I got Vestibular Neuritis last June. It was awful for about 6 weeks. Had a relapse last week which lasted for about 7 days before getting back to normal (ok, feel a little off at times but what can you do). I notice that when it came back it pissed me off but I decided to do everything I normally do (even playing badminton and baseball). I think this does help get rid of it and when I get it again, hopefully I'll recover in even less time. It seems like alot of people on this board are terrified by this dizzyness and maybe letting anxiety take hold. Some people are talking about taking motion sickness medicine for years, I don't understand this. The cure is to go about doing all the normal things you have done, it may take time but it will go away. Don't let your mind run away thinking about awful health problems that you don't have. Your balance nerve was affected by a virus, your balance nerve takes a long time to recover(maybe a year or two), in the meantime your brain will adjust if you let it. Good luck everybody and stay calm. Peace. :)

Thanks Neddie but you were lucky to recover within 6 weeks which means that you likely had just inflammation of the inner ear. People on this board have permanent damage and have suffered for a long time and believe me if we were able to get on with things as normal then we would be. I don't have anxiety but I am not able to drive very far as the dizzyness gets so bad that I can hardly see straight. When I started driving after the illness I would have to pull over the side of road and would be retching due to the nausea brought on from the dizzyness. So how can I carry on as normal when I can't drive very far due to this illness?
I also couldn't even stand up properly for a week when I first got this and when I went back to work it wiped me out so much that I had to take another month off work. I was far too ill to even contemplate normal life. I also suffer with other very painful illnesses and am used to going about my business in very bad pain so I am no weak person who gives up at the first hurdle.

You were very lucky to have it mildly and recover quickly and I hope you never suffer as badly as other people on this board have suffered. Remember this board is for support and encouragement.

Apologies for the irate post but you were lucky to recover so quickly and it isn't as easy for me and others as it was for you, and your post did rile me a bit!
:wave:

I agree with Tesss. I don't believe your post was to be negative about all our attitudes on this board; I honestly believe you meant it as encouragement. However, Tesss is very right. You had it for six weeks which probably means you had only inflamation and not damage. Many of us on this board has had it a really long time and when you wake up everyday suffering from pain and dizziness, it changes your whole life totally. I stay very active every day and have notice some improvement, but I also suffer every day and some days it is hard to believe I will even make it through the day. For me and I believe most on this board don't have the fear that they have something awful that is going to kill them. I think the fear and anixety comes from coping with this crap every day because it is awful and takes full control of your mind. The anixety is wondering if you will be like this again tomorrow and the next day and the next.

So glad you recovered quickly. It is awful to have this for months on end.

Gloria

You know Tesss, this post bothered me a little too until I went back and reread it over and over again and honestly believe it was meant for encouragement but just worded a little badly.

If you read the bottom half it does sound like encouragement and I have to admit a little like my husband has been telling me for months that it will heal and go away even though it may take a very long time. Believe me, I know it is hard because I don't hold anything back in my post. I am always whining to all of you and pleading for encouragement, but isn't that what he was trying to do even if he only had it for 6 weeks. I'll be the first to admit.....I'm jealous. I wish I had only had it for 6 week and not 9 months. Maybe this post of reassurance is what we need not the daily sad sobb stories (like I'm always posting). I know I feel estatic (s.p.?) when we get posts like willsmomm, treefarmer and ASLme's posts of recovery.

Anyway, just had to think about this post more and thought I need to post what else was on my mind.

We'll get through this Tesss. You and me and the rest....we will make it.
Gloria

Hello Gloria and Tess. I didn't mean this post in a bad way. My dizzyness just came back out of the blue for about a week and it really got me mad. I hate when I'm dizzy and I refuse to except it. I won't accept it. I think I was mad as hell at this vertigo and just mouthed off, especially after reading all these negative posts (especially the one's where people take anti-motion pills right from the start for years and never try to get over the dizzyness.) I just wanted to hear people saying they were going to fight and not give in. Don't let it ruin your lives, if doing something makes you dizzy (even walking like me) then do it a thousand times. I feel fine right now, no dizzyness at all but I know it may come back and when it does I'll make it go away again. I hope you all feel better (sorry about my rants but this stuff will do that to you :)

Neddy

I can see where you are coming from and actually the key to recovery they say is attitude and reducing anxiety and doing stuff - just as you say. Thanks for sharing your success with us.

xxx

Neddy and others

I found this thread to be very challenging. It brings up my two issues, hope and anger not letting this stuff get to me, and the flip side, the extreme difficulty of having it really affect your life despite your positive attitude. For some people, myself included I had to change my life radically, my job, my home. It was the reality of the situation. And believe me I fought and fought. But I have also learnt the art of acceptance. When I accept I can let go. Somedays I say ok this is really hard and I am not going to fight it, I m tired of fighting and just accept and pray it will shift. I have read that anger is a more productive emotion then fear or hopelessness. I see that in these posts, but I think acceptance gives us hope as well. kind of brings us back to neutral.

Anyway thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. I resonate with you all.
Jade :angel: