Hi All

I've been improving over the last couple of months and find that the Cooksey-Cawthorne aren't affecting me anymore. My balance is still a little off and wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to what to try next?

I was finally (one year on) diagnosed as having had an inner ear virus and am not compensating fully. I really want to get back to work next week but also want to try and rid myself of this last bit of the dizzies.

Thanks

Milly

Glad to hear you're feeling better, don't really know what to suggest if the exercises you already have aren't making you dizzy anymore, maybe its just a matter of time now before the last bits of dizziness vanish for you as long as you are remaining active?? Not sure.

What sort of dizzies do you still have?

Lizzy x

I do the Brandt-Daroff 20 times, stand on one foot and look up and down, then left to right, stand on one foot-eyes closed, do the same exercises on memory foam, move head and card side to side(up/down) in opposite directions as quickly as possible making sure target is in focus--start out sitting and progress to standing heel to toe, briad walking with a bounce, walk making a large circle toward the left(then right) decreasing size to a smaller circle, walk looking left to right (up/down), figure 8, walk heel toe--eyes open then closed,tap toe-eyes opened and close-on a step, and march eyes closed on memory foam. I am 58 years old, live in NC---off balance, nauseated, Quivers, "out of body" like, dizzy all the time, constant noise, mal functioning eustachian tube.

Jezzie, do the exercises help you? How long have you been doing them?

Jezzie, do the exercises help you? How long have you been doing them? Yes, I took VRT fo r 2months and these were my "homework". I just finished VRT ane do all the exercises every day--even if I don't feel like it. I also go to the rehab facility and use some of the equipment that was used during therapy==balance beam, balancing board, rubber balls to walk on, and I use the treadmill--varying speeds and inclines and look from left to right/up and down when I'm on the treadmill. While on the treadmill, I walk sidewises and backward. The rehab center is associated with the med. school in Winston. My therapist told me to do things that make me dizzy--to compensate.

So do you feel any better after 2 months?

Much. When I first went, I could stand on my right foot for only 6 secs. Now I can do it for 25-30 secs. I couldn't walk and turn my head left to right without stumbling. Now I'm pretty good at it. I'm not a 100% but so much better--I'll take anything!!!! I have really worked on it. Have you done VRT? If not, ask your dr. I told mine that I wanted to and hat it couldn't hurt. My insurance paid for it.

I just started my VRT on Wednesday of this past week. So far it has made me feel worse. I'm swaying and rocking much more than I had been...especially when I'm sitting or lying down. I'm gonna stick with it, I'm just looking for as much encouragment and positive results as I can find. I'm wondering how far back to normal VRT can get me. 25%, 50%...100%? And how long until I should expect to start seeing results.

My therapist looked for things to make me dizzy and asked on a scale how dizzy I was. She said that i was good to get dizzier, it was a way for the brain to compensate. Hang in---you will see an improvement. I would say I'm about 80%--several days a 100...but I've been dizzy for so long that I have almost forgotten how it feels to be "normal". Let me say this....I'll take how I feel now than how did. You'll get better-just do the execises each day.

Hi Milly

What helped my balance heaps was walking. I used to hate walking because I was so unbalanced it was such a struggle. I started out walking 5 minutes as this was all I could handle, but steadily increased it. Now I walk around 1-1.5 hrs per day. I believe this has helped my balance lots. I love walking now (most of the time - I still have bad days though!) I have also tried to include various visual environments and different head movements while walking now. I do also do vrt.

Hope this helps.

Leigh