Hi Daniel,
I had this condition happen to me at a top British uni as well. Four years ago exactly to this month. I would like to reassure you that you will find a solution that will enable you to lead a normal life again, but you will have to limit stress more, at least in my experience.
I would recommend that you go see another neurologist who knows about vestibular migraine if your current dr isn’t willing to ramp up your dosage enough to eliminate your systems, trial you on different things if you aren’t finding enough relief, or mix drugs in combos that might help more.
Your body will naturally heal in time as well, that’s the main thing to remember.
My disequilibrium is far better now and I do not get as much sensitivity to light. You need to eat a lot of B12 to get your nerves repaired from initial onslaught. I think it usually is caused by labrythitis/vestibular neuritis. I was a vegan/vegetarian for several years before it started and being in the UK I was likely also Vitamin D3 deficient- that’s also a very important vitamin for immunity.
You may want to start eating both Vitamin D3 supplements and B12 supplements (a high quality one that is absorbable). Get a GP to check your D3 levels.
Heal Your Headache is a good book to understand how food and other things like MSG affect your symptoms. You will probably find that high tyramine foods like citrus, nuts, and especially the vasodilator MSG will make your symptoms worse by making your blood vessels in your head expand and press on your nerves, aggravating them - they are already inflamed and hurt by the initial vestibular neuritis. It takes time for them to heal and calm down. The main thing you can do is try to eat very healthily, well rounded diet, exercise when you can to try to get your balance back, and be as positive as you can.
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I know it’s hard to be positive. God is there and prayer helps. At least it helped me. There were outcomes of this illness that were positive to the extent it taught me not to be so utterly stressed out all the time and open myself up to other things in life- find more of a work/life balance.
I work full time again and am only taking KAL brand magnesium glycinate (400-600mg a day in split doses) but it took me a while to get there and I do have to be careful about MSG or tyramine or else I get a full one migraine if I eat enough of it - pressure behind my eye, sometimes ear clicking etc.
Take solace in the fact there are many more people out there with this than you might think. There needs to be more research done on this variant of chronic migraine.
Moreover, since you have a good sense of what you have (vestibular migraine) you can go to a dr and trial some meds to see if that calms stuff down. As for me, I had good results from gabapentin at low doses, nortriptyline as well , but a friend who has this responded well to zoloft. I did not like topamax, but others on here swear by it. (For instance this is someone who responded well to a mix: http://www.xojane.com/issues/migraine-associated-vertigo)
All medications for migraine had side effect for me as someone who is senstiive to meds, so I am happy to say that I have responded well to supplements even more than meds. I recommend this site below very highly, as well as St Johns Wort (which acts like Zoloft) . Don’t take SJW if you are on meds. Ask your dr first. Feverfew is also helpful. Magnesium (a nerve relaxer) is my most important suggestion of all. https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/headache/migraine-headaches/
I’m getting married in May and feeling very happy that I can enjoy life again! I am mostly recovered but of course never will be exactly the totally carefree- out all night type of person that I was before. A lot of people have migraine symptoms that involve their ears, and so do take comfort in the fact that this is extremely common especially in an age where people are cutting down on their red meat consumption (I try to stick with grass fed, humanely raised though) not getting enough sun and having too much stress. (that’s my theory anyway)
Best,
Liv
PS I eat gluten and dairy no problems- so I wouldn’t go overboard with cutting out things you like to eat. Chocolate, citrus, MSG (“natural flavorings” in many processed foods, including yogurts and salad dressings), too much red wine or beer and any caffeine beyond 1 coffee do me in. It causes more eye pressure (usually left), left ear pressure, and then just general anxiety because I know the migraine symptoms are coming.