ICU - "I See You" - Vestibular Conversations

As you know, dealing with vestibular disorders can take a toll on a person’s mental well-being. Feelings of stress, sadness, and uncertainty about the future are common, and these emotional responses can manifest as anxiety. Anxiety and vestibular symptoms can create a vicious cycle where one exacerbates the other, and it’s ever so hard to break that cycle. Addressing anxiety in people with vestib...

Caring for oneself with a vestibular disorder is not easy—add infants, children and teens into the mix and the spectrum of experience can span from feeling downright impossible to uniquely rewarding.  In honor of Mother’s Day this month and our community of mothers with vestibular disorders, this episode of the ICU - "I See You" podcast dives into the multi-layered experiences of motheri...

You never thought it would happen. You thought you would work until retirement or beyond, but then along came your vestibular disorder. Now, focusing on a computer screen is a challenge, you can’t drive, walking is a safety hazard, and your concentration is not what it used to be. Getting through a workday is exhausting and frustrating as you struggle to complete tasks that used to be easy for you...

Each person’s experience of the menopause transition is unique. Changes affect sleep, mood, mental acuity, and subsequently, you guessed it, our vestibular system. Reports of the effect women’s hormones play on their vestibular systems are common, but symptoms vary. During different hormonal periods, some women report a new onset of symptoms, while others report a worsening of existing symptoms, a...

Primary care practitioners are often the first healthcare professionals we seek when we feel dizzy, disoriented, or not quite right. Their role is to take a medical history and assess whether the person can be treated immediately with medication or therapy, or whether they need to be referred to a specialist for further testing. One challenge, however, is that by definition, primary care practitio...

We’ve all messed around with art at some point in our lives and with perfectionists at bay, it can be playful, relaxing and revitalizing. But how often do we pick up a paintbrush because it can also be medicine? Personally, when I was in the deepest terrors of MdDS, needle sculpting with wool became a lifeline, and I know I’m not alone when I say that art can soothe frayed nerves, give us a sense...

For many people with vestibular disorders, what they eat and drink can trigger dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and other symptoms. The good news is that certain dietary modifications can help you manage your symptoms. Figuring out what to eliminate from your diet can be tricky, though. Not only are triggers different for each person, but you also have to be aware of maintaining a balanced diet, and yo...

In the newest episode of the ICU - "I See You" podcast, guests Jen Warner and Joy Mohr join the hosts to discuss how having a vestibular disorder affects personal relationships. It can be hard to relate to another person’s experience. This is especially true for people struggling with vestibular impairment because the symptoms are invisible and unpredictable. But, these disorders affect...

In the newest episode of the ICU - "I See You" podcast, guests Dr. Yonit Arthur and Melinda Reed join the hosts to dive into the unnerving vestibular symptom often referred to as Dissociation, Depersonalization and Derealization. These experiences are characterized by a sense of unreality and detachment from one’s surroundings, body, emotions, and self. These experiences are characterize...

In this episode of the ICU - "I See You" podcast, hosts and guests discuss complementary and alternative approaches to supporting your wellness as a person with vestibular dysfunction. If you’re like most people, when you aren’t feeling well you go to see your medical doctor, and hopefully they, in conjunction with other members of your healthcare team, create a treatment plan based on c...

Vestibular disorders come with horrible symptoms, including vertigo, dizziness, nausea, and brain fog, to mention a few. It’s no wonder we all want a “miracle pill." Unfortunately, no one treatment works for every person. In this episode of the ICU Podcast, the hosts talk to vestibular patient Lily Carillo who has been on that road, as well as Dr. Nicholas Hac, MD who explains how he determin...

A support group provides a unique and critical service: acceptance. This forum allows individuals to ask questions and to learn in a non-judgmental and safe environment. Participants know that everyone attending the meeting understands and has compassion for the functional difficulties of getting through each day. As a result, less frustration and energy are spent on proving or defining limitation...

Most people have probably heard a high-pitched whining noise in their ears at least once. It comes and then it goes, but it’s temporary. However, for some people, that ringing, hissing, whistling, buzzing, or clicking sound is constant. That noise that isn’t a noise is called tinnitus, and it’s generally caused by damage to the auditory system. In this episode of the ICU ("I See You") po...

Movement and exercise are two words that can be really triggering for people with chronic illnesses. You may have heard someone say to you “just exercise, you’ll feel better,” but when we take that advice from our doctors the opposite effect might happen. More often than not, picking up a new exercise routine can actually make you feel worse if your symptoms and current state of chronic illness is...

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy, or VRT, is a specialized form of exercise-based therapy designed to alleviate both primary and secondary symptoms of vestibular disorders. VRT uses specific head, body, and eye exercises designed to retrain the brain to recognize and process signals from the inner ear and coordinate them with information from our eyes and muscles. Physical therapists are challeng...

For many people with vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance it can take months or years to get an accurate diagnosis. Emergency room physicians rule out life-threatening conditions and refer patients to their primary care providers, who may be ill-equipped to diagnose vestibular problems or provide an appropriate specialist referral. As a result, people are often tossed back and forth between healthcar...

Audiological testing can be an important step in helping doctors determine whether the inner ear is the source of a patient’s dizziness. However, if you’ve ever talked with someone who has been through the gamut of tests - it’s not exactly a picnic in the park. Many patients - already ill from symptoms and fearful of tests that can exacerbate them -  are anxious about their first audiologist appoi...

Anyone who has ever experienced vestibular dysfunction will tell you, vestibular symptoms are hard to describe. It can be difficult to explain the difference between symptoms like vertigo, dizziness, imbalance, spinning, disequilibrium, and more. Factors like acute symptoms and anxiety can make it even harder to paint a clear picture for your healthcare provider.  In this episode, vestibular patie...