Define “brain can heal”. What exactly do you think that means in the context of migraine?
Dr S theory is the brain heals
Like a leg break. It heals but it might not ever be the same. I am not saying its the case I just don’t know how the Docs can prove it either way.
Also they say once a migrainer always a migrainer but before my big bang event I never had any symptoms before that. So I wasn’t always a migrainer.
It’s all a mystery. 
Is it Dr Silver that says everyone is a migrainer it’s just that everyone has a different trigger lever. Again hard to prove
Scott I definitely believe this is an immune response that has triggered the attack, but that makes me wonder all the more if it is an underlying cause. Something definitely made my brain incapable of coping with normal things like alcohol, contraception, lights and noise, and whatever it is I don’t believe was tested fully enough. I feel like my brain has literally shut down and never rebooted per say since 09, anything remotely taxing makes it worse and this recent set of vaccinations has really set me back. I’m fed up of not being “me” or responding to things like a normal person or having any energy!! Does it not bare to say that if the immune system cannot cope with simple things then there is an underlying cause there, like a disease/virus? Migraine and the brain could very well be it, but I still don’t fully believe in the theory that stress caused it, or that it is genetic as it doesn’t seem to run in my family. I never had migraines before my attack in the night. This feels more than migraine. I know that’s a weird thing to say, but this feels like a constant underlying draining source. And I honestly don’t think that if I stick to a migraine diet and take the meds that I will ever fully recover. I did used to think I would. But, all the triggers are still affecting me! And I know that if I start to feel better after the next few weeks that is a good sign, but does not necessarily mean that the migraine is subsiding and my brain is managing better. It means that the next time in a year or so if I need to use a PC screen, get vaccinations or contraception that I will be back in this hole again, relapsing. To me that doesn’t seem to be recovering, it seems the same problem is still there, and I am still vacant minded. Still dizzy. I’m finding it hard to accept that I will always be fragile like this with no complete fix (very fatalistic, i know :/). That doesn’t seem like treatment to me, but a placebo, covering up something, but not very well… I guess I’m in a bit of denial about the whole thing and not coping with being unwell to this extent again. The last time I saw Dr S, we agreed that I was 65% better, but it makes me think that getting to that 100% mark is pretty unrealistic. Getting up to work at 8 o’clock everyday was almost impossible, I felt half asleep most of the day at work and using the screens made me swirl and confused. I would come home and wipe out everyday. I would sleep in my car on my lunch breaks. This is not normal behaviour and doesn’t seem to be “recovery” in my mind. That very much seems to be still ill. Then having a vaccine that can knock me out for what will probably be a month. What the hell!? Seriously. I could not work in the state I am in now, and I need to be soon.
Perhaps I am just getting impatient as this recovery path is a very long one. But it makes me think there is definitely something else going on here. I could be wrong. This could just be panic, but I think it’s worth getting checked properly to be sure. To ease the mind. Maybe I just need more drugs on top of what I am taking to push me through the last barrier to stop being affected by these things. Maybe it is migraine. I’m finding it very difficult to accept that right now. And every day I continue to feel “other worldly” tell myself “oh it’s just migraine” seems like a cop out. Has it stopped me from finding the real cause, year after year? I probably just need to shut up, behave, and stop fear mongering. 
I’m loosing my edge!
To summarise: not feeling normal is scary, perhaps I pushed myself to far and got reactions which made me panic, but ultimately I feel there should be more testing done as the underlying problems of this chronic illness keep coming back. It doesn’t seem like effective treatment to me
— Begin quote from “scott”
Migraine is a genetic disease. The brain does not heal itself, rather we work to increase its threshold to make it tougher for a trigger to set it off and have more room to move. Once a migraineur always a migraineur until someone works out how to cure it. People sometimes relapse but they pull out if it again. Remission is also possible of course for some lucky individuals.
S
— End quote
Scott,
Since the balance of my comments with which you take issue go to the question of “migraine or not” and debating them would be contrary to the established mission statement of the board as you eloquently circulated yesterday, I won’t go into any discussion of that. But, the point that you raise that end, quoted above, is so far beyond what you and/or science can hope to know at this point that I take serious issue. Doctors feely admit they don’t fully understand migraine and the intricacies of the condition. To suggest that we know at this point that the brain can’t heal from migraine is not logical in my view. If you study neuroplasticity and the ability of the brain to rewire itself, it is hard not to conclude that all things are possible and I don’t see any reason that the conditions that lead to migraine and/or the dizziness aspects of MAV can’t be healed. Since there are no images that will conclusively define the condition, how can we really separate remission from healing? I don’t think we can. The point of finding medications that will help the condition is to supplement the brain’s activities in ways that will address the problem. Why is it impossible to believe that the brain may do those things on its own?
Andy
Hi LOVE,
I’ve always been fine on antibiotics, and have taken a few courses since getting this condition (in fact they tend to make me feel more normal!), but it may be different to others. I am feeling far less “out of it” than I was yesterday and am hopeful that that is the end of the relapse from the vaccinations. I still may get a second opinion just to be sure, it can’t hurt. Apologies to the admins for my freak out yesterday, it seemed to have caused quite a stir (not my intentions)
Robert,
I disagree with your analogy of a leg break and what Dr S has said as you are characterising it. The fact is we have been born with a “migraine brain” – a hyperexcitable brain with cells that become activated in a way that other people’s do not. You were born with the genes that make it so. The genes began to express themselves at a certain age or, in your case, the whole thing was set in motion by your big bang event as you said. So you have ALWAYS had a migraine brain. More work in the field is showing that the brains of we migraineurs is different from non-migraineurs. One MRI study, for example, has shown a thickening in the somatosensory cortex of the brain in people with migraine – this is the part of the brain that relays pain and sensations. Others show spots in the brains of people who deal with migraine and aura.
