@thenystagmus tears can be cleansing sometimes so a few tears isn't always a bad thing. Always here for you x
So true, my trusted friend, so very true. It was time for the dam(n)😲 to break!
I know you are, and I'm very grateful! And I'm here for you, also. I've been glad to know you ever since I discovered you (in tears!) over on a splinter thread. I'm so glad you decided to come over to this one! Well wishes! 🤗🙏
Oh, hi ho, did the Pony Express show up at your place with a delivery yet? If not, mebbe later today? 🐎
Sorry you had a bad day too Sassafras. Sometimes a good cry releases stress hormones and can make you feel a little better after. I hope your MRI goes ok with good positive results. Best wishes for your birthday too which I understand is this month. Now, that would be a great birthday present wouldn't it, a good MRI result. 🙏😊
POSITVE STORY
Hi everyone, I just wanted to follow up on my previous posts here with some improvements and positive findings in case it helps others.
My background: 1-2 day spells of vertigo / BPPV 12 years ago. Have had mild balance issues since which I received vestibular rehabilitation for and didn't have much impact on my life.
My vaccine response
1st shot: I noticed increased unsteadiness and sensitivity to flickering lights in the weeks after my first Pfizer shot. 9 weeks afterwards and 12 weeks afterwards I had short spells of vertigo, lasting under 10 seconds but unsettling. Maybe 7 attacks in total. At this point I switched to a low histamine and anti-inflammatory diet and had no more attacks. Doctor's tests also came out fine.
2nd shot: 3 days after the second shot I had another couple of vertigo attacks. At this point I started to incorporate the anti-migraine diet (no salt, caffeine, chocolate and a variety of other fun foods!) Since then I had flu-like symptoms and slight giddiness at the end of that (like you might after a virus) but no more vertigo spells. I am still a bit unsteadier than usual and more sensitive to auditory and visual input - big cities are overwhelming right now - but otherwise pretty okay.
This is now almost 2 weeks on from my last spell and I think my diet might be playing a big part in managing these symptoms. I have also spoken to a helpful GP and Audiologist in the past week who are seeing these sorts of flare-ups with the immune response, but assure me they are going away for people. They also encouraged me to see the vaccine as having reduced my threshold for now, meaning other triggers might have more impact. They also said to treat this time like having a cold when the brain is basically a bit compromised and can't keep us as balanced. If enough of these other triggers build up, we get worsening symptoms or vertigo for the time being whilst our bodies are working through this.
I realised that all of my vertigo attacks had been preceded by salty food (often combined with over stimulating restaurants) lack of hydration, hot weather, and - a big one - barometric pressure drops, as it has been stormy here in the UK.
My Audiologist also told me stress can play a huge role. I am currently facing eviction so am aware I've been carrying a lot with that.
We can't control what our immune system is doing with the vaccine but we can control lots of other triggers that might help our bodies reduce these symptoms - it really helped me to realise we have a lot of autonomy still with this. My health profesionals are certain the vaccine is only part of the picture.
**Please do report any symptoms of dizziness or vertigo to your doctor straight away though so they can rule out other things and run appropriate tests. There may also be physical manouveres they can do that can sort some episodes of vertigo. My blood pressure was also found to be on the low side so many things can feed in - please do get checked out as a priority**
I'll post some links that helped me below, and everyone here has to be their own detective but from my research and advice from health professionals some simple things that have been known to help people are:
- Cutting out caffeine / chocolate
- Keeping hydrated, especially in hot weather
- Avoiding salty food (I'd forgotten how salry restaurant food is!)
- Getting as much sleep as possible. My Audiologist says when we are tired we may feel more off balance as the brain hasn't got as much capacity to keep us balanced, and I certainly notice that in myself.
- Stress relief - yoga / meditation / alternative therapies / whatever works for you. Stress may be playing a bigger part than we think in all of this, since I'm sure we're all affected to some degree by these uncertain times, some severely so.
- Being aware of weather systems / air pressure and humidity - is there an increase of your symptoms on these days? I had my worst vertigo spell the day before a storm.
- Being mindful that triggers like phone / internet scrolling, looking at a mobile whilst walking and busy restuarants / crowds may all be bigger triggers than before for us at the moment (these activities have also preceded my vertigo spells). However my Audiologist says it's vital we still do these things for the brain to learn again how to deal with the input, it's just about moderation.
