It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything about my Vestibular Disorder. I am happy to report that I have made an almost 100% recovery from Labrynthitis, now believed to be Vestibular Neuritis or Migraine-Associated Vertigo (more on that in this post). I believe a number of factors came into play to get me well again:
1. Walking on a treadmill. I joined a gym, looking for one where I could stand the lighting and one that had plenty of sturdy treadmills with handles I could hold onto. I spent two weeks walking and holding on to the handles. Once that wasn't a challenge, I pressed the incline button so the treadmill simulates walking uphill. Then I would alternate walking uphill and downhill. After a few weeks, I am now running on the treadmill. I have lost 6 pounds and feel better in general.
2. Depakote. I insisted on exploring all the options of Vestibular Disorders. The fact that whenever storms would blow in and my head felt like exploding along with severe vertigo, tinnitus and neck pain, I was very interested in the migraine aspect. My doctor started me on Depakote. Whether it's the treadmill, or the Depakote or both, I've improved. Depakote is a powerful drug used for migraine patients and epilepsy patients, and I am not sure I want to take it long-term, but I believe it has helped calm down my vestibular symptoms, leading me and my doctor to think I was in fact experiencing Vestibular Migraines.
3. Tooth Extraction - While researching Vestibular Disorders, I came across some postings of patients who have had success with treating dental problems that were exacerbating or causing their vestibular symptoms. As if on cue, I had a throbbing pain in one of my lower rear molars close to my ear. When my dentist saw the size of the abscess, he scheduled an immediate surgery for me. I had the tooth removed, and I was all doped up on painkillers and steroids. The surgeon commented on how severe the abscess was. I felt like death for about 10 days after the surgery, with my vestibular symptoms worse than before. However, now that I have healed up, my vestibular symptoms are minimal most days.
I don't know if one specific thing helped me, but I do know that being your own advocate and doing your research on your particular situation helped me. If I had not been pro-active in my care, I would probably still be taking Meclizine and laying on the couch.
Remaining Symptoms (these happen during weather changes, or when I'm sick, etc):
1. Fluorescent lights still kill me. Wearing sunglasses inside helps. I have found that I can tolerate certain stores better than others (i.e., Costco is a no-go because of the sheer amount of fluorescent lighting used in a sterile warehouse setting). Wal-Mart and big box stores are a challenge, but I have found that they are becoming easier over time.
2. Blue Christmas lights kill me. I can't even look at blue Christmas lights anymore. I've always had an aversion to them for some reason because they make me nauseated, but even more so now. I cannot look at them when in a store, especially if they are flashing on Christmas tree. I have a feeling this relates to the previous mention of fluorescent lighting in the paragraph above this one. They make me physically ill, like I need to vomit. This is the only type of light that makes me this sick.
3. Storms are very difficult. I tend to get a lot of neck pain and some dizziness (not vertigo, typically) as well as tinnitus when storms roll in or when the weather changes. The Depakote has helped with this tremendously.
4. Vision changes still occur. I still get spots in my vision sometimes, or my vision gets blurry, mostly around storms or when I am too long at the computer or on my smartphone.
5. Loud noises are challenging. Loud noises normally don't bother me (pre-vestibular) but they still do now. Loud noises cause me to lose my balance sometimes if they are blasted into my affected ear (right side). I couldn't listen to the radio or music for the longest time due to this. This symptom has improved. I am able to listen to music or talk radio without much trouble. I just typically don't turn up the volume very loud anymore.
So to summarize, after four months (which is about what my ENT said), my vestibular symptoms have mostly resolved. I have lingering affects but they are much easier to handle than the original symptoms. I attribute my recovery to my doctors who caught the vestibular symptoms quickly, and my own pro-active approach to getting better. I still struggle on some days but those days get fewer and fewer. My original diagnosis was Labrynthitis (or possibly Vestibular Neuritis, then it changed to possibly MAV).
Feel free to ask questions in the comments section. I will update this blog periodically with anything related.
No comments:
Post a Comment