World Keeps Spinning

I learned over the last couple of years that one can get migraines without getting the headaches. I have MAV (Migraine Associated Vertigo). I was diagnosed at first with having Meniere's. I would get very debilitating vertigo. I would get dizzy spells so bad I would be sitting (or laying) in the bathroom for hours, or sometimes in bed, getting sick, trying not to move, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

Other times I would just get shorter dizzy spells, which fortunately went away quickly. At all times I had tinnitus and still do. Meniere's is a fluid build up in the inner ear and leads to continual hearing loss. I have had past hearing loss, but that has not continued, so my specialist knew it was MAV.

I was off work for four months while getting through all of this and then finding the right meds. I've been back to work now and take meds to keep the vertigo away. I also watch what I eat, as food is a huge trigger for me. OK, I have a lot of triggers, unfortunately. Certain foods (chocolate, salt, caffeine, nitrates), loud noises, flashes of light, very strenuous exercise, sudden changes of temperatures and certain times of the month are all triggers.

Thanks to great doctors and the meds, I can now live my life on my own terms and keep the MAV monsters at bay.