Hello Scott, Adam and former healthbords fellows

Specific Illnesses & Conditions VM/MAV
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Stargrave here.

Your boards have so many options related to my actual status that it was hard for me to choose one, but as I remember that Scott was an expert with antidepressants, I choose this one.

First of all to all the other members on the board, and as a personal update for Scott and the guys my status on vertigo:

  • After three years I conquered it. I’m not cured, I just can have a pretty normal life with it, cause it reduced its presence almost to zero, and I’m calm under attack, meaning that in one or two episodes I had, during this attacks I only have to stay calm, make some exercises, and relax. These episodes rarely last more that a day and a half, opposite to the 24/7 symptoms I’ve had when I posted on the Inner Ear board.

  • I have to say that I’m diagnosed with a right inner ear weakness, meaning something is damaged in there, and I’m also a migraneur, so both conditions live together in me. Both conditions are here to stay, migraine is incurable (but quite manageable), and unless the inner ear stuff is extreme (complete vestibular loss), or something progressive like Meniere’s, it’s long-term effects are almost self limited, eventually your brain can deal with it, and make you feel like if it never happened (or close to it), trust me on this.

  • My secret (for the Vertigo): Attitude, exercise, and (I believe this was a huge factor) an elliptical bike. When I started using it I came down both wasted and dizzy, after 5 minutes or so. I even needed to hold hard during my workout. Months later, as I gained condition and was able to endure half and hour in there, dizziness began to recede. I also became more focused in life and my personal projects, so my brain kind of decided that we can’t be dizzy any more, at least not on a 24/7 state. I believe that this is a combination of the general benefits of the exercise, and as an “indirect” vestibular rehabilitation therapy, as you move a lot up and down and have to maintain balance (kind of), during your workout (this I suspect I don’t know, but i do advice you to try it).

  • Time: it also heals, I’m sure that even on my elliptical, I needed this 3 year or so, for my brain to learn and adapt to the new condition.

My time ran out, so I have to split, I’ll post a new thread on my current issue later.

For my former board friends a big hello,

And to everyone else: be patient, be tough, focus and exercise, you’ll conquer vertigo, or at least you’ll take it to a very manageable level, just hang in there.

1 Like
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Hi Star,

Great to see you here! It’s been a long time. I think most people from the HB are here now, those with migraine anyway.

Great that you’ve got this thing under control now. Yours is a testament that lifestyle, attitude, and time can make for a great management plan. Are you also taking a med?

Welcome!

Scott 8)

ps. best to post all new threads in the General Discussion area. Most people start here. Over time I move them to the archives.

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Hi Scott.

Vertigo receded on it’s own, with all of the above (attitude, exercise, etc.). I did have one or two episodes, but I just made some Brandt-Darhoff, and my brain learned to use that for adapting, this in spinning episodes. And no, I didn’t take any medication, at least not for vertigo specifically.

The 24/7 uneasiness, fog, unsteadiness, etc. is practically gone, and I feel great (vertigo related), unfortunately, as you might have read on my other post now I’m dealing with some sort of neuropathy/anxiety combo, which struck me out of the blue, and that’s where the meds came into play.

But that’s the other post’s subject.

For all the dizzy ones: Yes you can and will conquer vertigo, just be patient, be tough, and get your life in control, exercise, focus, challenge the beast.

I even got a mild migraine episode (aura and all), first in years, and it didn’t leave any symptoms, or cause anything worth mentioning. Even the headache was mild.

So, hang in there, do not despair, you will make it. It might take time but you will get there, this is for all board members. The least weight and worry you give to this, and the more you focus and get a grip on your life, the closer you get to leaving this behind.

I took note about posting in here first Scott :wink:

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Hi Stargrave,

I just wanted to respond to your post. I have struggled with inner ear dysfunction and MAV since 2004 and finally I think I have the monster under control. I also have an elliptical cross-trainer and use it every day. When I read your post, I realised that my improvement has happened since I started using the cross-trainer really intensively. I thought my improvement might be due to meds or other treatments and never considered the “vestibular rehab” aspect of the elliptical.

Rob

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HI there Rob.

Unfortunately I’m currently dealing with a different kind of monster…

But for all dizzy people in here, I do recommend the elliptical bike, It really made a difference. Curiously enough I didn’t bought it for vertigo, but for loosing some pounds in a city where everyday is harder to go out and take a walk, so I saw it as my best choice, and it was.

I did loose some pounds, gained physical condition, and on top of it it helped as a VRT treatment, which make great sense, because you have a constant moving platform, you’re going up and down, and it seems this helps to fine tune whatever is needed to regain balance, a loose the dizzies.

It also makes sense because of something I’ve read before about VRT treatment, where one recommendation of many vestibular therapists, was to use a treadmill, so there might be some clear cut relationship there, both between being active, improve circulation(great for ay vestibular/MAV issue), and the kind of motion that happens in both machines.

Once again, If you can afford an elliptical, or have somewhere to use one, go on an do it, it will help you miles. One final notice tough, as it is the same with almost every long lasting treatment, it will take a little while to get and feel the desired effects, I started only with 7 minutes, both of because of my lousy condition, and because it did got me some dizzy feeling while I was working out, you have to endure it, it’s the same as the Brandt-Darhoff, or any other VRT, you force your brain to compensate.

But don’t be frightened, you have both maneuvers to hold on tight if you feel in trouble and, at least for me, the dizzies never were too hard to handle. But hang in there do the workout, and I promise you it will give you results, Scott knows how long I posted in the boards, searching for help, this bike can and will help.

Best.

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Hey Rob and Star,

I am very interested in chatting a lot more about how exercise has apparently caused you guys to help manage this garbage. I really believe it must be able to play a large role in sorting this out. My main problem is that I always seem to suffer so much more after a bout of exercise and it’s also difficult to stay at it consistently. One thing’s for sure, if I slip for a week and then overdo it, BAM, I can get really thumped with an attack or just feel lousy for two days.

