Dizzy and Light Headedness

I had my 2nd opinion rendered today and I will share the results and answer JoeRay776's question about bending over.

I just returned from the Universtiy of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor Michigan  ---where I got a second opinion---  about my problems with balance, poor eye control, unusually quick fatigue, inability to concentrate, feeling of lightheadedness, giddiness, anxiety, panic and general feeling that I am not myself and cannot do the things that I used to do normally. This seemed to be a lot of symptoms and I was very worried that they were caused by something very complicated.  As it turns out it is not all that complicated, the symptoms are all related and the fix is exercises and time to heal.

Pending another look at the two major tests that I had, the MRI and CAT SCAN W/CONTRAST,  It is the opinion of this medical group that I do NOT have  Ménière's disease, as the previous team suggested.  I have the same thing you have heard of so many times; Labyrinthitis.   More commonly called Vestibular neuritis here in the states. There is really no medication for it except that you could take vertigo meds or an opiate derivative, but both wear off quickly, become ineffective with repeated use and inhibit rehabilitation.   Opiates, of course,  are very addictive and requires larger and larger doses to work.  So, instead of a medication the doctors prescribe exercises to retrain the brain to work with the signals it is receiving from the damaged inner ear, which is what Labyrinthitis and Vestibular neuritis do, they damage the inner ear sending new and different signals to the brain.  The ear doesn't just hear, it also performs a function that is responsible for balance, and if the balance information is upset it causes all of the symptoms that I described previously. 

Balance information, I was told, is a very big deal to the brain.  And when our balance is upset due to inner ear inflammation or physical damage, like in a fall or or hard bump to the head, it has a huge effect upon how we feel and think.  It is such a big deal that it causes eyesight to be misaligned, which causes double vision.  And rapid eye movement, which causes confusion that leads to nausea, anxiety and panic etc.  That is why it feels like it is so big and so hard to deal with.  It is a very big deal to the brain because everything we do hinges upon our ability be in balance, and when that is taken away from us by this illness it affects all of our understandings that we have grown used to.  It presents a huge competition for our brain trying to relate all that we have become accustomed to not being the same causing the insecurity we feel.

Physical therapy for retraining the brain to understand the new signals is the cure.  Much like a stroke victim relearns with therapy after a stroke.  It must be done carefully and not too quickly.  High expectations for rapid recovery are part of the psychological problems associated with Lagyrinthitis or Vestibular neuritis, so we must refrain from expecting rapid results.  I was told that exercises and not too many, not overdoing it is key.  Too much causes psychological problems and so slow and easy, little bit by little bit is the way to success. Much like a child beginning to learn all about the brand new world it is growing up in, we can become overwhelmed, and get cranky and need a nap!  That is a sure sign that we have overdone it, fatigue and exhaustion must be avoided. 

Once I begin my therapy sessions I will report what they are.

To answer JoeRay776's question about why bending over causes the problems asked about, one doctor explained that everything is out of normal and the brain is trying to compensate for all the new stimulation, some information gets lost in all the activity. It will return to normal after the brain gets used to the new signals that represent normalcy.

OK, I hope I have interpreted everything correctly, and not left out anything too important.  I apologize for making it so  wordy and long, but hopefully in language that we can understand, this will make clearer what we have and what we can expect in rehab and relearn.

Ben

03OCT14