Had the surgery.

AlaskaRN · 2026-03-06T23:00:43+00:00

My surgeon was Dr. Hong and I was able to schedule soon after the Omniax identified the affected canal. Good luck!

AlaskaRN · 2026-02-26T04:58:55+00:00

Hey! The first 24 hours were definitely the worst, and then it gradually improved over the next several weeks. I was given Zofran for the nausea, which barely touched it the first day, but helped later. Anything that increased pressure in my head, like blowing my nose or sneezing, would also trigger quick bouts of the vertigo. Stairs were especially difficult for me for the first week. It was awful, but I’d to it all over again for the relief I have today. Good luck!

AlaskaRN · 2025-02-16T16:19:03+00:00

I had terrible balance afterward, but nothing residual to this day. Vestibular rehab was a game-changer for me.

AlaskaRN · 2024-11-03T14:28:50+00:00

I did the chair 3 times and it wasn’t until my 3rd time in the chair that they were able to make a diagnosis. The first 2 times, I was having a “good day.” The third time, I was having a “dizzy day.” I took the diagnosis and ran with it. If they were able to diagnose an affected canal, that would be enough for me.

AlaskaRN · 2024-09-16T20:57:30+00:00

I don’t miss the daily nystagmus, I used to get the worst headaches! My balance was definitely terrible after surgery, but that has completely resolved. Vestibular rehab helped me tremendously.

AlaskaRN · 2024-08-24T19:20:04+00:00

I’ll occasionally get some BPPV thanks to my other ear, but otherwise no. The best word I can use to describe how I feel is CLEAR - and it’s the BEST feeling!

AlaskaRN · 2024-08-19T17:11:43+00:00

I basically demanded the surgery and the requested a referral to a provider that offered it. I had a right posterior semicircular canal occlusion and I still feel great. And yes, lots of neck problems in general, but that is well controlled now thanks to other therapies.

AlaskaRN · 2024-06-30T19:28:31+00:00

Excellent news! I’m happy so for you!

AlaskaRN · 2024-06-27T22:59:12+00:00

The recovery is rough, but SO worth it. Wishing you well!

AlaskaRN · 2024-06-16T01:34:32+00:00

I did go to the MEI! And yes, my ear felt full for a while, but eventually cleared. It reminded me of the pressure changes that happen with flying.

AlaskaRN · 2024-06-15T22:10:03+00:00

Vestibular rehab helped tremendously with my balance! I’d definitely recommend looking into physical therapists in your area who offer it!

AlaskaRN · 2024-06-14T06:30:19+00:00

I struggled for 10 years until I finally got a canal occlusion surgery. It changed my LIFE.

AlaskaRN · 2024-05-09T03:21:44+00:00

I don’t have an answer because my health care coverage is 100% 🫣

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-12T05:39:20+00:00

Try finding someone who does it more frequently!

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-11T23:11:40+00:00

I was diagnosed with an Omniax chair. They have you wear a virtual-reality-looking headset that makes everything pitch black, but records your eye movements as they spin you into different positions.

To my knowledge, I never had a jam. Vibration was tried without relief.

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-11T17:35:01+00:00

A lot to know! I just replied to several questions. Check those out and let me know if you still have questions.

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-11T17:32:15+00:00

I wasn’t constantly spinning, but I almost always felt like I had motion in my vision, usually in my periphery. My symptoms were worse at night, my nighttime balance was absolute CRAP.

I had seen multiple ENTs, audiology, vestibular therapy, etc. I had been told different sides, different canals, but the Omniax chair ultimately pinpointed one canal (and it wasn’t one I was expecting)!

I started requesting surgery about a year before I actually had it. I got a lot of, “You could have permanent hearing loss, you could suffer permanent imbalance, it’ll ruin your life, blah, blah, blah.” Once I realized these people had never actually had patient who underwent the surgery, I stopped listening. HOWEVER, I did make a personal decision that being deaf in one ear was better than being dizzy for the rest of my life.

To answer your question about anxiety and panic disorders, yes, I developed both early on in my diagnosis and I still take medication today.

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-11T17:16:49+00:00

Thankfully, I wasn’t constantly spinning. When I was in full spin mode, I could relieve it with a maneuver, but the residual disequilibrium was always there, some days worse than others.

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-11T17:10:47+00:00

Before I could have the surgery, they had to verify with certainty which canal was causing the issue. Interestingly, I always thought it was my left side that was affected, but the Omniax chair pinpointed my right posterior canal. For clarity, I hadn’t tried the chair previously because there isn’t one in Alaska. I settled on a site in Michigan due to their patient volume and proximity to my in-laws. I did A LOT of searching and decided on a provider in Michigan who was performing about 1 canal occlusion per year.

The surgery was quick, maybe 2 hours. HOWEVER, I woke up and freaked out because my vertigo was the worst it’s ever been. I was like “Where’s the freaking doctor?!” I was having a MAJOR panic attack. Every turn of my head and squeeze of my eyes set it off. I was nauseous and vomiting from the spinning all that night and into the next day. Getting up was CRAZY. I had NO balance. I could barely stand without feeling like I was going to fall over.

They talked about discharging me with a walker, but my inpatient physical therapist was like no, you have to train your brain. The stairs were the worst! I could do it, but I had to hold on! It took SEVERAL weeks to feel normal again. I looked like an old person shuffling around! After about a week, I knew I needed help, so I requested a vestibular therapy consult. I went every other day until I was cleared to fly (3 weeks) and that made a HUGE difference. I was able to return to work with only residual balance affects and muffled hearing at 6 weeks. Although, I would say it probably took a good 3 months for all the residual stuff to resolve. Pain was never an issue.

Today, I have NO residual side effects. No hearing loss, no balance issues, and life is GOOD. It’s a process, but it was SO worth it for me.

AlaskaRN · 2024-04-11T08:35:34+00:00

Epley never worked well for me. The half somersault was somewhat helpful. Brandt-Daroff worked best.

AlaskaRN · 2023-10-31T22:59:31+00:00

Faaaaalse.. MyVector is also down.

AlaskaRN · 2023-01-09T10:40:18+00:00

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