Also - **please do get medical advice for each of the following and work with your Doctor** - but both I believe have helped me:
- Diet - I have been incorporating an anti-inflammatory and low histamine diet with the anti-migraine diet (lots of vertigo issues are actually linked to migraines that don't produce a headache) I have had no vertigo spells at all since avoiding the migraine food triggers such as salt. I have also been eating anti-histamine foods daily such as turmeric, blueberries and drinking nettle tea
- Supplements - definitely worth working with your doctor to check you are not low in anything vital, as things like vitamin D deficiency can be linked. I have been taking vitamin C, D, Floradix liquid which has B6, B12 and Iron, Evening Primrose Oil and Cod Liver Oil. Others on here have talked about Zinc and Magnesium being helpful too, so hopefully with a doctor or function medicine practitioner you can find out what works for you.
I've found this website a great resource for diets for vertigo and vestibular issues:
https://thedizzycook.com/vestibular-migraine-treatment-plan/
And this for low histamine diets - which apparently are helping many people with Long Covid:
https://www.healthline.com/health/low-histamine-diet
Finally, I believe I had Covid last year and my GP thinks the same. A few months later I had severe mouth ulcers and dizzy spells, which are exactly the symptoms I have had post-vaccine. My GP thinks this may well be my immune response mimicking what happened the first time around, which is also pretty common apparently.
I think many people are seeing flare-ups of old conditions following the vaccine or having Covid - lots of people I know of and my GP has seen are having more severe asthma, joint pain, angina, migraines etc temporarily.
Also - I found it a proactive thing to report my side effects via the Yellow Card system here in the UK (there will be an equivalent in the US). It was quick and simple to do and it's good to feel you are helping with medical data collecting. https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcards/reportmediator/ My GP urged me to do this and said it's likely vertigo will just be listed as a side effect in future, but there is nothing to suggest these effects are anything serious or will persist longer than the immune response.
We are building immunity for up to 12 weeks after the first jab and 2 weeks after the second, but following that we're likely to have a heightened immune response for a while as it may take the body a bit of time to come down. I think this could be why people are having symptoms for a while. I think this is where holistic diet and lifestyle choices can really help our bodies recalibrate and settle down again.
I am not a medical professional however but work in the health sector so want to reiterate seeing your doctor as a first port of call about these symptoms, and about dietary changes and taking it from there.
I believe we are definitely far better off receiving these vaccines and not getting Covid or Long Covid, which can cause devastating effects.
Working as an Outreach worker with people with all sorts of health conditions, I believe a holistic functional medicine approach, when used alongside standard medical advice, often helps many people find relief from their symptoms. Hoping some of what I've posted here might help others. Wishing everybody the best of luck in finding what works for them.
Sending compassion to everyone here and wishing everybody well xxx
Hi everyone,
I received the first pfizer shot on May 4 with no problems at all for 17 days. Then on May 20 I start hearing a wooshing sound in my ear like my blood pulsing or smth but I ignored it. Woke up the next day with mild vertigo that got so severe in the afternoon that I had to go to the emergency room. I continued to have the severe vertigo for 3 or 4 days with tinnitus in my left ear. (Vertigo would only be okay if i laid on my right side). The ENT at the beginning of the attack gave me betahistine and a cortisone shot. I continued Betahistine for 10 days maybe and had repositioning manuevers as well after the initial severe vertigo got better. He said my diagnosis was viral labyrinthitis with BPPV. The maneuvers seemed to work and I was finally getting rid of the vertigo. Then it was the annoying gaze instability that improved with time and the dizziness/ heavy head that persists until this very moment. A week ago I started to get vertigo with certain head movements and a different ENt confiremed labyrinthitis with BppV of horizontal canals. I gotta mention that I received my second pfizer shot last Sunday without side effects, but the positional vertigo/ dizziness/ anxiety/ and recently for a week and even before pfizer second shot im feeling mildly moving or swaying when Im standing or sitting and it’s driving me crazy!! Called another doctor and he said to increase betahistine dose because it accelerates natural compensation by the brain, he says it will all go away but experiencing this everyday is just hard!!😞 sometimes when im out i feel better since i focus less on it but my time at home is just hard! Sleeping is not as easy as it was! I don’t know if it’s related to the vaccine and honestly I dont care, I just pray that it will all resolve and I will be my normal self again. i have kids and I need to get better for them. Can anyone provide hope or encouragement? Will this go away?? Currently on vitamin D/ vitamin b12/ betahistine and Vitamin C and trying to calm down as much as I can. Prayers to everyone going through the same.
Hey! Thank you really much for your answer. I'm so worried, that this will stay, because this ringing in the ears is making me crazy. 🙁 I'm happy for you, that it's already a little bit better. I take supplements too but until now, I didn't feel, that it would help me.
Get well soon!
Hi everyone! I've been following this thread for a while and it's been really helpful and comforting to read other's stories (especially those now coming out the other end) so thought I'd share mine in case it helps anyone.
