Does anyone else ever feel like they went backward?? Is that even possible?? For the past few weeks I just feel like I did a long time ago. I thought I had gotten past these things. At like 4 months I would have a few dizzy days a week but I was able to handle a playdate and still have an ok after noon. Now even if I talk on the phone too long I am dizzy. I am dizzy ALOT. I dont know why I even thought it would be ok to put her in school I worry all week about Thursday and Friday and since scool started I feel worse than I have in a long time. I try to take small 10 mins drive here and there to regulate myself to them but I am still dizzy! I am still terrified to take her......what has happened to my life. I feel like a hermit....like I cant do anything or handle anything anymore.....I am going to see a new PCP in november and see if anything is complicating this but I just dont know what to do anymore I feel like I am worse now at 6 months 20 days than I was at 4 1/2 months.....how is that possible???

Dizzy...

Anxiety can really slow your progress. Are you getting good sleep at night? Do you worry about this illness all the time, fixate on it?

I have to say, when I was so busy with the baby...I was not anxious that much about this illness. Now that I have more time to worry, my anxiety got a bit elevated.

I have added workouts, taking time to do a hobby I like, hypno therapy for stress.

Honestly, no wonder you are feeling overwhelmed. You will get better.

What are you doing for exercises daily?

Unforunately this thing is not a straight ride to recovery. Yes, there could be something else complicating things and its good to rule everything out, but sometimes its just the course of it. It sucked along the way for me, but I was better at 6 months than I was at 9 months, now I'm 95% and its been 19 months. As long as you're better than the start of it all I would say you're doing ok. Hope you start going forwards soon!
Joni

Charlotte is right. You can't let the anxiety take over. I think you are worrying too much about being at a certain percentage of recovery and trying to find a pattern. When you don't see yourself going in a straight line forward towards recovery you worry about it and it takes over. You can't let the anxiety overwhelm you. You are only making things worse. I know this is very difficult. I can't imagine feeling the way you do and having to take care of a baby. I know it must feel impossible to deal with right now. can you find someone else to take your daughter to school and pick her up? that may take some stress off of you. You have to think about what you can do one day at at time. Forget about next week or next month. Just focus on what you can do one day at at time. It's the only way to get through this. You won't find anyone else who has the same pattern of recovery as you do. it's all unique to the person. We have all had setbacks and everyone one on here can testify to the fact that recovery is not linear. There are a lot of setbacks before things mellow out. At 6 months things were better for me but i was still having setbacks like you are. Plus all the anxiety you are having about recovery is NOT helping. you need to find a way to stop the worrying. I know it's hard and it's okay to let out your emotions but you can't let the worrying take over. it will only hinder your recovery.

Dizzy...

Are you getting good sleep at night? Do you worry about this illness all the time, fixate on it?
What are you doing for exercises daily?

I get as much sleep as I can and I am much worse on days that I dont sleep well. I try to forget about it but since school has started I am much more worriued about Thursday and Friday and about not being a bad mom if I am too dizzy to take her.


My daily exercises Twice daily ( If any one can tell me where to go next would be great)

Balance Progressed to eyes closed
*Stand still for 30 secs
*Tip head up and down 10 times progressed to 12 times
*Turn head side to side 10 times progressed to 12 times

Toe to Heel

*Take 30 steps Heel to toe while moving head side to side
*Take 30 steps Heel to toe while moving head up and down
*Rock on feet shoulder length apart 1 min
*Stand on one foot 1min then the other foot

Head Tip

*Tip head up and down 1 min Progressed to 1 min 45 sec
*Turn head side to side 1 min Progressed to 1 min 45 sec



Business card Still

*Focus on the letter turn head side to side 1 min Progressed to 1 min 30 secs
*Focus on the letter tip head up and down 1 min Progressed to 1 min 30 secs

Business Card moving

*Focus on letter turn head side to side while moving the card opposite 1 minProgressed to 1 min 30 secs

*Focus on letter tip head up and down while moving card opposite Progressed to 1 min 30 secs





Head to Knee Progressed to Eyes Closed

*Tip head towards right knees 5 times
*Tip head towards left knee 5 times

:angel: can you find someone else to take your daughter to school and pick her up? that may take some stress off of you. .


That would truly solve all my problems but there is noone. The only thing I stress out about is getting her to school. All week I worry and wonder if I will be able to get her there. My mom doesnt want to take her for me anymore she wants me to do it so I cant ask her to help. And my husband goes to work for 7 which means he would have to leave work by 7:45 to come get her drop her off at school for 8:30 be back to work for 9 then leave at 11:30 pick her up for 12 then be back to work for 12:30 so he misses a bit of work to help me out althoguh he will have to help when it snows (that is a whole other fear of mine). Unfortuantl there is no carpool noone lives in "my neck of the woods" that would help and my mom wants me doing it by myself so Im stuck :(

Well it seems like your anxiety and stress is escalating your symptoms. I think that if you would stop worring about driving your child to school, you would feel ALOT better. You really need to get over this worrying because its hindering your compensation as Charlotte said. I really want to see you get better. Dont take this the wrong way, but toughen up for your children. Its very hard, but you will notice how much better you will feel. It sounds like you are stuck in the house. You need to do things in order for your brain to relearn. The exercises are great, but your brain needs more.

