Just wanted to warn everyone who has Labrynthitis that my ENT doctor has said that taking medication to ease the dizziness/imbalance actually inhibits the adaption process and it can take a lot longer to recover than if you try to cope with the symptoms without drugs. It can also, in some cases, actually stop the body adapting altogether.

The adaption process can apparently take several months so do not despair if you still have symptoms - there are a nmber of exercises you can do which help train your balance but other than that, let time take its course. If it persists longer than 6 months and you have not been taking medication, then go and see a specialist as it is most probably not Labrynthitis.

Hope this helps some people...Good Luck to all - I know how much a pain this ailment is.

xxx

I too have VL and have found these message boards have been a great help - just knowing others are going through the same thing makes a difference. Like you, I was told by the ENT specialist that refraining from taking the medication would speed up the adaptation process. I have had it for 2 months now - have been off work the whole time - and what I have read on these boards is so familiar! Started with a bad head/sinus virus, then got the Lab. My vertigo is 'subjective' rather than 'objective' - that is, the room itself does not spin, I feel like I am spinning/moving up and down/being pulled backwards and forwards, etc.. Have had the nausea, too. ENT also gave me exercises to do, which at first made me worse, but I think they are helping and I can see his way of thinking, although admittedly I did not do them yesterday as was having a really bad day and had to take medication again.
Last couple of weeks, I have had odd days where I start to feel better, then seem to end up right back where I started, which is what makes this virus so horrible.
Like other people, I find being a passenger in a car really helps the feeling of constant motion. I tell people this and I'm sure they think I'm barmy?!
Also get very hot, feel like I'm burning up, my face feels like it is on fire - this is sporadic. Lots of catarrh, though all seems to be in the ears and throat. Throughout I have felt very 'viral', some days get the feeling of motion but don't feel so bad in myself and vice versa. Sorry to rant, just great to tell others who understand. Incidentally, I had this two years ago, but was off work for a couple of weeks, then got recurrent (much milder) episodes. This time has been much worse. Does anybody know if some people are prone to this?

Thanks so much for your reply. Like you, these boards have helped me such a lot as sometimes I feel as if I'm the only person with this problem!!!!

I've had a bad day today and liek you, I have periods of far better days and then I feel like I do today - like I did 3 mths ago. It is all so annoying.

Your VL sounds more severe than mine but I know what you mean about being in a car. Walking in the dark and turning corners and crowded places are bad for me.

How long did your ENT say it would last?

Did your ENT do pressure/hearing tests?

I also feel viral as you say, tired and prone to things. Am taking a lot of vitamin C and have heard magnesium can help.

Let me know how you get on.

Oh and forgot to say - I have heard it can Reccur but it totally depends and this doesnt always happen. God Luck xxx

Labyrinthitis--six to twelve months for most people(research says)--but can last longer for some----

I got it about six months ago(fist time)--They(Doc's) did the MRI,(V)ENG, Neurologist,ENT, etc..--turns out that it can also generate into BPPV(research says)and for me it did--attended vestibular therapy--that helped some but not much--get a little better each week--did not take any med's--as recommended in the research--and--I push activity--to the fringes of the safe limit--also recommended.

They(the medical types)tell me it will go away eventually--six to twelve months for most people(research says)--but can last longer for some---but most of what I now know about this condition--did not come from them.

So each day I read a little more(160,000 people in the U.S. per year get vestibular--probs, Mayo Clinc study)--get a little smarter on it--and push activy a little harder--and each week(sometimes two)I think I'm a little better and each month I'm sure I am!

But as all who visit this board know--it sure ain't easy!

Another good source of info is the "[removed]" BBS at:
[removed]

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[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 01-18-2003).]

Thanks for both your replies. I pray it doesn't go on for 6 months! Please!
The ENT did do hearing and pressure tests which both came out fine; I have only had occasional ringing in one ear and have noticed no change in my hearing, thankfully. I have been taking a multivitamin this last month, too, but not sure it makes much difference. Have also been eating more vitamin C rich fruit - anything to boost the immune system! (I have to say that I have a good diet anyway; also don't smoke, only drink a little). I think some people are just more prone to this virus than others.

