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Posted 11/3/2009 6:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone.  I haven't been on in several days.  I had really bad fibro fog last week and alot of stiffness in my arms and legs.  This week is much better!  I was wondering if flashing lights bother anyone.  I get what I would call thrown off balance slightly by flashing lights and at times I find I get a bit nauseated.  It's not only flashing lights, for instance I am in front of a window at work most of the day and can see a fairly busy street, sometimes if the cars go by it throws me off too.  Ceiling fans are also not good for me.  This is something sort of new for me and am wondering if it is fibro related or maybe something else I should look into.
Posted 11/3/2009 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like it could be an inner ear problem. I have Meniere's Disease, which is an inner ear disorder, and I could have written your post. One of my biggest triggers for vertigo/nausea/feeling off-balance is visual stimuli.

You might Google "inner ear disorders" and see if anything rings a bell (no pun intended). :)

Hugs - Austen
Posted 11/3/2009 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Wow,

This must be very frustrating. I think that Austenfan has a good idea though. It kind of sounds like it could be inner ear problems. Flashing lights bother me, but not to that extent.

I hope that you get some answers. Let us know what is going on when you do.

Best wishes for a wonderful day.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 11/3/2009 9:46 PM (GMT 0)

Like Austen, I also have Meniere's Disease and along with salty food, visual stimuli sets off my vertigo..I can hardly stand to drive on a road where sunlight is coming through the trees in slivers  and flashes like a strobe light in my face...get very disoriented and dizzy.  The eyes and ears are  highly connected.  Just a thought...

Donna

Posted 11/3/2009 11:39 PM (GMT 0)
Donna,

Just an interesting aside: That sunlight/driving issue is called "picketing" (I guess like a picket fence). I asked my ENT about it last time - I thought I was just going crazy- and he said that it was a very common problem among people with Meniere's. Such strange things can set off the vertigo.

Hugs - Austen
Posted 11/4/2009 12:46 PM (GMT 0)

Austen,

That is so strange that you mentioned the "picketing", I also get that.  I am really wondering now if I dont' have Meniere's.  Could any of you that have this tell me what you do for it.

Posted 11/4/2009 2:26 PM (GMT 0)
I think I need to get my ears checked cause I have a lot of what you girls are talking about. idea   Oh why not the ears the rest of the body is gone whacky.

 

I also noticed the other day that a flash of light like the sun is triggering headaches and I've never had that before.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

 

 

Posted 11/5/2009 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Libby. I'm not a doctor, but I believe that there are also other inner ear issues that can cause some of the same symptoms you find with Meniere's disease. Meniere's disease is a pretty specific set of symptoms including vertigo, nausea, ringing in the affected ear, ear fullness, and hearing loss (among other nasty stuff).

Here is a link to info on Meniere's:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menieres-disease/DS00535

Here is another link to info on inner ear disorders:

http://www.hearingaidscentral.com/Diseases_and_Disorders_of_the_Inner_Ear.asp

Meniere's is a bit difficult to diagnose because many inner ear disorders have overlapping symptoms. If your problems persist, I think an ENT would be your best bet for a correct diagnosis.

To treat my Meniere's, right now I'm just using Benadryl and Valium. I take the Benadryl when my allergies are bad and the Valium when I'm in the midst of a vertigo attack. Some people also use diuretics and follow a low sodium diet.

I hope you find out what is causing your problems and feel better soon. I know how miserable and disorienting it can be to feel that way.

Hugs - Austen
Posted 11/5/2009 1:55 PM (GMT 0)

Austen...if you read this could you tell me how many mgs of Valium you take during an attack?  I was told to take that also...but if I don't get to it the minute I feel the first 'spin' it doesn't work...only 5 mgs.  Maybe I need more?

Donna

Posted 11/5/2009 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
Donna, my Valium tablets are only 2mg, and I take just one or sometimes two during an attack. I honestly don't know if it helps or if I just get a bit of a placebo effect.

I usually just try to lie really still and focus on a fixed point until the worst of the vertigo passes. Closing my eyes definitely makes it worse. While I do still get nauseous during an attack, I rarely vomit anymore, so I am able to lie pretty still.

