Hi Ron! You sound like you're in a really good place regarding your diagnosis and adjusting to your new normal. As a clinician, that's amazing to hear! Especially since outlook can play a big part of recovery as you find your way back to balance. Just out of curiosity, have you been undergoing any vestibular rehabilitation therapy following the vestibular neuritis? I see a lot of fatigue with my patients who have uncompensated vestibular dysfunction. This tends to improve a bit when you get your vestibular system functioning a little better so that your brain doesn't have to do most of the heavy lifting throughout the day to keep you functional. The brain is absolutely amazing in the way it can pick up the slack left behind by a dysfunctional vestibular system. But this requires a lot of energy to do, which can lead to that brain fog and fatigue. Best of luck!

Hi Dr. Tate - Early on I did about 6 months of vestibular rehabilitation therapy. At the beginning sitting looking out the window at the passing cars was to much. I progressed slightly with the therapy and I feel my biggest take away was how to walk from point A to Point B and still be on my feet...But still a 30-40 minute ride as a passenger in a car and I'm in overload by the end of the return trip. I still do some of the exercises daily. My right ear is gone and my left just happens to be hyperactive. It doesn't seem that I can build up much stamina because I push myself pretty hard every day because the alternative of meclizine and the couch watching re-runs isn't going to be my new normal. Now after saying that I feel like I get a cup of stimulation daily be it visual, audio or just activities like going out to eat which taxes all of my senses. When the cup is full, I'm done. Most of the time for the day and just need to rest. So that has been my new normal. However recently it seems there is another level of fatigue and brain fog that I wasn't experiencing before. As I read thru the digest I did come up with a possibility. A side effect of the Covid vaccine? Have you seen any increase recently from your patients with those symptoms becoming worse?

Anyway, Thank you so much for responding to my post. 

God Bless,

Ron

My wife has very similar issues.  She was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis about 1-1/2 years ago with 70% permanent damage.  We believe it was a result of a flu shot she got just days before the illness hit her.  The hospital said it should go away in short time but it didn't so we went to an ENT who performed extensive testing and a more definitive diagnosis.  The doctor sent her to therapy for a brief time but it didn't really help, it was very expensive, and insurance didn't cover it so she said there wasn't enough benefit to continue.  She struggles every morning for the first few hours and some days it gets better and she can function, some days it doesn't and continues all day.  The nausea keeps her from eating on those bad days and she has lost a lot of weight.  She did get better with being able to walk (on the good days) but our new granddaughter lives about 4 hours away and when we make that trip, it usually takes her a day or two after each way to recover before she can function so those trips are limited.  Obviously she doesn't drive now and when she rarely goes with me to the grocery store, which is about the only place she does go, or an occasional dining out, it usually drains her completely.  I keep searching for a better solution, or someone that has been in a similar condition and discovered a solution, or something that helps.  She does use CBD in the morning and that seems to help calm her somewhat.  So far that is the best thing we've found to help at all.  I'm still searching and praying.  If anybody has tried anything different and it helped, please relay that info.  Thanks

@randyt

Hi Randy, I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's condition. Unfortunately I know to well how she is feeling. I also know how hard it is on the caregivers. Namely you and my wife. I tease my wife and tell her to switch brains with me for just 5 minutes and I promise that I'll take it back just so she can have an Idea of what it's like. I myself just got off the couch today after doing to much for a couple of days last week. For me, I have been experiencing a double dose of Fatigue and brain fog lately. I think the lord wants me to slow down a little more. I know that there is a reason for my new normal God just hasn't revealed it to me yet.

OK back to you and your wife's new normal. I found a link for some drawings that move as you stare at them. They weren't the magic pill we look for however they did help with going into stores and such. Early on I went into a CVS pharmacy and walked in about 20' and was just so overwhelmed I had to hold onto my wife's hand and look at the floor to get out of there. After doing some staring at these images I can say that my brain processes all the different colors and shapes in a store like CVS better. I still don't enjoy it however if I had to pick up a prescription I feel like I could do it. There's another message hidden in that last paragraph and that was "I had to hold onto my wife's hand"...It's so important to have someone that understands and is there for us. God bless you for being there for your wife!

Here is the link to the 3D images... https://www.boredpanda.com/i-drew-three-hundred-optical-illusions-and-find-how-to-practically-apply-it-in-graphic-design/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

If you ever need to talk you can count me in as a listener...

God Bless and I hope this helps some,

at peace,

Ron

@ronmerigoldgmail-com I think what you are describing is Binocular Vision Dysfunction. There are exercises that a vison therapist can help you with as well as ways to manage symptoms. I also used syntonic light therapy which heals the brain. I still have vestibular issues, but they have gotten better.

helpful items: Cocoon brand glasses with boysenberry or amber shades, MQ patches for motion sickness, peppermint oil roll on for above eyebrow pain, and wearing a hat or visor in large light areas. Over time the exercises and light therapy made significant difference. Hope you are feeling better!

Hi Ron

I found and read your post from July 8, 2021. And immediately wanted to respond. I wished that I had some answers for you, but all I have are questions myself; along with my own experience.

You spoke of having been diagnosed with Meniere’s and later with Vestibular Neuritis caused by the Varicella Zoster Virus “Shingles” settling in the Vestibular section of your Brain. You asked if anyone experienced the same things. Then you spoke of the fatigue, brain fog and the effects of stimulations.

Well, I can say! (Yes, yes, yes). In that I do have much similarities. First, I should mention that I have not been diagnosed with Meniere’s or Neuritis. I have not found the right Doctor as you say you have.

However, I do have many of the same symptoms. I have had the mainstay symptoms of meniere’s for 39 years (44 now) {bilateral aura fullness, tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss, periodic bouts of dizziness with occasional light vertigo}. I need to highlight that the aura fullness has been the worst part for these past forty years. It never goes away, just intensifies here and there.

Then 5 years ago (Aug 2016) I got hit with the Shingles extremely hard. This is when I found I could no longer suppress the condition of my ears. I have had other underlying symptoms all along but I never tied them together until now. Following my recovery from the shingles (aside from the postherpetic neuralgia) I started having multiple complications. I would get “near syncope” spells that come out of nowhere (felt like near death experience). The other problem was this strange and awful brain fog that I couldn’t remove or get rid of. I started thinking I had encephalitis but the doctors told me no. they gave me EEG’s and found that I’m having deep “brainwave activity” that “indicates” Seizures.

During this time of near syncope and brain fog I started having much more balance and dizziness problems. (This is a good time to note *). The one commonality is always the “aural fullness” in my ears that intensifies along with an awful zinging sensation (in harmony with my tinnitus) in my head from the brain fatigue.

So yes, I believe I have (at least many of the symptoms of) Meniere’s disease. With one exception, I have not had the violent vertigo attacks of which I’ve read that some have. I do think I’ve had the late stage drop attacks (Tumarkins Crises). I have been light handedly told that I may have PPPD (Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness). But any of the Vestibular function test do not indicate abnormalities. And I’m told I do not have fluid in my ears based on the pressure test the audiologist performs, despite the fact that I know I do because I can feel it. Most notable in the mornings when I turn over or stand up, but many other times too. I’m always feeling like I need to unplug my ears. Yes! I do have extreme brain fog due to brain fatigue from even the simplest stimulations. It can wipe you out and has gotten so bad now that I do not fully recover.

39 years of constant aural fullness with tinnitus and hearing loss, then add another 5 and a half years being even more complicated on top of that, due to the Varicella Zoster Virus. Somehow the two are interlinked with some type of cause and effect. Every fiber in my bones tells me that. Oh! And now I have Hyperacusis really bad. Much more to say but not enough room here.

SjB