I am from the UK and received my second dose of AZ vaccine on 23rd May. I was fine for the first 2 days but then came down with extreme dizziness very suddenly. I have never suffered from dizziness before so this was a really new feeling for me. After a few days of symptoms not improving i saw my GP. She advised I had the BPPV vertigo and prescribed me with anti-dizziness medication (called Stemitil?) and said it should settle in a few days (she was also reluctant to make any link to vaccine.) The worst of the dizziness lasted around 1 week and then I started to feel some improvement (although this was very very gradual.)
When the dizziness had not gone away after 3 weeks post-vaccine, I saw an ENT specialist who confirmed I did not have the BPPV vertigo but diagnosed me with Vestibular Neuritis. He told me to stop taking the Stemitil immediately (apparently this can prevent recovery) and to just take it easy / go on walks etc. He also said it can take weeks to recover from but that I should make a full recovery. He was also reluctant to make the vaccine link, but having done research into Vestibular Neuritis and learning it can come on after a virus I think it's too much of a coincidence..
I am now almost 5-weeks post-vaccine and whilst the dizziness is mostly gone (thankfully!) with only some moments of inbalance (rocking on a boat feeling) I am still suffering from fatigue/ exhaustion / general unwell feeling when I try to do anything active or do too much. It's frustrating to not be able to make plans or go about my day normally as I just don't know how I'm going to feel each day, but I'm just grateful to no longer be as dizzy and seem to be heading in the right direction.
Very interested to hear more about those taking vitamins / supplements / anti-inflammatory diet to help with symptoms and help heal the inner ear inflammation sooner.
Wishing everyone a speedy recovery!
@aliw Thank you so much, I think your post can give us a lot of hope! And finally a doctor listening and giving advices. I think I’m definitely going to follow an anti inflammatory diet and going to ask my doctor for some vitamins.
Thank you so much, hope you’re improving 💪🏼
I am so happy that I found this forum! I thought I am getting crazy! 2 weeks after covid vaccine astra zeneca I started experiencing severe vertigo. I went to check my blood, there is lymphocytosis plus I feel extremely dizzy, some days I can’t even function. I am awaiting for test results for another blood test, but I am so sure now it is from tue vaccine. If we need boosters in Autumn, I will not going to have it for sure, I feel so bad already, I don’t want to go through this again.
@thenystagmus. Ha well pony express delivered the vitamin D + vitamin K yesterday.
The ivermectin is arriving today as needs to be signed for. I'm kinda hoping it gets delivered by a magical, sparkling unicorn who has healing powers!
Hi Rachie, I'm waking this morning, with sobering thoughts ...thinking it sad that your Ivermectin scouting is all taking place outside the wagon circling of your free UK medical system. As I understand it's been branded as controversial, there and here in the US also, I doubt I'd find doctor support for it or prescription of it within the confines of my HMO insurance benefit. I would imagine private pay for Zoom doctor visit and medication cost to be anything close to inexpensive.
Humour can aid healing and your unicorn comment is fun, stemming from the saying I quoted, "If wishes were horses, we all would ride!"
The sad thing is, you and me and a number of others of us aren't currently riding, a subset of us not for quite a while. And we have accounts here of people experiencing such severe vertigo that they're crawling to the commode to empty their stomachs from the resultant nausea, or at least needing some sort of assistance getting there, or not. 🤢
That's not to say that we should stop wishing for or stop seeking the regaining of our health, using remedial measures for our predicament.
Although I suspect giving our bodies the respective time they require for healing will ultimately prove to be the determining factor for whatever recovery we can realize from this beastie, doing common sense things we all know are healthy choices is a given.
And I, along with a number of others here, continue to feel it important to seek professional medical advice to rule out conditions that may be pre-existent, but previously undiagnosed, that may be begging for attention, and that possibly may not be related to our vaccination at all. And then also, the importance of working with our doctors for our use of any medications, both prescription and the use of any over the counter vitamins, supplements, etc....
That all said, I do hope for scientific basis to be behind the prescription of your Ivermectin and I hope it will help your body break out of this horrific set of symptoms that have been cycling for you from better to worse and over again, ad nauseam, oh so literally!
I know you'll keep us posted on your course, my friend, for you know this wagon train camp is eagerly awaiting word from your scouting expedition.
Well wishes and prayers! 😏 😔
Hi Deborah
Oh best of luck with all of it, I'm positive there are all sorts of factors we can explore and take charge of by ourselves, I'm already seeing the results of that. It's like we just have to consider ourselves more sensitive right now I guess, and that certain things may be making us reach our thresholds that didn't before. My Audiologist seems to think this should be faily temporary while systems settle down again
I guess it's just taking extra care of those other factors such as diet, sleep, hydration, stress etc. as best we can (and of course getting the appropriate care and diagnosis from a doctor, who may want to refer or run tests to ensure everything is looked into). The law of averages means some people on here may have had no impact on their symptoms from the vaccine at all, and there may well be something else happening, so it's good to have all avenues looked into. And probably for most others, the vaccine is part of a wider picture - some of that we have control over and can do a lot to manage.