Also, my symptoms aren't as severe as they used to be, but when I was first diagnosed, I took a small dose of Benadryl (12.5 mg) and Valium (.5 to 1 mg) both nightly (with my doctor's approval) just as a prophylactic. Technically, I don't think you are supposed to mix these, but my doc was okay with the small doses. It did seem to help prevent attacks.
Posted 11/5/2009 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Austen.  I was put on anti-vert when I was first diagnosed but I was supposed to take it three times a day to prevent an attack.  I did nothing but sleep.  ENT told me the Valium sedates those hair thingys (can't think of the name of them...duh) in the ear that causes the spinning.  I always thought it was fluid build up.  My husband has a student who is a pilot with Meniere's (now, that's a scary thought) and he swears Ginger Root stops his attacks in its tracks.  Haven't tried it yet, but plan too.  I am getting sooooo deaf!

 

Donna

Posted 3/29/2015 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you to all of you. I have been diagnosed with Meniere's and my episodes are very violent. They last for hours. I watch my sodium intake very carefully, read all labels, never cook with sodium salt. My wife watches me very carefully with sodium. I am in my 70's and didn't come down with Menieres until my late 60's. I spend a lot of time on the computer and my wife says the computer flashing and fast movement may have something to do with it. I am very active otherwise. But And after 52 years of marriage she has a lot of good ideas. I had no idea that other people feel that this strobe effect aggravates Menieres. Sometimes I have gone for months with no attack but for the last month I am getting one every couple of days. I will watch my computer time and my cell phone game time mush more carefully. Again thanks. I will listen more to my wife!
Lee
Posted 3/29/2015 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with many of the others that I too have Meniere's and could have written that post. I've had Mineres for 10 years now, but keep it almost completely under control by using a Meniett. This is a device that you place in your ear (which needs to have a tiny tube inserted by your doc-it doesn't hurt). The device runs a cycle treatment for 7 mi use and it sounds like a small puff of air and a little noise. After using it for 3 days my Meniere's was under control.

Prior to this, the only med that kept me fro throwing up was Valium, and I hadn't been able to drive for over a year. I always wear perscription sunglasses when outside, which helps tone down light issues.

The test you need is called an ENG (...or was it VNG? Fibro brain+Mineres= me asking people to repeat things;|). The test has you wear goggles that track your pupil movements while they put cold and warm water in your ear to see if the stimulation triggers a vertigo attack.

One last note- it took over a year and one (IDIOT!!!) ENT throwing me out of his office telling me "go back to your primary doc and have him send you to some other specialist. There's nothing wrong with your ears." I ended up researching to find a doctor who was more specialized (called an Otologist) who re-ran the ENG(VNG?) and found I have bilateral Mineres.

Oh! One last thought. Migraines can also present this way. There is a whole area (and support forums) who cover ther vertigo/migraine crossover symptoms & diagnosis.

Good luck!
Posted 3/29/2015 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
With flashing lights..my eye dr says come get it checked... That can also be an eye issue..

I have had vertigo in the past several times..had the same triggers all three times..
Posted 3/30/2015 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you both so very much. I am going to ask my ear doctor (also a board certified Otolaryngologist) about the Meniett. Besides Valium I take Triamt/Hctz every day. I only take the Valium when I feel an episode coming on. After one nights sleep I feel a lot better. I have sometimes gone 9 months without an episode. Also stress takes a big effect. With a family situation with one of my kids, I am under big big stress. I had an allergy test for about 100 different things. I have had a brain MRI. All with negative results. I really think that the stress plays a major part of this. I too had to leave one doctor that kept saying I had head congestion. The flashing light was just an idea that pop into mind. I don't ever get migraines. I Just have that loud ring in my left ear during an episode. Then it disappears. I watch that sodium very carefully, no processed foods or chips.

Thanks again
Posted 3/30/2015 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
I get these symptoms occasionally. Flashing lights are most likely to cause me a migraine, with nausea (the nausea usually comes first). The same thing can happen just on a really sunny day (or partly sunny day) where I'm in and out of the light. Some days I will encounter the same issues with just lots of movement around me (ceiling fan, traffic, etc). Do you get migraines? There is a type of migraine that doesn't come with pain but includes the aura (other symptoms of migraine that often preceed the pain). Whatever the case it's worth talking to your dr about, and perhaps get a neuro referral to check for potential issues.
Posted 4/22/2015 4:51 AM (GMT 0)
I saw a lot of posts about ear and eye issues. One thing that's huge for me with this fabulous disease is anything sensory. Temps, lights, noise level, repetitive anything, smells, clothes too loose, too tight, too coarse. Sometimes I feel like Goldilocks. I try to minimize anything that's going to set me off. If I can. Out in public, we're all fair game.
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