Ketosis isnāt easy to maintain, but for me itās worth it.
I can definitely imagine it not being easy! But if itās worth it then thatās awesome. You probably feel your best too.
Yes, I feel far better in ketosis than I do when Iām running on glucose. It turns out everybody else runs on gasoline but Iām still a diesel. 
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Those doctors have no idea!! But I bet we have all had similar experiences with doctors who donāt have a clue. See a MAV specialist.
Good luck!
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@AlexandraB I have anxiety now thanks to MAV, but never had an ounce of it before the dizziness started. But most of my anxiety is around trying medications, and obviously also if I get new symptoms or worse dizziness which I believe is normal for everyone.
No, I didnāt take it yet. 
Sigh. I wasnāt happy to delay yet again, but I had a headache where the pain was so bad I had to take Ibuprofen. Lately Ibuprofen or Aleve has made me dizzier, so awhile ago I told myself not to start a medication on a day where I needed one of them for pain relief. Lately Iāve only had to resort to those meds maybe once a month or even less, and it just happened to be when I was planning on trying the Amitriptyline. Also, my husband developed a cold, and he thought it was dust exposure from his job site at first so didnāt tell me until he had symptoms for 3 days. I had already shared olive oil dip with him before I knew he had symptoms, and didnāt do my normal sanitizing when heās sick and increased hand washing, so I kind of knew Iād most likely get it. My spidey senses were tingling, so to speak. Anyway, one of my Lexapro trials went horribly wrong as I developed a nasty flu like virus during the trial, couldnāt deal with both the flu and the Lexapro start up, and had to stop taking the Lexapro. So, I didnāt want that to happen with Amitriptyline too. Colds can be super minor for my husband but hit me HARD. The congestion goes right to my ears (never did before MAV) and I get so much dizzier than normal. Lo and behold I got the cold yesterday, so Iām not sure about trying Amitriptyline this weekend either. I really donāt want to hold off on it any longer but it will depend how congested I get.
I tried a supplement called Migravent that had: Magnesium, CoQ10, Vitamin B2, and butterbur. I got an itchy throat, like wanted to put my fingers down my throat to scratch it type itchy, and my doctor thought I had a reaction to the butterbur. Mild, but still she didnāt want me to risk taking another. I do have seasonal allergies and some people who have ragweed allergies can potentially be allergic to the butterbur. I took magnesium glycinate on its own, 100 mg one time, but got painful stomach cramps and had extra gas, bloating, and discomfort after eating 4 days after I took it. I could have powered through but it was going to take way longer than I thought to get to a therapeutic dose and mess my stomach up maybe just as much as a med so I decided a med would be better since my condition is so severe. Plus my neurologist said I was going to need more than magnesium to get better.
Diet wise, I never did the exact āby the bookā elimination diet as no doctor, especially in the beginning, ever told me to do that. However I have done some trials of things. I cut chocolate and cheese out for a month but actually felt worse (probably just unhappy lol!) so I added them back. I have found cutting out nitrates (like lunchmeats, bacon, ham, sausage, etc) has helped a lot. I tried to add them back in about 4 months later and got a lot dizzier after eating some bacon. I already donāt drink coffee or alcohol. I donāt think I get too much MSG anymore. Iām avoiding things like Chinese food or cooking with soy sauce. Iām not sure if they are triggers for me but I donāt like them enough anyway to find out.
How are you doing?
Do you use the Gabapentin as a preventative or an abortive?
Just wow, try wearing shades in Costco as it is likely the overhead lights. Several stores trigger me, as well as business offices. shades help. Valium steadiness the world and relaxes the body, stabilizing the eyes when the dizziness is rolling. I found 5 mg doses help pen. Zofran ODT settles the nausea. Go caffeine-free liquids and stay well-hydrated, mainly water. Monitor your blood sugar closely as this seems to be a silent trigger. I wish someone had given me this information many years ago. Stay strong.
Sorry for the late response! Ugh, I feel you on the cold. My son brings home everything from school. Heās in the middle of a nasty cold/cough at the moment and I woke up this morning with the first signs of it. No fun! Iām assuming that youāre over your cold by this point?
I have major medication anxiety as well. I was actually able to start my Lexapro a few days ago though. Iām doing alright with it so far. I started on a 1/4 tablet. Have you had any luck starting the Ami?
