Hi

I haven't seen you on the board for a while and I was wondering how your VRT has been going. My symptoms seem to be very similar to yours so I'm interested in whether they have improved things for you. I am in Sydney and I haven't seen any VRT specialist yet but I have tried some exercises from the net that have had limited success.

Thanks
Toi

Hi Toi

Well, I'm still plodding away with the VRT. I saw the VRT guy again on June 15 (which I think I posted about?) and he toned down the visual exercises a bit and then gave me the "walking and turning" exercises to do. I think the VRT has helped a bit but it's hard to tell when you're dizzy 24/7! We have been extremely busy at work and I am so tired all the time, and of course the dizziness and visual problems are a lot worse when I'm tired or stressed (or both). Coupled with that, I'm spending all day every day on the computer at work on one of those damn LCD screens which really seems to muck my eyes up, I was much happier with the old screens.

There has been some improvement, I think. There have been brief periods when my head has felt a clearer and I was actually able to go into KMart recently and look along the rows and rows of DVDs for ages and I felt perfectly OK. My BF and I also went to the movies recently and I coped fairly well - the movies have been a huge problem for me since all this started because of the visual symptoms I have. So I was pleased that I felt reasonably OK when I came out, a little bit "off-balance" but otherwise not too bad. And I also didn't get a migraine afterwards, like I used to! I have found that I haven't been getting as many headaches from eyestrain as well, since I've been doing the visual VRT, although when doing the visual exercises at work and then having to go back on the computer, I find objects around me tend to so that sudden "shifting" thing (like the desk suddenly heaving up) and I feel pretty yuk for a while. The visual disturbances have always been a huge part of the problem for me and I get really frustrated with it as it doesn't take much to make it worse and make me feel dizzier.

But since starting the VRT, first the "up and down" exercises (sitting/standing and later jumping) for the first month with some visual exercises, then about 6 weeks of mainly visual exercises, and then the other exercises as mentioned above since my appointment last month, I find when I am standing talking to someone at work, I now very rarely get the feeling of motion that I used to, like I was standing on the deck of a boat or something and that the ground was constantly moving. I'm hoping to go to the movies again in the next couple of weeks (something more fast-moving and "flashy" etc like Star Wars - eeek!) so I'll let you know how I go.

So, after all that rambling, yes, I think there has been some improvement but it's very slow going. I think because this has been going on for nearly 4 years, it will be a long slow process for my brain and vestibular system to re-learn and retrain itself and overcome the damage that has been done. The VRT guy (who unfortunately has now moved to the other side of the city and is now impossible for me to go and see unless I take even more time off work!) has recommended I try to do more challenging "day to day VRT", like riding my bike again, throwing a ball or frisbee around with someone, trying to go to the movies etc, anything that involves a lot (but not excessive) visual stimulation - if I overdo it, then it's hello migraine and I feel dreadful again. I've also got back into dog obedience training with my BF's dog and that involves a lot of movement, turns, looking down at the dog and then back in front to the direction you're going, then glance back down at the dog again and so on when you're working them, so hopefully all that will help to get my body used to doing the sort of activities that people who don't have the head monster tend to take for granted!

I would definitely recommend getting in to see a VRT guy, the one I saw was really the first person in the past 4 years who was actually able to understand what I was talking about and could give me some explanations about the recurrent BPPV attacks etc. I wish so much I had been able to see him long ago, I'm sure I would have been much further down the track to recovery (or at least partial recovery) than I am now. I think Scott (Scotsman) is in Sydney, so he may be able to recommend someone.

Have a good week

Julie

Hi Spikey (Julie)

Thanks so much for your reply and I'm very happy that you are getting better. After four years I think you deserve to make some progress. I wonder when I'm going to get better, but it is always 3 steps forward and then 2 steps back. I am well over 12 months now and I was doing VRT exercises but I think I was over-doing them and have now scaled them back, which makes me feel a lot better. I don't know whether this is going to make the recovery period longer but at least the quality of my life while it is progressing will be a bit better.

Here's hoping you continue getting better and make a full recovery. Thanks again for the reply and I hope we can swap notes again soon.

Regards
Toi