Ok hope first, with something I've already stated on previous posts, but I thought it was good enough to give us hope to all.

I don't know how each individual case is, but in mine when I'm decompensated it deels like an all day long wooziness, with stronger blips(or attacks), of different symptoms alone or combined.

BUT sometimes, even in the middle of this, I manage to get some hours, or a day, or sometimes more, COMPLETELY DIZZY FREE, light, clear minded, top notch, even in the midddle of a colds, or stress or simiar stuff.

My point here is that if that happens to me, and to any of you, it's a proof that a cure, or to say it properly, full compensartion is real ant it coyld happen to us, and it will h appen to us. It's only matter of time when someone, will f ind out how this mechanism really work in full and we will be able to get there permanently. So keep it up, it's really possible, and even if I'm back tomorrow whining on a new episode, I know that maybe the day after tomorrow I'll be free of this, and someday free forever.

On the more info topic I came in touch with this little resume of anxiety symptoms, that when I read them, I saw how closely related is this condition with inner ear stuff, both in terms of a real brain interference, wich is a direct cause of compensation tampering, and also because of it's own specific symptoms, wich even without a "real" vestibular issue in account, are almost a carbon copy of much of the symptoms I've felt and read on the boards.

Not seeing this like oh cool I'm on Anxiety, but rather to think, maybe there is really the answer to my trouble, I post this, mainly because in the site was stated that, heart palpitations and shortness of breath, wich are the most common anxiety related symptoms, might or might not appear in combination with all the other joyride of symptoms, wich, if you see carefully, are like a textbook of the inner ear disorders' ones. Hope this is usefull to somebody.

Part 1:

The symptoms of a panic attack are described in the DSM-4 as a "discrete period of intense fear or discomfort in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within ten minutes. Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, sensations of shortness of breath or smothering, feeling of chocking, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or abdominal distress, feeling dizzy, unsteady, light headedness or faint, Derealisation or depersonalisation, fear of losing control or going crazy, fear of dying, numbness or tingling sensations, chills or hot flushes

Part 2:
Anxiety Disorders

Derealisation and Depersonalisation

Depersonalisation and Derealisation are very common symptoms of spontaneous panic attacks and belong to a group of sensations/feelings often known collectively as Dissociation.

The ability to dissociate is on a scale 0 -10 and people with panic disorder are about
4 - 5 on this scale. Many people with panic disorder report that their panic attacks begin with the experience of depersonalisation and/or derealisation.

Dissociation is also known as a 'self induced (hypnotic) trance states' or 'altered states of consciousness'. The sensations of dissociation are many and varied. They include the following:

Derealisation

A feeling that you and/or your surroundings are not real
And/or experience your surroundings through a diffused light, fog or mist

Depersonalisation

Feeling as if you are "outside of your body"/ 'detached from your body', as though you are either standing alongside, above or behind it
Other dissociative sensations

Sensitivity to light and sound
Tunnel vision
Feeling as if your body has expanded so that it feels larger than normal
Feeling as if your body has shrunk to minute proportions
Stationary objects may appear to move
Driving a car and suddenly realise you don't remember what has happened during all or part of the trip

Listening to someone talk and realise you did not hear part or all of what was said

Sometimes sit staring off into space, and not being aware of the passage of time

Part 3:


Another research study shows that people can experience dizziness as a result of derealisation. The research shows it is not so much the derealisation that causes the dizziness, rather it is the magnitude in the change of consciousness that can causes the feelings of dizziness.

Many people who experience depersonalisation and derealisation can be woken from sleep with a nocturnal panic attack. Research shows these attacks happen on the change of consciousness, going into sleep, moving into dreaming sleep or to deep sleep or back to dreaming sleep. The change in consciousness during sleep, is similar to the change in consciousness people can experience when they dissociate during the day.