Forgot to say, a work colleague of mine is also off with exactly the same thing - neither of us knew this until about a month into it when I phoned work to say I was signed off for another 2 weeks, and someone told me she had it too. We have been phoning each other once or twice a week which helps enormously. I told my doctor that a colleague had it and he said that it is not particularly contagious in the same way as colds or flu are, but that there is 'a lot of it about'. He thinks it a coincidence that we both have it. But where do you get it from? Is it airborne or through touch? I guess some people carry it but are unaffected by it.
The ENT consultant I saw was nice enough, he explained what it does to your inner ear, etc... But he did not say how long I would have it - his guess is probably as good as mine! Also said I was not a typical case, as people usually start with a severe episode for maybe a week, then things gradually improve; whereas mine has been up and down (excuse the pun!). Having read so much on the net am not sure there really is a 'typical' case, anyway.
Hope you're having a better day today. Let us know how you are getting on too.

Ruth

This board helps me so much! I have come down with a cold and the l'itis has returned and is as bad as it was when it started. Is this normal? I have heard it recurrs for a while after the onset. Has anyone had this and do the symptoms last as long? I was just beginning to think I'd made some progress!

I have heard 6-12 mths for recovery also. What a pain

xxx

I have just found out about this dizziness problem and what it all entails and I am horrified. My daughter has been feeling dizzy since about October last year and has tried numerous ways of discovering the source of her complaint but so far has had little success.
My daughter lives in Melbourne, Australia and tomorrow she is flying to Adelaide to see a doctor there who says that she will be able to help her with exercises etc.( I, the mom, live in South Africa) Can anyone tell me if there is a doctor in Melbourne that might be able to help with this dizziness problem? My daughter was told last year that she had a virus but it is three months now and she is no better.
Please can someone reassure me that my daughter will not have to live with this for the rest of her life? She has already had a MRI scan and it showed up nothing.

Dear Emsybobs... am so sorry you are feeling really bad again; I know just how you feel. My ENT said it is quite common to get a recurrence of the Lab but that it is usually a much shorter episode. Hope this helps a bit; it's so frustrating isn't it - especially when you try to do all the right things and do all the exercises religiously. With regard to how long it takes to go, I really think it depends on the person. Some people have it for as little as a couple of weeks; some a month or two; some longer. A neighbour of mine had it years ago and he said he was off work for 3 months. When I got it 2 years ago, I had it for a few weeks. Then it stopped; then it started. Could be fine for a month and then would have a couple of bad days; but I know from experience that eventually it went away. This time has been much worse, though; have had it for 2 months, so I'm afraid there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer for how long it lasts. The only thing that has kept me going this time, is that I know from past experience that IT WILL GO AWAY EVENTUALLY. Hope you feel better soon.

To Stagger.... I am not a doctor but all I can say is that if your daughter does have labyrinthitis (what are all her symptoms?) then, as you can see from this message board, it can go on for some time. It is a virus and a very stubborn one. But I think she needs to be diagnosed properly as dizziness can indicate many things. If it is viral labyrinthitis then it will eventually go away - when you've got it, it feels like it will never go, but it will. I hope she finds some answers soon.

All the best
Ruth

Hi Ruth...thanks for your ressurance. It's so nice to know other people who KNOW how this feels as it's very difficult to explain to people isn't it? Have you continued with work? I am struggling! Is yours getting better? Do you get very tired with it? I am going to contact my ENT and ask him if this is usual (ie: coming back with a cold) just to reassure myself. I am exhausted with it this time! How exactly do you feel? Off balance or spinning?

xxx

Hello Emsybobs
I agree. Trying to explain to people just what this makes you feel like is a nightmare. Especially when you seem to be getting better and then go backwards again. My friend at work who also has it said a friend of hers told her she was 'focussing on it too much'! No I haven't been back to work yet. I tried to go back one day before xmas but only lasted 1 hour! I also have the problem that my job involves a lot of standing and bending up and down (I work in a busy town centre library) so am determined to make sure I'm alright before I go back. I think it is getting better...but VERY SLOWLY. (Well, you try to convince yourself, don't you?!) For instance have just had a couple of better days, but today feel very off balance, sort of 'spacy'. Do you know what I mean? Most of the time have not felt especially tired - however, I am sleeping a lot longer at night than I normally do. I do not have violent spinning but a really weird feeling of being off balance; when I move (any direction) I get a kind of reverberation like I'm still moving even though I know I'm not. It's so hard to put into words what you feel like. Have you been able to go to work? It is so hard to stay positive, isn't it? What exercises are you doing? I am doing the Cawthorne Cooksey exercises.

