Chronic Vestibular Migraine

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My Way To Become Centered, Find Peace And Relaxation

I'm a rebel crafter. 🧶😏 I can follow patterns but most of the time I prefer to use my instincts and design my own pieces, like in this combo image. I think that must be the same approach I've used in my healing journey. My instincts have sharpened and my self-awareness has increased my mindfulness capabilities.
💜🧠💜 Survive To Thrive 🕊

#MightyTogether #DistractMe #MentalHealth #Trauma #Anxiety #MightyPets #Depression #ExaggeratedStartleResponse #intimatepartnerviolence
#TraumaticBrainInjury
#NeurologicalVisionImpairment
#PostTraumaticParoxysmalHemicrania
#PostconcussionSyndrome
#ChronicVestibularMigraine
#ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder
#ComplexRegionalPainSyndrome
#Osteoarthritis
#ADHD

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Your Pain Is Shared, Your Words Carry Truth And Meaning, You Are Valid

What I needed most early in my healing journey, was to feel validated. Once not only did I understand this but really believed it to be true, I was able to make sense of how and why the therapy was designed to help bring me to my New Normal.

It takes being brave enough to accept the new empty canvas which your chronic illness(s) mental, physical or both has/have presented you with. Then, it takes deciding how you intend to paint that canvas.

Will it be with positive mindful forethought? If it's too much to think past the blank canvas right now, that's ok. Just remain mindful and strong. It'll be there, ready for you when you're ready to paint your bright future. 🖼

#MightyTogether #DistractMe #MentalHealth #Trauma #Anxiety #MightyPets #Depression #ExaggeratedStartleResponse #intimatepartnerviolence
#TraumaticBrainInjury #NeurologicalVisionImpairment
#ParoxysmalHemicrania
#PostTraumaticParoxysmalHemicrania
#PostconcussionSyndrome
#ChronicVestibularMigraine
#ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder
#ComplexRegionalPainSyndrome
#Osteoarthritis
#ADHD

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Weather Can Play An Important Role In Our Disabilities And Chronic Illnesses

I wouldn't have been surprised to see Dorothy and Toto flying around outside last night, considering the strength of the storms. Multiple tornadoes were in the area and there were frequent lightening bursts but no sound. That's what sucked, because of course then the power kept going on and of repeatedly ⚡️like something out of the 1931 movie Frankenstein 🎬.

Bless his furry little heart, our freakin awesome 10 yr old Russian Blue 💙 Niklas Squishy Kitteh knew something was up way before it hit, and stuck by me because of my CPTSD and head injuries from the assault 8 yrs ago. He watches over my awesome hubby too, who suffers from chronic rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Yep, the adult me disappeared. When I wasn't curled up on the couch looking out of two windows on high alert in alarmed anticipation of a humongous clap of thunder that would scare the crap outta me, I was in a cautious tip-toe stop motion move to the kitchen.

Seriously, what in the blue blazes happened to me? I mean, I know but it kinda pisses me off that it can grab hold of me like that.

Now here's the other thing with this. Any time we have a drop in barometric pressure, my head injuries take over, especially the Post-Traumatic Paroxysmal Hemicrania. Here on The Mighty, the group is listed as Paroxysmal Hemicrania. All I can say is that I hope others don't experience what I do with my face and head swelling when it flares. The anxiety with that plus the sensitivity of the ears and shock from the thunder... the fact that you can't escape any of it.

I know this was all forced on me, I never asked for any of it but being pissed off won't do any good. It's a ridiculous waste of emotion right? There's no point in resentment. I just get tired of always saying that. Tired of always saying ♡pick yourself up and keep going♡.

Then I take a deep breath, pick myself up and keep going. 🧠Survive To Thrive🕊

#MightyTogether #MightyPets #DistractMe #MentalHealth #Trauma #Anxiety #Depression #ExaggeratedStartleResponse #intimatepartnerviolence
#TraumaticBrainInjury
#NeurologicalVisionImpairment
#PostTraumaticParoxysmalHemicrania
#ParoxysmalHemicrania
#PostconcussionSyndrome
#ChronicVestibularMigraine
#ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder
#ComplexRegionalPainSyndrome
#Osteoarthritis
#ADHD

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Allow Yourself The Courtesy Of A New Perspective

It's often easier to be kind to others than to ourselves. I've had to work hard at retraining my thought processes to accept myself as a work-in-progress. I think in visuals. One which has really helped me is to see it as rewiring the circuitry in my brain in order to recognize myself in a new light.

#MightyTogether #MightyPets #MentalHealth #Trauma #Anxiety #Depression
#TraumaticBrainInjury
#NeurologicalVisionImpairment
#PostTraumaticParoxysmalHemicrania
#PostconcussionSyndrome
#ChronicVestibularMigraine
#ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder
#ComplexRegionalPainSyndrome
#Osteoarthritis
#ExaggeratedStartleResponse
#intimatepartnerviolence #ADHD #Tinnitus

39 reactions • 15 comments
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I successfully had my first day of therapy with my new therapist!

It was good. I cried and was super dysregulated. But I’m glad I made it there and through!

I have concerns because she is not trauma informed and does not know cptsd. The problem being I don’t want to have to explain my symptoms in the nuances they need to be understood because that turns my therapy sessions into education sessions for the client. I have learned that the hard way and it has interfered with my treatment in the past with other providers (not my previous therapist before I was displaced- she helped me a lot). But for now, it is a safe place and person for me to talk to. And she seems eager to learn new things. And who knows- maybe she will be inspired to become trauma informed!

