Yep, this is me. I have told so many friends to spin around a stick fast and then try and walk forward. Many do not believe that living with a vestibular condition could feel that bad. Hell, if only they knew. Living with a vestibular disorder means you never get away from that dizzy, out of it feeling , instead you are stuck, fighting hard to maintain posture every single minute of every single day. Every step feels so wrong it is hard to describe. Saying I feel  out of it doesn't quite do it justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDIpKthRteg

I must be Insane

An inspiring story  https://vestibular.org/civicrm/pcp/info?reset=1&id=19 of a young woman competing in a triathlon despite living with a chronic vestibular disorder.

The link above prompted me to write a new post and give you an update. If you have read any of my previous posts you will know that I try to maintain a strict exercise regime in the hope that it will someday help my balance/vestibular issues. Now I am certainly not training for something as challenging as a triathlon like the brave young woman in the story above but I have took on a small challenge of my own recently.

That challenge being the infamous INSANITY workout. If you have not heard of the Insanity workout, I will quickly explain. The Insanity workout is a 60 day total body conditioning programme developed by fitness instructor/dancer Shaun T and is considered to be the hardest workout ever to be put on dvd. It is high intensity interval training and you do it 45min- 60min six days a week for 60 days.

Now I know what you are thinking, you are thinking maybe my vestibular issue is not as bad as I have made out or that I am truly INSANE attempting such a feat whilst living with a chronic vestibular disorder. after all exercise generally requires a fully functioning vestibular system. the truth is i must be a little insane.

My condition has impacted my life profoundly, at times I have wondered how I have kept on going. Waking up day after day having to constantly think about putting one foot in front of the other, always aware about how I move my body and head so as to try and control the dizziness. It has robbed me of my life and after having to deal with it for so long and watch everything crumble around me I am battling it head on and I mean head on. I have done everything I can to get better but cannot shake it. Therefore I am now pushing my body to the absolute limit to see if I can improve my circumstances. INSANE I might just be.

The truth is I wake up every morning feeling like crap. Head swaying, vision bouncing so I may as well workout with my head swaying and vision bouncing at least my body gets to move instead of sitting or lying down like I spent most of these past years. The insanity workout as you can imagine is a real struggle not least for a person afflicted with the horror of vestibular dysfunction. Jumping and moving quickly is a true assault on the senses for me. When I jump or jog on the spot the sensation I feel is not one of  a healthy person. When I jump or jog the spot the floor feels like it is lifting up and down or being pulled from underneath me. When I jump or jog or bend over the world around me shifts left to right in my fuzzy slow motion like vision that comes in and out of focus all the while my head is swimming and swaying inside. Hell all these symptoms and sensations continue to occur when I am standing completely still. working out is an extremely difficult experience for me and I do wonder why on earth I am putting myself through such an insane challenge.

There are many reasons why I am doing this such as:

• To hopefully retrain my vestibular system (countless attempts at standard vestibular rehabilitation and mild exercise and medication didn't do it maybe Insanity will)
• It is a goal ( I haven't had a goal in a long time)
• It makes me feel like I am trying my best and exhausting every route to get better
• It gives me an enormous sense of pride after every workout 
• Completing it everyday is like a big F*** you to my vestibular dysfunction
• I enjoy the challenge
• It has gotten the rest of me in great condition (Unfortunately not my head)
• I am INSANE

It is 45 min to an hour a day and I certainly pay for my efforts. I usually have to just lie down or sit for the remainder of each day as it takes so much out of me and my vertigo can become much more sensitive. It has not cured me of my vertigo (yet) but it has given me a great sense of pride knowing I can do this given my circumstances. I WILL complete the 60 days of Insanity, hell I only have 14 days to go.

I should say that I could not have attempted such a workout (any kind of workout for that matter) until last year when I was given medication that has helped me somewhat. I DO NOT advise any fellow sufferer to attempt such a workout. No doctor has advised me to do this, I have taken it upon myself to complete the challenge.

Swimmyhead

Caught a cold

Thought I would let you know that for the last week I have had to deal with a cold. I was hoping it would only last a couple of days but as the week progressed it decided to worsen and settle on my chest which has given me a lovely rattle. Today it has hit my ears, every time I blow my nose my ears become full and pressured leaving me slightly deaf. Now my vertigo is very uncomfortable. All the head swaying, pushing and pulling sensations, vision problems and visual movement are back in full swing. I am back to moving and turning very slowly and carefully, I am sinking through the floor with every step, hell just tracking my typing on my keyboard right now is a blur. I am finding myself having to lean on the walls as I am standing. I am uncomfortably disorientated.

I am usually very good at avoiding catching colds, probably only had 1 or 2 these past 5 years or so. When they strike they play havoc with my vertigo and dizziness. People generally feel unwell when they have a cold well try living with vertigo on top of it.

So yeah, my head and balance is a REAL mess today, I am good for nothing. Hopefully it will ease soon.

Swimmyhead

Vestibular Rehabilitation Exercises

Here is a link to a website that has some simple vestibular rehabilitation exercises one can perform. It is my understanding that if you have an unstable conditions such as vestibular migraine or menieres disease as opposed to a stable condition such as Labyrinthitis then these exercises may not be suitable as they may further aggravate your symptoms. It is best to talk to your doctor before attempting such exercises but I thought it would be worth sharing.

http://www.brainandspine.org.uk/vestibular-rehabilitation-exercises

Swimmyhead

Vestibular Migraine Diet

I have been pretty strict regarding my diet these past 16 months eliminating so called migraine triggers. Some of my favourite foods such as cheese and pizza no longer pass my lips but I am slimmer for it. Some foods that are considered migraine triggers and which I no longer consume are:

• Chocolate
• Citrus
• Cheese
• Pizza
• Dairy
• Yogurt
• Cakes
• Biscuits
• Sweets
• Packaged/processed foods
• White bread
• Crisps - actually I do eat crisps but make sure that they have no MSG (monosodium glutamate)
• Soups
• Desserts
• McDonalds
• Chinese
• Caffeine
• Fizzy drinks 

In all honesty I cannot say if eliminating specific foods like the above has helped my condition. It is hard to tell if I have a trigger as I am always dealing with a level of vertigo and dizziness. Foods do not make the vertigo appear as it is always present. I have had a slightly better 16 months since my migraine diagnoses but I feel any improvements have been because of the medication I have been given. Of course the diet may be playing a role too but I honestly don't know. I have read that for some migraine sufferers small diet change is all it takes to recover. So it is worth a shot. I will say I have had less headaches but again it's probably the migraine preventative medications I am taking.

 Here is some advice and info regarding diet and vestibular migraine:

http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorders/treatment/vestibular-diet

A link to a page on my dizziness and vertigo website that has a link to a more detailed migraine diet list: The link is in blue and is titled migraine diet.

 http://dizzinessandvertigo.weebly.com/migraine-asscociated-vertigo-mav.html

Swimmyhead