Hi: I'm Lesly and I have a husband and 3 kids.

I have been dizzy for 8 years. Our children were ages 4, 6, and 8 when it all began.

My dizziness started one morning in June of 1997. It was a Sunday morning and we were going to go to church. I got up to use the bathroom and then came back to get a few more winks of sleep before we had to get up and get ready. Just as I was getting back into bed, the room began to whirl violently. I could not see straight and fell on to the bed. I was nauseous. I was screaming to my husband and crying out to God to help me.

I didn't have a clue as to what was wrong and I was really scared. My husband calmed me down long enough to call the Dr. who said, also very calmly, "You have labrynthitis. Have you been sick with a cold and do your ears feel plugged up?" I said that, no, I hadn't been sick and that my ears did not feel plugged up.

Needless to say, we did not make it to church that morning. I spent the day in bed, shaking, sick, and frightened and tried to convince myself that this was labrynthitis and that it would pass. I called my parents who lived 12 hours away and asked them to come and help us. I had a feeling that this would be a long haul. I had never experienced anything like this before. I could not get out of bed without help or get to the bathroom on my own. Around 4pm, I was able to get some Meclazine and that seemed to take the edge off.

A few days later, a friend of ours called to talk to my husband about dizziness and vertigo. Her daughter was sick and she knew that my husband had experienced vertigo after being hit on the head. She did not know that I was laying in bed unable to care for myself. Since we were friends, we figured that her daughter and I must have some wierd virus. Later, I found that another friend of mine also was experiencing dizziness and vertigo. I was much sicker than the other two, but, we all figured that we had the same weird virus.

Well, the first friend had heard of doing physical therapy for inner ear problems and so my husband made an appointment for me. The physical therapist worked with me to get the little "ear rocks" back into the right place. I was violently sick the first time she tried. I kept going to her for almost a year because I felt that her maneuvering helped me some. But, we could never figure out which ear was the affected ear. She was friendly and encouraging and she helped me laugh about the situation.

Throughout he summer, I was able to get out of bed, shower, and care for myself and our family. But, I had to stop and rest after each activity. I didn't leave the house alone and I drove very little. Friends brought meals, helped care for the kids, cleaned our house, and helped me get to Dr. appointments. When the weather cooled a bit, I remember that I couldn't let myself get cold. If I did, I would start to shake so hard that it hurt. I couldn't go to the mailbox in front of the house without putting a jacket on. I wore a fleece jacket in the house and wrapped up in a blanket when ever I felt the chill start to come on.

I had all the tests done. The ENT said that I had a neurological problem and the neurologist said that I had a inner ear problem. I never was able to describe plugged ears or ringing or pain. I really didn't feel much in my ears. I thought that maybe I was too sick with dizziness and nausea to notice my ears. The MRI showed that I didn't have MS. It didn't show my inner ear and I remember that I was really surprised at that. I was given the diagnoses of BPPV and began to believe it. I was extremely weak. I lost some weight. It was hard to eat. I would make chicken soup and run it through the blender and drink it hot like a protein drink. I found that sunlight and fluorescent lighting made my symptoms worse so I wore dark glasses whenever I could. I altered my life so that I could accommodate the dizziness. I saw a Naturopath who got me started on vitamin shots. It seemed to help enough to continue them.

The next summer, we took a family trip. I remember that I couldn't look out the side windows while we were traveling. I didn't feel too bad riding in the front seat and looking out straight ahead. When we stopped to eat at a restaurant, I would feel almost sick enough to throw up. I had to wait about half an hour; sitting still with my head against the wall, until I could eat something. I was still having the shakes that summer. I could feel them coming on and I tried not to get cold.

The next year, we moved. I did not do anything until at least noon each day. I decided that I would pack one room at a time and close it off. So, I started upstairs. I boxed up everything in my daughters room and closed the door. She slept in the boy's room. Then, I boxed up everything in the boy's room and we all slept downstairs. I did not have the energy to even think about doing it twice! I had some help packing the kitchen and downstairs. One friend came and cleaned the house after we left and another weeded the yard for us. I had a really good support group and I am so thankful for that.

