Hi Louise
It took me 4 years and lots of misery to finally find the right doctor and get the very helpful diagnosis of “Silent Migraine”, as my doctor refers to it. He is an oto-neurologist. The ENT’s I saw were not helpful at all and one, who wanted to perform shunt surgery, was potentially harmful. Generally, the neurologists are well informed on migraine issues and MAV is a form of migraine. I do not get the headaches of typical migraine but I get severe vertigo and the accompanying issues. I was put on Nortriptyline for 3 months and told to read “Healing Your Headache 1-2-3” by Buccholz. I began the diet immediately. You must do it strictly while on the medication and then you can return small amounts of some items that are not triggers for you. You must become aware of other triggers besides food. Also, the neurologists are more comfortable with the types of medication needed to stop the symptoms. They are better versed in what stimulates the nerves of the head/face. For me, it turned out not to be Menieres/inner ear issues but rather nerve excitation. I never have coffee or brewed decaf or alcohol or Asian food or items loaded with MSG (in all its forms). Large quantities of sugar are a stimulant for me as well as too much dairy. I am okay with small amounts of other triggers if I rotate them. I definitely recommend you see a neurologist and read that book, as a starting place to discover your own trigger list. Good luck. Spinninggirl. (Vertigotalesandtastes@blogspot.com