I find it really does have benefits and drawbacks for every country. The benefits we have over here seem to be a larger concentration of physicians with a focus on VM. I do have a lot of folks overseas that I end up referring to my neurologist just because they cannot get any help through their current system. If you have a doctor you love there please let me know. I'll add them to my international doctor list. :)

One thing I'd recommend is having your ferritin and hemoglobin checked. I have my VM pretty under control now but was having odd symptoms especially around that time that I figured were migraine. It turned out to be extremely low ferritin and iron infusions have helped with a lot of those symptoms. If it is a VM issue, I recommend Dr Beh's book Victory over Vestibular Migraine. He has a vitamin e protocol in there that also seems to be helpful, along with pre-treating.

@@TheDizzyCook I can’t believe you actually replied 🥹 thanks so much! I’ll check your recommendations 🌱✌🏼

I’m 68, four years into vestibular migraines and I’d almost welcome fading out with dementia. The daily headaches and unrelenting disequilibrium are so exhausting.

Hey! I have a treatment plan video or you can find it here thedizzycook.com/vestibular-migraine-treatment-plan/

I'm glad you did!! I thought his explanation on the neural circuit dizziness was helpful.

Welcome to hell, my brother - stay a while and listen... As a small child under the age of 7 and in the early 70s, I was diagnosed with a headache, but it was not recognized as a migraine. Back then, every doctor could choose what they understood as a migraine. And a small child likes to make things up... they said. The attacks disappeared during puberty, and it was not until I was 19 that I developed vestibular migraines with persistent aura phases. From then on, as a young man, I was treated in the same way as you. When I went to my GP with this first severe attack, he just said that the illness I am describing doesn't exist. I shouldn't be so lazy and go to work. I did that for many years until I was completely exhausted. Despite having completed my vocational training with a star, I was portrayed as lazy. After obtaining a university entrance qualification and then studying at university, the doctors' diagnosis slowly changed to psychological. It was only 27 years later that I became aware of migraines through the comorbidity of visual snow and finally received a clear diagnosis from several neurologists in a pain clinic. At that time I had already been completely unable to work for years due to a completely chronic illness. My migraine disease is extremely complex and could have taken a different course if treated in time. I even experienced an orthopedist doubting my diagnosis because I was actually in good health. You can't make this up... Hang in there! What else can we do?! All the best to you from Germany.

⁠@@wirrwarr8834 I really appreciate your time in telling me the hell you have gone thru. It has only been thru the knowledge I have obtained from other people tortured in this manner that I have sustained the Will to Live. I have stood at the edge of that dark abyss a couple times in the past decade and gazed into what I thought was my only way out……but the people I would leave behind was the only thing that kept me from taking the last step, despite the perpetual pain I was in. Things ebb and flow in life of all human beings. Suffering is part of the human experience. Some people suffer in life more than others. All of these are axiomatic facts of life. However I firmly believe we should NOT force people to suffer beyond what we can reasonably prevent when IT IS OUR JOB…. As in the Medical Industry. When you do not neatly fit into a box and their flow charts of “Intake, Diagnosis, Treatment, Follow up, Discharge” in a successful manner, they just want you to DISAPPEAR. Of course not all, but a great great many of them do. And many do but aren’t consciously aware of that. As someone with formal education and thousands of hours of human behavioral psychology the patterns are extremely predictable and reliable. It’s an infringement of their Ego. It’s an affront to their “Grand IQ and Knowledge” they believe they have. All the while many of them having relatively average to slightly above average IQ and knowledge BUT VERY LOW WISDOM AND EMPATHY. And many people don’t understand what that word Empathy is. And what is the true meaning, it is to HEAR AND UNDERSTAND another persons position, feelings, perspective. It’s not agreeing with them or sympathizing, as is commonly thought and confused with today. But to hear and UNDERSTAND…… This is such a fundamental failing of this profession and it hurts so many people , over and over and over again. When we will collectively ever learn this and change this? I do not know.

