The following is a quote from Dr. Thimothy Hain
http://www.american-hearing.org/diso...l_vertigo.html
Quote:
|
Many patients who have vertigo in the context of neck disease have a BPPV type nystagmus on positional testing. This suggests that the neck afferents may interact strongly with vestibular inputs derived from the posterior canal.
|
I have episodes of vertigo that are not getting better with time (It's been 3 years). In fact they are getting worse.
My C6/7 is collapsed, C5/6 is collapsed, C4/5 herniated. I have had just about every test offered... multiple MRI's including upright, MRA, EKG/EEG, complete blood work 4 times, and testing at a dedicated balance center.
I have pain, but minimal compared to most. My forearms do "burn" on and off. But the Vertigo is the scariest as it can just come on and last for hours.
My vertigo is in fact positional with the worst cases happening at night and accompanied by night sweats. I awaken with the room moving and the back of my neck covered in sweat. I get up to use the bathroom and its all I can do to hold the walls and stumble to the toilet.
What makes the Vertigo subside is lying very still on my side with my right cheek and right hip on the bed/pillow. If I mirror this image to the left - left cheek on pillow, left hip on bed I will "spin" or feel like I am moving. Lying flat on my back puts uncomfortable pressure on the back of my head, but the spin will also subside.
My balance tests said
"Central Vertigo" and mentioned the brain stem. I believe it to be SUBJECTIVE as it is worse with my eyes closed than open. My ears and vestibular system tested okay. So I have a diagnosis of sorts but not a "cause". So I go without treatment. I am considering
Neurography Scans but I don't know if it would make any difference as I don't know if these kinds of nerves would even show up.
I have read what I can on "Cervical Vertigo" and while many believe this is a real entity, others do not. And the problem even when those who do believe it is for real - NO TREATMENT. Whats the point in a diagnosis without a treatment plan. I know I am sick, I feel it every day.
So where does that leave me? Sick without help. Honestly I have been to almost 25 different Doctors - Neurologists, Neurotologisit, Orthopedic and Neurosurgeons, ENT's, ND's, Physiatrists, and more. The problem is most do very little diagnosis. I don't need another Doctor to take my blood pressure and have me do the same reflex tests over and over. I need a Doctor who wants to figure this out or at least is willing to try and look beyond the same old 20 minute reflex tests.
I have read online about the
ALAR LIGAMENT being unstable and causing Vertigo. This ligament attaches at C2 - known for Balance Problems. And while this seems to be accepted in the Chiro Community, it is not in the Medical Community. Where do I find a person who can test or image this ligament?
I do not believe that a simple Flexion and Extension XRay is sufficient to determine instability in the neck. I do believe in bad cases it would show, but what about mild cases where the neck could be stable in these extreme pictures but not stable as you tip the head to the right and towards the shoulder or any of 100's of other positions we encounter as we move about through out our day?
I have read of
Digital Motion XRay but I wrote the company and they never responded. I guess they only want to sell equipment. They don't even maintain a list of where to get scanned.
So I am at a loss. How do I find a Physician with the skill set to figure out a Cervical Related Balance problem? How do I find a Physician that cares enough to take the time to actually investigate the problem? I'm very tired of waiting for hours to see a Doctor so he can look at the same plain jane MRI's and tell me I have a bad neck. I need to find someone who has a reputation for figuring out these "tough" cases. I have no insurance and I don't have money to throw at the wind any more.
And while it would be nice to go to Germany I simply don't have the resources to pull it off. I need to find someone on the West Coast - California, AZ, or NV. And that person may not even exist.
Any advise would be appreciated.
PS: I have 2 kidneys and will probably need to sell one to get help. But it would be better than dying and letting them both go to waste.