Much better today today ;D Put on a couple of Beatles albums while I cleaned my living room this morning. Could hear some of it from my bad ear. Fullness down too. Drizzling a bit which shold aggravate symptoms as I understand it but nothing. Tinnitus crazymaking if I let it. Keep moving helps.
Good to hear you're better today Hollyflo. Hope your day continues to be well. I awoke this morning with vertigo. Supposed to go to BJ's Warehouse with my daughter & granddaughter. Thankfully it didn't last and calmed down to dizziness. Was a bit anxious about going to a big warehouse store, but it was ok, and actually had fun with the girls. I did take valacylovir, and I'm sure that helped. Still have fullness and tinnitus, but that's better than nausea, vertigo, and dizziness. However, I'm tired. I could just lay down and sleep, but I'm afraid I'll aggravate my head. Maybe a walk outside might do me good. Is there a way I could go for a walk outside and leave my head at home???
I hope the clearing leads only to good things and your gig goes great, Santa. So glad you are having a better day, Holly. Last night I held my watch right up to my "bad" ear, and I could actually hearing ticking! Quieter than on the other side, but still. There is no way I would have heard that a few weeks ago. Makes me so happy thinking of it still.
Thanks for all the good health wishes. No vertigo and the gig went great. I didn't even use ear plugs when a performed. Kind of felt like I had been to a rock concert afterwards but, I still had some clearness. This morning I can hear the rubbing of the fingers near my ear. There is still a hollow roar in the background and the tinnitus is still singing. But, this is the best I have been in 5 weeks. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! It's interesting that Hollyflo, bythebay and Santa all having a couple good days at the same time. Good Health to Everyone!
Great news Santa! Rock on! I felt great yesterday with the fullness minimal, the tinnitus quieter, no headache so true to form, I went and pushed the envelope last evening. I walked a long way towards AT&T park and ended up at a rowdy bar filled with Giants fans. I went in and out with my earplug and so enjoyed all the noise and being able to go unplugged most of the time and it was only my memory that was aware of having MM. Stayed out quite late having fun, chatting it up with folks on either side of me (you know how meaningful that is) with no problem even with big noise all around. Even had the energy to make the hike back home this time uphill. Yahoo! Today feeling a wee bit less hearing that yesterday, a wee bit louder tinnitus, still no fullness nor headache and happy to be back in life having fun. I think JOH"s regimen and the Acyclovir are kicking in. Going into week three of the latter and feel compelled not to drop down in dosage unless another level of breakthrough happens by Wednesday. Going with my instinct that 4 weeks on the high dosage is better to be sure the Acyclovir is the best AV to be on. Also on week 5 of JOH's regimen with the Vincocipine, Vitamin E and C and on the full regimen for almost a month. I was also advised that if a fungal infection flared up from the prendisone and antibiotics that were prescribed three times in 45 days, to start taking high CFU probiotics three times a day which I have been doing now for a week. Who knows if that is doing anything but it was a simple addition and might be a contributing factor. To another great day in San Francisco!! And to where you all are too!
Wow, Holly! What an evening! I sure do know what you mean about chatting it up with people on BOTH sides of you. That is big news. I like your terminology "going unplugged." It's been a long time since I'd dare hang out in such a place unplugged. The fact that your symptoms are just a little bit worse the day after that seems like quite a triumph.
Yesireebob bytheBay! I couldn't resist going out again last night to watch the game and I did great, feel good and happy today. Still some tinnitus and hearing loss but the fullness has backed way down. Feeling optimistic!
Go Giants! I live in Tallahassee and watched Buster Posey for a few years. My clearing is kind of partial, not a total clearing. I can hear my fingers rubbing next to my left ear but nowhere as loud as I can hear them next to right ear. I am now on the two a day valacyclovir and I am wondering why it is just a three week protocol. I am getting more tinnitus in right ear. Never used to have that. It's just the high pitched kind. Easier to ignore than what is going on in left ear. Very happy for y'all. I went without caffeine M-th last week. I had a cup before each performance on Friday and Saturday. I am going to go without at least M-th this week.
The protocol that Dr. Gacek lays out is: 3 weeks of 3 grams/day (more if it takes longer to have a significant impact on symptoms), then 3 weeks of 2 grams/day, then a 1 gram/day maintenance dose (i.e. ongoing)--though my understanding is that sometimes people need a higher or lower maintenance dose and basically once you go to 2 grams/day you are seeing how low you can go before you start to lose your improvements, if you do, you've gone too low. When you wrote, "just a three week protocol" it sounds like something different from that. By Dr. Gacek's protocol, it sounds like you should still be on the 3 grams/day until your improvement is more clearly established. Maybe you are going by some other protocol, but if you mean to be on Dr. Gacek's, maybe there has been a misunderstanding somewhere along the way.
Holy shamolly!! Thanks BytheBay. I totally misread his protocol. I will be talking to my Dr today. I need more valacyclovir. I don't know if cutting the caffeine is helping or if it's mostly the valacyclovir and the JOH combo. But, something is helping. Instead of coffee now I just drink two big glasses of water in the morning, M-Th.
There is no doubt that something is shifting for me..espcially the dizziness and fullness. The tinnitus is less intrusive-loud. My ear is still itchy. Since today is the last day of 2400 mg/day on Acyclovir and my symptoms have only stared improving consistently since Saturday with no backsliding, I think I will remain on the 2400mg for another week. If there isn't more improvement especially in hearing recovery, I will request Valacyclovir and begin from square 1 again. It could also be the Lemon Bioflavinoids and other JOH's remendies kicking in. Headaches have crept back in a bit. Not 'migrainish' but still exacerbates the MM symptoms beyond my ability to keep going in life. Friday I recalled have stashed a prescription of Imitrex, which only made matters worse when prescribed in August. Since I was already down, decided to run the experiment and take it. It really helped. I then contacted my neurologist to ask if this result might be a diagnostic and she said tension headaches and migraines are treated with the same protocols. Odd. I also asked about MAV and she didn't seem to carve out for me about any distinctions with that either. Pretty much end of line there unless I want to go on migraine preventive meds, which I don't. More side effects confusing MM symptoms..no thank you. Not now anyway. Looks like I can take the Imitrex 2 or 3 times a week without creating rebound headaches. We shall see. Anybody have any experience with this piece? I try to search of databank and archives and I find it hard to draw any conclusions from reading these.
Hey holly. I suffered headaches for years. Took all kinds of meds for them. But the headaches just kept rebounding. Then I became good friends with a chiropractor. My middle spine and neck needed quite a few adjustments but I have been headache free for years thanks to those adjustments.
Glad that worked for you Santa. I've been seeing Chiro's for 30 years and nothing has touched the headaches for very long. Hopeful about the upper cervical Chiro tho for MM symptoms. Still researching and that with cold laser. Will be a big $$ investment so speaking with a number of them to be sure!