Vestibular migraine as a vegetarian

1

I am new to this site so I am sorry if this question has been asked before but I am a vegetarian and having just read the list of foods we shouldn’t eat I am baffled as to what I can eat!

I am a vegetarian because I cannot digest meat, fish or cow’s milk even with the support of digestive enzymes as a supplement. I was diagnosed with vestibular migraine 3 years ago but have never been given any advice about prophylactic medication or diet, just told that this is what I have got and to basically just get on with it. As my symptoms have been constant and debilitating for months I have asked to be referred to UCLH in London (I live 90 miles away from London) as there is a specialist there who I am hoping will be able to help me but whilst waiting for my appointment I would love to hear from anyone else who is reliant on nuts, cheese etc for protein as a fellow vegetarian. Thank you.

2

Worth the trip Margaret, best of luck with your appointment.

3

I need a nhs neurologist in London … who are you seeing at ucl ? . Good luck with your appointment.

4

Professor Michael Version is the vestibular migraine expert so I have asked my GP to refer me to him. Good luck.

5

Sorry I am using my tablet and for some reason it changed the surname, it should be Geeson

6

Margaret you can edit responses.

7

I see Dr Surenthiran at the Medway Maritime. He’s a neuro-otologist and one of the best to see. He’s amazing. I believe he runs clinics in London too.

8

I’m not vegetarian but eat a lot if veggie meals. I eat lots of seeds, beans and you can have goat and sheep cheese. Cottage cheese is also ok.

9

Thank you so much for all that info. I was worried about the goats cheese as that is a staple of mine. I will look up your otoneurologist thank you.

10

Hi Scott
Is there a long waiting list nhs to see dr surenthiran ? Been doing some research, there’s also a dr adolpho bronstein at the neurological hospital London queen square who looks pretty clued up on balance dissorders.I will need to see my gp again… they are probably fed up with me for I keep asking for referals… bet it sounds familiar to most on this group… brain scans , ent doctors, hearing tests, Blood test, neurologist, Physios etc etc etc .

11

I had a brief email exchange with Dr. Hain in the US, he recommended dr adolpho bronstein

12

It’s a bit hazy now, but I seem to remember it being six weeks from being referred until my appointment. My gp said the only way to speed it up would be to book a private initial appointment, and then tell him from then on you want to be treated on the nhs. The either guy sounds good too. Good luck!

13

Margaret, do remember any event that might have kicked off your MAV? I seem to be fairly unique on this site in knowing the exact event that started mine …

14

Yes James I do, it was my first attempt at Pilates! After less than 5 minutes I was so dizzy and nauseous, walking as if drunk and VERY faint so I had to stop and walk, well wobble, home to lie down without moving for 3 hours. All we had done was to touch our toes, lay down on our side and lift one leg.

15

What was it that started yours James?

16

I stupidly (!!!) aimed a warm bath shower into my ear to see if I could clear some wax! 15 minutes later I was dizzy and it lead to 4.5 weeks of dizziness and nausea (but no auditory symptoms). Then it completely cleared up and I was back at gym, going out, going on holiday, full balance back. Then 5 months later I was in a meeting at work in front of a projector and suddenly felt very light headed. This lead to about 3 months of fluctuating symptoms that now included tinnitus during which I headed to a specialist and then it went fully chronic with no break and worsened. Started Amitriptyline about 8 months ago and it eventually started to very slowly improve, but never go away.

This is why for me I’ve always suspected a physical cause (the original ‘trauma’) and not a neurological cause.

17

I wouldn’t blame yourself about the water because we have a feeling of fullness in our ears which we imagine is wax and I have tried drops, olive oil etc to try to clear it. So I think it is all part and parcel of VM and possibly the beginning symptom. A previous doc laughed at me years ago when I told him I had tried warm olive oil to clear wax. He told me I didn’t have any. I still feel that my ears are full of wax and sometimes it feels as if it has liquidised and is trickling out but it hasn’t/isn’t.

18

Oh I had wax. Lots of compacted wax. Ultimately I used olive oil and lots came out.

What I suspect now is that I warmed up the wax and it caused a process much like the caloric test which drew fluid through my ear for a long time and I moved debris through the inner ear and created a blockage.