After a cruise in 1994 (at the time I was 56 years old), I had a continuation of the feeling of dizziness that one often experiences on a ship. The cruise took place at the end of March, beginning of April, 1994. It lasted 7 days. I had never been on a cruise before, and I had never had the symptoms before. After I arrived home, I just initially wrote off the dizziness as due to getting off the ship where it had been quite unstable at times.
After about 2 weeks, I went to my family doctor. He listened very carefully. I believe he sent me almost immediately to a clinic of otologists in Hinsdale, IL. I underwent a battery of tests. The doctor continued with me for sometime. I worked with a physical therapist which did little or no good.
Eventually, the doctor referred me to Dr. Timothy Hain at Northwestern University. I had an MRI, rotatary chair tests, and other tests. After all of the tests, he thought I might have MDD. He asked me to participate in a research project which I did. After a year, I went back. At that time, he tested me for vertigo again. He decided that I didn't really have MDD because all of the data he had received thus far was on females. Supposedly, I had a case of vertigo.
Since then I continue to suffer from the same symptoms. Some days are worse than others. Rarely do I have a day free of symptoms. I hate to go shopping in almost all stores with piles of goods stacked high, certain lighting situations, etc. I have to hold on to a shopping cart to keep from feeling as if I may fall over. One night in a wallpaper store, I literally started to feel nauseous. I simply left.
Sitting on a toilet at times was difficult. I felt as though I would fall off the seat. Maybe that sounds ridiculous, but in looking through some of the other case histories, I discovered that another person reported the same symptoms. That has subsided considerably over the years. But occasionally I still have the same feeling.
Driving a car gives me absolutely no problem. If I could do that for the rest of my life, I would be happy. That is where I have no problems. And reading has not been a problem for me at home. But where I work, paperwork can throw me for a loop at times. The lighting in my work area is flourescent. At home it is from an incandescent bulb. I have wondered if that has anything to do with it.
No medication ever prescribed has ever done any substantial amount of good. I take lorazepam, a type of sleeping pill, which makes me sleep soundly. The more rest I obtain, the less dizzy I usually feel. If I don't get enough sleep, I very often feel very unstable. Going for a walk in the evening sometimes makes me feel as though I were standing up on a ferris wheel as it moves. I sometimes feel as though one second my feet are below the pavement, and in the next second I feel as though I am above the surface.
I have tried to keep a positive attitude about the whole business and try to avoid feeling sorry for myself. I might as well "enjoy" it because in 4 years and 6 months it has not lessened.
I enjoy cutting the grass, gardening, working outside. If I can do that several days in a row, the symptoms are often reduced. But as the fall season moves in and I become less active out of doors, I get more dizzy spells. I use a Nordic Trac in winter to walk for exercise. When I step off, I often feel terribly unsteady. But I feel I need the exercise. The temptation is to do nothing and just to sit. I'm 60 years old and I know I should exercise. But I don't enjoy walking like I used to.
I would appreciate it if you could let me hear from others. If any known preventives develop, medications, etc., I would appreciate hearing about them.