I signed up just to give you guys some info on all this. I was searching for a new creeper and saw this discussion because of my search parameters. Anyway, here’s some stuff…
Some years ago I was in Vegas and got sick (virus) on way home to Pittsburgh. Shortly after I was under a car on a Kwik Lift, lying on my back on my creeper, and rolled over to grab a tool while stretching above my head to reach it. Immediately had a sensation of “room spinning”. It was terrible. I didn’t get terribly nauseated from it but some people do, while others don’t. Nausea can indicate other issues though, so keep that in mind.
It wouldn’t settle down and for literally months I was dealing with the issue. Was off work, was basically sheltered in my house trying to deal with it. I saw multiple neurologists in Pittsburgh to find help, all the local major hospitals, etc. Some were no help while others helped me tremendously.
Along with the dizziness came the most intense headaches I’d ever had, and I’ve had migraines since childhood (I’m 43). These were ER visit level migraines though, and I don’t hesitate to say I was having bad thoughts over this major health shift I was in.
I finally found one neurologist who helped me with the headaches. She doesn’t focus as much on the dizziness but rather to see if helping the headaches helps with the dizziness (it’s a real chicken and the egg thing… which causes the other, ya know). I now get Botox to help on the headaches and it does, but it sucks. But the help is worth the shots pain and stuff.
On the dizziness I had a much longer road, and honestly it’s never gone away. It has subsided and I’ve trained myself, or rather my body is adapting to it, however I did find a neurologist at UPMC who I was really fortunate to find. He’s an expert in this, which all inner-ear stuff is often not completely understood. But my neurologist was able to help me. He prescribed an as-needed drug often used to help with seizures called Clonazepam… I take half of the smallest dosage of the dizziness is bad, and it does help. It’s an unorthodox use of the medicine I guess.
I also have some other prescriptions but it’s the Clonazepam that really helped me.
I wanted to just say all this cuz I see you guys having problems and I don’t wish this issue on my worst enemies. Sadly there’s not much of a cure for these vertigo bouts. Mine seems like BPPV, Meneire’s, etc. Just like a lot of you guys. They’ve narrowed my diagnosis down to some BPPV but with migraine-related vertigo… possibly migraine induced (a migraine manifesting itself as vertigo before the pain perhaps). Basically I’m relegated to handling symptoms.
I’m not a full time mech like most of you all are I suppose, but I am on the creeper a lot since I down own a full lift. So I understand how debilitating this is for you guys who have it. Don’t despair if it’s bad, your body can adapt. Physical therapy helped me some too, but never cured anything and my neuros both basically said don’t expect it to ever stop, just learn to adapt and live with it.
I wish any of you luck who’ve got this issue though, and to talk about it with a professional if you need to, to help cope with the health change.