dealing with the after effects of vertigo (vestibular neuritis)

Exactly me thank god I am no crazy still ggot ttinnitus off balance not as bad have had several bouts of vertigo too been five years now I feel for you let's keep posting

I first had this in 1998 , very frightening , went on for 18 months , my youngest son was in his last year at school and I missed out so much , also lost my job through it , been ok since until  last October , now has hit me hard again , in my 4 th month , they say it's bppv , but I can't understand why I feel so dizzy and of balance all the time , I don't get a break from it , now I'm worried about my job again , just can't see me getting back to it , work in a restaurant , and we run a B and B , so it s so physical , it's making me panic , how long it's going on for again , I know stress don't help , but how can you not get anxious with this , it's a nightmare 

Same for me.  I used to be the first person people would call to find out all of the new movies or restaurants in town - now I rarely leave my house other than back and forth to work.  Used to go out to lunch with friends every day, now I go with one friend maybe once or twice a month and she has to meet me at the car and walk me in to the restaurant.  I don't have kids but I was always right in the middle of things with my nieces and nephews.  Now their kids growing up have no idea why they always refer to me as the fun aunt.  I can't do diddly with them.  Makes for a very small world.  I am so grateful for everyone that takes the time to post a problem or comment.  I feel like it gives us hope of finding a better way for us if we keep working through it together.

That's the other side of this "silent illness" that you aren't prepared for....the psychological and emotional toll it brings upon you.  I too have felt great loss from suffering Labs/VN in my relationships, especially my children.  I am the father of twin 14 year olds who are now Freshmen in HS.  Before this we enjoyed very active lives together and now "poor Dad" has to pass on a lot of regular activities and events.  It crushed me this past summer to sit on the sideline while my son ran a 5k Color Run by himself cause Dad is sick...or my daughter who had to invite a friend to zipline in my place - tickets I had gotten for just the two of us for Daddy/daughter bonding.  Counseling has helped in dealing with this and reading these forums has helped a lot too.  It's been 15 months since the big acute Vertigo event like you described.  Just now starting to experience some improvements with new VRT practitioner and a new GP that has a good handle on total body health.  New diet, new Dr's, and other added changes are helping along with emotional support here the future looks brighter.

i know how you feel ive had dizziness for 19mths missed out so much with my grandchildren lost my job and relationship i feel ive lost out on loads that i can never get back and still havent had a diagnosis x

Yes, I feel the same way. I try not thinking about it, even though I want them to find a diagnosis, I have given up and just trying to help myself with VRT and although I don't see any improvement, I'm hoping my symptoms will disappear as mysteriously as they appeared, all the time this big cloud over me, not knowing if or when people will think I'm drunk, if I will fall, or if the BPPV will come back if I bend over the wrong way! It does take its toll on our mood, Bonnie, and at least know that you are getting over it and that you are on your way to recovery now.

Which brings me to a question - someone who posted here about a month ago, referred to "brain shift" which I think was meant by the sudden, quick feeling of dizziness, almost the start of an episode of vertigo, but then stops. Does anyone know what this is?

An audiologist friend of mine told me it is the brain compensating for what it anticipates will be a dizzy spell. This makes a little sense to me, but not completely. This is how it started 15 months ago... Just an odd sense that I was starting to get a room spin, which within days turned into full-fledged vertigo whenever I turned a certain way or bent over.

I think in the back of my mind that even though my BPPV is "gone"(?), it may come back any minute, since no one really knows how it started - no head injury, no cold, no medications, etc.

Will repetitive head movements like I do for my vestibular retraining CAUSE the crystals to come loose again and make me dizzy? I certainly don't want that. I test myself by leaning my head back and down (like they test for it at PT) about every 3 or 4 days, and nothing so far except that quick, "half" turn dizzy feeling. I wonder if that's just the continued off-balance feeling, or the start of more loose crystals!? I'm going to stop doing that, now that I am pretty sure my BPPV is over with. But still wonder if that's really completely gone, or if that is a normal after-effect.

Had a vestibular vertigo episode over 6 years ago. Had 2 significant episodes within a 24-hour period, the second sent me to the hospital. Since then, I have regularly dealt with lightheadedness which makes focus hard, and just don't feel well. In the past, I have been treated by a neurologist who finally seemed to understand the symptoms I was dealing with, and how they affected me. I forget the exact term of vestibular vertigo he diagnosed me with; however it resembles a form of PTSD, which many veterans coming back from battle have dealt with. I should state I am not a veteran, however my neurologist, who is quite respected within his field, prescribed ventiflexine, which is basically an anti-depressant. It is a low dosage, as I am not generally a depressed person, and it does seem to help. That said, no timetable for when I might expect to get off the medication. And i will say that stress greatly impacts it. I just retired and will be spending a lot more time fishing in SW Florida, which also seems to alleviate some of the symptoms I deal with, so there maybe something to this stress issue.