Vertigo and Sailing. Any Experience?

[Djarraluda]

Yes, as others have already stated. Stu cracked it, you need to find the type and cause.
I had a virus, developed Left Positional Vertigo and the neurologist identified the manoeuvre to settle it down.
20 years on and it can still occur, I do the roll and rest a bit, then all ok.
Extreme tiredness / stress sets me off, so single handed passage making is off my agenda nowadays but otherwise, all is good.
Roger

[Don C L]

I get vertigo occasionally and only briefly on land from “floaters” in my inner ear, and I got it once sailing pretty badly. ( I mean I got it badly, not that I was sailing badly) It really is a frightening thing. I was absolutely sure I was about to fall out of the boat so I went below and stayed on the cabin sole till it sudsided. It kinda scared my sailing buddies too! I don’t worry about it though.

[conchaway]

It's called "seasick". Sometimes you get over it. Sometimes you have to take pills. Sometimes you have to take up horse back riding out west instead.

[oldcal46skipper]

YES! Experience. Hip replacement Nov. 2007. Infection due to dirty OR. Docs prescribed gentamicin, because it was cheap & I was on MediCare Advantage. 10 December 2007 I suffered a NDE (Near Death Experience) where my "spirit" left my body and ascended.... Long story I will share on personal request.


I was diagnosed with "Irreversible Bi-Lateral Vestibulopathy" , but did not want to believe it, after six more MD's tested me and all agreed. I have no balance due to the unsupervised overdose of gentamicin - 19 days instead of the recommended five days. I could not stand or walk! Thanks for dedicated Physical Therapists who taught me to stand & walk!


I was determined to Overcome, but no can do... I have waited ten years, hoping we could go sailing again, but no joy. I can take our Panga out into Pensacola Bay fishing, but after one half hour, I must hit the bean bag. Taking our Cal 46 on another cruise is out! I am on her daily, but now having had heart failure and cancer I give up.



Anyone want to buy the BEST Cal 46 ever built? PM

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by oldcal46skipper

YES! Experience. Hip replacement Nov. 2007. Infection due to dirty OR. Docs prescribed gentamicin, because it was cheap & I was on MediCare Advantage. 10 December 2007 I suffered a NDE (Near Death Experience) where my "spirit" left my body and ascended.... Long story I will share on personal request.


I was diagnosed with "Irreversible Bi-Lateral Vestibulopathy" , but did not want to believe it, after six more MD's tested me and all agreed. I have no balance due to the unsupervised overdose of gentamicin - 19 days instead of the recommended five days. I could not stand or walk! Thanks for dedicated Physical Therapists who taught me to stand & walk!


I was determined to Overcome, but no can do... I have waited ten years, hoping we could go sailing again, but no joy. I can take our Panga out into Pensacola Bay fishing, but after one half hour, I must hit the bean bag. Taking our Cal 46 on another cruise is out! I am on her daily, but now having had heart failure and cancer I give up.



Anyone want to buy the BEST Cal 46 ever built? PM

Really sorry to hear that story. I hope you find a good home for your 46. Which model is it?

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by conchaway

It's called "seasick". Sometimes you get over it. Sometimes you have to take pills. Sometimes you have to take up horse back riding out west instead.

Vertigo is not motion sickness.
During my wife's period of vertigo she suffered more on land than when sailing and she was not seasick.

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by vonchris7

Hi,I was in the ER yesterday and they think I have vertigo. My heart sank... So, I got to wondering... has anyone out there had vertigo and continued sailing? Is there hope? Thanks!

Yes! I had this not long ago and it is called "Positional Vertigo". See your doctor and he should be able to give you written instructions on the exercises to do to get rid of this feeling. I was told it would take a few weeks of exercise and in four days the uncomfortable condition was gone. It did come back a few months later and a few more days of exercise and is has never returned... you can also Google this and the exercises are online...

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Yellowtulip

Vertigo is not motion sickness.
During my wife's period of vertigo she suffered more on land than when sailing and she was not seasick.