Ruth
xxx

Ruth...your symptoms sound just like mine. Turning corners is bad isnt it. And I constantly feel like I'm on a very rough cruise ship.

My ENT gave me a book of exercisies for Vertigo sufferers. They are v similar to the C Cookesey ones.

Have you had a cold since yours started? I am worrying as to whether it is normal for it to come back like this with a cold!

I am doing a very intense uni course and yes am still doing it but it's very hard when the symptoms are this bad.

It is v difficult to stay positive yes! I look fine so people dont know how I am feeling! That's v frustrating.

xxx

Another thing Ruth, what do you take for your bad days and does it work? I am thinking of going back to doc and taking medication for a few days just to get me through this cold...

Hello... just like you I feel like I'm on a boat in rough seas - some days the sea is much calmer, other days I feel like I'm in the middle of a storm! Turning to my right is definitely worse than turning to my left. I haven't had a cold since the one at the beginning, but have had days when my head has felt really pumped up with congestion. On bad days I have resorted to taking medication but have limited myself to just one tablet (rather than the 3 I was originally taking). They are called cinnarizine (brand name Stugeron) - you can get them over the counter. They are an antihistamine. They seem to take the 'edge' off the dizzy symptoms and also help with feeling queasy.
Much better than Stemetil which I took at the beginning and although they stop the dizziness made me feel like a zombie!
Do you feel better when you are walking in the fresh air? I have been trying to take a walk most days and unless I'm feeling really bad I find being outside in the cold air makes me feel much better.
Also, have you tried any alternative medicine?

Ruth
xxx

I tried one Stugeron tablet once and it didnt seem to help much. Interesting what you say about Stemetil. That's what they prescribed to me a while ago but I never took any as the ENT said not to. I am going to go to the Doc's this wk and ask for medicationa nd am now wondering what to ask for... Have heard "Serc" tablets can be quite good.

Any advice anyone?

I don't find that walking outside helps. The more I walk, the dizzier I feel esp when outside with moving traffic and people etc.

I am very into alternative medicine! I go to acupuncture for tension headaches and it has been brilliant. So I went back and asked if they could help with the L'itis. Have had a few treatments plus a month's supply of chinese medicine but it hasn't helped.

Also tried Cranial Osteopathy which I had read could help with L'itis. It made me feel much worse for about a month!

Have just got some magnesium tablets and some Ester C (a more powerful mixture than Vit C) and am going to try them. Magnesium apparently can lessen the inflammation of the nerves in the ear.

Have also tried Gingko Biloba but no effect...

xxx

Hi
I also tried the Ginkgo Biloba and it did nothing for me either! Have to say this last few days have been by far the best for me - so am praying this is the beginning of the end of this horrible virus!
You wanted to know how you get referred to a vestibular rehabilitation cantre. When I saw the ENT consultant he suggested it would be a good idea for me too. The audiology department of my local hospital contacted me yesterday to make an appointment for vestibular therapy - although my appointment is not until March 10th(!) I think it will be helpful. This is at the Royal Berks Hospital in Reading. (Presumably they also do this in the audiology departments of other UK hospitals). I would ask your ENT or GP to find out for you. Hope you're feeling a bit better.
Best wishes

Ruth

Hi Ruth...have just been to see a Doctor who was rubbish to be frank and made me feel as if I was making a fuss out of nothing. When I said I wanted to be referred to physio or something she said she wouldn't do that unless my condition got very bad. She didnt agree with me about medication stopping the adaption process and she said the "exercises do nothing".

Not amused!

She has given me Stematil which I have never taken so I will try it. If it doesnt make any difference, I am going back to the other very good Doc I saw and asking her opinion on vestibular therapy.

