Hello doctor, I had an episode of BPPV this morning. I had a couple earlier this year and I am confused as to which is the bad ear so I can do the proper procedure. It happens in this scenario: I lay on my left side and switch to my right. Vertigo starts up when I lay on my right side but only after I have been laying on my left. In fact, I could not get it to do it by turning my head and laying back on either side independently. By what I described, can you determine which is the bad ear? I did the Eppley starting on the left side but got nothing. When I shifted to the right it started for 20 seconds. I aborted not wanting to go the wrong direction.
Hi. With details of your history, it is difficult to say which side it is on but since with Epley, you get vertigo when you do on the right side, it seems to be more on the right side. It does not matter which ear it is in or if it is bilateral. The treatment is the same. The side matters if we try to cure by the maneuver. Are you taking any medicine for vertigo like Betahistine, etc? Precautions: You should restrict salt in the diet. Also, there is some balancing exercise which helps in the long term. The neck exercise should be avoided if you have a cervical problem. Also, let me know if you have other complaints like nausea and fullness in ears.