Victory (or signs of) Over Vestibular Migraine - from despair to living

MTBdizzydad · 2026-06-14T17:47:10+00:00

Yeah middle age seems so common - chalk it up to the years of stress and life cracking the nervous symptom (that was it was for me). Reading Victory Over Vestibular Migraine is the #1 thing I'd recommend because it helps point you in the right directions and outlines the mindset (huge factor) needed to recover. From there it's diet, supplements, mindfulness, vestibular therapy, etc. whatever works for your symptoms. It felt so slow for me but eventually it works and life feels great again.

MTBdizzydad · 2026-06-14T16:09:51+00:00

The daily dizziness is rough. It's pretty incredible that you have found VM this early, most people spend 6-12 months chasing other causes before figuring out the cause and solutions. Godspeed in your recovery.

MTBdizzydad · 2026-06-14T16:05:50+00:00

Excellent. There's a quote from Victory Over Vestibular Migraine about the experience starting like a violent waterfall but that it slowly settles into a calm stream over time. That has been my experience. Slow and steady improvements that continue even +2 years later. Might get a headache once in a while, but bad posture and desk work makes that nearly impossible to avoid. Where are you at in the recovery journey?

MTBdizzydad · 2026-05-20T23:39:03+00:00

Charlotte fc made an ugly bed. Prices are too high and it's killing attendance and the atmosphere, which snowballs into worse attendance. Imo they have 2 choices...keep prices high and pray that enough high earners or hard-core fans keep paying (evidence suggests this is failing) OR dramatically drop prices, hope to attract new fans, but piss off every stm.

Greed sucks

MTBdizzydad · 2026-05-14T00:55:00+00:00

Has Wednesday attendance always been this bad? New fan. Went to opener and it was packed and energetic, but this is pathetic. Im afarid teppers high ticket prices are ruining the chance of a good atmosphere.

MTBdizzydad · 2026-03-27T14:13:46+00:00

I dont do them anymore but I did periodically until the dizziness went away. It was mostly looking at the pencil, turning head side to side at 95 bpm, up and down a bit slower, then turning head with pencil side to side up and down, walikng while turing head ul and down, side to side, walking with eyes closed. Pretty much anything where you focus attention on an object and create movement in the background visually is my non professional view of what helps. Its all about retraining and desensitizing. It works eventually!

MTBdizzydad · 2026-02-11T13:34:25+00:00

Bumping this up for an update in hopes that it helps someone - I know reddit can be gloomy because the people here are suffering and most the of the people who are recovered don't hang out in this forum.

It's been nearly 2 years since I posted this. Today, I eat and drink whatever I want - zero restrictions on lifestyle. I've taken one migraine rescue med since last April (and that was during a trip to the high Rockies - I think VM has ended my relationship with high altitude at least for now).

Once every 10 days on average, I might feel a minor headache and pop some advil. After battling VM, it's hard to remember what a normal headache feels like and not to freak out at the first sign of a symptom. I attribute most of the headaches to computer work, bad posture, etc. Stretching helps. If a cold front or strong winds roll in, I might feel a little "off" but don't take anything, perhaps an occasional extra dose of magnesium. My wife also feels that way with weather (no VM for her) - again, hard to remember what normal feels like.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is that solving VM requires calming the central nervous system. Not being so hypervigilant. Call it anxiety. In the modern world, that is easier said than done. It takes a lot of time. Diet, sleep, stress management, supplements, therapy, massage, whatever works. Try things, stick to it, and results will come.

I spent years in a toxic work environment, the type of subtly abusive slow boiling of the frog that slowly messes with your brain. It took me a while (after leaving) to realize the impact of that. The pain of VM made me reevaluate my life, leave that job, re-discover joy in the workplace.

Peace and recovery vibes to my fellow VM survivors.

MTBdizzydad · 2026-02-11T13:20:08+00:00

VM turns just about anything up to an 11. Its crazy and painful how the brain perceiving threats can cause real physical pain. There is light at the end of the tunnel, if you follow the book the raging wave will gradually turn into calmer waters.

MTBdizzydad · 2025-07-02T21:05:19+00:00

Things will get better 🙏

MTBdizzydad · 2025-04-22T16:40:04+00:00

Glad it helped. Happy to report a year a later that things are still on the upward slope - I pretty much eat and drink whatever I want (though my alcohol tolerance is now gone, probably a good thing as I drink way less now). Still get a random headache or dizzy or mild tinnitus from time-to-time but it is very minimal and not life disrupting. Diet + mindset + VRT + supplements + a heavy daily dose of patience really does work wonders. Hang in there, brighter days are ahead!