⁠​⁠ I really appreciate your time in telling me the hell you have gone thru. It has only been thru the knowledge I have obtained from other people tortured in this manner that I have sustained the Will to Live. I have stood at the edge of that dark abyss a couple times in the past decade and gazed into what I thought was my only way out……but the people I would leave behind was the only thing that kept me from taking the last step, despite the perpetual pain I was in. Things ebb and flow in life of all human beings. Suffering is part of the human experience. Some people suffer in life more than others. All of these are axiomatic facts of life. However I firmly believe we should NOT force people to suffer beyond what we can reasonably prevent when IT IS OUR JOB…. As in the Medical Industry. When you do not neatly fit into a box and their flow charts of “Intake, Diagnosis, Treatment, Follow up, Discharge” in a successful manner, they just want you to DISAPPEAR. Of course not all, but a great great many of them do. And many do but aren’t consciously aware of that. As someone with formal education and thousands of hours of human behavioral psychology the patterns are extremely predictable and reliable. It’s an infringement of their Ego. It’s an affront to their “Grand IQ and Knowledge” they believe they have. All the while many of them having relatively average to slightly above average IQ and knowledge BUT VERY LOW WISDOM AND EMPATHY. And many people don’t understand what that word Empathy is. And what is the true meaning, it is to HEAR AND UNDERSTAND another persons position, feelings, perspective. It’s not agreeing with them or sympathizing, as is commonly thought and confused with today. But to hear and UNDERSTAND…… This is such a fundamental failing of this profession and it hurts so many people , over and over and over again. When we will collectively ever learn this and change this? I do not know.

​@@freeandcriticalthinker4431 Oh man, now I have to tell you all about the depression *box,* it fits so well. Years ago I was in a special clinic for dizziness. As they couldn't measure the vertigo, I was accused, as always, of just making it up and that I should take my antidepressants. The faster I did that, the faster I would get better. I already knew at the time that with a vestibular migraine, the vertigo cannot necessarily be measured using the usual measuring methods with technical equipment. When I explained this to the young doctor, he asked me if I knew what he was doing all day. I had to accept that I was suffering from depression and anxiety disorders, period! Take your antidepressants! In the clinic where I was diagnosed, no modern measuring methods were used on me. I asked why? The doctor in charge said that no one had ever measured anything before. So why repeat it again?! Instead, I had to touch various parts of my body with my index fingers, among other things. When I had finished, he said, "Well done, you made it through the door on your first attempt." At the time, I was really suffering from vertigo, and at night I felt like I was standing on my head while lying in bed. At the same time, I was moving in all directions. He and his colleague were able to recognize the vertigo because I had to correct myself several times just before I hit the body part that was being pointed out. I didn't notice anything myself. It's just normal. Neither of them had the slightest doubt that I could hardly stand on my feet. Why am I telling you all this... well, the first medication I was given was a drug for vertigo. We call it flunarizine. As a side effect, it can trigger depression in 10% and more, depending on age. Guess what? So I had a drug-induced psychotic depression for a good two years. The good thing about it? Today, I can clearly say that I had never had depression in my entire life up to that point and never again since. I was stuck in the depression *box* for well over 25 years! During depression, you naturally have suicidal thoughts all the time. However, I also had phases outside of depression, just with migraines, where I thought, dear universe, turn off the light, that's enough. If I don't wake up tomorrow, then I won't be angry with anyone. You can hardly make anyone understand that, because most people never get to that point in their lives. And I'm angry! The suspicion that I received from doctors for decades is to blame. In all the years before my diagnosis, I only had one doctor who said, I believe you that something is wrong, but I don't know what. Unfortunately, the good lady is now retired, and can't be found, otherwise I would have thanked her for that one sentence. And I can't count the number of doctors I've been to. I'm in better times at the moment (reasonably better), but you keep asking yourself whether life is really worth living. There are days when I can't even make it to the mailbox. But then there's my wife, the children, the grandchildren, the cats, the garden... and let's be honest, when I'm dead, they'll only be allowed to bury me up to my waist, otherwise who's going to take care of the flowers and plants on the grave?

@@freeandcriticalthinker4431 YT has hidden my comment. They probably don't like the direct expression about achieving a certain _life goal._ You have to click on "newest first" at the top and then scroll down. Please excuse the inconvenience.

I'm glad you've figured out what works for you and what doesn't! That's half the battle!

Hey! So I was diagnosed with VM when PPPD wasn't really being diagnosis. We now think I probably did have PPPD caused by the VM, but it just wasn't being recognized like it is now. PPPD is that constant background dizziness which I did have more more than 3 months.

@@TheDizzyCook my lightheadedness randomly started maybe a few days a week and then then started becoming every day 24/7. No spinning, just lightheaded like on an elevator or like my head was somewhat floating. Almost like I took a drink of alcohol and had that initial head change but it never goes away. I got diagnosed with vm and neurologist started me on Effexor. Said to give it 3 weeks. I’m just wondering if vm dizziness can last all day everyday or if maybe I have pppv. I guess the good thing is they have similar treatments. Thank you for the response!