Adventure Bike Rider

Hello all, I'm just looking for a bit of advice from anyone who may have suffered from symptoms I'm having.

Just to highlight how serious this is, I've been taken from my work to hospital, then home to rest due to an illness I've never suffered before. To say I'm worried is an understatement. In the five years with Gleaner Oils I've never had a single day off and my prior employment, of six yrs had only six days off in total so I'm no malingerer and loathe time off work! I'm just venting my worries and looking for any advice out there, piece of mind etc!

At the weekend I had a couple of dizzy spells, I shugged them off, usual "stood up too quickly" and carried on. Monday morning just before leaving from work, another dizzy episode. (I explain these as feeling drunk). I decided to get an appointment with the local doctor just to be safe. He advised me possible Labrynthitis rather than linked to my heart condition, although my pulse is slower than usual (around 50bpm) blood pressure's 120/80 so normal. So he told me if I get any worse get back in touch, "nothing to worry about", that's not what I thought!
Well, today it got worse alright. I had to get my apprentice to drive the van back from a job to the depot where my manager assisted me off the premises and got Daniel my apprentice to take me to hospital.
I have periods of dizziness and am unstable on my feet. These can last for a minute or two at a time, I feel a bit nauseous but come back to normal soon. Sitting still feels ok, eyes closed even better, so I concur an inner ear problem may be the cause of the dizziness. The doctor today has come up with another possible cause, Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo! This can take weeks, perhaps months to clear up. I've been put on a phenothiazine antipsychotic medicine called prochlorperazine maleate (don't like the sound of antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia!)

So, my questions, and damn, I've got plenty, but my main ones are has anyone suffered dizziness to this degree? And if so,any thoughts on recovery time, etc? My main concern being I'm supposed to be leaving for the Stella Alpina rally on Saturday and if there's no marked improvement I may have to cancel.

P.S.
Am I psychotic? ???? Em,,,,, best not answer that one! LOL!
Thanks for listening.

Hi,
Sounds like vertigo. A work mate of mine has been off for 2 months now with it. He can go several days (no more than 4) without anything then he will have a couple of bad days.
Being NHS he managed to jump the queue (there has to be some perks !!!) to see a specialist consultant who has told him it will pass but it could be weeks, months or (very rarely) years.
Sorry if its not what you wanted to hear

no lay person can diagnose you. go see a different GP and get another opinion.

Thanks for the reply Paul, I've seen two different NHS doctors and both have advised probable inner ear issue, either way, no quick fix. My only regret is having to tell Fiona we might not be catching that ferry to Calais on Sunday. Bang goes the Summer holiday in Europe.

Mike, I'm not asking for diagnosis, I'm simply asking if anyone's experienced this dizziness and a possible length of time to recover from the affliction.
I've been diagnosed by two individual MD's and have no issues with that. I'm just asking.

oh dear Jim . Not good news

Jenifer asked how's your Blood sugar ? Had that looked at ?
And are you stressing when it happens .

Anyways , I have no experience of your symptoms , but looking at NHS website brings up some things to look out for ..
www.nhs.uk/conditions/dizziness/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Hopefully you will get to go on sunday , but if not there will always be another trip! your health and safety whilst on the bike comes first ..

Get well soon

Yer just gettin auld Jim.

after what you say i would come up with a inner ear problem of infection , one ive had this myself , the first time it happenend was after training in big seas on the lifeboat and thought abit of sea sickness , then aday or so later it happenend again felt like shite all the same as you , i went to hospital and they said i had an ear infection they gave me aload of tablets and it was away in afew days , did put the shits up me when it happenend

I had similar about 10 years ago and it took about 12-18 months to clear

Took Sudafed and an inner ear drug (can't remember which)for 5 years

Had to see an ENT Consultant and had an op

It was an inner ear problem, like you describe and like Vertigo

I could go days to weeks, then months and then it cleared up and made riding the bike not a possibilty, in the beginning of the diagnosis

Hope yours clears up quicker than mine did

I had a similar thing years ago - getting up from horizontal to vertical would send me off and have me grabbing anything in sight to stop me falling over as the whole world spun. Once I'd been upright for a minute or two I was ok as long as I didn't turn my head too quickly. I was diagnosed with an inner ear infection and given the psycho drugs too, which made no difference at all to my condition but made it almost impossible to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. I was self-employed so didn't take any time off work, and it lasted for around three months - funnily enough it went about 2 days after I stopped taking the drugs.

Following a very rough Spain-Plymouth crossing I felt like I was at sea for about 3 months afterwards. Any sudden movement of my head or going from sitting to sitting quickly kicked off that "head rush" feeling lasting for a few seconds to a couple of minutes, while walking down narrow corridoors and even travelling in a lift triggered some very weird sensations leaving me a little rubber legged. It was never disabling though, at worst requiring a touch on of something solid to orientate myself and mostly just weird and at times amusing and enjoyable. I rarely experienced it outdoors either, so riding the bike was a great excuse. It just suddenly went after 3 months or so.

My self- diagnosis was that positional vertigo thing. There is a treatment involving certain head movements to try and restabilise the inner ear sensors.

Good luck with it.


Sent from my iPhone with a smile

I got a sudden onset about 14 months ago whilst riding my bike at 'motorway' speeds , it was soo bad I thought I was going to black out so stopped and just lay on the floor until it passed. Dehydration and sunstroke was the most likely cause but I was so worried I went to the Doc's for ECG/blood tests etc who couldn't find anything wrong and passed me as fit to retain my HGV licence. Had several similar episodes shortly after and a routine HGV medical passed me fit to renew my HGV licence.
Wifes a nurse so checked blood sugars, blood pressure and pulse rate during a dizzy spell and all was normal .
In the last few months the dizzy spells have really slowed down to the point I have forgotten all about them. The only thing I have done is stop taking Hay fever tablets, coincidence who knows but so far so good. I've also managed to get rid of a long period of blocked sinuses which affected my hearing and therefore possibly inner ear pressure was not helping (family history of Meniers). The other thing I learn't was that the more I worried about it the more frequent the dizzy spells became so just learn't to deal with it.
Since the first episode I've toured the Alps 2 up on the GS, regularly driven HGV's, flown to Morocco and toured around for 12 days etc etc so despite it nagging away at me it's not stopped me doing stuff.
So your not alone in having these worrying dizzy attacks but of course they could be many different causes so I would advise to see the Doc, explain your concerns, see what his expert opinion is and then go from there.
Have you considered checking your blood alcohol level

A chap I work with had the same thing - he was proper rough for a few weeks - cleared up after that. Don't know if i'd want to riding a bike with the condition.

Sorry to hear this Jim

PMd you my contact numbers

Can't answer any of your questions Jim , just hope it clears up quick for you mate
Phil