hi everyone,

been dizzy since november (constant lightheadedness). Ive been doing really well with vestibular rehabilitation, and for about 3 weeks straight i was at about 75%, which is good for me, or at least half way tolerable. I was just about to start walking places by myself again (cant do it unless someone is with me, and even then i get more dizzy and scared), and i was thinking that i would be able to go back to work in a few weeks. Then, for no reason at all, i felt like i did when i first became dizzy...so bad that i was scared to get out of bed, holding on the the walls in my house for support, with bad anxiety. My eyes felt funny, i was SURE i was going to pass out...and now i am upset. i was doing well and now i feel like im starting all over again. is this something that happens a lot? i was really feeling good, it was slowly getting better and better, and now i feel like it just will never go away. is this a common thing or should i just learn to live with the fact that it will keep coming back when i start to feel better?

Same boat here.

Started November 2004 with true spinning vertigo, quick recovery, mild relapse(decomp) 6 months later, but all systems go, up to 98% or more some weeks and even months, even with cold flu and food poisoning...

Strong enduring decomp started in late January this year, got worse with sinus-cold and again food poisoning.

In a sense it's neven been as hard(the spinning vertigo) as it was in 2004, but this time symptoms lasted longer, meaning almost every day feeling off beat, quick vertigo bursts, and, somehting totally new to me after more than a year having this junk, vibrating vision.

Blame myself for not keep the VRT up last year, snce I felt better without much of it, but I can´t figure out why, but in many ways, I actually feel worse than last year...

On the other hand, from what I've read, as unfortunate as it sounds, specially in the first stages(the first 6-8 months), this decomp episodes are quite common, even more so when you got hit by some illness(cold-flu, for example), stress, anxiety, etc.

But, this episodes should be both milder in number and intensity as you begin to recover little by little. Keep up the VRT, try to stay as calm as you can, don't let the anxiety gets you, and call the doc for anything too strong to cope with, just in case.

Get better soon.

Hi Tiff

Yes it's all perfectly normal with this illness. I also started in November (2004), with lightheadedness after a virus and things escalated from there. I coped with it for months before I caught another virus and everything kicked in big style! Over that 6 month period I would feel better for days and then it would all be back again to haunt me. What you are feeling now is true to form but it will get better for you. Try and keep positive and though it's hard, try not to let the anxiety get to you. I used to suffer from anxiety terribly, even in my house, but would make myself stay where I was and tell myself over and over that I was OK and it would pass. I have just had a peiod of decomp lasting 6 weeks and have not suffered any anxiety at all. Hopefully we are all going to get better one day!

Mac2