I had a stroke in June 2017 and since then I have had periods of giddiness/nausea, sometimes lasting an hour and sometimes a few days. No apparent triggers. The biggest issue is not knowing when I am going to feel like this which makes me anxious about going far. No doctor has confirmed that these episodes are as a result of my stroke but they date from then.
Interestingly I have had vertigo for a few years . It started before I had mini strokes and was very bad when I had tias . I was told it was Benign positional vertigo and no link was made to the strokes . I now suffer from dizziness regularly , but just take a pill when I feel it starting and that works well .
I have poor balance since my strokes , but mine is not like the dizziness from vertigo I get .
Your symptoms sound like mine . Vertigo / dizzy in the morning . I take clopidogrel and statins pm , as I was advised they work better at night . I don’t have high blood pressure anymore and not on medication for it . I just reduced my stress !!
I had a stroke just three years ago - march 2017. Since then until 2 weeks ago all was going well. I'm retired so don't have stress from business and use the gym 3 times a week for conditioning.
Then 2 weeks ago, something went wrong. I found I couldn't walk! No pain or dizziness, but my feet wouldn't go where I wanted them to, a weird experience. I was reminded of one explanation for the results of a stroke: "it's like an old-fashioned telephone switchboard, and someone has pulled all the connection wires out, so your thoughts don't get through to where you wanted them to go"
I called my GP's surgery, and after a quick look at my records, they said - go to A&E right away! So I did, wife driving and I must praise the NHS here, I was processed, tested and sampled in no time at all! The general mood seemed to be I'd had another "Cerebral Event", but the test results didn't show that. and I still couldn't walk.
Finally, one doctor said he didn't think it was a stroke - and there is a simple test to prove it. He had me lie on a bed, head hanging over the side, gave it a few twists and there was a huge surge of dizzinesand - I could walk!!
I had had "BPV" - Benign Positional Vertigo, cured by the Epley manoeuvre.
I had a cerebellar stroke in 2014 (aged 54) that affected my balance.It took 2 years for it to feel within the realms of "normal".I have worked with wobble boards/ holding a chair/ holding walls and lifting 1 leg.Now nearly 6 years on no one else can tell, but occasionally I feel inexplicably off balance but recover within 2-3 minutes.Not so severe to fall over, but I have to concentrate and sometimes even sit down to regain balance.Some deep breaths or a drink of water help too.In the last year, I have started learning T'ai Chi for the last year, which is also helping.I am on clopidogrel and rosuvastatin since the stroke.
What a lovely result. So pleased for you.
So they really do turn the tide back down there .
Best wishes
Colin
Hi I am 47 and had a stroke in December 2019, I have had awful dizziness and it is like someone just picks my brain up and shakes it now and then it goes after a few seconds but it happens whether I am sat or standing ?
Hi In 2013 I had a tia (which I call a baby stroke) and for a long time after I experienced dizzyness, mostly when i bent down. I was referred to physiotherapy and I was told that crystals in your brain go out of alignment and need putting back , I was eventually given eplay treatment, on a bed and had my head moved about by physiotherapist . This seemed to clear most of it with only occasional slight dizzy spells.
This was probably an inner ear problem.
Wonderful!
I'm glad you recovered without any complications.
You were lucky to have the clever doctor around.
Thank you Colinm thats goods to no.
hello I am Judy, user name Cecil. I had two strokes a month apart seven months ago and have suffered vertigo ever since. my head feels "full" all the time, and I cant walk very well. I am dizzy sitting or standing but not lying down. I have been given various medication but they all seem to make the vertigo worse. I dont have nausea with it. any advice please? regards Judy
Welcome to the forum Judy.
Things were hard enough when i had a stroke at xmas 2015, but you guys trying to recover with Corona around, well it just makes things even more confused.
I remember the dizzy spells. Lack of rest and lack of sleep seemed to make mine worse. But it did slowly ease. After a few months, we are bound to be weak and unsteady. Any illness of more than a week will do that. So we need to gently build ourselves up with movement and rest. I can recall actually falling over when sitting down. I just laughed at myself. A smile seems to make everything a little better.
Our brains are trying to work out how to deal with their new requirements. Things will settle down and I would guess that, at 7 months, some good improvements should be coming your way soon. I worked very very hard at getting a good nights sleep. I need 7.5hrs sleep and eventually I managed to get that sleep. A lot improved at that time. I kept wondering if it was medication and I even had a proper trial of changing the blood thinners. But the medication didnt make any diffference.
I then tried gentle exercising every day. That helped. I then found seated yoga and that helped a lot.
Never ever give up. Things will improve.
Be positive, smile.