When we got to our new house, I sat in a chair and watched everyone unload the truck and bring things in. That was about as much activity as I could stand and this was two years after dizziness hit. That year, I was also diagnosed with hyperthyroid.
I volunteered at our children's school for no more than two hours and only in the afternoons. It was hard to do something for two hours straight. If I had errands, I could only go to one store at a time. I would go in and make my purchases and then sit in the car and rest. Then, I would try another store.

After the third year, I could do a little more. I could last a little longer. I remember that I lost our daughter at the ball park that summer. I had driven the boy's to the game and then, I had to sit in the car a while and rest. My daughter was watching the boy's game and I told her that I would be there in a little while. When, I came back, she was gone. She was about 7. I could not run around and look for her. I walked as fast as I could and I had to ask people to go in different directions for me. We found her playing under some bleachers. I will never forget that feeling of not being able to find her and of being too sick too look.

Each year, I felt that some symptoms had left and that I was better than the last year. I used to have some sharp stabbing pains at the top of my head. Gradually, they went away. I still had hope.

About the 5th year, I felt that I wasn't getting any better and began to accept the condition. I told myself that things could be worse. I believed that God had a plan for my life and that he knew what he was doing. I knew that someday, I would live in heaven with a perfect body. I reminded myself that there were other's who had it a lot worse.

Now, it has been 8 years. I have a little job that I do in my home, when I want to. I take care of the kids and my husband. I can drive. I still have problems with my eyes. I can't read for long. I can't do close work for long. I am really sensitive to sunlight and fluorescent lights. I start the mornings out slow and seem to feel better later in the day. I am always tired and can sleep anywhere!

I take Meclazine every day at least once and sometimes twice. It is hard to keep up with all of the activities that my family is involved in but I try. If I have worked during the day at my job I can't go anywhere in the evening. I seem to have a certain amount of activity that I can do and no more.

I recently heard of the Meniett Device and went to see an ENT. I thought, if he could give me a diagnoses of Meniers, I could try the device. I paid attention to how my ears felt and wrote down every single thing. But, right away the Dr. told me that he didn't think that I had Meniers. He wanted me to go in for more testing since it had been 8 years. I have insurance and my mom offered to help pay my part so I decided to do the tests.

I had another MRI, bloodwork, hearing and balance testing, calorics, rotary chair, platform test, postureography, etc....I also had a wire put down my ear next to my ear drum. That is the one that showed that my ears were healthy and that I did not have Meniers. The hearing tests showed that I had good hearing. The MRI showed that I did not have MS. The bloodwork showed that I didn't have Rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease, and syphilis. They routinely check for syphilis even if you say that you can't possibly have it.

The rotary chair showed that my eyes did not track with the movement that I felt. It showed that my body still felt motion even after the chair was stopped. The platform test showed that I use my ankles for balance when standing. The Dr. concluded that I had not had labrynthitis and did not have positional vertigo. He thinks that I may have had a small stroke in the cerebellum that morning in '97. The cerebellum is the balance control center of the body.
So, now, I am supposed to do some eye exercises and balance exercises to retrain my brain. None of the diagnoses that I have been given have been proven.

I do remember the exact moment that this started which would sound like a stroke. I have never had the plugged ears or excessive ringing that would be typical of Meniers. I do not get spinning vertigo when I turn my head in certain directions. Every now and then, I will get sick, have the vertigo, and have to stay in bed and I will have trouble sleeping on the right side. Once in a while, I will feel some pain in my ears. I am dizzy and motion sick all of the time. But, throughout all the recent testing, I never once had spinning vertigo in any direction that my head was put in. It all felt like the same wooziness. If I have been moving around and then stop and sit still, I will hear a sound in my ears. The sound subsides as soon as my body stops the feeling of motion. I feel motion every minute of every day. Once in a while, I will feel my ears pop or a whooshing sound go through them. But, life goes on....... and I know that God is in control of it all. He knows all about it.
And that's my story.

Lesly