Hello all.

I'm here gathering some more info, prior to my next Neurotologyst appoinment.

I have two questions both for anywone who knows or has experienced this...

Since I'm trying to pinpoint my main offender(s), regarding my failure to compensate at full, since I'm not anxious(knock on wood), or dealing officialy with something like TMJ(even as I do have some jaw issues), my two main suspects are MAV, due to my Migraine history and some symptoms I've had, and my perennial allergy condition, wich gimes me all kind of trouble, so...

Question #1: Does anyone know if an allergy can suddenly onset a dizziness state or decompensation, as MAV can?

Question #2: About symptoms: How does your overall dizziness feels like?

Mine feels like it has a switch On/Off, that when it's connected, everything drops down, eye trouble, quick bursts, swaying, pull down, or to the sides sensation, unbalance, fog, you know it. In this state even the mildest VRT exercise can cause me trouble.

When it is "off", well I almost fell quite normal, can endure the toughest VRT exercises I got, and feel quite O.K., up to a 100% for five dasy this yar, with no specific change in my routine, or anything, just like that, no dizziness.

The point is that it's not always a 24/7 state, because even in the worst days, I've got some hours or at least an hour free, or with a relly mild feel of the dizziness wich, by the way, it's quite reduced by driving(don't know why).

Does this "on/off" sounds familiar? Could this condition be related to MAV or allergies or both?

Finally they were 4 questions... ;)

Any answers?

PS.

Making my little knowledge contribution, I found an article, wich was new for me, where it explains how visual trouble like oscillopsia, like the one I'm experiencing, could well be present both in an unilateral vestibular injury(the common one), as it is almost a present sign in bilateral vestibular dysfunction or loss...

And the one other thing this article said is that, a custom made VRT program do helps and it's the best aid to recover from a "pure" stable vestibular injury like VN/labs, or bilateral dysfunctions, as long as they're stable, unlike Meniere's Disease, or MAV, where diet and sometimes medication support is needed to control them.

Stargrave,

>>>Question #1: Does anyone know if an allergy can suddenly onset a dizziness state or decompensation, as MAV can?

I'm wondering if allergy actually increases our symptoms indirectly by triggering migraine! Or maybe it does that AND produces some regular decomp as well.

>>>Question #2: About symptoms: What does your overall dizziness feels like?

I sort of have the on/off switch thing going on too. When my hayfever was bad there's no question my tolerance levels dropped and I was a wreck again. Normal stuff can be challenging but in a good patch it takes much more to cause a problem. When fully medicated on SSRI, I can tolerate almost everything. My symptoms (when it's in the ON state) are dysequilibrium, occasional feeling like I lose my stomach, spaced out head as though I've smoked a joint.

>>>Does this "on/off" sound familiar? Could this condition be related to MAV or allergies or both?

I think it might be both.

>>>A custom made VRT program does help and it's the best aid to recover from a "pure" stable vestibular injury like VN/labs...and sometimes medication support is needed to control them.

I agree completely here. I would say I am in anything but in a "stable" recovery (whatever that is) but this on/off thing or simply not being at a consistent 90+ per cent after nearly 3 years suggests that something else must be dealt with. I think that's a no-brainer. No one should be dizzy for 3 years (or more) in a normal healing trajectory.

Best....Scott :cool:

So this On/off thing is one thing we share Scott.

And I agree with you, in terms that no one should be dizzy after three years, at least not in a way where the intensity and endurance of your symptoms keeps almost as in the begining.

In my case, taking in account my Nov 2004 episode as the beginning, it's been 20 months with an "unusual" path of recovery, having a year(2005) practically vertigo free, and this 2006 with only a week of dizzy freedom...

I was pointing it more to a new episode than to a hughe decomp, since all of the new symptoms,visual, unbalance and this "having a joint" state you mention started for me this year.

But, due to my degree of compensation through all the tests I took at the neurotologyst, it seems it all came from, at least vestibulary, from an "old"(probably that 04 episode) lesion.

So, having also a 2005 filled with colds and allergies, as most of my life, without this vestibular "side effects", it all points for me to MAV, wich seem like the only thing that could cause symptoms to endure and come back as strong as ever, without anything showing a new "real" vestibular lesion whatsoever.

I know this could take some time to recover from as it is, and maybe my case is not as different as most cases here, that's why I'm checking... but, I believe, and the 100% people here like subs should tell me if I'm wrong, that slowly but surely you began to feel better, and well after more than a year with this, having not just the past but "new" vestibular symptoms after a year from the inicial episode, again with no proof of a new injury, well I don't think this falls into your "average" vestibular recovery too, so that's why I'm pointing to MAV, since I'm running out of options here.