You are not alone, lots of us out here are willing you on.
Colin
Hello Colin, thank you for replying to my email. I see by your picture that you are a cat lover. I have just 3 now, but have had up to 20 at a time in the past. I have two tabby Point Siamese and Raven a black short hair with six toes on all feet!.
I also have budgies, two large tortoises, and pond fish. I also feed the badgers and foxes that come right up to my door.
I sleep very well, in fact too well! LOL I can sleep any time LOL my main trouble is tiredness and lack of balance with my legs. some days it seems a little better, but I spend a lot of time on the bed resting. my second stroke damaged part of the retina of the left eye. I have a blind spot in my vision.
well breakfast now, lovely to hear from you. regards, Judy
Dear Judy
I am so pleased you sleep well. Do try and keep your night sleep going, at the level that you need. My level is 7.5hrs.
I then needed "stroke naps" and had several each day. They were lovely, no dreams, and woke feeling refreshed. With a big effort I could identify "sleepy tired" from "stroke nap tired".
I also opted to stay out of bed. Lie on sofa when really needed, but generally sit in a comfy chair and nap. These were just my ways.
The balance will slowly return. Do have in mind that stroke does not damage anything apart from the messaging system. After two years then prmanent damage can set in, but for now its all about the brain needing to fathom how to cope.
Throughout 46 years of married life we never had any pets. Not even a budgie. Youngest son had an allergy so we wouldnt have animals in the house.
But youngest son now has his own house. And a black cat came to our kitchen door begging for food. He could smell the gammon that Rose was cooking.
He was tatty, wet, cold and hungry. He is not a pretty cat. So he got food. Then food the next day, then I left our garage open for shelter. Then he came near enough for us to pet him.
We now love him beyond all reason. We let him go wherever he wants and we love him joining us. He seems to actually like people. He isnt a pretty cat and he is big. Very big. I cant safely lift him. He remains nocturnal and is tapping on the kitchen door each morning. He has breakfast then comes and sits on our bed whilst we have tea. It makes a great start to the day, especially when I am having a bad day, He is the reason to get up each morning.
When he decides we need company he will sit with his front paws and head on my lap (or Rose lap). So therapeutic.
I wrote an article published in the October 2019 "Your Cat". All about our Sooty or to give him his registered title: Sooty Oscarthemagnificent.
The local cat lady is now our best friend. I try to assist her. She has perhaps 20 cats at a time. She "homes" them as fast as she can. And she has taught me so much. I am fascinated by her work, especially just how much local people will ride to the rescue if she needs anything. She supplies ferules to farms and will match cats to "owners", refusing to allow them to go to homes on the main road. And she is always on hand for lost and found.
My parents had budgies, kept outdoors. So nice when they had enough space to fly and live outdoors.
Nice to chat with you Judy
Colin
Hello John. I have had bad vertigo since my two strokes the apixaban blood tnner made me so bad they were stopped and I feel much better but still dizzy. Blessings judy
I want to thank you for your replies.they really have been a help to me by blessings judy
Hello my dear friend. Reading your post we have had such similar things happen with stroke. 7 months ago I had two strokes one month apart. Like you I have problems with balance. Thanks for the tip of a glass of water. I do drink a glass when I think of it. I had a posteria stroke which has taken away some of the sight of the left eye. That affects the balance also. Take care. Blessings judy
Hi Jayc. Sometimes dizziness can be caused by the medication we are given after stroke such as blood pressure tablets. Some tablets are worse than others for causing dizziness so it is worth experimenting till you find a brand that suits you rather than your GP. I have suffered with vertigo since the 1980's and it comes and goes over the years. I was given Stemetil which was brilliant and took even the worst of episodes away quickly. Since my stroke three years ago, I am no longer allowed to take it as it affects the brain in certain ways which can trigger another stroke.
I had an 8 hr flight this Feb and ever since I have had trouble when I lay down or look up. It has lingered on and off since. I then thought of something that may have triggered it. Because of the time distance when travelling, my tablets went a little bit to pot time wise as I always take them at the same time of day. I also got up later when I was away and took my BP tablet later in the morning.
My husband is off sick at the moment so we are getting up later than he would normally for work so I have gone back to my previous routine of taking it earlier on in the morning and it seems to have done the trick..touch wood. I usually take it at 0630 which is when I normally get up when hubby is at work. But we have been sleeping on till 0800.
If you know it has been caused by your stroke for certain, it may be worth asking if you could have another appointment with the neurologist to see if they can suggest something. They do say the Epley Manoevre works but I'm not sure if you can have that done if you have had a stroke either. Hope you get something sorted.