Don't know about the flu jab...you are prob right - it wont stop us getting colds.

The Doc today said that I would always be prone to it now and that it may reoccur a lot. Nice!

All I want is someone to take this seriously!

xxx

I so know how you're feeling!!! What a stupid doctor. It depends so much on who you see doesn't it? The Stemetil may help you, but I think it should be used short term only. I'd try to see the other doc again if I were you.
Having had a generally much better week am having a bad day again today - even though I felt horrible half way through my walk I forced myself to keep going but felt really bad when I got back indoors - the dizziness is bad enough to make me feel sick again - and I feel so abnormally hot a lot of the time. As I sit here now I feel as if I'm in the tropics!
Sometimes you just want to cry as people don't know how bad you feel unless you keep telling them (which gets boring).
It seems to me that there is very little understanding of labyrinthitis, don't you think? Although I feel like I could write a book about it!!

Ruth
xxx

Absolutely Ruth...I also feel I could write a book about it! Doctor's make out it is nothing, as if I'm making a fuss. Noone can quite understand how bad I feel! Keep sticking with it. Every day we are a bit closer to getting better.

Will update you about the result of my next Doctor visit!

Do you worry you may have something other than L'itis? The only thing I worry about it Eustacian Tube Dysfunction. What do you think? Would it show up on that pressure test the ENT does?

xxx

I've been reading your thread of conversation. I know exactly how you feel. You probably know by reading other topics that I've been feeling like that for now 16 months. Some of my symptoms are not as severe, but none the less it takes a lot of energy acting like everything is ok.

Well, because all the doctors don't know what to do with me I've spent a ton of money trying different things - accupuncture, chiropractor (in case it was due to my neck), a severe diet (followed by an environmental medicine doctor) in case it was due to allergies, ear candeling, even reiki (what a joke).

I did try SERC, it didn't work for me http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif
So far nothing as worked. Right now I'm trying natural products that suppose to help get rid of viruses and boost your immune system. Again, probably a waste of money, but hey, I can't give up!!

I want to ask you, do you feel dizzy all the time, every waking second or do you have moments were you are normal with bouts of dizziness?

[This message has been edited by MPaiement (edited 01-26-2003).]

Hello ... am going through a really bad patch again, and the doctor has signed me off for another 2 weeks. Like you, I just keep telling myself that every day is one day closer to getting rid of this! I did wonder about the eustachian tube disorder, as I have had a lot of crunching and catarrh draining from my right ear into my throat. But the pressure test they did in both my ears came out fine.
MPaiement... how do you stay sane???!!! Can I ask how yours started? Before xmas I had the dizziness 24/7 for some weeks (although some times it was more bearable than others). Now seem to have severe dizziness more sporadically - but even when it is better, I have that feeling of imbalance in my head - like when I move my head I get a sort of 'reverberation'.
Does anybody out there get really feverish with it? I feel as if I could fry an egg on my face!!!

How do I stay sane? Because I don't have any choice. I know that a lot of people are worst off that me. I'm able to be active everyday now that I'm more used to it (I'm not back to work though). At the begining, I was so afraid of walking around. I spent most of my days lying on the couch. They were periods were I got angry, other days I felt depressed (crying would help), other days I had more strenght to fight it.

The hope of getting better is what keeps me going.

My first symptoms appeared at the end of September 2001. I was shopping and all of a sudden I had a feeling of being pulled to one side, like I was walking on a small slant. After about a week of that the dizziness started. And its been there every single second of the day since then.

I also sometime feel like I have a fever, but I don't, or my temperature is very low like 99F, making me feel sluggish. It doesn't happen as often now.

Hi Everyone, I'd like to add that this board keeps me sane!

My dizziness is there constantly, yes and always has been. Like Ruth, I have that same odd feeling of inbalance particualrly when moving my head. Because of that damn cold, the dizziness is bad again, a sbad as it was at the start, over Christmas, when I had a month off and had time to rest etc, I was making such progress and the dizziness was miles better. This cold has kicked me right back to where I started from.

I think with L'itis you should see improvement over the months MPaiment and that's why I'm worried about you! Has it got AT ALL better?

