for those who have experienced drop attacks

[n40066]

what symptoms did you have just prior to the onset of the drop attacks?  my sudden bought with vertigo, nausea and increase in the strength, frequency and duration of the headaches has me worried.  there is nothing i have found in my research that talks about the progression of symptoms.  i know we are all different, but surely there must be something about the progression of symptoms in this disease that can be marked?  did you notice an increase of any one symptom or have new symptoms appear just before the onset of an attack?  inquiring minds want to know!  : )

[n40066]

congrats to you, celticbreeze!  that's wonderful news and something for those who suffer from drop attacks now have to look forward to!  in the weeks preceeding your first attack, though, did your symptoms change at all in frequency or severity or did you experience any new symptoms?

[celticbreeze]

My drop attacks would occur as soon as I got out of bed in the am, no warning signs.  none since my surgery in April '09.

[n40066]

it makes alot of sense!  hang in there the best you can and i hope you can get it worked out soon!!  good luck, honey.  you'll be in my thoughts!

[Zenji]

I wish I could take more time off. I took a year off and this is my first semester back. My doctor didn't give me a choice she said I had to take that year off. I have a small scholarship issue I am trying to work out. (they haven't been to happy about me not going to school). We practically had a war when my doctor said I had to take time off before. I actually lost my scholarship and just barely got it back this semester. I have talked with them about being enrolled part-time but they haven't budged yet. I am currently trying to convince them to let me drop one course and go from 13 credits to 10 but I am not allowed to have less than 12. I am trying to push that they have to allow me to go part time because I am disabled but I don't want to push to hard because these people can get mean and my brother has the same scholarship. I have to be careful because they are my main source of income and they know I can't get a job right now because of this. Thankfully my congress woman is very concerned with the foster care system and the scholarship I have is a part of that systems. I am trying to work with her to work with them and keep my name out of it. (if that makes any sense)

[selmaS]

Hi Elizabeth....sorry I wasn't on at all yesterday, but I had no increased symptoms prior to a drop attack.....total surprise....but after is when I was hit with nausea and HA's ect....and since my drop attack in May '07 all my symptoms had increased.

[n40066]

i really admire your determination to not let this disease rule your life!  but you should understand that you have limitations.  is it an option to ease up on your courses a bit?  maybe go part time instead of full time?  maybe if you reduce the stress level of your studies, your symptoms will be less frequent and less severe

[Zenji]

since I am college I am out alot either at school a library bookstore or panera's before I had internet at home. it was even more scary because i didnt have anyone i knew with me didnt know i had chiari and could not go to the doctors because i would miss school (my first class started at 8am and my last class finished at 9:30pm) my head would start to hurt really bad i got really dizzy and felt like i was going to throw up i wasnt able to hear anything except the insanely loud ringing in my ears and everything would go black for a couple of seconds at a time. it doesn't happen as much but i have noticed when i have more classes and close to exams it happens a lot more. even if i knew for sure surgery would help and my doctor said it was an option (its not right not because of alot of medical stuff and an insanely high risk of infection) I still wouldn't be able to do it for at least another year if anybody has found something that helps please let me know because it really is effecting school

[rod44]

I hope so, I needed to drive for work + I work at heights so vertigo/dizziness is a no no

[n40066]

wow...that had to be quite an adjustment for you!  do you think things will change once you have the surgery?

[rod44]

Yes I agree walking on uneven pavements ect is a nightmare.
I had to stop driving in 06 because of the drop attacks and the dizziness and vertigo.
I have loss of sensation in my feet as well witch dose  not help.
ROD

[n40066]

how i gauge the difference is i don't fall out of bed when i'm trying to get up if i'm dizzy, but have fallen several times when i have vertigo...it's like my depth perseption is way off with vertigo and only a bit off with dizzy

[rod44]

Ya I am going back to the ENT tomorrow, I will ask him about that sensation, my HA gets worse when coughing, sneezing or if I have my head bent forward for very long. If I do any manual lifting it can cause the HA to get worse as well.

We are all different, describe our symptoms, experience our symptoms and respond to our symptoms differently. Describing my vertigo first day I said to my GP “I’ve got vertigo”, she said how do you know its vertigo. Then when I said to her about the dizziness she asked what is the difference, when I described vertigo as the room spinning I had to stop and think about the best way to describe the dizziness, it was happening there as I was talking to the doc but I could not describe it other than to say my vision was swimming, another way of describing vertigo. I knew the two were different but could not describe the difference.
ROD  

[n40066]

the ringing seems louder to me too when i have a ha....not sure if it really is or because my head hurts so much any sound is magnifiied. the sensation in your head is exactly what i was trying to describe last weekend...before it became vertigo.

and while i do get slammed with the h/as, i have never had one brought on by coughing or sneezing.  and only once when laughing.  i don't know why that is, only that it is...

[rod44]

Hi Elizabeth,
I do not recall any changes prior to getting a drop attack, they always came on during coughing. After the attack my BP was erratic jumping up and down for about 24 hours.
I was awake during the attack but my brain was foggy. I could not move any of my limbs. Within seconds I was moving but felt very exhausted.

I find the headaches I have are much worse with vertigo, the tinnitus is also louder and my ears feel full.
I also get a sensation in my head like the sensation you get just before the room starts to spin but then nothing happens and I settle down again.
ROD