I think I have VM

New here, let me introduce myself šŸ¤
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Hey, everyone. My name is Adam and I think that I have VM. My symptoms started almost 7 months ago. Here they are:

  • Dizziness/lightheadedness (24/7)
  • Nausea (24/7)
  • Tinnitus
  • Choppy Vision
  • Fatigue
  • Light Sensitivity
  • Trouble focusing my vision
  • Motion Sickness

I understand no one can diagnose me, but do these sound like VM symptoms? I just had an appointment with a Nuero the other day but did not know about VM when I went. I have a followup appointment with her in a couple weeks and will talk to her about this. What would you recommend for me for next steps? Thanks so much!

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Hi Adam,

Welcome. The symptoms you described are all VM symptoms. They could also be a number of other things. Start by reading our welcome wikis. They contain a wealth of information. Then create a symptoms log and write in it every day until your appointment with your neurologist.

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welcome, bring the info about vm and medication flowcharts available on thr welcome wiki to your appointment, even better, send them to your doctor to read in advance so she does some research if she doesnā€™t know anything about it.

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Hi Adam and welcome. Certainly sounds like MAV to me but the neurologist should be able to give you a better idea. They donā€™t always give definite diagnoses, all I ever got was two different ones, each said ā€˜probable MAVā€™ although worded it slightly differently, Iā€™m intrigued though. You saw her once and now have to go back in two weeks. Would this be because awaiting test results, or did she have some other reason for the delay. Helen

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Welcome to the board, Adam!

My 10 cents: make sure you are seeing an oto-neurologist who should have a more rounded perspective.

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Yes, but it could be ear problems too. I belong to a meetup group of Dizzy people, and even meneires and BPPV people will report those same symptoms, even headaches! First thing I would do is see an ENT to get the ears checked out. And then if they donā€™t find anything wrong seek a neurologist that has experience treating migraine patients.

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@ander454 - Thank for the feedback! Iā€™ve been to the ENT and they said couldnā€™t find anything. I feel so miserable right now. I am really hoping that I can get this straightened out.

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@turnitaround Thanks for responding! I have an appointment with a neuro-otologist in Feb. Iā€™m glad I booked that!

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Ah, okay well hang in there. I think as a first step you can try getting on a migraine diet. The Johnā€™s Hopkins version is the one I follow, but there are others.

And then ask the Neurologist about possible meds. Probably one of the best to try first for VM is Amitriptyline.

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I wanted to update everyone. I ended up going to an otolaryngologist at Duke University who diagnosed me with Vestibular Migraine. I also did a bunch of Vestibular testing at Duke (which all came back completely normal) and also got my hearing tested. That came back normal as well. My symptoms have improved slightly and I am coping a lot better. I still have a long way to go, though. The otolaryngologist referred me to a headache specialist at Duke. She put me on Diamox. It hasnā€™t done much for me yet. I go back in August and am going to try another medication. Thank you to everyone who chimes in to this conversationā€™

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Ask for Nortriptyline ( no weight gain like Amitriptyline) the next time you go to the Doc.

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Sounds as if youā€™ve got some interested parties medically which is great. In that case I wouldnā€™t volunteer any suggestions, Iā€™d listen to theirs first. See what they come up with and try it. Having read your previous post If it did come down to it and you had to lead then I say try Amitriptyline. It has a much better track record than Nori for visual issues (I noted your original symptoms list includes photophobia etc) and despite being the same class is quite a different drug. Kathleen Digreā€™s medical papers refer. Helen