Do your best, and please relax. Take a few deep breaths and you will be fine.

Cathy

My daily exercises Twice daily ( If any one can tell me where to go next would be great)

Balance Progressed to eyes closed
*Stand still for 30 secs
*Tip head up and down 10 times progressed to 12 times
*Turn head side to side 10 times progressed to 12 times

Toe to Heel

*Take 30 steps Heel to toe while moving head side to side
*Take 30 steps Heel to toe while moving head up and down
*Rock on feet shoulder length apart 1 min
*Stand on one foot 1min then the other foot

Head Tip

*Tip head up and down 1 min Progressed to 1 min 45 sec
*Turn head side to side 1 min Progressed to 1 min 45 sec



Business card Still

*Focus on the letter turn head side to side 1 min Progressed to 1 min 30 secs
*Focus on the letter tip head up and down 1 min Progressed to 1 min 30 secs

Business Card moving

*Focus on letter turn head side to side while moving the card opposite 1 minProgressed to 1 min 30 secs

*Focus on letter tip head up and down while moving card opposite Progressed to 1 min 30 secs

Head to Knee Progressed to Eyes Closed

*Tip head towards right knees 5 times
*Tip head towards left knee 5 times

For the exercises, basically if it is easy and doesn't cause symptoms, don't bother doing it. I have a feeling some of these are probably easy for you at this point and don't cause symptoms. For both business card exercises you can increase speed, do it in front of a busy background (a painting or checkerboard), and combine it with a balance exercise (standing heel to toe).

Come up with any activity during your daily schedule that causes symptoms and break it down into steps, turning it into an exercises. I can break it down for you if that would be helpful too. Just let me know.

Have you talked with your doctor about trying some meds for the anxiety?
If it is out of control because of the inner ear prob maybe you need some meds to break the cycle. Then you can focus on feeling better and enjoying your family rather than the stress of it all. It doesn't mean forever, but just to get you through for now.

Joni

With meds I try to stay away cause even cold medicine gives me side effects so I dont even take that if I can help it. I have valium if I need it but i only take 1mg and even that leaves me feeling "drugged". My body is just really sensitive to meds. Some of the VRTs still have a little dizziness but as far as regular activinites i dont notice any correlation between specific activities and getting dizzy because of them except for some strange reason folding laundry makes me feel dizzy. Just getting a myraid of new symptoms lately vbefore the old ones even fade!!! Just feeling like I am gearing of from round 2 before round 1 even left. If I could just get through this driving her twice a week issue i could relax but for some reason it terrifies me and I have no backup if I needed it and that leaves me even more on edge cause if I cant get her there I feel like I am failing as a mother....

anyone heard from balance of chicago i would kind of like an increased vrt program and where to go and what to cut out etc....

I think I asked you this before but have you seen anyone about your anxiety? It does seem like it's making things worse for you right now. I understand you're sensitive to meds but you can talk to a doctor and find something that works for you.

Like Cathy said, I think your anxiety is making your recovery much more difficult. Anxiety amplifies whatever symptoms you may have. You need to break the cycle in order to continue with your recovery.

I'm just wondering.. has a professional recommended specific VRTs for you or are you picking them out yourself? My therapist went through a lot of different exercises with me before choosing a few specific ones. She modifies them and/or chooses different ones as we go along. It sounds like you're doing a lot yourself right now and it might be good to get a professional opinion to speed your recovery.

That said, I've been told that one of the balance disorder "gurus" (I hate that word but that's how he was referred to, lol) said that walking on a treadmill at speeds between 2.4-4 mph while reading is one of the best VRTs there is.


I hope you feel better, D&S. See if you can get checked out for your anxiety and find something that works for you. There are things you can do other than meds too and a doctor would be able to explore all those options for you.


Edit:

Doh, I missed that post somehow..

anyone heard from balance of chicago i would kind of like an increased vrt program and where to go and what to cut out etc....

I think someone here said they're very good? But that may have been another center too... You can talk to your GP too. Glad you're looking for a good place. :)

BalnaceofChicago was a PT that came and posted once in a while. My insurance only covers one PT appt and I already had it so I have been working on the ones that BalanceofChicago posted a few months ago. I have not seen anyone for the anxiety cause even the thought of starting a medicine for anxiety makes me stressed. Anyways in Novemeber I go see a brand new PCP and start the process over again and see if they have any opinions etc......So until then......

Oh! haha! I thought you were talking about a balance center! Could've sworn I saw someone talk about some centers up north... Or maybe I'm just losing it! :dizzy: :D

Can you go to an ENT and get referred to a PT again? It's ridiculous that you only get one visit...