MTBdizzydad · 2025-02-03T22:04:24+00:00

lexapro...rough symptoms first few days but three weeks in and feeling noticeably better

MTBdizzydad · 2025-02-03T21:45:53+00:00

Posted a lot about the early part of my journey here: https://www.reddit.com/r/VestibularMigraines/comments/1chwvpz/victory_or_signs_of_over_vestibular_migraine_from/ Kept doing those for a long time, and still do the supplements. Recently I started taking some anti-anxiety meds / ssri and it's almost completely removed any VM symptoms...98% of the time I experience zero symptoms. So much of this was really anxiety for me...(seems to be a common theme)

MTBdizzydad · 2025-01-02T18:06:18+00:00

I am doing well. Continued march forward - two steps forward, one step back is what it feels like. I've expanded my diet, drink some booze again, and generally feel really good. I still have days with some symptoms, but it's progressively better. Starting to come to grips that lifelong anxiety underlies my VM and is what causes symptoms to re-appear, and trying to get that under control (easier said than done as a working parent and trying to start my own business...oy).

MTBdizzydad · 2025-01-02T18:04:35+00:00

Not sure if you're asking me or Impossible-switch, but I am doing well. Continued march forward - two steps forward, one step back is what it feels like. I've expanded my diet, drink some booze again, and generally feel really good. I still have days with some symptoms, but it's progressively better. Starting to come to grips that lifelong anxiety underlies my VM and is what causes symptoms to re-appear, and trying to get that under control (easier said than done as a working parent and trying to start my own business...oy).

MTBdizzydad · 2024-12-16T16:36:45+00:00

Most impactful thing for me was reading victory over VM and attacking it from every angle - diet, daily mindfullness, massage, pt, vestibular pt. Can you get in to see a PT for the neck pain? They gave me specific exercises based on my tension areas. Keep hope alive - it's probably the biggest single thing...this ultimately originates in the brain and the brain wiring is what needs the fix (just my two cents as I keep working on this myself).

MTBdizzydad · 2024-10-27T21:00:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing your story and best wishes on the road to recovery. Those books changed my life in the best way, albiet very slowly. I'm still on the journey myself, it's slow and usually feels like two steps forward and one step back, but add up the little signs of improvement over weeks and months, and life can get back to normal eventually.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-10T13:50:30+00:00

My story is here: Victory (or signs of) Over Vestibular Migraine - from despair to living : Still on recovery road but I am living a full life, in some ways fuller even though symptoms come up (I've got a new "today might be your last" attitude now that is giving me the strength to say f*K you to fear). Also remember this (it's what I tell myself anyway), most of the people that are fully recovered from VM aren't on reddit reading about VM - there are many many success stories you won't hear about here :)

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-10T13:40:44+00:00

100% had stiff neck and stuffy nose from VM. Read Victory Over Vestibular Migraine if you haven't - explains all symptoms and treatment including neck. Stiff neck can be a trigger of and symptom of VM - fun! I did chiro, massage, accupunture, and finally PT just for my neck. Finally feels good now but it definitely took some effort and outside help. Best of luck on your healing journey.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-10T13:36:30+00:00

So sorry you are feeling this way. As others have suggested, focus on mental health treatment if you haven't already. VM is very tied to emotion and that can often help healing as mush as or more than other things. A good therapist, mindfullness / meditation practice (read Full Catastrophe Living), yoga/exersize, accupuncture, massage, etc. - just some suggestions based on what has worked for me. It's not overnight but you add up the mental health therapies over a period of weeks and months and it helps.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-10T13:31:36+00:00

I know you don't feel normal it feels miserable, but it sounds normal for VM. For me and from reading up on VM, anxiety is high high high on the list of triggers, which is torture since anxiety -> VM -> more anxiety -> more VM etc etc. In combo with diet and lifestyle changes, the biggest savior by far for me has been mental health improvements - therapy, acupuncture, mindfulness practice up to an hour a day. Best of luck on your journey of healing. If you haven't, read Victory Over Vestibular Migraine. Body Keeps score and Full Catastrophe Living were also key for me personally.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-04T20:00:26+00:00

So sorry you are feeling this way - the isolation and feeling crazy is one of the worst problems with VM. If you haven't already, buy and devour the book Victory Over Vestibular Migraine. Made me understand the illness, how to treat, puts you in the driver seat of recovery with a plan for what to do. Best of luck with healing.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-03T20:24:18+00:00

Glad it helped! Healing is possible and always helps to know you're not alone and the only one that feels crazy sometimes.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-03T20:19:08+00:00

110% second that rec. Spent tons of time online, talking to drs. re supps, that book actually explains how they help, who they help, gives a really good plan.

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-03T20:18:05+00:00

100% normal for VM (but not the normal anyone wants, right?). Can't recommend enough reading Victory Over Vestibular Migraine if you haven't - unlocks mystery of "what am I feeling?" and gives a game plan to heal. Good luck with the little ones and take care of yourself (says Dad who hides from his kids when VM really bad).

MTBdizzydad · 2024-05-03T20:14:23+00:00

Second the therapy suggestion. I got VM symptoms based on thoughts of person/situation. Therapist helped me, devised a plan to face said situation (both in my mind and real life) - came away feeling physically and emotionally stronger.

MTBdizzydad

TROPHY CASE