Get nauseous when wrenching lying down

[medphysdave]

Anyone else get nauseous while wrenching if under the car or working under the dash? I've had this since I first started wrenching as a teenager. It feels like motion sickness. Best I can find is it's a type of vertigo. Maybe triggered by the stress of contortion in places and straining. Curious if anyone suffered from this and if they found a way to suppress it. I was under the car last night on a mat, and it was pretty intense. I ordered a creeper to see if being more comfortable helps

[OtoPA]

Originally Posted by medphysdave

Anyone else get nauseous while wrenching if under the car or working under the dash? I've had this since I first started wrenching as a teenager. It feels like motion sickness. Best I can find is it's a type of vertigo. Maybe triggered by the stress of contortion in places and straining. Curious if anyone suffered from this and if they found a way to suppress it. I was under the car last night on a mat, and it was pretty intense. I ordered a creeper to see if being more comfortable helps

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo can be suppressed / habituated with canalith repositioning exercises. Not difficult to do at home once you get instructions. probably not the comfort factor, rather the positioning.

[medphysdave]

Originally Posted by OtoPA

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo can be suppressed / habituated with canalith repositioning exercises. Not difficult to do at home once you get instructions. probably not the comfort factor, rather the positioning.

I'm going to investigate this. Thanks!

[Germanauto]

Can definitely be BPPV or even orthostatic hypotension (not enough blood getting to the heart/brain in that position). In the case of the latter, drink more water.

Could also be psych-related from claustrophobia.

[Maynard]

Ditto on the suggestions for BPV; get your doc to do a workup, will involve referral to a physical therapist (don't just look up exercises and try them).

[vreihen16]

I have been afflicted with bad BPPV since my pacemaker battery change back in March. After two applications of god's Konami code (above procedures) to my head/neck by an ENT specialist (second one on Wednesday), I feel like I have my life back! I didn't realize that the dizziness that I was experiencing since the original pacemaker was installed back in 2016 was vertigo, and so bad that I was unable to ride a bicycle or pass a roadside field sobriety test. I almost feel confident enough to try riding my bicycle again.

Right now, I still feel dizzy when I tilt my head backwards to look up or drink the last sips from a bottle, and do feel nauseous in certain positions. FWIW, OTC Bonine helped a little while I waiting to get an ENT appointment.

The one change that I have had to make is sleeping on my back, with a rolled-up towel under my neck in place of a pillow. I am *not* a back-sleeper, but am forcing myself to become one.....

[UncleWede]

vreihen16 look into Sobakowa type pillows. Basically you sleep on a mini bean bag and can adjust the neck support easily. Added benefits is the pillow is always cool

We now travel with 3 of them and have 4 on our bed

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

vreihen16 look into Sobakowa type pillows.

I actually have one on the visor shelf over the passenger seat in the getting Mightier Freightliner, and used to use it on road trips in the Mighty Dodge as either a head/neck pillow or as a lumbar support when my back started hurting. (Amazingly, both my DW and I did 3,000+ miles in the crappy/cheap Freightliner seats back in December with zero back pain or discomfort.)

What I've been doing for a few weeks now is sleeping on my back with a rolled-up bath towel under my neck for support. Both my shoulders and the back of my head are in contact with the mattress, nose pointed straight up at the ceiling.

After Wednesday's second BPPV head-twisting treatment, I was able to walk down 300' long hallways at work today absolutely straight...no grabbing for a wall or pulling to the left or right! I also noticed that both of my arms were swinging naturally as I walked, which is amazing since my right arm seemed to be a bit lazy when walking ever since the initial 2016 pacemaker surgery.

Long story short, i recommend that the OP go see an ENT specialist and see if you have BPPV. They can do god's Konami code while you're there to reset the crystals in your ears. I recommend having someone drive you to the appointment, because at least in my case I was told to go directly home and take a 2-hour nap on my back and absolutely no looking down for 48 hours. Certainly a test of the ol' marksmanship skills for me, being on large quantities of vitamin pee and not being able to look down to confirm that I'm on target.....

[medphysdave]

Appreciate all the feedback. I tried the repositioning exercises prior to starting the work for BBPV. I definitely felt like it kept the nausea at bay for a while. I'd say 3hrs I was able to work before nausea set in. Due to the exercises it made me more aware of my movement while under the car. The more I had to turn my head to reach for things it seems like the symptoms accelerated. Also keeping my head angle forward a little instead of staring straight up helped

[StradaRedlands]

This site really comes through sometimes... this was great to learn about ^^^!

[M-technik-3]

Vertigo sucks, my Mom suffered with it for years.

[Tambohamilton]

Tried a bunch of this today - pretty sure I don't get nausea when working on my back. Unless it's specific to the vehicle manufacturer?

[vreihen16]

I installed a passenger seat swivel and two upgraded factory seats in the almost Mighty Freightliner this afternoon. Looking down while working really messed up my balance, and I took an hour-long nap with my nose pointed at the ceiling. Sadly, I didn't get to try the seat swivel, because I don't need any help getting dizzy right now. Tomorrow will be the big test, when I see if I can still walk down the long hallways at work.....

[OtoPA]

Originally Posted by medphysdave

Appreciate all the feedback. I tried the repositioning exercises prior to starting the work for BBPV. I definitely felt like it kept the nausea at bay for a while. I'd say 3hrs I was able to work before nausea set in. Due to the exercises it made me more aware of my movement while under the car. The more I had to turn my head to reach for things it seems like the symptoms accelerated. Also keeping my head angle forward a little instead of staring straight up helped

One of the things about the vertigo from BPPV is that it's fatiguable. The first time with the exercises, the vertigo can be a lot, but if you wait till it subsides and then do it again, the response is less. the third time or so, the response is likely a fraction of the initial. The test for which ear is the problem ear is called Dix-Hallpike.

[Bc2005]

Several years ago I fell off a ladder in the garage, hit my head on the concrete, and ended up with a concussion. Since then I’ve had positional vertigo that comes and goes.

The absolute worst position for me is flat on my back under the car. The nausea comes on, I turn my head left or right to get some relief, but then it comes back as soon as I look straight up. A creeper with a headrest helps a lot, or I work at an angle where I’m not looking straight up.

There are multiple exercises that are supposed to help. However, many put your head in very weird positions, and I’ve hesitated to try them all because I’ve been afraid I’ll make something worse with the vertigo.

I have also found that taking Zyrtec every day seems to help, maybe because the antihistamine changes something with my inner ear. Zyrtec has minimal side effects for most people, so it’s usually safe to take with other meds.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Bc2005

I have also found that taking Zyrtec every day seems to help, maybe because the antihistamine changes something with my inner ear.

FWIW, OTC Bonine (motion/sea sickness pills) is also an antihistamine.....

[Tommy-G]

I have had unexplained nausea just over the past few months. Not related to an position or anything but I found that Ondansetron helps pretty quickly.
Need a script though

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

Need a script though

That could certainly be a problem with the screen writers' guild out on strike.....

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

That could certainly be a problem with the screen writers' guild out on strike.....

Saw on the news today Zaslav trying to speak at Boston University and was booed out. Also a plane was flying overhead with a banner saying “pay your writers.”

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav booed at Boston University graduation amid writers strike. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show BU students chanting “Pay your writers” during David Zaslav's speech on Sunday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...duat-rcna85601

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

That could certainly be a problem with the screen writers' guild out on strike.....

[medphysdave]

Using a creeper under the car has helped immensely. I don't think people realize how much they are wriggling around. I'm much less exhausted and nausea is next to nothing.