Balance & Dizziness Canada: Even though the author had a few possible diagnoses, this story highlights the importance and the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation in cases where dizziness symptoms persist long after the precipitating "vestibular" episode. Many people find our "Gaining Balance" exercise video helpful when doing vestibular rehabilitation at home.
It has taken me almost a year to recover from a loss of balance that impaired almost all aspects of my life, including having to resign from my job due to stress and being unable to commute.
It all started with an acute episode of vomiting and vertigo over 48 hours. I took an Uber to a medical center in the middle of the night after calling for an urgent appointment. They sent me home with a diagnosis of dehydration.
Appointments followed with multiple doctors and multiple diagnoses (vestibular migraines, disloged crystals) and recommendations for canalith repositioning procedure (Epley maneuver) and different medications. All to no avail. I was left with serious balance issues, chronic dizziness and a heavy feeling in my head.
Months passed with no major improvement. After much research, I found rebalancing training exercises online, not Brandt-Daroff, but different exercises based on nodding and shaking your head. Slowly but surely, I started to get my balance back.
Having seen another doctor recently, he diagnosed acute viral labyrinthitis that left me with chronic dizziness and has recommended further physiotherapy. I cannot recommend physiotherapy enough, and even though it takes time, you will see progress and get your life back to normal.
I hope this helps someone who, like I did, suffers from anxiety, fear of falling and isolation.
- Sara Torres, UK