Some people with panic disorder are frightened of their ability to dissociate, other people are not. One of the easiest way people can induce a trance state is when they are relaxed and/or when they are staring : out of the window, driving, watching TV, reading a book, using the computer, when talking with someone. Fluorescent lights can trigger a trance state, so too can self absorption. The more absorbed we become, the more we can induce a trance stare.

can i say stargrave i have just read your post and found it to be a breath of fresh air.i have had my syptoms now for about 18 months and like you i have periods when im fine.about 6 weeks ago after a heavy weekend of drinking,dieting and exercise i had a severe panic attack(didnt know what it was at the time).i felt faint,numbness in arm,etc.since then after having ecg,blood test etc my gp said i was suffering from panic attacks,and gave me beta blockers,which have eased it a bit but has made me a bit depressed.i myself feel odd when talking to people sometimes even though i dont feel stressed.it seems to happen more if i turn my head to speak.i can go all day feeling fine ,but its as if i have to have an attack to feel normal,if that makes sense?i think anxiety does strange things to one minds.i can almost invent syptoms if you know what i mean......the thing is i am 42 have 3 kids and have been through stressful times in the past but cant explain what brought it on 6 weeks ago....anyway its been good to get it off my chest a bit and read your post to know im not going mad .....thanks simon

Hi SImon, I'm glad this was helpful to you.

It's hard to explain how this mechanism works, but myb et is that if you already had some inner ear problems before, chances are tha you've had some decompensation process, and not a new episode altogether.

This could mean that some factor made your brain to have some trouble dealing with the faulty signals of your brain. On the other had if it's anxiety realated, as it is in other similar mind conditions like depression, is harder to point out what triggered it, because by the time you're deep into the symptoms, you've already started your process, and are receptive to any kind of trigger wich could start an attack.

What I mean is that usually on this conditions the whole process starts way before you notice it happening, maybe by some event of series of events wich consecuences will be felt days or weeks after they occur, that is why it seems like it caught you off guard and sometime with no apparent reason for it.

And giving all the above symptoms related to anxiety, you don't even need to have any "real" inner ear stuff to feel like hell

hi again.felt better today,though ive just read the syptoms of ms and made them fit to my syptoms mental eh......i think ive maybe got a mild ear disorder which has made my panic disorder more severe...i feel ok when i drink alcohol as it chills me out..thanks for your info though.it made me feel better cheers simon

I had an appt with my primary care provider the other day. I sat there explaining to him how MAV works-the good thing about my pcp is that he openly said "You know more about this than I do...please fill me in". So it was nice to have him listen.
I don't want to have MAV. I really don't. So I'm now, especially after reading this post, I am wondering if what I am dealing with is anxiety!
I was Diagnosed with BPPV, and can do the epley without getting dizzy, so why am I still feeling yucky? Well, it's either MAV, or anxiety that is holding me back from complete recovery, or compensation. This is a new thought to me and found it quite interesting.
I have an appt with a neurologist mid-May. Luckily she is board certified neurologist and psychiatrist. (I am assuming she needs to be both in order to prescribe the psych meds?) Anyway, I figure she should be able to identify the difference between MAV and anxiety, and treat me accordingly.
Anyone have any thoughts/experience on the difference?
Thanks.

Hi, well thing is it could be a combination, mix, or just one o them all, is really hard to tell, even for the doctors, and even as each condition has in'ts own causes and symptoms, the mix of them all sometimes is confusing, and the connection between them, even more so.

So, even as this is not a rule, here is what, from the info I've read, the "spot on" sign that could tell you what is wrong with you, or what could be your condition(from the most knonw and posted ones)

1. Hearing Loss associated(sudden or progressive) Menieres Syndrome, Autoinmune Disease. As there might be strange cases where this doesn't happen, there is much more probability that you don't have any of these if your hearing is fine.

2. Previous History of Migraine. You can bet that either you're having MAV, which could be in combination with something else or at list a migranious factor that could be giving you problems to compensate. Migraine can hit you even without a prior history with the condition, so you can't completely rule it out until you're fullly examinated, but quth a known migraine past, you can almost bet that if it's not MAV what you have. at least migraine is acting against your full recovery.

3. Not a clearly position induced vertigo, speciallly with the Dix-Hallpike Manouver, well it woud be quite dificult for this to be BPPV, but even as it might be the least damaging condition of them all, BPPB alone could leave you some resident symptoms after the calcium crystals are dissolved or reintegrated.