My health professionals were very reassuring about this sensitivity being very likely to be short lived. Deborah best of luck with the diet changes - if you're trying anti-inflammatory, I really recommend looking into (with your Doctor's advice) reducing foods with histamine too, since this is released with the immune response and an excess can often be behind vertigo. I had hives when I had supsected Covid last year, and once I switched to the low histamine diet they went away.
Also really worth looking at foods that trigger migraines, such as caffeine, aged cheeses, salty foods, chocolate. Once I added this angle to my diet and cut out salty foods, I haven't had any further full blow vertigo spells: https://www.withcove.com/learn/migraine-trigger-foods Lots of migraines just have vertigo and no headache, so it's maybe worth experimenting with this to see if removing these triggers can help.
I don't think these dietary changes will be forever hopefully! But in my view they are just taking the pressure off my body at a sensitive time. Of course do get guidance from your doctor about changing anything with your diet though as I'm not a medical professional, just sharing what's worked for me!
Wishing you all the best and sending lots of compassion your way!
@rc22 Hi Rosie, I'm in the UK too. Just did a post about hat has been working for me if useful in any way. Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery!
We are all going to be ok! I found this video this morning. Will be contacting my doctor to start treatment asap!
Watch "Spike Proteins In Immune Cells - Dr. Bruce Patterson Discusses COVID Long Haul" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/JwjJs5ZHKJI
Thanks for this, it's fascinating. So covid is an immune disease we are apparently dealing with and should be treated as such. It seems there is a connection with covid long haulers and vaccination long haulers. Dr Bruce Patterson explains the reason long haulers have flare ups is because it is caused by vascular inflammation which happens all over the body causing many symptoms. The S1 protein that is carried in the non classical monocytes is mobilised by exercise and activity, so the more people with long covid exercise, the worse they become. Dilation of the blood vessels (vasodilation) is causing people all sorts of problems, headaches, migraines, tinnitus, brain fog, head fullness, weird eye sensations and sensitivities. Well, I can identify with all of the above. The treatments for covid long haulers he recommends is, CCR5 antagonists (clears the tinnitus), statins, ivermectin, steroids, (ivermerctin and steroids with careful monitoring as ivermectin wasn't studied 're long haul although doctors are using this with success) and he even aspirin is mentioned. He believes these treatments with further research could also treat other autoimmune diseases such as fibromyalgia, lymes, chronic fatigue. People who had side effects from the vaccines but had never had covid, some had inflammatory profiles that looked like covid but wasn't covid. They resembled covid long haulers side effects. He seemed to suggests that these side effects will disappear over time. The treatment, from what I understood, is what I have mentioned. It was mentioned that following vaccination, we could be harbouring fragments of covid protein 3-4 months after vaccination. Will listen to this again later.
Hi all, after a couple of days when I thought I was improving, today I am dizzy and my anxiety has been notched up a few paces because of it. I've read a couple of posts where people have mentioned anxiety and I totally empathise with you, this is no joke. I've also read posts where it seems that family members do not understand your issues, I too can identify with that. This 'thing' that we are experiencing can make you feel totally isolated but this forum is helping us get through it. I wish just one member of my family understood just as everyone here does. Sorry for the vent, just having a low moment. When I see others around me enjoying their life it makes me feel so useless and makes me wonder why. Hope you all have a better day today. Best wishes.🙏😊
People who have never experienced the symptoms people are reporting here simply cannot comprehend how anxiety-provoking they are. They are clueless as to what it's really like.
@lesc I have same symptoms but without tinnitus. I too had the Astra Zeneca vaccine and symptoms developed 4 days after my second dose and got progressively worse 3 weeks later. I’ve been housebound since 10th June and only just started to feel about 80% better yesterday, yet today had a relapse again but that could be anxiety because I’m expecting it to come back in cycles. Doesn’t help that doctors can’t diagnose it! They gave me anti sickness which did nothing then Betahistine Dihydrochloride which I’ve been on for nearly 2 weeks but not really seeing a difference from those. Doctors think it’s a vestibular migraine caused by immune response to the vaccine but I think it’s just some inflammatory immune response yet my bloods are all normal.
After reading others experiences on here with the supplements, I started taking Liposomal Glutathione, Quercetin and Zinc, along with ibuprofen as needed and beta blockers for anxiety as needed. I’m also following an anti inflammatory diet and I do feel that it’s helped the dizziness considerably. Maybe try the same and see how you get on?
The rest is going to be down to us all learning to control the associated anxiety and waiting for our bodies to heal I think.
Wish you well soon xx
