Just diagnosed with BPV - what rides should I skip now?

[gzmtlock]

DH and I have a "just-the-two-of-us" trip scheduled in 3 1/2 weeks; we've been excited about it for months! Only a blip has appeared on the radar screen.

I have just been diagnosed with BPV (benign positional vertigo). I'm scheduled for the therapy to "fix" it in two weeks. They told me the therapy is effective 90+% of the time, so I am very hopeful that the dizziness I now experience many times a day will become a thing of the past. Actually, I'm kinda counting on it - that's what will keep me positive between now and May 5! (If it doesn't, well then, I'll deal with it if that happens.)

But I'm concerned about re-triggering the vertigo on some of the rides. I haven't been a true thrill-seeker for years; I pretty much wimp out on serious coasters. But I do like Expedition Everest. And I love, love, love TSM and Buzz - but both of those have spinning components.

Anyone with BPV have advice for me on what rides to stay away from, to keep from triggering another attack?

TIA!

 

[ConnieB]

I would suggest talking to your therapist about it....be prepared to describe the movements of those rides (like the fact that TSM swings you around rather suddenly and will have some swing the opposite way to stop you, probably easier to describe standing in the therapy office, lol). If you're lucky they'll be a Disney fan, lol.

They may be able to tell you some things you can do to keep yourself centered so the vertigo doesn't come back, or how to "fix" it when it does come back. At the very least (and worst) they'll tell you that you need to skip those rides.

 

[vicb]

Hey OP I'm sort of in the same boat, I had a first and severe bout of vertigo back in September-awful! Then nothing until Feb when I was in the movie theater and a scene on screen triggered a mild case. After the movie I had a one hour drive home which didn't help so I took a motion sickness pill and went to bed, better next day. Just a couple of weeks ago I had another mild bout not even sure what triggered it . I carry meclizine pills on me all the time now.

I never go on spinning rides like Tea Cups or MS or the motion simulator like Star Tours even before this. I am going to be positive and try all my usual rides and hope for the best. I was able to go on an 8 hour plane trip + train in Dec. with out any problems so hoping for no issues.

Good luck!

 

[ktlm]

My Mom was suffering from BPV a few years back around our WDW trip with her. She wasn't in the worst of it during the trip (where she basically couldn't get off the couch), but she was still having on and off issues. She was able to do TSM just fine. She actually tried to chicken out and exit the ride and the CM told her she would be fine and to get in! She was fine and she loved it. She rode Buzz without issues too. She was also okay on Soarin. She wouldn't set foot on EE before she had BPV. She had issues with it for a few months and then it completely went away for her, so even if you don't have an immediate total fix don't despair. She was worried she would suffer from it for the rest of her life, but it has never come back and as I've said it has been years.

 

[Andyman33]

rides with cgi are probably going to be worse than some of the coasters but depending on how you are, I would just try them -- its BENIGN positional vertigo so its not like you can damage yourself -- but it can make your symptoms worse. If i had it I would recommend avoiding something like mission space and probably star tours. obviously teacups and i've never been on it before but primevil whirl sounds in that realm. its anything that tests your inner ear that will exacerbate your symptoms. coasters can definitely do that and the sharper the turns and speed the more it will be tested.
with that said, if you're feeling great on something like barnstormer then keep working up to splash then big thunder then space then everest would be my recommendations. if you can't handle barnstormer without becoming dizzy then I wouldn't even try the others. that's how I'd do it though....

 

[vicb]

My Mom was suffering from BPV a few years back around our WDW trip with her. She wasn't in the worst of it during the trip (where she basically couldn't get off the couch), but she was still having on and off issues. She was able to do TSM just fine. She actually tried to chicken out and exit the ride and the CM told her she would be fine and to get in! She was fine and she loved it. She rode Buzz without issues too. She was also okay on Soarin. She wouldn't set foot on EE before she had BPV. She had issues with it for a few months and then it completely went away for her, so even if you don't have an immediate total fix don't despair. She was worried she would suffer from it for the rest of her life, but it has never come back and as I've said it has been years.

There is that one scene in Buzz with the spinning tunnel swirl, I always closed my eyes before I had vertigo so just do that preemptively. .

 

[gzmtlock]

My Mom was suffering from BPV a few years back around our WDW trip with her. She wasn't in the worst of it during the trip (where she basically couldn't get off the couch), but she was still having on and off issues. She was able to do TSM just fine. She actually tried to chicken out and exit the ride and the CM told her she would be fine and to get in! She was fine and she loved it. She rode Buzz without issues too. She was also okay on Soarin. She wouldn't set foot on EE before she had BPV. She had issues with it for a few months and then it completely went away for her, so even if you don't have an immediate total fix don't despair. She was worried she would suffer from it for the rest of her life, but it has never come back and as I've said it has been years.

Thanks for the ride-specific feedback, and the encouragement! When my BPV first struck, I had vertigo so extreme we called EMS. I can manage the
relatively-minor dizziness this has settled into until my therapy. I'm just afraid of triggering another attack that incapacitates me for a couple days while at WDW. Once they get this set of "ear rocks" back to where they are supposed to be, I don't want to set loose another group of them, to leave me clinging to the porcelain throne.

Hey OP I'm sort of in the same boat, I had a first and severe bout of vertigo back in September-awful! Then nothing until Feb when I was in the movie theater and a scene on screen triggered a mild case. After the movie I had a one hour drive home which didn't help so I took a motion sickness pill and went to bed, better next day. Just a couple of weeks ago I had another mild bout not even sure what triggered it . I carry meclizine pills on me all the time now.

I never go on spinning rides like Tea Cups or MS or the motion simulator like Star Tours even before this. I am going to be positive and try all my usual rides and hope for the best.

