Hey,

I have read this a few times on here, that chocolate is not good for lab sufferers and I was just wondering why??...I have been eating so much lately, I can't stop...and what other foods are good to stay away from? Thanks guys...hope everyone is getting better http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif -Gwen

Gwen,

I've just started doing research about labrinthitis, and finding out that this is what I think is wrong with me. I haven't heard anything about chocolate being bad for people with labrinthitis. But I have noticed that some times when I eat a desert before I go to bed that has chocolate in it my symptoms increase or get worse. Let me know if you find out anything more.

Hi Rose,

I have seen it posted on this website a couple of times and I know that since my symptoms began (9mos ago) that I gave up almost everything that contains caffeine for the simple reason that my nerves just couldn't take any more excitement. Although, come to think of it, I eat chocolate as I normally would before this started. Also, what symptoms are you experiencing? After about 8 mos of hell I found this website and the pieces just started falling into place...I am 99% sure that I have mild viral lab...no doctors that I saw had ever mentioned it!!! -Gwen http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Gwen,

Lets see, I first got sick 2 1/2 years ago. Started with a really bad cold, nothing like I had ever had before. My head was really stuffed up, ears were intolerably pluged and ringing, I was having virtego, disconnected feeling, and panic attacks just to name a few symptoms. I was diagnosed with sinus infection and put on antibiodics.
Then started the series of doctors I saw over the next years. I began to see my primary who did every test imaginable on me and everything came back normal. I saw a nerologist, an endocronologise, 2 ENT doctors, I've had an MRI, CT, and chest X-Ray done all normal. Along with all sorts of blood work and what not. Just in the past 7 months has my doctor told me that I sometime had Epstine-Barr virus, which I figure is what i had to begin with.
No one has been any help at all. I just started looking up my symtoms in the past few days on the internet. Decided that since I had all the symptoms for "lab" and I had a major viral infection that, that is probly what I have had.
It has been awful though, all the symptoms i've been reading that other people have talked about fit me perfectly. Dizzy, disconnected, vision problems, hands tingling every so often, tinnitus, etc. i've been diagnosed with ETD by one of my ENT doctors but she basicly told me there was nothing I could do. It has been a very frustrating struggle.
I was in college when this all started and did so poorly my last years becasue of it. It is so great to know that i'm not going crazy though and that there are other people out there like me. Such a relief.
The only thing I don't get is if I do have lab why hasn't it gotten better? I've read that it is suppost to get better in 6- 10 months. I just hope I don't have to deal with this for the rest of my life. The hard part is living day to day no one understanding what I feel like. So, thanks for listening and understanding. Rose

Rose,

I know exactly what you mean by no one understanding...I was also in college when this started. It was my first semester as a freshmen and by the 2nd I could not go back. For the longest time I had no idea what to tell everyone because I hadn't had a diagnosis or a clue as to what this was. No doctors were any help to me either and if I didn't find this website I would still be lost. For the past four months I have been taking lots of vitamens everyday (multi, C, and E) and about 3 weeks ago I started eating garlic everyday (its very anti-viral)...I also get as much sleep as I can, try not to get stressed out (stress also lowers the immune system), and eat healthy. For a while the improvement was so slow that I couldn't even notice any and now I am feeling like my old self more and more each day. The constant headache I had for about 7 or so months is hardly there anymore and usually comes when I am stressed or haven't gotten enough sleep. Your lifestyle can really effect labyrinthitis and how long it lasts. Try to do everything possible to boost your immune system and be patient. I really hope you do get better soon, take care.- Gwen

Oh, I forgot to add that a lot of people have had luck with vestibular therapy and things to help the brain compensate...this is a great site...read as much as you can about people who have the same symptoms you have and their experiences - *G*