I don't get feverish, just very tired. I also have the catarrh thing Ruth and the blocked ears sometimes but not always.

xxx

Also, MPaiement, did you say your hearing and pressure tests were normal? Do you feel dizzy when sitting and lying down? Is it worse when you put your head up and down? Did you take a lot of medication at the onset? Are you doing exercises?

Hi there

To answer your question MPaiement, I am dizzy 24/7. I'm in my fifth month now. A week ago I started walking to and from the train station in the mornings and evenings (40 min walk) as my therapist advised me to keep active and to trigger the dizziness as much as possible. It doesn't take much! Just moving my head or swinging around on my chair is enough! I do my exercises 3 times a day, but not sure if there's any improvement yet (it's only been 2 weeks). I find that if I have a bad night's sleep, I feel much worse the following day. Does anyone else battle to get to sleep at night? This is a new experience for me since the onset of this dizzines.
Jen

Also wanted to add that other than dizziness, I have NO other symptoms. No nausea, blocked ears, nothing. Has been that way all along. I was quite healthy beforehand. Very weird.

I dont have problems sleeping but my ENT explained that the reason we all feel worse after a bad night's sleep is because - there are 3 things holding us "up" - vision, inner ear and muscles. If we are tired, our muscles don't work as well so we are only relying on vision as the inner ear also isn't working as well. The same goes for the dark making things worse - we are then only relying on muscles and a not very good inner ear!

Hope this helps xxx

I also want to add that talking to you helps.

Yes, I had all the tests (hearing, ENG, Catscan, MRI, blood etc) all normal. My condition was so gradual that at the beginning by doctor gave me decongestants and allergy medications. After a few weeks of that with no results, I started taking SERC. It didn't work. I stopped using medication to try accupuncture, when that didn't work I tried a diuretic for about a month. I've haven't tried any other medication since then.

Do head movements increase my symptoms, yes and no. During my better periods, not at all. The dizziness is not as bad, but always constant no matter what I do. I can say that at my best I'm at about 75% my old self.

At my worst, my dizziness is a little bit worse but also is always constant. Head movements, or moving around can make me feel more unsteady, and - this is harder to explain - I can feel my brain more. It's like head movements gives me a feeling of numbness in my brain, and I find that my vision gets fuzzier too! I feel dizzier, but when I stare at something it's not moving more.

I had periods were I could feel pressure in my ears, or had very mild ringing - but they only lasted a few seconds and didn't get them often. I never had any nausea and I sleep well 99% of the time (my only escape!!)

Am I getting better? This too is hard to tell. I have better period than others, but these periods change so gradually. I can't tell if I'm having more good periods than before. I'm more active than before though. I think for me, getting better is when my "good periods" will become my worst. And so far, that hasn't happened.

[This message has been edited by MPaiement (edited 01-28-2003).]

[This message has been edited by MPaiement (edited 01-28-2003).]

Hi MPaiement. From what you say it does sound like L'itis or Vestibular Neuronitis. Being 75% your old self is something, I expect at the onset you were far worse than that. Have you had a cold since?

Yours sounds similar to me that you SOMETIMES have ear pressure. I think if we had something more serious, ear pressure would be the main symptom. Forgive me if I've already asked but have you had physiotherapy?? or vestibular rehabilitation? I think you should if you haven't.

I am currently taking magnesium and Ester C to see if that helps!

xxx

Mpaiement
Your symptoms are exactly the same as mine. I could just copy and paste your message to describe how I feel. Unfortunately, it makes me nervous that I'm in for the long haul like you.

Again, I'm sooooooooo glad to have finally met people with similar symptoms as me.

Emsybobs, I thank my lucky star that so far I haven't caught a cold. This year my three kids have caught pretty bad ones and everytime I hope I don't catch them.

I did have physiotherapy, but the physiotherapist that I saw was the daughter of someone I was working with. She was new in the field of "dizziness" so when I saw her I was more of a study case for her. She treated me more for BPPV. The exercices didn't seem to help the dizziness but it is what gave me confidence to move around more without any fear. I had stopped doing them but I just started again. I think they help me more with my balance.

