Waking up with dizziness

So, I have a quick question on behalf of a friend of mine—and just to be clear, she isn't pregnant or dealing with anything like that.🙂 She’s been experiencing these intense bouts of dizziness that can last anywhere from four to five hours at a time; then, nothing happens for days, and suddenly, another episode hits out of nowhere. She does deal with some minor spinal issues—specifically a slipped disc and some scoliosis—but nothing too severe, really. Also, she noticed that after a long car ride, she sometimes gets hit with vertigo and this general sense of weakness.
Thanks, everyone!
😘
restlessgull82

restlessgull82 said:So, a friend of mine was asking me about this—and no, she isn’t pregnant or anything like that.🙂 It's just that sometimes she gets these intense dizzy spells that can last for four or five hours straight, and then nothing happens for days, and then suddenly—bam—another attack hits and that's it. She deals with some minor back issues, like a slipped disc and scoliosis, but nothing too crazy... Also, she occasionally gets really dizzy and feels totally weak after long car rides.
Thanks, everyone!
😘
restlessgull82

That's actually how I feel too, and I ended up getting diagnosed with a vestibular disorder. Honestly, she should probably see a neurologist—they'll be able to send her for more specific tests to figure out what's actually going on.

She saw a neurologist during her ninth month, but they’re leaning toward it being a spinal issue. Does anyone know which specific tests are needed to confirm that kind of diagnosis? And what does the treatment plan usually look like? It's just—well, they keep telling her it's her spine, but I have my doubts since her spinal scans seem relatively fine...

I was just looking back through your previous posts, and I wanted to clarify one thing—my friend doesn't deal with constant vertigo; it's more sporadic than that. It only happens maybe once a month...

restlessgull82 said:She saw a neurologist back in her ninth month, but they're pointing toward spinal issues. What kind of tests actually confirm that? And what’s the treatment plan look like? I mean, the doctors are insisting it's her spine, but I don't know—it just doesn't feel right because her spinal scans came back relatively normal...

I was just scrolling through some of your old posts, by the way—just wanted to mention that my friend doesn't get dizzy all the time; it's more occasional... maybe once a month or so...

Well, she probably needs a full spinal X-ray. Once that's done, the neurologist can figure out the next steps. Honestly, I deal with similar stuff from my own spine. There's also another test—I think it's called a ccd-g or something similar—which is basically brain imaging while moving, and then there's an EEG, though that's usually for epilepsy if they suspect something else. If it really is a spinal issue, there isn't a magic pill, much like my situation; it's mostly just whatever exercises a physical therapist assigns and general physical therapy.

Maybe they should just try switching up their pillow? Like, seriously. I know a Tempur-Pedic is a massive investment—definitely not cheap—but honestly, if you’re waking up with those dizzy spells, it’s almost certainly your neck acting up. And after a long haul on the highway? Yeah, probably because they're tensing up while driving, which just makes those neck muscles even tighter. There's actually this other medical-grade pillow out there that’s supposed to be just as good as Tempur... I think it's called Biopur? I've got one myself, and man, it took me maybe three or four days to really get used to it, but now? I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Maybe they could look into that..?

She’s heading in to get some spinal imaging done. Does that mean they’ll be able to see everything clearly on the X-ray?

So, she actually bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress—got it from an Academy Sports store—and right after that, she started dealing with these weird dizzy spells. She ended up tossing it out and just went back to a basic wool mattress, which has been much better for her... It sounds a bit strange, I know, but it's the truth!
Thanks so much, everyone!🙂