Hi Peeps, just wanted to draw on your experiences of MAV and this lab monster to try to help me with a diagnosis.

I have been suffering with dizzyness for 2.5 years now. Been to ENT twice and recently a Blood Pressure specialist (who on the first visit said my BP was normal and I should come back in 2 months). Kinda just been struggling along with it trying to get by with the ups and downs.

I know with Lab (which is what I beleive I have) you have good and bad days but last week I kinda had "An Episode" which made me consider the possibility of MAV. My father suffers from the "Classic" Migranes and I have had 3/4 though they are far from a problem (am 24). Last week I was on a walk and realised I was having a slight attack of "The Flashing Lights", like when u rub your eyes too hard. I wasn't sure it was a migrane and carried on. My previous experience of them meant within 5 mins I couldn't see because of the lights. This didnt happen, but after 5 mins the dizzyness got very bad and my legs went weak. I then had a few adrenaline rushes, a bit like the moments before a panic attack. I started to sweat and stagger. I stumbled a few times as my legs were almost buckling. This lasted about 20 mins while I was on the walk. When I got home I kinda slumped at my desk for 40 mins and it all but went away. I never got a major headache. For the next 2 days I was very weak and washed out and had a different kind of dizzyness.

I haven't had a Migrane for 6 years so am kinda ropey on what they are like. I am however fairly sure this is what I remember them to be like....except usually I'd get the mind bending bad headache.

Was this simply some other form of migrane or does the fact that I've been a lot more dizzy since this episode mean its some kind of MAV? Or perhaps just the stress of being dizzy for so long just bubbling out? I'm kinda hoping it is migrane related as if its not then not being able to explain such severe symptoms is a bit scary.

Any thoughts?

With MAV do you get spinning dizzy or just a feeling of not being right?

Mad eddie - remind me of your "normal" dizziness - is it constant? Have you done VRT? I forget.

Ok I would say that anything like a headache or period or illness would upset an inner ear problem so this migraine episode is prob just that. If I get a headache I feel worse but I do if anything else is wrong with my body.

To be honest I feel MAV is misdiagnosed a bit like menieres sometimes - it is often given of they dont know the cause of the dizziness - not saying this for all cases - but some. It is not common to get mav with no key symptoms like episodes of vertigo, aura etc. I would guess this headache simply upset your pre-existing inner ear disorder.

Ohio - on the who episodic vertigo, rarely 24/7 imbalance without other signs.

xxx

Mad eddie - remind me of your "normal" dizziness - is it constant? Have you done VRT? I forget.

Ok I would say that anything like a headache or period or illness would upset an inner ear problem so this migraine episode is prob just that. If I get a headache I feel worse but I do if anything else is wrong with my body.

To be honest I feel MAV is misdiagnosed a bit like menieres sometimes - it is often given of they dont know the cause of the dizziness - not saying this for all cases - but some. It is not common to get mav with no key symptoms like episodes of vertigo, aura etc. I would guess this headache simply upset your pre-existing inner ear disorder.

Ohio - on the whole episodic vertigo, rarely 24/7 imbalance without other signs.

xxx

My Normal dizzyness is mainly feeling off balance 24/7. I don't feel tho I'll fall over just that I am not steady. Makes me sway when I walk and my head wobble when I sit still as I unconciously move my head to compensate for the imbalance and moving sensations in my ears.

I have never been told exactly what I have and have just been left to get on with it. I have never done any VRT as the ENT specialist said that I had fully compensated.....that was 7 months ago. He said the only reason that I am still dizzy is anxiety.

Do you think perhaps the episode I described before was simply some kind of mirane which just knocked my balance for a while and does not really have any lasting effects? During the 2 days after the migrane I could almost feel 2 types of dizzyness, there was the "normal" dizzy which was a layer behind a sort of weaker dizzyness which I assume was post migrane type. Am still far from the normal dizzyness I had before this and its been 5 days :(

Your ent cannot tel if you have "compensated" - I very much doubt what you are left with is anxiety. You must do VRT. As for the migraine, I know what you mean, I get more lightheaded if I get ill or a headache, it is slightly different or a more intense version of the usual dizziness. I would suggest seeing another specialist xxx