I just had a phone call for an appointment in a clinic that specializes in vestibular problems. The clinic is about 5 hours from my home. At this point, I don't feel like going. I'm so sick and tired of seeing doctors. I have a feeling that they won't be able to help me. The ENT who is sending me there told me that 3 patients out of out of 5 that he sent there with symptoms worse than me, never found out what was the cause of their problem. Sorry guys, I'm just venting!!!

Hello everybody .... just want to add that this board has made a difference to me too. The sleep thing is interesting - my work colleague who also has this said her sleep was really disturbed, yet I have had little problems sleeping - sometimes I feel dizzy lying down (especially lying on my side) but most of the time I can get to sleep pretty quickly. My ear pressure and discomfort has definitely decreased but the excess cattarh just doesn't want to budge and is virtually all coming from the right ear. I get the feeling that if this were better, so would the dizziness be better?
Reading others messages I'm like, 'yes, that's me!' I agree that just fixing my eyes on something can help, but that keeping my head too still leads to neck stiffness and tense shoulders, so am trying to move my head as much as possible - while watching TV, for example, I keep making head movements. Still doing those exercises the ENT gave me - anyone know how long it takes for them to have any real effect?

Ruth
xxx

Once again, reading this makes me feel I am not alone.

MPaiement...GO to the ENT. I really think you should, you never know, hemay have the answers you've been looking for.

How can you tell the catarrh in your throat is from your right ear Ruth?

No idea how long the exercises take. I have heard anything that makes you feel dizzy is good so have resorted to spinning myself round a few times a day! The things we do...!

What worries me is the whole reccurrence thing...I am paranoid about the next time I have a cold now...From what I have heard, each reccurrence is shorter but still...I am working with children and I am bound to get colds...will I ever have a chance of full recovery if colds set me back each time?

Thinking of you all. xxx

Emsybobs
Thanks for the info on why sleeping badly makes us feel worse. It makes sense. Actually I think I'm sleeping badly because I'm so anxious about getting to sleep quickly (so that i have a good 'dizzy' day the next day) that I get all worked up which causes me to take ages to get to sleep. Aren't us humans strange?!!!

My phyiso said the exercises will take 'months' to clear up the dizziness. She wouldn't commit to how many months....

Hi everybody.... I had a feeling these exercises would take some time, but am determined to stick with them. Emsybobs, what you said really made me laugh!!! On better days I have also tried spinning myself round - am so relieved that other people are trying crazy things to make themselves better too!
The only reason I think the catarrh is coming mostly from the right ear now is that when I swallow I get lots of crunching in my right ear - I feel much more conscious of that ear pretty much all of the time - yet I feel nothing in my left ear at all - which gives me a kind of 'unequal' feeling.
This labyrinthitis has even started to enter my dreams now! Last night I dreamt that I was walking all over the place like I was drunk!!!

Ruth
xxx

What kind of exercices are you doing? One that I'm doing right now is sitting up on the side of my bed and then "throw" myself on one side with my head at a 45 degree angle, wait thirty second, sit up again fast, wait thirty seconds and then do the same thing on the other side. I repeat that about 10 times.

MPaiement...the exercise you are doing are for BPPV - they are to reposition calcium crystals in your ear. If your prob is not BPPV, which I dont think it is, then this isnt the exercise for you. Type in "Cawthorne Cooksey" into an internet search engine and some exercises will come up - do those. They involve turning your head from side to side and standing up and sitting down quickly...

MPaiement
Yes, I was doing those exercises too (found them on the internet) until I saw my therapist. She also said they were for BPPV, not vestibular neuritis, which I think you have because you have exactly the same symptoms as me.
My therapist also said the Cooksey exercises are way out of date. She has given me others to do. She has been researching and working in the field for 12 years and has seen many positive results in her patients. It seems to me that you need to find yourself an 'expert' in the field.

There are no expert were I live. I just moved in a small town with a pop. of 6,000. Like Emsybobs, I also would be interested in knowing more about the exercices you are doing.

