Hi, my name is Lisa but everyone calls me Leigh. I am married and have 2 girls, ages 16 and 8.

I had my first experience with dizziness and vertigo back in 1988, the day after my wedding. I thought it was stress and sinus, we left to go on our honeymoon and had to come back the same night because I felt so sick. I went to the doctors the following day and was told that my iron was low and it was from the stress of getting married, she said I should be fine in about a week. As the week went on I did start to feel better and within 2 weeks it was gone.

From 1988 until 1992 I was fine, healthy, starting my family, no problems at all. I was working for an insurance company doing customer service, wearing a headset and in front of a computer 8 hours a day. On this particular day I felt fine, I went to work and about 3 hours into the day I stood up to ask a question and the entire room spun. I had to get a ride home from work. I tried to wait it out a couple of days but it got worse. I went to my doctor she did a bunch of blood work and then sent me to an ENT. Where I live in NY is about an hour and half away from the city and we were a little behind in medical world. The ENT did run some tests and told me that I had VERTIGO, that's all, just VERTIGO and that it would go away but it takes time, sent me home with antivert, which did not work, and I was on my own. I would get up in the morning feeling ok and I knew I had about 2 hours to get things done before the unbalanced feeling would start. It lasted about 8 months with each month getting better but it was still there. One day, about 6 months into it, I called my mom crying I just could not take anymore, she made me go to the chiropractor with her and it did help, another 2 months and it was gone.

From then I went 12 years without much problems, I had 2 vertigo attacks in that time that lasted 1 day each. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and panic disorder in 2000 but otherwise was feeling fine and living life.

In 2005 I got another job doing customer service, my family and friends questioned if this was a good idea due to the fact that I had such a problem after my last customer service job, but I took it anyway. I was there 4 months and at the end of the 3 month would have brief moments of feeling funny but thought it was sinuses. On December 29, 2005 I had a car accident, I was not really hurt in the accident, had some soreness in my shoulder and neck for a week but otherwise was fine. My doctor took me out of work for 2 weeks. I went to the doctor on January 13, 2006 and got my ok to return to work, I was feeling great. The next day I said to my husband I wanted to go shopping to use some gift cards I had gotten for Christmas, so we went to eat and shop. While I was at the dinner, I started to feel really tired, it was odd since I had only woken up about 2 hours prior. We went to a couple of stores and I was ok until we hit the mall and then all hell broke loose. Spinning again like 12 years ago. We went home.

I took another week off of work, saw my doctor, she saw a lot of fluid in my ears. She gave me some medicine and sent me home, said if I was not better in a week I would have to see an ENT again. Well off to the ENT I go because a week later I was so sick, the spinning and off balance feeling were so bad, I never felt that bad before. The fatigue was killing me, I thought I would die. I was so scared that the accident caused something seriously wrong that the ER and doctors did not pick up. Finally I was diagnosed with Vestibular Neuritis or Neurontis. I have never heard of this ever and worked as a medical receptionist and assistant for years. They feel that the accident did not cause it but brought it on due to a weak nerve and that the customer service work did not help due to the fact I was starting to feel some symptoms prior to the accident.

I started Vestibular Rehab, which worked wonders and am now on the road to recovery. But only recovery from this attack. I have a weak nerve in my left ear and the doctors and myself feel that I will forever suffer from this off and on my whole life. Although it was Vestibular Neuritis, they say I now have an inner ear disorder due to the nerve now being weaken.

I have done a lot of research and I don't know really how this happened. Severe ear infections as a kid, a concussion that I had a month before my wedding, bad sinus infections as a adult,a couple of neck injuries I had. No one really knows, but I know that I will always fight this and try to keep a positive outlook on the good days. I also am doing some research to see if my anxiety and panic disorder is actually from the inner ear disorder.

I feel good now, I still have my bad days, but they are few and far between now. I hope they get fewer and further soon.

Leigh

lac68@aol.com