Yea, meclizine is my new best friend. I don't think I'll ever do tea cups or MS or TofT again - disorientation is now a thing of fear, not fun. But I would like to try the simulators; I can always just close my eyes if I start to get queasy.
Since BPV is specifically triggered by the "ear rocks" (calcium carbonate crystals) breaking loose, as long as that doesn't happen, I'm in the safe territory.

I would suggest talking to your therapist about it....be prepared to describe the movements of those rides (like the fact that TSM swings you around rather suddenly and will have some swing the opposite way to stop you, probably easier to describe standing in the therapy office, lol). If you're lucky they'll be a Disney fan, lol.

They may be able to tell you some things you can do to keep yourself centered so the vertigo doesn't come back, or how to "fix" it when it does come back. At the very least (and worst) they'll tell you that you need to skip those rides.

I definitely plan on asking the therapist. Wouldn't it be great if she was a Disney fan?!?

 

[ktlm]

Thanks for the ride-specific feedback, and the encouragement! When my BPV first struck, I had vertigo so extreme we called EMS. I can manage the
relatively-minor dizziness this has settled into until my therapy. I'm just afraid of triggering another attack that incapacitates me for a couple days while at WDW. Once they get this set of "ear rocks" back to where they are supposed to be, I don't want to set loose another group of them, to leave me clinging to the porcelain throne.

Sounds exactly like my Mom's. She started off so bad she could not even lift her head up on the couch without throwing up. I want to say she was pretty bad for probably almost 2 weeks. It then settled into some minor but manageable pretty persistent dizziness, with a bigger flare up here and there (I remember she went and got her hair done and got really bad when she raised her head from the shampoo basin), and from there it went to some on and off minor managable dizziness which she lived with for probably 6 months or more and then it just went totally away. I will say though that once it went to the minor- even when she had a big flare up like at the hairdresser, it was only an hour or two before it would settle back into the minor. I hope the treatment knocks yours out immediately! Good luck!

 

[Sandy321]

I had the really bad bouts - the prescription helped, dd went with me to one of my check ups and still when she thinks about "mom has loose rocks in her head"

I love Tot, never a problem - dh hates it... he made a deal, and he rod ToT I rode RockNRoller coaster (and yes I was so scared I'd be worse off, in the hotel the rest of the trip) but nope - opposite happened - No more dizziness! Doctor says sometimes

 

[gzmtlock]

Sounds exactly like my Mom's. She started off so bad she could not even lift her head up on the couch without throwing up. I want to say she was pretty bad for probably almost 2 weeks. It then settled into some minor but manageable pretty persistent dizziness, with a bigger flare up here and there (I remember she went and got her hair done and got really bad when she raised her head from the shampoo basin), and from there it went to some on and off minor managable dizziness which she lived with for probably 6 months or more and then it just went totally away. I will say though that once it went to the minor- even when she had a big flare up like at the hairdresser, it was only an hour or two before it would settle back into the minor. I hope the treatment knocks yours out immediately! Good luck!

Thanks for sharing! It's encouraging to hear that, even if I don't get the "instant" fix, the simple passage of time will probably resolve things. And that your mom didn't have any more big flares - that was so scary, not knowing what was going on, I wouldn't wish it on anyone!

I had the really bad bouts - the prescription helped, dd went with me to one of my check ups and still when she thinks about "mom has loose rocks in her head"

I love Tot, never a problem - dh hates it... he made a deal, and he rod ToT I rode RockNRoller coaster (and yes I was so scared I'd be worse off, in the hotel the rest of the trip) but nope - opposite happened - No more dizziness! Doctor says sometimes

My poor DD17 thought I was dead when she walked into the room and saw me white in bed, with my arm hanging over the side! And I've been joking at work that I am now officially a "dizzy blonde!" I am just so very, very thankful that it is only BPV!

Thanks so much everyone for the support and advice!!!!

 

[luvthemouse71]

I had a run in with vertigo a few months ago. I was told mine was due to a virus. It's a horrible feeling. You can't even lie down either- that really made the spinning worse for me.

I still have meclizine that I am supposed to still take so I'll be bringing that. I never had problems with spinning rides before- I hope that doesn't change.

 

[AnotherWorld]

Thanks for the thread. I have experienced BPV three times in the past year. Each time the therapy worked right away. I ask my Dr what I could do to prevent it from happening again and he didn't have an answer. Said it effects different people differently. I believe for me, it happens when I turn my head around too quick. Like laying on my back and turning over to get up quickly.

I plan to stay away from RnR, although I love that ride. And I won't do EE or any of the spinning rides like tea cups, etc. This will be my first trip after having BPV and I don't won't to get it while I'm there. First two days of it is horrible.

We are leaving in 4 1/2 weeks, so I will be curious how your trip turns out. Please post your ride experiences.

Hope all turns out well for you and your DH! This is our first "just-the-two-of-us" trip as well!

 

[TeachTink]

I have been diagnosed with BPPV and am heading to Disney in about 3 weeks. I have had the Epley (that is the instant fix you speak of) done once, and it provided relief for a day. The physical therapist told me it often takes several treatments to get all of the particles out. I am going again today for another treatment. I am planning to ride everything when we go because I am hoping to be vertigo free at that point but we shall see.

 

[basilb]

During my vertigo episodes, I frequently do the Epley maneuver myself...as I'm getting out of bed, and as they come during the day.

The only ride that I was really worried about was Mission to Mars. My husband kept telling me to 'Look straight ahead. Do not close your eyes. Look straight ahead.' I listened & I was fine....but had I closed my eyes, I would have been miserable!

I would take motion sickness medicine if you feel like you need to - before getting to the parks. Sometimes Sudafed helps me too.

I hope you feel wonderful while you are there!!!