Emsybobs, no problem. I'll describe them here the best I can:
1. Shaking head (left to right): hold a chess board in front of you while standing. Shake your head from left to right as quickly as possible for 30 seconds.
2. Shaking head (up and down): hold a chess board in front of you while standing. Nod your head up and down as quickly as possible for 30 seconds.
3. Hold the chess board in front of you and move it from left to right while moving your head from left to right, in opposite directions to the chess board. Keep your eyes focused on the checks the whole time - 30 seconds.
4. Walk for 30 seconds, with you head slightly forward, and look left to right, left to right the whole time.
5. Walk for 30 seconds looking up and down, up and down, the whole time.

Do all these exercises 3 times a day.

I've been doing them for 2 weeks so far and no results yet. She said it will take months but that the brain will slowly compensate to the damage in the ear. It triggers the dizziness, but this is a good thing apparently!

Another thing is that she said this is a start. I have to go back to her in 2 weeks time and report on my progress/lack of progress. She will change the exercises or give me more if necessary.

Hope this helps. (And of course I hope she knows what she's doing!). I do have faith in her and she's the only vestibular rehabilitation specialist in the whole of Australia...don't have too much choice here!!

Thanks so much for posting these exercises - I'm going to give them a go.

Ruth
xxx

Thank you for posting those Jen. Does it have to be a chess board?!! xxx

I thank you also.

Well, she gave me a piece of cardboard with black and white checks on it, the size of a chess board! I suppose any busy pattern would do - as long as your keep focusing on it while doing the exercises.

Yack!! I tried to do them yesterday. I know it's suppose to help, but I didn't like the feeling at all. I felt a little bit nauseous all day after doing them, and feeling worst today.

Are you suppose to leave the board in front of your body and keep your eyes on it (that means you don't turn your head completely from side to side) or do you bring it in front of your eyes when you turn your head?

Yeh I had the same question...you can't focus on it and turn your head. I found them not too bad except the looking up and own one. That's hard.

Hey you guys are making me worried. These exercises were given to me after explaining my symptoms for an hour.... Hope you are doing the right thing by doing someone elses exercises. I can't really see that it should be a problem though.

If you turn your head to the left, move the board to the right, but try and keep your eyes focused on the checks. I can't move the board much either.

Jen, I think the exercises are fine, don't worry, they are quite similar to the ones I have been doing in the past.

I have been to my GP today and just to inform you...she has told me the symptoms will reoccur every time I have acold for the next year. She says this is normal for L'itis and after a year, it shouldn't reoccur with colds etc. She has now given me SERC tablets to take at the onset of every cold to stabilise but I am only to take them for a day or two. She has also told me to have a flu jab as I am "high risk" because of the L'itis.

I have the beginnings of a cold now and the dizziness is returning! Am so sick of this. I am working with young children so am prone to colds at the mo which is just what I don't want!

Sorry to ramble.

xxx

Jen 30

---those look good to me---tried them---the are very close to what the University of Pennsylvania Vistibular Therapy Center--had me do--less the "Chess Board"--takes some time for the brain to compensate and adapt(six months for me)--but it is working---when a nerve(8th nerve) is involved it just takes time--I guess--of course it helps to have seen a Doctor who is into this kind of conditions and knows what they are doing--so it can be correctly diagnosed--thanks for posting them

Whew, 6 months! I am in month 5 and it goes up and down so often that I'm starting to see no end to it. Having a good few days, but don't want to get my hopes up because it can end suddenly and then I'm into a week or more of 'bad' days...
Glad to hear others have received similar exercises to do.

Im on serc 16s 2 x4 times a day,it helps,not a lot but helps.regards stu Originally posted by Emsybobs:
Just wanted to warn everyone who has Labrynthitis that my ENT doctor has said that taking medication to ease the dizziness/imbalance actually inhibits the adaption process and it can take a lot longer to recover than if you try to cope with the symptoms without drugs. It can also, in some cases, actually stop the body adapting altogether.

The adaption process can apparently take several months so do not despair if you still have symptoms - there are a nmber of exercises you can do which help train your balance but other than that, let time take its course. If it persists longer than 6 months and you have not been taking medication, then go and see a specialist as it is most probably not Labrynthitis.

Hope this helps some people...Good Luck to all - I know how much a pain this ailment is.

xxx

I've tried SERC 16mg X3 a day. Didn't work for me. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

No SERC didnt help for me either...nothing has!