I am still in the middle of the worst decomp ever...... Still suffering.. Head heavy, strange woozy feeling, pressure in my head and anxiety up the wazoo..... Waiting on this thing to leave again is the most frstrating thing.... I havent been able to enjoy the holidays for so long now it seems... and this time around I might be in the same position.

Tummy

Tummy, I am so sorry you don't feel well. Can I ask a few questions...
How long have you had labs? Did you ever reach 100%? Do you do VRT's? Is this the first discompensation? Did you catch this after a cold?

Again...I hate to hear you are feeling poorly. I know they say it never lasts as long as the initial hit.

HI Charlotte,

Ask away :)

1) I have had labs for about 1.5 Years now.... Its been incredibly tough -- I have had major anxiety, panic attacks, Headaches, pressure, dizziness, Just feel off, Neck Pain.

2) Prior to 3 weeks ago, I was at 95-100% and I had been there since about March (Then I had a major decomp due to a FLU May-Jun), Then 100% from July, aside from 2 separate weeks of feeling terrible during that period July 21st Week, Sep 27 Week).

3) This is not my first decomp event.. I had a few others as I explained above

4) This all started after I had a bad st9omach bug which made me vomit for 36 hours and have a fever. The next day I was dizzy again.

Hope this answered your questions.

I guess I am just a little pissed off, as I was doing incredibly well, I had forgotten all about this dumb illness... Now again I have to bear it and just try and get through the days as best as I can. Its completely terrible and I hope it passes soon....

Tummy

Hi Tummy,

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time. If it makes you feel any better I am also in the the thick of a relapse - all precipitated by a relationship problem and the stress it created. The fallout has arrived on my doorstep in a big way - swirling head, screwed up vision, heart palpitations at night, tingling hands and feet - all of the usual fun.

My way of handling this is to NOT fear it. Rather know it will go again. You've been at 95+% already which implies you can be there again - and you will. But if there's one thing I know well about this inner ear garbage, it's the need to stay calm and not fret about it. Once the cortisol and adrenalin (stress hormones) are in your blood stream, it makes it incredibly hard for the brain to get a grip. In my case I don't know if this is straight decompensation or if it's some migraine variant being stirred up again. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of it next week when I see Prof halmagyi.

Hang in there. One thing I do when it's all too hard is take 2.5 mg of valium. It really takes the edge off of the bad days and can greatly reduce any dizziness (especially LCD induced for me).

Best....Scott :cool:

Tummy, was your 100%..meaning right back the way you were before the symptoms? In addition, can I ask you how old you are (I know age can affect recovery).

Did you find the Decomp symptoms less than the initial attack?

I felt great yesterday...then went into a store with crappy lighting..and now feel dizzy again today with the added bonus of ear fullness. Do you find lighting in stores upsets your dizzys? If so, when you went to 100% was that even in stores?

Thanks for all your input.

Hi Tummy sorry to hear it's hit bad this time, the worst part is never knowing how long these decomps are going to last, I hit a major one in August and only just feel like I'm coming out of it (fingers crossed, touch wood etc).
You have my sympathy, keep your chin up.
Jayne

Scott,

Remaining cool is harder said than done.. Right now my logic has gone out the window and I am worried... I havent had a good day since the decomp.... This gets me down more than usual. I am sorry your feeling terrible, but your own advice is ofcourse very logical. You will get throuh this as you always have... I will too, I know that, but controlling my thoughts is a hard process.

Charlotte,

100% was 100%... I did everything I did before... I went to grocery stores, shopping etc... anywhere... I did everything,..... I would say I wasd back to my old self again....

How it went?? I started having a few good days, then they just got more and more.. . Dont fret over the back and forth... The good news is that you felt great yesterday.... That is a great sign that you can get there again. I feel much better in teh evenings... Its only been the last 4 days which seem to have been tyerrible nights..... Otherwise, I have felt almost normal in the evenings lately..... maybe like 85%

Tummy

Thanks Tummy...I am sorry you don't feel as well right now.

Hey, did you have fullness in your ears? Was it always with you until you healed...or did it come and go? Were face areas around your ears ever sore? Did you have trouble with store lighting?

I have to say there are times I feel I will never beat this thing...However, got to keep pluggin right? Do you do VRT?

Hi Charlotte,

From the sounds of things it seems you are extremely worried about this... I know how it is, I was exactly like you asking about every little symptom... But the truth is, everyone is different.. Some people get fullness in their ears, some dont, and that goes for a host of symptoms... For me, I did not have the ear fullness, but For one side of my head, I have this strange pressure sensation above my ears... My Ears never were sore or around them were never sore durin gthis episode.

I am 31 years old,I did do VRT for a few months... but actually, when I stopped doing it, Thats whan I felt better.... Dont know what it was, but I started recovering more rapidly... Maybe Iw as overdoing it???? Who knows..

If you ears are sore to the touch, or around your ears are tender, you may want to have that checked out. Your lymphatic system drains through your neck.. there are alot of nodes around there ear etc.... Check for a sore on your scalp or around the area that may be painful/infected. Thats guess an idea..... Otherwise, there are alot of symptoms with this illness that seem very strange.. believe me... I know..

Just understand that it will get better.... Take it one day at a time.. Look back to how you were months ago and see what has changed.. dont judge day by day.. tat tends to hurt... Sorry for such a long post...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone
Tummy

Hey Tummy,

Thanks for all the information. I was not taking this illness too harshly..until I hit last week. I thought this would be long gone by now...not my luck. Having a 6 week old does not help in the "rest" department. It is nice to know that you reached 100%...I hope to as well.

You have been very supportive and helpful..thank you so much.

I will keep up with my VRt's and keep the faith that all will return to normal.