How is everyone else doing?

#CheerMeOn #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #Disability #Agoraphobia #PanicAttacks #ChronicVestibularMigraine #Migraine #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder

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The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Hi.
So I’ve been writing about my journey to try to get someone to hold the mental health agency that repeatedly and continues to violate my client rights accountable.
I have contacted many people, gone through many channels, taken the steps in the right order- twice. I’ve done this all twice. Because they didn’t listen the first time

So I have an advocate now because my symptoms are so bad and they keep making me tell the story again and again and no one is documenting it or doing anything about it. Not the agency when I filed the grievances, and not the local mental health board.

The local board basically pushed me to the Ohio board because they weren’t doing anything with my actual complaints and the person at the Ohio board who is in charge of client advocacy would be “much more helpful and knowledgeable.”

The thing is, she is basically refusing to engage with me or my advocate unless I have written up everything that happened, that I tried to do, and the thing I want out of the meeting.

This should have been done when I first reported it. Or the second or the 30th or the 100th time. I explained most of it in an email and so did my advocate and she still wants it in some kind of prescribed format which goes beyond my limitations with my disability. Which I have said every single time this comes up. Not only that- I did contact her last year and tried to get help last year and she didn’t help and my recent email was very detailed with enough information that she could get an idea. My advocate also emailed her and explained the situation.

Now she is refusing to talk until this happens and she is pretty much making it seem like she will not help even if we do jump this hurdle. Here is an email where she is telling my advocate she won’t have a phone conversation with us despite us telling her all of the reasons why this needs to be done over the phone, specifically because of the “long extensive history” which I already gave her enough of it to know it’s not some minor thing that happened. I have given her enough background, in writing, that would make it appropriate and necessary for her to follow up. It feels like I have to chase her to get her attention when this is her literal job.

As someone who knows accommodations for disabilities under ADA, I know that I am not wrong for repeatedly advocating for my capabilities in the moment, which at this time does not include repeating my detailed medical history in a thorough document for her to read. That is the reason these people are here. To help victims. And she is making it seem like I am the problem when it was the agency that failed me and the local board that refused to actually do anything but blame me.

I’m tired of being the client who looks like a problem because I have needs beyond what they are willing to acknowledge. I am tired of being made to defend myself when I did nothing wrong and I have proof but the overseeing agencies won’t even listen to me. I am tired of putting in more work just to endure more discrimination and victimization by the people whose jobs are to help me get well. And to protect me from the things that are happening.

It’s hard to re-engage and trust in services when I am also dealing with medical negligence from the agencies that oversee the new services I am receiving. I’m trying though.

#Disability #PTSD #Anxiety #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #ADHD #Agoraphobia #PanicAttacks #MentalHealth #CheckInWithMe #ChronicVestibularMigraine #Migraine

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New cat!

We have had a stray who has been coming around for about a month or so. We made her a really safe area to protect from the elements and what not for when she wanted to utilize it. She started getting more consistent and friendly, we started feeding her, and now we have another cat! … a pregnant kitty at that.
We took her to the vet so we knew she was safe to bring in (tested negative for FIV and feline leukemia), got the vaccines we could, and brought her in. She is so happy and safe in her new home. She is clean and warm and seems to already be comfortable.
We are going to get her spayed as soon as we safely can after she has her babies. I’m glad she won’t be having them on the street or outside.
Anyone want to guess how many kittens she may have?

#Agoraphobia #PanicAttacks #ChronicVestibularMigraine #Migraine #ADHD #PTSD #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Anxiety

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"I'm So Sorry You Have To Deal With That"

Not too long ago one of my doctors wanted to make an adjustment to the dosage of one of the meds I take for #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome .

It went very poorly.

Anyway, I had to control my symptoms fairly publicly one day. I even sat out in the rain for a bit to help with self-regulation. I was barefoot, without a jacket, and it was maybe in the 40s, but my CNS did not care about facts at that moment.

So I ended up sharing about my chronic illness with a few new people after that.

After my follow-up w/ cardio, we determined that I'd be staying at my usual dosage. From there, I let myself get back up to maybe 75% baseline functioning and then basically put it out of mind. Since I was just returning to a prior dose, I figured the rest would come.

I saw one of the people who had recently found out about my diagnosis, and she asked for an update. It took me a second to figure out what she was talking about, having already filed it away in my mind, but I brought my brain up to speed to have the conversation.

I have different levels of routine answers about my medical issues depending on how much the person asking really cares to listen/ is actually asking.

I ended up explaining how POTS was actually one of a system of medical issues I have stemming from a genetic condition #EhlersDanlosSyndrome .

It was then that she said she was sorry I had to deal with things like that, and I genuinely had to sit back and think what that meant.

"Things Like That".

I then was probably more honest than I needed to be with her, and more honest than I usually am, with general intro conversation about my 'genetic stuff, but I was talking as I was processing... ' [Especially because I saw her tear up while I was saying it- whoops]

I told her I have no concept of what it is like not to be dealing with it. I don't know what it is like to not be in pain. I don't know what it would be like not to be thinking about when to take my next medication or what my water intake is. I don't know what it is like to go more than a week or two without seeing a doctor. I just have never had that room empty, and I can't comprehend what it would be like to have that space.

#ADHD #Asthma #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #PTSD #Depression #MastCellActivationDisorder #Migraine #ChronicVestibularMigraine

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6 reactions