Anyone with Vertigo

[Faith in Him]

Has anyone experienced vertigo while on herceptin?

Just wondering.

Thanks

[Joe]

Call your onc ASAP, vertigo may indicate brain mets and he may wish to order a brain MRI.

Regards
Joe

[dhealey]

I agree with Joe vertigo may be a sign of brain mets. You may need a MRI.

[hutchibk]

Yes, Joe and Debbie are right. Very sage advice.

[Jackie07]

Got very bad vertigo during sleeping hours Sunday night. I was reading while lying in bed on my right side. When I finally was ready to sleep, I turned off the light and turned to the left side to hold my husband's hand. Suddently, the whole room started to spin around me and I cried out to hubby. I buried my head (facing down) for a while before opening my eyes looking to the left side - and that side of the wall was also spinning. A while later (can't remember the exact time - around 2:30 am), the same thing happened all over again. Eventually I went to the living room and slept in the couch around 4:30 am (so hubby could get some sleep since he will have to drive me to the hospital the next day) The wall in the living room spinned a little bit slower...

Hubby was able to get an appointment for me with our family doctor at 1 pm. (Around 11 am I threw up 3 times very tiny bubbled liquid) The doctor thought it was vertigo after the nurse had conducted two blood pressure test - one while I was lying on the examing bed, the other while I was standing on the floor. The doctor explained it to hubby outside of the room (while I was hooked on IV because the doctor thought I was dehydrated) and asked him some more details about what had happened.

He ordered chest x-ray and a C-scan. He's going to schecule an MRI also. Even though I had just had an MRI in February.

After I got home, I remembered that everything could have been related to the visit to the Physical Therapist Monday. She had given me some exercise to work on besides the walking 10 minutes 3 times a day. I did not feel like to walk at all and only did a little bit shoulder and arm rotations. Wait, the reason why I had requested for PT was because I had suddently felt my 'left-side weakness' about 3 weeks ago (after feeling left-side weakness following 'Vital Care' counselor's suggestion to 'walk every day'.) So there might have been some kind of problem existing already.

Just have to listen to our body...

ps. After family doctor saw my very scary MRI, he decided to give me a referral to the neurosurgeon... (10/22)

[Carrielynn]

Oh yes, vertigo was a big factor with herceptin treatments, we went to weekly treatments instead of every 3 weeks, the reduced amount at one time helped a lot. I would be spinning so bad that I would have projectile vomiting everywhere. It definitely lessened with weekly. Brain mets can be a factor but remember our new metabolic structure is grasping for stability once again, so actually vertigo is related to imbalances in our systems. Chemo completely rearranges our structure so we need to rebuild it all back up again and we will be positively different from then on. I am assuming that you did chemo before herceptin. Tykerb?

[Jackie07]

Looks like I might be able to figure out about the cause of my vertigo pretty soon.

The irritation on my right neck (same side of my bc) is now 'prominent' - validated by my being able to pinpoint it within just a couple of seconds.

Have been waiting for the referral/appointment with my neurosurgeon for several days and now started to panic a little bit - is he the right person to talk to about bc mets to neck?

My insurance is now strictly Blue Cross Blue Shield and everything has to go through their channel - BCBS had ended their special arrangement with my hospital, so now I have to use Blue Texas and wait for the paperwork. Wondered how long it's going to take before I can have a surgery or something done to take care of my neck and shoulder.

I've been very pleased with the result of my hysterectomy and oophorectomy procedure. My lips are now completely normal - skin no longer peeling - signalling normal body temperature, no more low-grade fever. My bowel movement has also returned to normal. My appetite is good and I now have energy to do some cooking - gained a couple of pounds already. The only thing that keeps on bothering me right now is the 'painful' knot on my right neck and shoulder. Based on my experience with the aftermath my brain tumor surgery - when I had the temporary left-side paralysis due to the cranial nerves being compressed by my swollen brain - there must be something pressing on the cranial nerve on my right neck right now to cause the shoulder problem. Plus now there's something truly 'palpable'...

So thankful to Joe and Christine and everyone else here that I have a place to come to and release some stress. This Board is very important to me also in another aspect - maintaining my cognitive fuction. I'd had experienced cognitive decline several times in the past after my brain surgeries and breast cancer surgery+chemo procedures. This is the first time that I have been able to maintain my normal level. The typing, the thought process, the interaction with others, the 'search' and the camaraderie...

Thank you all so much.

[weety]

I'm wondering about the herceptin and dizziness as well. Mine is not a full vertigo--just a vague dizziness. I had it while on chemo as well, but of course chalked it up to the toxic drugs. Now that I am just on herceptin, I am wondering if it is the herceptin or if it is more from the lack of estrogen that the chemically-induced menopause has done to me. Isn't slight dizziness also a complaint of normal women undergoing menopause?

[Jackie07]

Weety,

Have you ever mentioned it to your oncologist? If you've had it while on chemo, there could be still some lingering effect even though you are now only on Herceptin.

I think there's a thread called 'Herceptin side effect - real or perceived'. You can use the 'Search' field to look for it. When I was undergoing chemopause, I was so tired from the chemo/Herceptin treatment plus teaching full-time, I couldn't tell what's what.

Dizziness can be caused by a dozen of things. I think the best way is to check with your doctor - did he know about your 'vague' dizziness during chemo? Has it been worse? Is it the same? Does it get worse when you bend over or change position?...

[Cal-Gal]

YES----I have had vertigo since being on Herceptin--the ONC says it is NOT the Herceptin--

I just had PET-CT and MRI---and I am ALL CLEAR so not mets going on----

[weety]

No, the dizziness doesn't get worse when I bend over or change positions. It's just a vague sense of dizziness that comes and goes. The room doesn't spin and I don't feel like I'm moving. I just feel a little "off."