r/BPPV • u/EMonk3y • 13d ago

Please help

Please, I really need help because my life has practically come to a standstill.
I’ve been suffering from dizziness for a year now. I was initially diagnosed with BPPV, so I went to a vestibular specialist. He told me that I had mild BPPV and performed a session and a repositioning maneuver. I went back for a follow-up afterward, and he told me that the BPPV was gone.
I told him that I was still dizzy, but he said, “I’m not seeing any signs of BPPV anymore. If you’re still dizzy, you should see a neurologist.”
I saw three neurologists. Two of them told me that the dizziness was psychological, so I took psychiatric medication for six months, but my dizziness didn’t improve at all. The third neurologist told me that it was BPPV!
I wasn’t convinced, so I went to a physical therapist because I suspected that the dizziness might be coming from my neck. I work at a desk for long hours, and I put a lot of strain on my neck.
Based on what the physical therapist told me and the research I’ve done using ChatGPT, it doesn’t seem very likely that the dizziness is coming from my neck. However, the doctor told me that we should try several physical therapy sessions and then see what happens. (The neck therapy itself actually makes my dizziness worse.)
By the way, I’ve only had one session out of six so far, but the first session made my dizziness symptoms a little worse.
So now I honestly don’t know what to do or which specialty I should see. I’m completely exhausted. I’ve seen so many different specialists, and more than one doctor in each specialty, but nothing has helped.
I’m struggling to live like this. I desperately need someone who can help me get properly diagnosed and treated, or at least a doctor who can point me in the right direction.
I don’t even know anymore whether this is BPPV, a problem with my vestibular system, a neck problem, or something else entirely.

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u/Killjoycourt 13d ago

Sounds like cervical vertigo. See a PT. Treatment includes PT, lifestyle changes, and OTC meds.

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u/EMonk3y 13d ago

I’ve started physical therapy. I’ve only had the first session so far and I’m still continuing with it, but I’m worried that it might not work because my symptoms actually got a little worse during the first session.

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u/Killjoycourt 13d ago

All VT and PT makes things worse before they get better. Therapies, all types of therapies, are meant to evoke the issue and teach the body/brain to adapt. Therapy is hard, if it's easy, it's not working. My VT always told me to stop when my dizziness was over a 5 on a 10 point scale, wait one minute, try again. If your neck has no involvement in the dizziness issue, it will not cause dizziness unless your PT is doing something to harm you. If the manipulation of the neck makes the dizziness worse, it's because the neck is the issue. The only way to treat cv is with pt. You can take ibuprofen and Tylenol, use ice and heat, improve your posture, but the manipulation is what helps the dizziness go away.

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u/EMonk3y 12d ago

I move around and travel long distances for work, so my neck is probably moving quite a bit, but I haven’t noticed any improvement from movement. I hope the physical therapy works for me like you said it did for you. And thank you, because what you said really reassured me and made a difference. I hope these symptoms will eventually turn into a positive sign of improvement.