Hello everyone, it's back again...

Offbalanced feeling, cloudiness in both my thoughts and ability to focus, visually. I did have a cold last week, but did not feel any of the ill effects that I currently have.

I am so sick of this $h!t:dizzy:

Let's see how long it takes for this episode to go away...could be a couple days, could be almost a year.

I am so depressed...sorry to vent, but I have nowhere else to turn to because nobody else understands my symptoms.

I sometimes wonder if it is depression that I have that brings about these symptoms (vertigo, offbalancedness, cloudiness, sleepiness, unable to focus visually, ect.) or if it is the symptoms from an inner ear disorder that is bringing about the depression. THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Hey WhyAmiDizzy,

Your new found symptoms are almost certainly because of your cold last week. It's par for the course to have the dizziness kick in AFTER the cold. It happened to me many times...and others on the board. Give it a week or two max and I would be willing to bet the farm you'll be back to how you were before the cold.

Hey Stargrave,

I have definitely followed an overall get well trajectory from the original labyrinthine disaster and, with the aid of an SSRI, made it to what I would say was 97% on numerous occasions. Looking back I can clearly see now that were a number of hurdles to cross. The first was the enormous anxiety disorder this dropped me into within 24 hours of the onslaught. My sympathetic nervous system was totally "bombed" as though it were a highway leading into Beirut. Once I got that under control with the aid of meds (perhpas new neural highways were laid down) I followed a fairly quick rapid recovery phase of compensation which lasted about 5 months. I then remained stable until I reduced the meds and exposed myself to "challenging environments", namely LCD screens. But if you watch the Rauch videos, he talks about decomp as an event that should last only a relatively short time (I would think a week or two max and not months) and not leave the person as badly off as day one. In my case I was totally flattened on a few occasions as you describe with almost the same ferocity as the initial attack.

So here I am 3 years later still up and down hanging around the 60-85% range almost continuously and have to now wonder is migraine the last hurdle to solve with this thing? Is the path I've been on VN --> anxiety disorder ---> migraine what this is all about? Or maybe it was VN+anxiety disorder = migraine! And maybe the SSRI killed two birds with one stone (anxiety and migraine). No way to know for sure I guess until I try some meds specifically designed to remove migraine from the equation.

Does any of the above ring true to your experience?

Scott :cool:

Scotsman, I love reading your posts because you sound so upbeat and assured that you will get better. You also demonstrate a willingness to understand what is going on, live it and also find a route out of it. That actually inspires me to get out of this mess so thank you!

I have had a problem now for 4 months which all started with an intense period of vertigo. Anxiety immediatly kicked in and that was me. For 3 months I was a total wreck and couldnt figure out what was wrong, having panic attacks and 24/7 anxiety. i figured these dont just happen for no reason and researched it and found this board.

Im still to be tested but I do feel I either have a brain tumor or inner ear problems. I have ear problems all my life so im kinda going for that but the brain tumor notion is one that wont go away so Im going to go for an MRI to rule it out first of all.

I too get the spacey, smoked a joint feeling and actually to begin with thought I had done damage to my brain by smoking weed during Uni. Once the anxiety settled down I started to notice things. My eyes are playing tricks on me and I feel out of balance when i stand. When this happens I panic and in turn stay at home and worry! Today i have been as close to 100% as Ive been since the initial dizzyness but I know tommorrow could bring a totally different day!

I just thought I would post to let you know how inspired I am by your posts along with everyone else on this board and how much good advice and feedback you all give

Hey again WhatHaveIGot,

Thanks for the kind comments and really glad that anything I've said (and others) has given you a lift. I know all too well how this crap can do a person's head in. In the early days of this I was looking for *anything* to hang onto for hope that it would go away. Many on here saved my neck - no question.

>>>I have had a problem now for 4 months which all started with an intense period of vertigo. Anxiety immediatly kicked in and that was me. For 3 months I was a total wreck and couldnt figure out what was wrong, having panic attacks and 24/7 anxiety.

That was me to a "T". I was a wreck for 4 solid months. And then guess what happened? I caught a really nasty cold and all hell broke loose again. But I was stupid and panicked badly and kept forcing myself to do work on my PC which further escalated everything to the point of falling into a nervous, clinically depressed wreck. I should have rested, stayed calm and weathered that storm. The fact that you are reporting feeling the best yet is a really, really good sign. But expect to have more crappy days with this as you are still in what's called a "chronic compensation" period. Just don't be dismayed if you can help it if the s*** hits the fan for a few days here and there. From what you are describing, you are on the way out - following the normal trajectory to your old self again.

