Brain fog and Decompensation - Inner Ear Disorders Message Board

Adrienne H. · 10-13-2005, 11:48 AM

Hi Gang,
I have had 3 sessions of VRT. During the sessions I feel a little off but basically OK afterward. My last session was on Monday and when I left I could feel that I was off balance more than usual. I went to the super market right after the session and I could tell immediatly that my vision was overstimulated if that makes sense? ALmost like my eyes were trying to focus of everything in the aisles. Well, it's 3 days later and today I am experiencing complete "brain fog." I have been recovering from BPPV for 5 months now and this feeling is taking me back to month number 2. Seems like my progess is all but lost. I live in the NY metro area and if anyone else out there does then you will know that we have had almost 7 days of gray, rainy sometimes humid weather. I remember while recovering in the summer months that rainy humid days were tough on the brain fog but I thought I would have been past that by now. I also had a slight cold for the past few days nothing serious. Could all of these be factors causing decompensation? Did the VRT trigger something? Is brain fog even a symptom of decompensation?

dizzyblond · 10-13-2005, 02:27 PM

Hi Adrienne,
The answers are yes, yes and yes!!!

In my own personal experience I can tell you that there are some times when I have been able to pinpoint just what it was that sent me back 3 steps in my vestibular progress, and other times when I am completely clueless. I have noticed that I regress quite a bit when I have a cold... also, when it's "that" time of the month.... Other times, it's been the over-stimulation of a rich field of vision (the grocery store was horrible for me back in the beginning - in fact, I couldn't do it for several months), too much of a particular motion or head movement, etc. on and on the list goes.....

For some interesting info on compensation/decompensation process, take a look at the "sticky" information archive at the top of this page. Subs has posted quite a few things on how this whole process and what goes on as the brain has to learn how to compensate for the vestibular damage, too. It could be that this last session on Monday had you dealing with new VRT - and that's a new challenge to the brain, hence, the stronger decomp.

I have analyzed my many, many decomp. episodes - some I can figure out, often, though, I can't. I just remember reading something on this board repeatedly, though, and that's that vestibular healing is not a linear sort of healing. In other words, if I have a good day today, I expect to have another one tomorrow, and continue to improve as the days go by (kind of like you would if you had strep throat and then began to take the anitbiotics and started to get better - you'd just keep on getting better till the sore throat was all gone). But, unfortunately, this condition doesn't heal in that manner!

Please know that you are not alone in your misery, and that probably just about all of us who are on this board know exactly what you are feeling and how discouraging it can be. (By the way, you mentioned your gray, rainy weather, wondering if it might be contributory to your decomp - well, I'm in LA, where it's cloudless, sunny, dry and HOT and I'm still experiencing a couple of decompensating days

) WHO KNOWS!!!!

Take care, keep up with the VRT, and hang in there!!!! You're on your way!!!
Robin

joyb77 · 10-13-2005, 10:18 PM

I definatley think that the VRT can make you feel like you are feeling. The idea of VRT is to give your brain stimulation that will cause it to compensate faster for the bad signals it is getting from your vestibular system. The activities or movements that make you dizzy are the exact ones you should be doing. If your brain doesn't realize something is wrong, because you stay still all the time, avoid what makes you dizzy, or take vestibular suppressants all the time, the compensation will take MUCH longer. If you keep challenging your system, you will compensate faster, even though you will feel worse at times. It's a strange thing in that you want to feel better, but in order to feel better you have to do the things that make you dizzy.

I wouldn't get discouraged by the feelings you are feeling. Just realize that if the exercises are making you feel dizzier, then they are the ones you should do. You're brain needs to learn to compensate, and that is the only way to make it happen faster. I know it sucks. But you will be fine. And this decomp phase shouldn't last that long. You will bounce back faster each time you feel like you have taken a step back. Each decompensation will be shorter and shorter as your brain learns to fix the bad signals.

Hang in there!
Joy

firechick · 10-14-2005, 05:30 AM

Just remember that the VRT is forcing your brain to compensate for movements it has lost in its long term memory banks. When you find situations that make you uncomforable or positions that provoke major discomfort, it is your brain saying "hey I don't remember this one" and it is trying hard to figure it out. The good news is that the more you go through this stuff and don't avoid those situations or movements, the sooner your brain will remember that movement or situation and compensate!
Having said that, remembering being in the same situation, don't overdo it either, especially if you have anything else going on that is tireing or stressfull. We can only handle so much at once.
Good work on the VRT, you'll be back to normal soon!!
FC

Adrienne H. · 10-14-2005, 10:20 AM

Thanks All! Everything you said makes sense of this senseless condition and your words of encouragement are just what I needed! Today the fog has actually lifted a bit which gives me hope again. I'm having lots of trouble staring at moving objects though. I was doing better with it too until this past Monday's VRT session. This is quite a challenge traveling in the NYC subways! I'll just keep remembering "that which does not kill us makes us stronger." In other words...I need to keep challenging my system and not avoid what makes me dizzy in order to get better. You mentioned the "sticky's" that Sub has posted on decomp etc. Maybe its the fog affecting my thinking process but the only stickys I can find are by"scotsman" and I didn't see anything directly related to this subject. Am I looking in the wrong place?
Also, Fire Chick I know we've spoken about your situation with tinnitus but does anyone else have tinnitus from BPPV? I just cant seem to lose it. I didn't have it during my first episode last year but this year I do.