|
[ Vertigo Archive ] [ Main Archives Page ] [ Glossary/Index ] [ FAQ ] [ Recommended Books ] [ Bulletin Board ] |
Search this site! | |
Hello, I will try to keep this as brief as possible, but I would like some advice with some issues I am dealing with. Back in March I was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis and was out of work for 3 months. I was under a lot of job stress and personal stress before I got sick and ended up changing jobs to eliminate some stress and everything was going ok. Then about 2 weeks ago, I started waking up between 4am-7am with a racing heart. I attributed this all to anxiety since panic disorder runs in my family and I am usually an anxious person. Well this feeling would come and go at first. Then after a few days, I had a racing heart and shortness of breath and it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and it lasted for days, so I thought it could not be panic or anxiety and be contant, could it? I ended up in 2 different emergency rooms in 48 hours. All bloodwork, ekgs, chest xrays and chest cat scan came out normal. One hospital said it was mitral valve prolaspe and prescribed beta blocker that within 2 days made me so ill, I ended up at the second hospital with low blood pressure and heart rate between 48-51.I went to see my family Dr. who agreed with the MVP diagnosis and prescribed a different beta blocker that also makes me feel sick. Dr. Stoll I read your article and archives on MVP and agree with what you say. Can all these continuous symptoms just be anxiety? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Do I live with this chest pressure and racing heart and not take the meds or take the meds and feel lightheaded and sick from them? Thank you all in advance for your help.
Kathi
In Reply to: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 10, 2007 at 10:10:31:
Hi Kathi,
Just curious, how did you treat the VN? Antibiotics or anti-virals? Did
they discover an infection that lead to it, or was it just a diagnosis
based on excluding other causes?
You say the beta blockers made you feel ill, but did they help the
palpitation symptoms? In other words, were they effective for the
reason they were given, but just also came with unpleasant side
effects, or did they do nothing but make you feel sick?
You don't say how old you are. This info may be helpful.
I agree the MVP is a bullpucky diagnosis usually. Though not always,
some d have a true degeneration of the valve. Did they do an echo to
confirm?
Sorry for all the questions, but it might be helpful to know this info.
B
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Babette [2701.4159] on October 10, 2007 at 12:19:19:
Hi B,
I had the vestibular neuritis infection 20 years ago when I had a whole bunch of tests to rule out other issues and confirm a viral infection, but then was fine until last March when the same thing came back and my family Dr. said there was nothing to do but give it time to go away on its own since it was viral. I also had nothing to treat it 20 years ago and it took 6 months back then to go away. Both times I was told a viral infection led to the VN. Yes the beta blockers just about got rid of the palpitations and shortness of breath, so they are effective for the reason they were given. The side effects make me feel lightheaded due to the lowering of heart rate and blood pressure, but I am hoping the side effects go away with time. I am 45 years old. My Dr wants to schedule an echo but I have not had one yet. She said she heard some clicking noise when she listened to my heart and so did one of the ER Dr. but that is it. I was thinking it was anxiety the whole time but then it got worse so I have no idea what is going on. Any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!
Kathi
In Reply to: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 10, 2007 at 10:10:31:
Hi Kathi,
I went to a holistic doctor for my symptoms (dysautonomia) and he prescribed beta blockers for me, too. I took one and threw the rest away. Ick.
The tightness in the chest sounds like bracing and/or costochondritis (which is part of bracing).
I do not know much about vestibular neuritis, but I see that it causes dizziness. This also could be due to bracing but I will let Doc Walt say more since this is more his area than mine. I've treated clients in my office with dizziness using massage and the 3LS Wellness Program, with excellent results.
So my question is, have you started your SR practice for a long-term solution to these health issues? Are you seeing a massage therapist to start working on the stress? Have you read our book, Recapture Your Health, to learn the rest of the wellness program that will get you back on track to health?
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 10, 2007 at 14:15:42:
Are you taking the lowest dose of beta blockers? Maybe break them
in half and work your way up to see if you can relieve symptoms with
lower amounts. (check to make sure it's okay to do that first since
some medications should never be broken up!)
