has to take to her bed for the rest of the day after it, even tho' the dizziness only lasts 2 minutes or so, not sure why she needs bed rest, but it's giving me a break.

I've persuaded our GP to see her this teatime. Her own 'didn't say much about it' last week. I suspect she didn't fully explain her symptoms. Do you think it would be unreasonable for me to go in with her to GP today?

OP posts:

luckylady74 · 27/12/2007 13:27

my fil who is 70 has developed this recently as a result of meneries (sp?) disease, but it's the same symptons for labyrinthitus and vertigo - he always feels incredibly drained after an attack of dizziness and the advice is to rest/ keep still afterwards. he's a very fit man otherwise by the way!

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