Hi all,
As I’ve expressed to a couple of people individually, there are some things about my … experience with MAV that really don’t add up for me. I’d like to know what people make of some of my comments below. (e.g,. if you’ve experienced similar ‘oddities’ before, or if something casts doubt in your mind on the diagnosis, etc., etc.)
(1) Tolerance to TVs, computer screens, console games. A lot of times, when I’m feeling really woozy, I’ll go crank up the Nintendo “Wii” or similar. Works almost every time – while I’m doing it. TV is so-so, but if I use the computer, I actually begin to stop noticing (as much) my lightheadedness. This confuses me no end, especially given how most MAV’ers / migraineurs say they can’t stand those activities.
(2) Driving/riding in the car helps – even in the rain. I don’t feel lightheaded in the least! When the car stops / breaks, yes, somewhat. I’ll even say “I’m going out for a drive” to kill time just so I feel OK for a little bit.
(3) Hot shower – this often helps me feel better for a while, as does the heat from the hairdryer. I’m of the understanding that heat often makes headaches/migraines worse.
(4) The right eye feels like it’s twitching a lot; the left eye periodically keeps tearing up for hours on end. (Especially after I’ve been focusing on something for a while, including a computer monitor. Never used to happen, though.)
(5) “Motionlessness intolerance.” If I sit still long enough, that’ll get me feeling weird too. It can be almost as bad as when I’m moving. However, my worst activities are general walking around, housework/chores of any kind (even vacuuming), and if you want to REALLY throw me for loops, ask me to do something involving moving my body or head up and down, like loading the dishwasher. Or take me to the grocery store.
Anyway, those are basically the top 5 “oddities” for me. A lot of this doesn’t seem to make sense. (Who ever heard of a MAV’er who does well with visually complex scenarios like a car ride, or the simulated environment of a console game!)
Am I just an atypical case of MAV? Has anyone else had seemingly counterintuitive experiences with certain activities? Or should I (perhaps) be considering the possibility of being misdiagnosed AGAIN?
George the More Than Slightly Confused