Migraine is a complex neurological genetic disease that affects the entire central nervous system and never goes away; however, the symptoms do come and go and it can be very well-managed to the point of it being a non-issue. It appears to lessen over time for some according to expert opinion. Hormonal factors in women are very important and as women age, symptoms are generally reduced. This is very characteristic of the disease. The cause is a gene or some combination of genes. Some migraineurs have single gene disorders while others have multiple gene disorders. The migraine brain does not “heal” itself. It’s there and we’re stuck with it like it or not.
Dr Rauch tells us that there can be damage from this disease which shows as vestibular hypofunction. However, the brain can compensate for this – in this sense it heals and utilises other neural pathways to fix the deficit. Neural plasticity. Maybe this is what Dr S refers to.
Remission is not synonymous with “healed” and is misleading though it sounds emotionally satisfying for someone who wants out. A person who moves into remission can move out of remission. Helen is a good example of this. She was a member here 2 years ago. She was completely smashed by VM to the point of not being able to work as a nurse. She was put on Pizotifen and stayed on it for one year or so. She hit 100% and came off the med. She remained solid for another 1-2 years. Partying, drinking, everything. No symptoms. Then BOOM, it hit again, and she went back on the meds but it wasn’t effective the second time like the first. As far as I know she is well enough again to work and this is not a big problem but she is not completely symptom free on the meds.
It’s important to understand what we’re dealing with. It’s a life-long susceptibility and certain things trigger it at certain times. Very often the headaches get much better and the vertigo attacks become much worse and then it can reverse back again. Some have no headaches and only dizziness and other strange neurological symptoms.
Scott
— Begin quote from “waspcharmer”
Apologies to the admins for my freak out yesterday, it seemed to have caused quite a stir (not my intentions)
— End quote
Not at all. Everyone has freaked out with this at one stage or another. Just glad you can get some support and read through the info here. 
Hi Wasp,
I’ve been reading through your history, from start to where you are now. Stay focused on treating the migraine problem. Your story is textbook stuff. I’m just sorry you have had a tough time reining this crap in and have had this relapse. You were good for 4 months. This is an awesome sign and should be great evidence for you that you can get back to where you were. Sounds like you just either overdid it at work or the vaccination set you off.
There are a number of people here who have been through what you describe. Nance comes to mind. She was really in the sh*tter with VM initially for a long time and got well again on verapamil (I think that was the med for her). Then her husband became unwell and the stress of it all set her off all over again. She has since recovered again to my knowledge by working on stress in her life and letting it pass.
Stay focused on this and see your physician again for support and guidance. Don’t be distracted by all of this other stuff thinking there is some sinister virus etc behind it. There is nothing in your story to suggest that. Be aware that the internet is HEAVING with junk science and nonsense posting around this, most of it anecdote.
Do you have a strategy at the mo?
S
So very sorry for your relapse. I constantly question whether it is migraine or mdds or lyme. It does seem that many on the forum are receiving infectious diagnoses and I would like to hear some success stories from them. I hope this will pass for you as quickly as possible and you will be a success once again.
I just relapsed after feeling so well that I started a job – on the computer! It’s hard to find oneself back at square one. But I think once there have been a few remissions and relapses, one simply accepts it. It helps me a lot when I become extremely dizzy in a supermarket to say to myself, I’ve been here before, it will be end, it always does. Much better than saying, I feel good today but it will end it always does 
About lyme, I was on a long course of huge horsepills of antibiotics right before the dizziness hit, so I don’t think lyme could be the cause in my case. In fact, I assumed the dizziness was caused by all the antibiotics and I have had remissions when I follow a strict gut healing diet. Additionally, if a lyme infection did kick off the dizzyness, it would be long gone by now. I think of the dizzyness as a brain injury that I have to get used to, take care of and watch out for.
Anyhow, I paddled in the pool today, and all is well! 
Hey Trish
How are you doing? Have you started feeling a bit more normal? Hope you are feeling a bit more positive now and making progress with the other avenues you were looking at xx
Relapses are part and parcel of recovery. I’m not sure if i’ve said this before, excuse me if i’m repeating myself - propranolol brain!
My physiotherapist told me that we start feeling better so we do more, which means our brain has to re-learn even more, new things, which can cause a mini relapse. This keeps happening until we have re-learnt everything, which can take time!
Don’t be disheartened. You’re on the road to recovery… be excited! xx
— Begin quote from “whosthatchick”
My physiotherapist told me that we start feeling better so we do more, which means our brain has to re-learn even more, new things, which can cause a mini relapse. This keeps happening until we have re-learnt everything, which can take time!
— End quote
I thought this was only true if you have Labyrinthitis or Vestibular Neuritis, in other words a situation where there is one off damage to the vestibular system and then the brain has to compensate. I thought with migraine it was more a case of interference to the vestibular system or irritability in the brain stem which can occur and flare all the time or at any time in response to triggers and so the key to recovery is to control migraine activity in the brain rather than your brain compensating for vestibular loss. That is why many people with MAV don’t really benefit from VRT x
1 Like
Hey Jem, not according to my neuro and physio. We need BOTH to fully recover… we have to control the Migraine Brain with meds, while re-exposing ourselves to the things we avoid while dizzy… it’s working well enough for me. Certainly have progressed hugely with my physio in the past 5 months, although i have a long way to go with my meds xx