i have read a few of your post, and was wondering if you've been diagnosed with MAV??? If so, what are or were your symptoms? Is there a certain test you can have done, to see if you have MAV?? Ive been battling with whatever it is I have, for well over a year............. I was told in the begining that I had Meiners, but have seen another ENT, who told me I DID NOT have Meiners, because of a test he done, that proved that my inner ear works fine, its just not getting the signal to the brain due to my eardrums being sucked in, and has caused the bones in my left ear to dissenegrate, but thinks this has nothing to do with the symptoms i've been having for the last year or so. He said my eardrums have been like this for a very long time, and he is correct........cause instead of having to open my eardrums like alot of people, i have to suck in to make them close. He told me I could have surgery to get my hearing back, but he wants to figure out what is causing all my other problems. You seem to know alot about MAV, and was just wondering if you would care to tell me the symptoms. My symptoms are......lightheaded/off balance, dizzy (not often), BRAIN FOG, occasional headaches, can't go to stores if this is acting up, cause i get a feeling like i'm gonna pass out or something.......some days im perfectly fine, but others, OMG, i can't even function. When this started, I was having female problems, so I was put on BCP, was on them for a few months, and then went off of them, then my blood pressure went up, and now take medication for that, was doing pretty good again, (nothing like normal, but better), and my female problems come back, and again, i am feeling TERRIBLE. Just wondering if Hormone problems and migraine go hand in hand. Thank you so much for your help, and I"m sorry this is so long.

i have read a few of your post, and was wondering if you've been diagnosed with MAV???

Yep, had episodes of vertigo since childhood and chronic dizziness for a little over 8 years.


If so, what are or were your symptoms? Is there a certain test you can have done, to see if you have MAV?? Ive been battling with whatever it is I have, for well over a year............. I was told in the begining that I had Meiners, but have seen another ENT, who told me I DID NOT have Meiners, because of a test he done, that proved that my inner ear works fine, its just not getting the signal to the brain due to my eardrums being sucked in, and has caused the bones in my left ear to dissenegrate, but thinks this has nothing to do with the symptoms i've been having for the last year or so. He said my eardrums have been like this for a very long time, and he is correct........cause instead of having to open my eardrums like alot of people, i have to suck in to make them close. He told me I could have surgery to get my hearing back, but he wants to figure out what is causing all my other problems. You seem to know alot about MAV, and was just wondering if you would care to tell me the symptoms. My symptoms are......lightheaded/off balance, dizzy (not often), BRAIN FOG, occasional headaches,


There is no easy way to diagnose it - just signs that make it a strong possibility - headache, fluctuating level of vestibular symptoms, visual disturbances, light or sound sensitivity. It can also be diagnosed on exclusion - for example, BPPV does not cause chronic dizziness (episodes last for under 1 minute, and nystagmus is always present). Menieres requires hearing loss to be diagnosed (unfortunately some ENTs dont follow this because they don't diagnose migraine at all).

can't go to stores if this is acting up, cause i get a feeling like i'm gonna pass out or something.......

It's quite likely that is anxiety. No reason to be ashamed of it, everyone here would have dealt with anxiety due to our health problems at some time or another. I had times when I felt like this in stores but have gradually (through daily exposure) now go to the store daily and have no problems even when I am as dizzy as ever.

some days im perfectly fine, but others, OMG, i can't even function. When this started, I was having female problems, so I was put on BCP, was on them for a few months, and then went off of them, then my blood pressure went up, and now take medication for that, was doing pretty good again, (nothing like normal, but better), and my female problems come back, and again, i am feeling TERRIBLE. Just wondering if Hormone problems and migraine go hand in hand.


Yes, migraine and horomonal fluctuations do go hand in hand. There is no evidence that any other vestibular disorder fluctuates with hormones - yet it is extremely common in migraine.

In fact, the largest group of people with migrainous vertigo are women in their 30's.

Thank you so much for your help, and I"m sorry this is so long.

Not a problem.

Adam

Hi Adam
as resident expert on this MAV thing I have a question.

I have had labs and BPPV, have been vertigo free for over a year, (still have some episodes of decomp as had 37% loss in right ear)

What, if any, is the correlation between someone who has had labs or VN and later developing MAV? Is there something with the damaged vestibular system that brings MAV on?

Just wondering as I have had migrains in the past and have one every month with homonal fluctuations. What if any are the chances that I could get MAV? (the reason for asking is that I had a weird thing happen yesterday which felt like an Aura for a migraine, but didn't develop into a migraine, but was dizzier for a while and felt like I was about to have a vertigo attack for about 30 seconds, got all sweaty and felt like I couldn't move my right eye, very distressing but quickly passed)

thanks
FC

Hi FC

It's pretty hard to diagnose someone with VN or labs when they have developed suspected MAV. Reason being, as I mentioned in another thread on here, inner ear damage that shows on ENG can be a result of MAV. It does not necessarily mean there is any other disorder present that has caused the damage. In fact it is probably very unlikely (statistically) that someone would get both.

