I live in a second floor apartment. There is a family below us, but we are on the top floor. Since my diagnosis, and the few days preceding, going up and down the stairs has been nothing short of an adventure. I wouldn’t really call it “vertigo” but it’s like a distant cousin. I need to have a firm grip on both sides of the railings and need to very slowly ease myself up and down the stairs. I was wondering if any of you guys have had similar issues with stairs, pre or post-op. Elevators are also an adventure, but thankfully not one I have to face daily, or just to leave my apartment.
My NS told me to always look forward, never up the stairs. There sometimes is compression of the vertebral arteries at the back of the skull ( they come out of the foraman magnum) and when you tilt your head back to look up, it can cause compression of the arteries. This could make you dizzy. I always got dizzy and nauseated when driving. I noticed that I was tilting my head back to see over the steering wheel. If you wear bifocals, looking up and down can cause those symptoms also. Keep your head in good alignment. It does seem to help. I am 8 weeks post-decompression. I have had very little nausea since surgery. He was able to release the arteries that had adhered to my brainstem and were being compressed. I soo hope it continues to remain gone as that was one of the symptoms I hated the most. It prevented me from staying on the computer and/or reading, as you generally look up and down when scanning. I hope this helps.
marybs said:
My NS told me to always look forward, never up the stairs. There sometimes compression of the vertebral arteries at the back of the skull ( they come out of the foraman magnum) and when you tilt your head back to look up, it can cause compression of the arteries. This could make you dizzy. I always got dizzy and nauseated when driving. I noticed that I tilt my head back to see over the steering wheel. If you wear bifocals, looking up and down can cause those symptoms also. Keep your head in good alignment. It does seem to help.
Stairs are my number one foe. They taunt me they laugh at me they make me crazy. Everything you say and more. Sometimes I find myself crawling up them without even noticing I'm doing it. Damn you stairs! (Tongue in cheek.. Kind of.)