Don't stress about seeing someone about your anxiety. And like I said, not everything you can do involves medication. There are cognitive behavior programs that can help you deal with anxiety - no medication! I really truly believe that getting a grip on your anxiety will help you tremendously. It's super hard to deal with the dizziness when your anxious.

D&S, you also had a cold recently, you can still be in that decomp. You will get through this, we are all behind you. Positive thinking helped me with my recovery, and it will for you. I am sorry if i was a little rough on you on the last post, but I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT, with a little pushing. I wish I was there to help you through this rough time and I know what you are going through. We've all been there. As I said before to beat this illness, you need to fight againist it...Its the only way, or it will beat you. Its a fight for your life back, thats how I looked at it. I kept telling myself there is NOWAY I accept how I feel or this illness. And NOWAY will I live my life like this. Think of it that way. I also wished your family would step in and help you, it would take the edge off!!!

You will feel better! I know it!

Cathy

Unforunately this thing is not a straight ride to recovery. Yes, there could be something else complicating things and its good to rule everything out, but sometimes its just the course of it. It sucked along the way for me, but I was better at 6 months than I was at 9 months, now I'm 95% and its been 19 months. As long as you're better than the start of it all I would say you're doing ok. Hope you start going forwards soon!
Joni

Oh My! Gee, Sipa was right and she sure seems to know what she talks about!!! I must say so does Subs 30 !
I'm still pretty new on here,so far my Dr. says I have BPPV. This is my 3rd (lasting more than a week) attack. This is the longest one and is the hardest one for me to get a grip on.They always come on after I get over a bad cold or virus,this time it started slowly 8/29/07 (losing right-sided balance),then the big wham hit 8/31/07. For me,I'm only talking about 4 weeks so far :confused: :( . I been out of work with this crappy stuff eversince. Already for me, it's seeming to feel like Forever! I feel real bad off some days, then I get to feeling like I'm getting better,like getting over it,(usually 1 whole day,some times a little longer).Then I go almost fullswing back again.Right now today is my 4th good day in a row,except today I'm not as sure about,but I just don't want to give in to it being another relaps!!!
I see here, you talk about your stages at "6 months,9 months and now 19 months". I just need to ask,, are you able to work during these stages ????

I see here, you talk about your stages at "6 months,9 months and now 19 months". I just need to ask,, are you able to work during these stages ????

I didn't work for about 2 weeks at the beginning. then worked a couple hours per day for about 2 more weeks. I was then out of work (I had moved) for about 1 month. I then worked full time for a bunch of months. Things got bad and I cut down to part time for I think 2.5 months. Since then I've been fulltime again. It hasn't always been easy but I needed the salary. I've gone back and forth between thinking that my job is stimulating so aids in my recovery to thinking its too stimulating and has slowed down my recovery. I'm not sure which is correct.
Joni

Hi Joni, Thanks for your peply. See I been full time at my job for 7 1/2 years now,Dr. took me out 8/31/07,they on 9/14/07 is keeping me out under his care till further notice. After 3 days company sent forms for FMLA, then after 8 days I became eligible for S&AD. There is no sit down work (for hourly employees) at my job, so from what I understand, since this is not a work related illness, they iether can't or won't take me back until I can be releast symptomatic free// or without restrictions. Atleast not until or unless I have exahsted all other eceptable forms of excused leaves. Like FMLA, and S&AD, and then any vacation time I've earned, then depending on just how long this this or what ever else (if any) goes on,, they may have to take be back under certain negotiatable terms for some periode if thime,, then if my Dr. requests it I would qualify for a granted leave of absence. So as for right now, my being out of work I'm pretty covered in that respect, but the funds simply can not compare to being AT work! Other than the downs and trying to deal with the "blips" or relaps,, I guess my biggest enemy is anxiety. Mostley about when will I ever be able to go back to work?? And now today, with this new left ear aching thing,, I been trying to fight the fears of thinking it may be a sign of an ear infection (which I'am not prone to),, or for me, even scarrier,, could this thing be getting ready to set me ALL the way back to stage #1 but now going after my left side.. I try to fight it but I just can't help wondering how many days untill I start going limp to my left??
I'm sorry for being so depressing ! I guess this is my try to VENT it all out. I have betters plans for tomorrow and I'm praying I will keep them !

What kind of work do you do?

Hi Joni, I run the pasteurizer room on 2nd shift, for a food service production company in Michigan. I have 5 pasteurizers to operate during what we call " In Season". After the season ends, which it just has ended last week :( now I may only have 1 to 3 at a time, and in a couple of months, it will drop down to only 1 or 2 a few times a week. Then I go out to production as a machine operator. I spent 3 1/2 years as a leadperson, so I know almost all the machines, except for some of our newest ones. The biggest hit during the Season is all the extra overtime !!! Yeah, I was working 6 day weeks and from 8 to 14 hours a night,, till this thing hit. Ohwell, I will get back ( I hope!) and there will still be bits of overtime on and off,, just not on a regular basis, till next season.