I havenāt been doing very well lately. I feel like Iām at a dead end. I really just want a proper diagnosis. My doctor has really been confusing me lately. Iām still testing positive for right sided horizontal BPPV, but I really donāt understand why the maneuvers arenāt working AT ALL. I thought it was so easy to treat? And can it really last 6 months?! I also asked him about having PPPD, at first he said thatās a bogus diagnosis, but now heās saying thatās what I have. Then he said you donāt have MAV because I donāt get headaches, nausea and my symptoms are 24/7. But now heās saying thatās a possibility. Who knows. I have an appointment with a different neurologist in a couple weeks, so Iām anxious to hear his opinions.
How have you been?
@AlexandraB No worries, I go through times where I am feeling too bad to type messages on this forum and go way too long not responding. Sorry to hear you are feeling a cold coming on. Colds wreak such havoc on MAV! It took 2 weeks for me to finally feel the congestion come out of my inner ear, but yes, I seem to be over it, thankfully! It made me dizzier, much dizzier, for over 1 week.
Great that you were able to start the Lexapro! Howās it going? I plan on starting the Ami tonight, Iām terrified. I just got to the point where Iāve been sleeping better overall, and one of the things Ami did to me before was made me dizzier while lying in bed which kept me up. I really donāt want to go back to lack of sleep. Being able to sleep better has felt amazing. Maybe it wonāt do that this timeā¦
Sorry youāre frustrated with the diagnosis. Iāve come to realize that it really doesnāt matter what the diagnosis actually is (despite how much friends and family may say otherwise) because these symptoms are all currently treated with the same preventative medications. I suppose if itās not migraine then you wouldnāt want to go the Botox route, something that strictly helps migraine, but I donāt really know if Botox even helps MAV anyway. But thatās an example, if you get what I mean? I had a neurologist that said I had PPPD and it offended me and I fought it, but I realized it doesnāt matter because itās still treated the same as vestibular migraine/MAV.
My understanding from all the people on here and my own research is that MAV can be 24/7 as a chronic condition with constant symptoms. I know doctors are on debate about that, however. Good luck with your new neurologist! I will be curious to see what they have to say.
You need a diagnosis that makes sense to you and that you can accept and believe in and youāll probably get that when you see yr next neurologist. Meantime try to relax. And remember to breathe.
BPPV; my MAV was originally misdiagnosed as BPPV, in fairness initially the symptoms were identical. Short bouts of rotational/spinning vertigo (the room appeared to be moving when I looked in a certain position, initially up.). These bouts would last a few seconds/couple of minutes and be gone. Mine quickly changed. They morphed. Thatās what MAV does. It morphs. As time goes on, it ticks more boxes.
You may have BPPV, itās quite common. Bad news. BPPV can last a lifetime, I know a person in her 70ās whose had it since she was 24. Good news is she only ever gets it for a few minutes after lying flat, i.e. without pillows. Rest of the time sheās fine.
You say the manoeuvres arenāt working at all. Sounds like you are performing them regularly. Do you think they might be making things worse. Have a think about it. Maybe speak to your GP or are you allowed to just stop them for a couple of days ā¦just to see if you are better ā¦ NOT DOING them. If they are designed for BPPV (Iām UK based and not familiar with bbq roll ā¦ we have Epley, B&D), they wouldnāt work for MAV. Unstable MAV is notorious for its ability to be easily wound up by exercises. I stopped Tai Chi which Iād been doing for more than 2 years because it made me so much worse.
Just a thought that might lead to something that will make your life more comfortable while you wait for that diagnosis.
Good luck.
Yep, totally agree with this
And this. I had to stop VRT. It just catalysed migraines.
Donāt start me off on VRT, just donāt. I was told it gets worse before it gets better, and BOY,with me, it certainly did. Six months of crueling an hour a day split into five sessions of VRT. THEN I COLLAPSED. My acute MAV attacks increased from averaging maybe 3 over 2 years for a decade plus to 5 in just over 2 weeks, all so prolonged and severe it was hard to see where one stopped and then next beganā¦ then, soon as I could, probably sooner, I searched the net, found the word āneuro-otologistā and went and got a proper diagnosis.
Iād like to say āand the rest is historyā but that wouldnāt be true cos IāM HERE on this forum. I cannot even truly say Iām on the road to recovery but 2 years six months later I think I I MIGHT just be on the sliproad to the road to recovery.
Physiotherapy works so VRT may well do too. I think it needs to be as an integral part of a structured management programme something I couldnāt find in UK and implemented at the correct time in the recovery programme. I think @jem discussed that in her fabulous post - āmy appt with DR Sā - as does Isla in her ālabsā success story much more eloquently than me.