People tend to assume that MAV doesn't cause inner ear damage - which is incorrect. About 20% (from the studies I've seen) have inner ear damage. Noone knows why exactly, but there are some very promising theories as to why this occurs (see the thread "also feeling bad again")

When you had BPPV - were you diagnosed with a Dix-Hallpike manuever and had the characteristic torsional nystagmus lasting < 1 minute? Reason I ask is that is the only way to diagnose BPPV. There are many many causes of positional vertigo which some doctors and sufferers alike tend to jump to conclusions and assume that it is BPPV. Positional symptoms very common in MAV, Menieres and central nervous system causes of vertigo - they are not BPPV which is a specific disorder with a well-defined cause and diagnostic criteria.

When I have an acute rotational vertigo attack (which generally lasts 2-3 days) I tend to get positional symptoms towards the end. I also have gaze-evoked nystagmus to the left for up to a week afterwards. Very easy to confuse for BPPV, but obvious to those who know how BPPV is defined.

EDIT:

Just wanted to clarify, it is quite likely you had BPPV - just interested in knowing how it was diagnosed, and whether the Epley cured it? BPPV and inner ear disorders seem to go hand-in-hand for reasons unknown. However, the same can't be said about Labs/VN and MAV - this would partially be because there would be no possible way to distinguish Labs/VN in a patient with MAV - every symptom of Labs/VN is possible in migraine but not vice versa.

Adam

Hi Feel Bad and all,

I am female, and have been told that I am dealing with MAV. I have had my symptoms for almost eleven years. I am 41. If you do a search on my current and older (Wowwweee) user names, you may find something on one of the posts that I’ve created/responded to on MAV.

But to answer you questions here, and add a few comments: (based on my own experience and knowledge only):

MAV is a “ruling out” diagnosis. Meaning that first your symptoms are checked out via other avenues to see if something else isn’t causing your symptoms. In addition to that, MAV is also looked at as a possible diagnosis if you are affected more during your menstrual cycle (my symptoms increase the week before) and you respond well to medication used to treat MAV (I did).

The majority of people who have MAV also deal with some type of inner ear condition either in conjunction or as a result. My symptoms started off as BVP.

Most people equate “migraine” with “headache” – but actually migraine means “poor blood flow”. In many cases of MAV, the arteries of the brain (usually in the base of the brain, which is why MAV is also sometimes referred to as Basilar Migraines) will go into spasm and constrict – this can lead to a whole bunch of scary and funky symptoms, like some of the ones you’ve mentioned.

These symptoms can be accompanied with a headache, or you can have them without one.

These symptoms can also come and go, or you can have them constantly.

Most people who deal with feelings of imbalance also deal with anxiety. Not to say that all of your symptoms of feeling like you are going to pass out is solely due to anxiety – if your balance system is off, everything can feel off, so some of your feelings of going to pass out can be a “side effect” of dealing with feeling off balance.

I am sure that certain settings make you notice your symptoms more. That’s because not only do you maintain your sense of balance through your balance system, but you also use your eyes, ears, sense of touch (to name a few). If your vision (for example) is affected by your imbalance feelings, then of course you are going to feel stranger in new or different places – it’s part of being spatially “off”.

And yes, hormones and menstrual cycles can play a big part in MAV and how your symptoms intensify. For some people, BCP is tried as a way to alleviate these symptoms, for some people, it can make them worse.

Currently I take one teaspoon of Children’s Liquid Benedryl mixed with 500 mg plain aspirin. The Benedryl is the type of antihistamine that affects the central nervous system, so it reduces spasming of the arteries (NOT CURE), and the aspirin takes the edge off my headaches, which I have on some level every day.

I also tried a very good medication called Amitriptyline, which is used to treat MAV, and it took my symptoms away completely. I had to stop taking it due to an allergic reaction.

A good place to talk about migraine issues may be with your OB-GYN or a neurologist.

As always, check with you doctor before trying anything.

I hope this helps.

ox

Hi again
I pretty much diagnosed myself with the BPPV. At first I thought I had another attack of labs, it was so bad. But once things started to settle down I noticed it was only when I moved my head in a specific position or when I rolled over in bed in either direction. I mentioned it to my friends husband who is a doctor, (an oncologist, but did some research for me). He showed me a paper on the success of the epely and how to do it at home. AFter the first day of doing the epeley, the vertigo stopped. My symptoms were pretty classic when I think about the latency and fatiquing aspect. It was getting better on its own, but was taking a long time to clear. Since doing the MEP I have had no other problem with actual spinning, just had to work through the classic brain fog, lightheadedness etc.
Only wondering about a MAV component because of my monthly migrains and when I had that funny eye episode yesterday.
Thanks all for your replies.
FC

just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who replied..........i can't stay, cause at the moment i am dealing with a major headache........which i spent a day at he hospital over yesterday............i will reply again when feeling better, thanks again for replying