Feeling stupid

I know it's hard to do, but you need to relax. When vertigo sets in focus on a spot in front of you and breathe. You know that it will pass. I work with middle school students too. What I've done is I've come up with a plan in case vertigo comes and I'm with one of my small groups. I tell them I'm not feeling well and they have to go back to class. This has only happened once, thank god. The girls I had at the time were so concerned about me that it took a lot of convincing that I would be okay. The weird thing that I didn't fully get until a few months ago was that nobody can see my vertigo, so when I'm having an episode I'm sure it looks kind of funny to them because I look very normal, so I just tell them I don't feel well and not to worry, I'll be fine in a bit. My boss knows all about my condition and so does the teacher next door to me. It sounds like you travel from school to school. Is there one teacher in each school that you could talk to about your condition?

Can you ask your ENT for a prescription for Xanax or Valium? That's supposed to take the edge of your episodes.

Can you take a few days off? That's what I wish I would have done when this awful thing started. Just a few days off to calm your body down.

 

First--please find someone to drive you or you really should 'not be driving'. I don't know how you are, in fact. When I had vertigo--until 2012 and shunt surgery---I couldn't function--had to lay in bed--be helped there and stayed until it subsided. The throwing up, and room spinning were scary and awful. You need to be seen asap--and I'd call the doctor's office and tell them it is an emergency and ask what you can do until you see him/her! The thing is, with hearing loss, you should have been seen immediately anyway. Usually to be treated with Prednisone to stop the hearing loss, due to the 'Meniere's' if that is what you are finally diagnosed with. You might want to try taking 25 mg. of Meclizine as soon as an attack begins--it helped me and others here. Others, it does not. Usually low dose Valium is prescribed to treat vestibular problems initially anyway. The important thing is--get help, even if it's in an E.R. and cancel driving. Take a taxi if necessary--or get someone to drive you. Please know there is help for these very difficult moments and you will get alot of help here on this board in the way of support and suggestions--some will help and others will not--because we are all different in how we respond to various treatments. Don't let this take your life away--be aggressive in getting treatment. Keep us posted, please!

 

Hi Inblujeanz
Many of us have had symptom relief from vertigo, aural fullness, better hearing from taking an antiviral. There are some doctors with studies to back them up, stating an HSV plays a role in Meniere's. I started taking an antiviral back in Jan 2013 and after having MM for 47 years at that time I have been symptoms free for 3 years due to taking an antiviral.

In our forums database is Dr Gacek's publication and on page 104 is his dose recommendations for acyclovir and valcyclovir. He now prefers valcyclovir.

Bring the paper to your doctor. Many doctors are reluctant to prescribe an AV for MM. Many say it will not work, but Dr Gaceks success rate in controlling MM symptoms with antivirals is over 90%, which more or less matches the success rate of people on the forums experience with them.

Antivirals do not help everyone, but help suppress MM symptoms for many of us.

Also keep your daily intake of arginine less than lysine. These are amino acids found in proteins. Lysine also suppresses HSV.

 

Having faced the same anxiety that you have in travelling to work and trying to stay composed when all you really feel like doing is going home to bed until it passes I gained control by using stemetil (similar to valium ) to help me get through whatever situation.

Stemetil or valium will help a ot when a vertigo attack is about to happen. I would have loved to have been successful in getting the several doctors and specialists to prescribe antivirals but they never. Other items that did help were llysine which is the next best thing to try and stop the virus from replicating. I also took serc which is a preventative and that works well. I would also have a look at what you are eating and drinking and at some point look at the trigger avoidance diet. But for now you need some medication to help get you through the days.

 

I have Valium for when I start feeling anxious over an attack -- Sometimes it takes the edge off and my dizzy is at a 5 or 6 -- Normal day i am at a 3 or 4- the ringing is always there.... But if I start to feel like the world is tilting I know I have a half hour max before I start spinning.... I can't stare at one thing and wait for it to pass - that doesnt work for me... and I usually ask someone to drive me home because I know that if I get stuck in traffic I am going to be in trouble... When my spinning starts - I can't even walk - i need help getting into bed and it is only minutes before the vomiting starts .... and then it is hours to a day before I can function again...

See if you can at least get a script for valium or something if they can't get you in sooner.... Good Luck - I know how debilitating it is and how scary it feels....