The reason I asked about your age and the cause of the VN is because
when my mother was 44 she had a bout of serious vertigo that lasted
about a year off and on and was quite bad at times. She was given
lots of tests and ultimately told she had VN. Maybe they didn't know
the cause back then, I don't know, but viruses and bacteria were not
mentioned. She also started waking at night with heart palpitations,
or having them during the day, especially if the weather was warm. I
remember she would sometimes be all out of breath and say her
heart was racing. She had always been healthy, active, slim, very
youthful for her age, with no medical problems or a history of
anything at all.
Eventually it all stopped and she didn't take any medications and no
source was ever really found. Then at age 48 she didn't have her
period one month and never had one again. In thinking back she
nows feels that all the dizziness, heart palps and short breath was all
related to her hormones going wacky leading up to the menopause.
Given your age it could be an option, don't you think?
I recently read a list of symptoms for premenopause. I printed it and
kept it because so many of them are not the standard stuff we
associate with meno. It went like this:
hot flashes
insomnia (especially waking in the early morning hours)
fluctuations in sexual desire and response
funny sensations in the head (zapping)
bouts of rapid heartbeat
lower back pain
thinning scalp and underarm hair
bruising easily
sudden bouts of bloating and nausea
inexplicable panic attacks
anxiety and loss of self confidence
migraine headaches
fuzzy thinking, blanking out
dry vagina
painful intercourse
indigestion, flatulence, gas pains
sudden appearance of fine facial hair and body hair
easily wounded feelings
depression
All of your symptoms are on there. That is not to say they don't have
a cause with yor heart etc, but it's something to consider.
Have you tried taking magnesium supplements? Very helpful for
heart palps. Not sure what the dosage should be but someone here
should know.
Do you do Skilled Relaxation and follow a healthy diet with some
aerobic exercise every week? The SR in particular will definitely help
with panic issues. If you do it twice every day you might be surprised
to find after a few months how much of the edge has been cut off the
panic.
Hope you are feeling better soon!!!
B
In Reply to: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 10, 2007 at 10:10:31:
Kathi,
Just think how much money the system has made on just this one case of typical progression of an anxious problem! What incentive does the medical monopoly have to change their blind application of bandaid therapy???
Listen to Jan and get over it!
Walt
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Jan DeCourtney, CMT (Happygal) [876.4274] on October 10, 2007 at 17:09:51:
Hi Jan,
Yes I just finished reading the book and plan to start the 3LS program. Did that program relieve your symptoms of dysautonomia? I do not want to have to take these beta blockers, I agree with you, ICK!!!! With symptoms like the ones I have described, how soon should I start to see results if I follow the program? Thanks in advance for all your help.
Kathi
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Babette [2701.4159] on October 10, 2007 at 19:45:05:
Hi B,
Thank you so much for this most valuable information. I talked to my Dr. and yes, I can break the pills and take them that way for a while. Yes, I really think that given my age, this could be related to premenopause and my hormones going crazy, especially after reading all the symptoms you included. I am getting ready to start the 3LS program and the SR so I am praying this will improve things for me. Thanks, I will ask if anyone knows a good dose of magnesium to take. You have been very helpful.
Kathi
In Reply to: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 10, 2007 at 10:10:31:
Ah, vestibular neuritis. Haven't heard that diagnosis since they told me I had it in 1987. In other words, they know you're dizzy, but really don't know why. Here's what I've found out since then. It could be you have undiagnosed hyperthyroid disease (have you had your thyroid tested?). It could be that you have candida (caused the worst dizziness for me), caused by too many antibiotics. Ultimately,I found that the root cause seems to have been LGS. I did the 3LS religiously for almost 3 years and what an improvement! Also, to calm those heart palps(been there!), I take KAL brand magnesium glycinate from The Vitamin Shoppe; they're better than any beta blocker, definitely give them a try. Keep digging for answers until something or someone helps you. Good luck.
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 11, 2007 at 08:47:45:
Hi Kathi,
The 3LS Wellness program relieved about 65% of my symptoms. But it is also the foundation for making all the other things work. They wouldn't have worked without my having done the 3LS so well.
I also needed (and still need) to take nutritional supplements, and make radical changes to my diet as my health improved.
About seeing results, I saw results as soon as I started doing SR correctly, I saw results within 2 days of starting the PWFD, and the exercise helped within a week. However, it took doing these practices over time to get the greatest results.
