Waves of dizziness

[Pleasedontdothat]

Two and a half months ago I ended up in hospital after a freak riding accident with five broken vertebrae and four broken ribs. Thankfully the fractures were stable so I didn’t need surgery but I was in hospital for just over a week, partly because in the first few days my heart rate kept dropping very low (around 30 bpm).

At the same time I started having waves of dizziness - for a few seconds it feels like my brain is spinning around inside my head. After a few days my heart rate stabilised (it’s normally around 50) but the dizziness is still happening. It usually seems to be triggered by a change in head position eg turning over in bed, looking up etc but it can also happen when I’m sitting or lying still.

Has anyone else had something similar? Any ideas what’s causing this and should I be concerned?

You need to be seen by a medical bod, but it could be BPPV or similar. What happens if you shake your head (sitting down!).

Have a look at these exercises which they GP gave me to do whenever I have vertigo - it's the Epley Manoeuvre and you do out for both sides:

careguides-videos.med.umich.edu/media/t/1_c5wotrzw/20345631
and
careguides-videos.med.umich.edu/media/t/1_moz18ep1/20345631

Did you have a head scan?

After such a major accident you cannot rule out some damage to the brain as it was shaken up in the fall and the impact. I think you should see a doc.

You have to see a doctor to get checked out even if it is for your own peace of mind. I have the dizziness when turning over in bed too. I'm in recovery from breast cancer and there's a nodule on my lung, I also collapse unexpectedly.

There is no way of knowing what it is, or how it should be treated. With the waiting lists as they are now, the sooner you see the GP the sooner you'll be referred. Just get checked.

Thanks everyone - as far as I’m aware I didn’t hit my head at all and I did have a CT and MRI scan when I first got to A&E. I didn’t have any loss of consciousness and the doctors were happy with me cognitively, but I think it must be linked to the accident as it literally started happening the first night I was in hospital. I told my medical team about it and they didn’t seem too bothered by it but it’s freaking me out a bit that it’s still happening now when I’m pretty much fully recovered from the fractures. I’ll make an appointment to see the GP.

With a spinal injury possibly cervical vertigo/cervicogenic dizziness, can occur after whiplash injuries, sports injuries or trauma. Definitely see your GP.

Quick update - saw the GP this morning - she thinks it was probably caused by the trauma but I’ve had some blood tests to rule out dizziness caused by anaemia etc and she’ll refer me to the local ENT team