No, it’s not and there are many forms of it, or I guess it’s better to say that it can manifest itself in different ways.
Vertigo can be debilitating, think seasick but worse.

[softgoodsint]

My sympathies to other respondents whom have experienced continued suffering with "Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)". I woke up one morning with a serious case of it (way worse than too much Tequila) and pretty quickly got myself to the ER. I couldn't walk, let alone drive.

Turned out that I was very lucky, in so far that an attending physician who happened to be familiar with the EPLY maneuver was within ear shot as I described my situation. He started the procedure as soon as I'd signed in, and ten minutes later I was at like 90-95%, able to stand, walk without nausea. After a few more hours at home, I'd completely recovered.

The other way that I've been lucky, apparently, is that it was a "one and done" and I've not had any reoccurrence, and have been diving and sailing several times since. Diving was the real test, since the UW environment is disorienting to a person in the best of health, never mind, pressure on the ear canal.

All that said, a qualified practitioner ought to provide a definite diagnosis, and if BPPV is determined, the EPLY maneuver is easy to perform, and if repeats are needed, not difficult to do yourself (about like Yoga, IMHO.)

[StuM]

Originally Posted by softgoodsint

All that said, a qualified practitioner ought to provide a definite diagnosis, and if BPPV is determined, the EPLY maneuver is easy to perform, and if repeats are needed, not difficult to do yourself (about like Yoga, IMHO.)

Yep, that's what surprised me about the original post.


"I was in the ER yesterday and they think I have vertigo."

That's like staff in the ER saying "we think you've got a high temperature" or "we think you're bleeding"

[redhead]

The ER doctors showed my husband how to tell if I was having an attack. Pull back the eyelid and you'll see the eyeball making jerky uncontrolled motions. No thinking about it. Easy to diagnose.

With the severe vomiting and light sensitivity (and my constant groaning) there were a couple of things that could have been going on. By looking at my eyes there was no doubt.

[RentDubaiYachts]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We had a friend who had vertigo as a side effect of anti-biotics. It was so bad, he had to crawl off his boat, and even ashore, his balance was uncertain. After a number of years, perhaps in the 10-15 yr. range, he slowly began to improve. And now, he is able to have another cruising boat.

My advice would be to pursue it with the experts, and see what the physical therapists have to say, and then move on, whichever direction your life might go.

"Experts" only know so much. Sometimes you can't find someone who really knows, or maybe nobody does, and you just have to accept it and find your direction.



Ann

Hahahaha, that's crazy, man.

I had a friend like that as well, but mine refused to get "expert"s advice

On a side note, I completely agree with you.

[Ghostrider421]

Growing up in Panama, I had an inner ear infection that gave me vertigo and a form of sea sickness. Dad took me to several specialists in Miami - while I was curled up on the baggage compartment and on taxi's floor. None could agree on course of action. He spent thousands getting me all sorts of medicines. Mind you, back in the 60's we didn't have the medical help that's available now in Panama. Even the local witch doctor who after throwing the bones gave up and went fishing! Such was life in the Darien. A number of years later, at Johns Hopkins, I had an operation on my deviated septum, given CIPRO & Scopace. The surgery and antibiotic took care of it. I still use Scopace for the first couple of days at sea, then I stabilize.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ghostrider421

Growing up in Panama, I had an inner ear infection that gave me vertigo and a form of sea sickness. Dad took me to several specialists in Miami - while I was curled up on the baggage compartment and on taxi's floor. None could agree on course of action. He spent thousands getting me all sorts of medicines. Mind you, back in the 60's we didn't have the medical help that's available now in Panama. Even the local witch doctor who after throwing the bones gave up and went fishing! Such was life in the Darien. A number of years later, at Johns Hopkins, I had an operation on my deviated septum, given CIPRO & Scopace. The surgery and antibiotic took care of it. I still use Scopace for the first couple of days at sea, then I stabilize.

The Darien in the 60's...that must have been interesting. What brought you there?

[belizesailor]

I sometimes get a brief sensation of vertigo when SCUBA diving. Usually when changing orientation. Rarely ashore. Never sailing.