Let us know if we can help.
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Jan DeCourtney, CMT (Happygal) [876.4274] on October 10, 2007 at 17:09:51:
Jan,
Considering my situation and symptoms, if I was to start one part of the 3LS program now, would the SR be the first one to start? Is there any benefits from doing the SR more than 2 times per day for 20 minutes or more?
Thanks again.
Kathi
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Trish [296.2857] on October 11, 2007 at 09:31:50:
Hi Trish,
Exactly, they know I am dizzy but cannot tell me why. How long did it take yours to go away and did it ever come back? I have been tested for thyroid and it was normal, but I am almost positive I suffer from LGS. I just finished the book and am going to start on the 3LS program asap. Also thanks for the advice to take magnesium for the heart palps, I am going to the store to get some now. How soon did you start to see results doing the 3LS?
Thanks!
Kathi
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 10, 2007 at 14:15:42:
Hi Kathi,
"Both times I was told a viral infection led to the VN."
-------------------------------------------------------
Did they ever tell you what the virus was? Herpes?
internal Shingles? Epstien Barr? or maybe it was Lyme disease?
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 11, 2007 at 10:10:57:
Hi Kathi,
It would be great to start with SR. However, most people do best starting with the one that is the most fun for them. So choose one.
At the beginning, I found it most helpful to do SR for 30 minutes 3 times a day. But, that was just me. You can experiment to see what seems to help you the most.
It was easiest for me to start with SR because I was a long time meditator and I was so fatigued I didn't have energy to do much besides sit around, anyway. :o) I did find that SR was very, very helpful, but each leg of the 3LS played an important part. So it doesn't really matter where you start.
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Ron [5412.1575] on October 11, 2007 at 11:57:25:
Hi Ron,
Both times I was told a viral infection led to the VN but they could never tell me anything else. When you had it, how long did it last each time and is there anything you can do to get rid of it quicker? I have had it twice now too and it is not fun. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Kathi
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 11, 2007 at 13:40:39:
Kathi, this seems to be a pretty common problem and I really doubt it is an infection. Walt has even suggested sinus problems coming from bracing muscles including TMJ and since the ear canal is closely associated to both..... Personally, I would try good neck/shoulder massages or even chiropractic. You can take-over-the-counter Antivert during an episode.
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 11, 2007 at 13:40:39:
Hi Kathi,
Here is a well explained article to read..
See what fits and maybe tell your doc that he
has jumped to a conclusion.
In Reply to: Re: question Dr. Stoll, Jan or anyone else that can help posted by Kathi [1567.1399] on October 11, 2007 at 10:25:38:
For some weird reason, my dizziness was always worse in the summer months. Now that I've discovered that my body needs extra magnesium in the warm months, and supplement extra during that time, the dizziness goes away. I remember it being so bad once, I was out of work for almost 3 or 4 weeks. My doc back then prescribed Antivert which did nothing. I remember, though, when I was getting that prescription filled, the girl behind the counter said to me, "dizzy, huh? I've had that, too. It will gradually go away". And she was right. I think your body just figures out how to balance itself or something. That was 20 years ago. I've noticed that the only time it ever comes back is when I'm under a lot of stress, or it's really hot and humid weather. The 3LS (especially the skilled relaxation part - I meditate) helps you get better in a very subtle way. I had very bad eye pain from Graves disease and the first weekend after I learned how to meditate (I had it measured by a biofeedback specialist to make sure I was in the right zone), my eye pain disappeared. I continued to meditate, and it wasn't until the holidays passed that I realized it was the first Christmas I didn't run around like a chicken without a head, shopping, fussing, getting stressed. It was the mellowest feeling to be able to enjoy something that used to stress me out. It is also very helpful to keep with an exercise program (mine is just walking a lot), and of course, a more natural diet. In Walt's program, you really have to be brutally honest with yourself about your bad health habits and eliminate them. Good luck with the program. Things will start to get better little by little. As time goes on, you will not believe how much of this was in your own hands all along. I wouldn't have known any of this without Walt's guidance. He's the best.
|
[ Vertigo Archive ] [ Main Archives Page ] [ Glossary/Index ] [ FAQ ] [ Recommended Books ] [ Bulletin Board ] |
Search this site! | |