I really like the sound of the elliptical trainer. It sounds like it might be fairly low intensity on the muscles in terms of impact but still working the whole system. I have a menebership to a gym nearby at work that I never followed through on because of the problems associated with overdoing it. After reading this post I want to give it a go – even if it’s just the elliptical machine.

Scott

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In my case really results came out of the blue.

I did buy my bike for losing pounds, because it was hard for me to go out walking, for many reasons, including time.

The first workout sessions really were difficult; they gave me quick spin/unbalance bouts but I forced myself to go on, holding to the machine 99% of the time, maybe once or twice I stopped the workout because of the dizzies.

To get the desired results I planned a 30 min workout, and because of both dizziness and my lousy aerobic condition back then, I just managed to do some 5-7 minutes on the bike, the remaining 13-15 minutes I walked around my house, which is kind of a VRT workout too, even more so because I had to avoid furniture ;).

But I did this in the past (the walking stuff), and even as it do helps a little it didn’t made a dramatic change.

Back to the bike, I started to build up minutes on it until I got to the 30 min mark. WIth days better than others, and sometimes even with a day when I woke up perfect (dizzy speaking) and I felt a little bit off after a workout… but it was temporary.

The further I kept doing it, the better I felt. This, combined with an overall better attitude, got me to where I am MAV speaking. I did have my occasional bout here and there but both my body and my mind managed to deal with this and I’m sure that the bike has a lot to do with this.

Again, my theory relies on the fact that your balance system is put to the test, with the “moving ground” under your feet, this up and down movement, combined with the fact that you’re actually balancing all the time during your workout.

I can tell this because in the first few weeks I felt the ground moving under my feet when I got down from the machine, pretty much like that “out from a an elevator feeling”, where you feel like the ground is still moving. The difference is that you go up and down quite a lot, “training” your whole balance system in the process.

Following this theory, those vibrating plates exercise machines may do the same trick, but I don’t like them, and I can’t see how much can they do for your cardiovascular system, as the bike can do, and I’m sure that this cardio-workout is an additional helping factor, both because of the endorphins, and the micro-circulation improvement, which is known to help with dizziness too.

So, my advice is: Do the bike.

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Hi Star,

I think there’s probably two things going on. The workout is probably helping your brain to recalibrate balance somewhat but I think the main thing is that it is raising your migraine threshold. There’s good evidence that aerobic exercise is necessary to help keep migraine out of the picture. Sounds like it has been really effective for you in this way.

Scott

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Hi Scott,

I agree with you about that. But I think there is something about the constant up and down head motion which is part of the exercise, and the standing on moving ground feeling, that has a desensitizing effect - ie. probably develops some kind of tolerance for the symptoms of MAV.

Rob

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I agree 100% with Rob.

I was already working out, both walking and sometimes running, and even as they’re both known as great VRT complement, and all, I also think that the up/down motion of the elliptical bike, is the key for defeating MAV, because it wasn’t until I used it, when I felt improvement.

It makes you dizzy in the beginning, but I believe that’s the same principle of VRT, with the difference, both physical an psychological, of not feeling like you’re doing a VRT exercise, that always affected me because it was a reminder of my condition, even as VRT exercises do help a lot too, specially for strong bouts.

S.

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Hi Star,

Interesting that this particular exercise seems to have made an impact. Are you certain it’s this and not something else? Coincidence? I’m going to have a look at the gym tomorrow and have a go at it. I need the exercise!

Scott

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I have also found the elliptical helps massively - I noticed this before joining this forum. The treadmill is a different story. OK when on it, but after getting off? Unable to walk for half an hour due to room spinning round.

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— Begin quote from “scott”

Hi Star,

Interesting that this particular exercise seems to have made an impact. Are you certain it’s this and not something else? Coincidence? I’m going to have a look at the gym tomorrow and have a go at it. I need the exercise!

Scott

— End quote

Hopefully we might have found something in here.

Again, the thing in my case was, I bought the machine as the best way to workout indoors since because of time an many other stuff, I wasn’t able to go out walking/running which was my daily workout before the elliptical.

When I tried it at SEARS (it’s ok to name brands in here?), my legs were literally wobbling and I felt the ground moving under my feet when I went down from it. Maybe, just maybe this was like a challenge to me because I could have choose the steady bike instead. The treadmill was out of my league $$$, besides I’ve never liked those.

Buying the machine also helped me to really use it because it was HARD at the beginning. I could have quit, if I went to the gym, but that’s me. If you have the discipline, get going.

So half because of losing weight and half because of the money I spent, I started to add up minutes GRADUALLY. I point this out, because it really helps you to avoid quitting. If this gradual approach also helps with MAV by itself, it’s something I don’t know.

Again it took time, months, don’t know how many, but it wasn’t something immediate. And as I stated before, somedays it gave me hell, and somedays I didn’t wanted to go up because I woke up clear of the dizzies, and the cycle sometimes gave me them back, but I kept on going. Sometimes waking up a little woozy, gave me that extra incentive to get on the machine and workout.

The improvement took me by surprise up to the point that, one day I realized I wasn’t dizzy anymore and I was feeling like I did back before 2006 (first bout in 2004). And I do blame the machine because I did VRT, which in my opinion helps a lot in critical stages, but no so much in chronic cases, walked, tried to run, with no real dizzy improvement, until I did the bike.

Considering this new post by Izzy, it sounds less like a coincidence. The only other possible factor I could also blame for my recovery is time… 3 years since the onset of my 24/7 dizzy symptoms.

Nevertheless, I truly believe that the bike did the final trick.