Make sure you watch the Dr Rauch video on compensation here (from the archive). This will definitely make you feel chilled out:

http://www.meei.harvard.edu/videoclips/VestibularCompensation.mov

Best...Scott

Hey again WhatHaveIGot,

Thanks for the kind comments and really glad that anything I've said (and others) has given you a lift. I know all too well how this crap can do a person's head in. In the early days of this I was looking for *anything* to hang onto for hope that it would go away. Many on here saved my neck - no question.

>>>I have had a problem now for 4 months which all started with an intense period of vertigo. Anxiety immediatly kicked in and that was me. For 3 months I was a total wreck and couldnt figure out what was wrong, having panic attacks and 24/7 anxiety.

That was me to a "T". I was a wreck for 4 solid months. And then guess what happened? I caught a really nasty cold and all hell broke loose again. But I was stupid and panicked badly and kept forcing myself to do work on my PC which further escalated everything to the point of falling into a nervous, clinically depressed wreck. I should have rested, stayed calm and weathered that storm. The fact that you are reporting feeling the best yet is a really, really good sign. But expect to have more crappy days with this as you are still in what's called a "chronic compensation" period. Just don't be dismayed if you can help it if the s*** hits the fan for a few days here and there. From what you are describing, you are on the way out - following the normal trajectory to your old self again.

Make sure you watch the Dr Rauch video on compensation here (from the archive). This will definitely make you feel chilled out:

http://www.meei.harvard.edu/videoclips/VestibularCompensation.mov

Best...Scott


I can honestly say that the last 4 months have been the worst in my entire life. Some days I didnt feel alive I was so detached from the world and reality!

I keep getting up for more every day and only yesterday I felt like a boxer against the ropes taking an absolute pounding. I though I was losing my mind aswell - is this a normal thing to experience?

I hope tommorrow is as good as today and the next day is better and I can go back to being my old self again. I never thought something could ever be this bad.

Keep fighting and dont get down, keep picking yourself up and remember to KEEP BELEIVING:p

Hey Stargrave,

I have definitely followed an overall get well trajectory from the original labyrinthine disaster and, with the aid of an SSRI, made it to what I would say was 97% on numerous occasions. Looking back I can clearly see now that were a number of hurdles to cross. The first was the enormous anxiety disorder this dropped me into within 24 hours of the onslaught. My sympathetic nervous system was totally "bombed" as though it were a highway leading into Beirut. Once I got that under control with the aid of meds (perhpas new neural highways were laid down) I followed a fairly quick rapid recovery phase of compensation which lasted about 5 months. I then remained stable until I reduced the meds and exposed myself to "challenging environments", namely LCD screens. But if you watch the Rauch videos, he talks about decomp as an event that should last only a relatively short time (I would think a week or two max and not months) and not leave the person as badly off as day one. In my case I was totally flattened on a few occasions as you describe with almost the same ferocity as the initial attack.

So here I am 3 years later still up and down hanging around the 60-85% range almost continuously and have to now wonder is migraine the last hurdle to solve with this thing? Is the path I've been on VN --> anxiety disorder ---> migraine what this is all about? Or maybe it was VN+anxiety disorder = migraine! And maybe the SSRI killed two birds with one stone (anxiety and migraine). No way to know for sure I guess until I try some meds specifically designed to remove migraine from the equation.

Does any of the above ring true to your experience?

Scott :cool:

100% Scott.

As you mention, I can see a decomp from a cold, infection or sinus, lasting some one or two weeks, but no months, and I also agree completely regarding that even if this "decomp" should last a little longer, I found hard to believe that, after a year or more a decomp episode could get you almost back to day one, and in an enduring way, and in my case even with some "new" symptoms, and if you add to this the fact that doctors wouldn't were able to find proof of a new "real" vestibuar injury.

That's why I'm thinking on MAV, because some of my odd foggy symptoms of this year were not entirely new to me(besides the oscillopsia and the general unbalance) and I could relate them entirely to what I've experienced in the past with migraine, withouth the headache, and also since I've been constant on VRT, and can even endure some tough exercises, I couldn't even dare to try at the beginning of this(on my "off days"), where I can really tell the progress I've made, a progress wich renders back to zero as soon as the dizziness gets "connected" again...

So as much as I've progressed, I think that if I can't pinpoint this tampering factor, I won't be able to compensate at full, and I even can see a process maybe similar to yours:

Allergies+Colds= mild decomp, with new sypmtoms, wich maybe triggered some extra stress, mild TMJ, and eventually developed an underlying Migraine factor, wich may be my main offender right now.

One huge difference between last year almost vertigo free and this hellish one, is that, I was able to workout and being much more active through the year, helping both VRT, and reducing the stress factor which could have been the thing that brought my MIgraine back, in a MAV form.