Treating a vestibular disorder can feel impossible – but here’s the good news, it is not impossible to treat a vestibular disorder! I have to say this first: do not give up hope when trying to treat your vestibular disorder. Dizziness can lead to infinite doctors appointments, feelings of frustration, and thinking that you might throw in the towel.

Vestibular Disorder Treatment

Vestibular Disorder treatment does require hard work and multiple doctors who know what they’re talking about. If you haven’t found one yet, please check VEDA (or here if you’re in the UK). Treatment is multimodal, meaning that you need multiple healthcare providers to do their jobs together as a team to help you- this is not a single-doctor-only diagnosis. It’s essential that your whole team works together, talks you each other, and is aware of your plan and changes to that plan.

Top Three Tips for Dizziness Treatment

Track your triggers (in the short term)

Tracking your triggers means that you should write down what you eat, the weather, your sleep, and your symptoms daily. I recommend doing this for four weeks. For some, this becomes a stress-inducing habit, and if that is the case for you, please do not do this and enlist the help of a professional!

Find an Excellent Healthcare Team

Finding healthcare providers that treat vestibular disorders can be difficult, but finding a person to listen to you and help you differentiate the diagnoses is endlessly helpful. IF you can’t find a provider on the VEDA link above, find a neurotologist to help you in your area or via telehealth. Most of the exam when diagnosing dizziness is subjective. If you’ve been to multiple doctors and already had standard testing (MRI, CT, etc.), you may be able to go to an out-of-state doctor via telehealth. Another important team member is a vestibular physical therapist. PTs are the ones who are going to help you get your life – return to function is through PT!

Be Consistent about your Treatment

Consistency is key in any major life change, especially with chronic illnesses. There are no quick fixes. Finding things that work for you can be a long journey, but it is helpful in the long run. If you can consistently change a few things here and there, it is often more valuable than making one significant change. Again, treating vestibular disorders is a holistic journey. You will likely trial and error many treatment options before you find out what works for you. Keep track of what you have tried (write it down, I love to do this in an excellent journal), keep a record of your symptoms and your flare-ups, and also track what did not work. Medications, diets, and more have likely been thrown at you, and trying many routes isn’t a bad idea.

Finding your Beginning

Everyone begins at their beginning – we don’t have the same starting point as anyone else. It’s important to remember that even when we ask others who have been where we are now for help, they had their journey and beginning. Be careful not to get caught up in someone else’s beginning – find yours and stick to what works for you.

Stay the Course

Vestibular disorder treatment is a long and often grueling journey. Finding something that will work for you can sometimes be daunting, but there truly are always options. You can always fire your doctor if they don’t listen to you. you are welcome to try something new if your think it will work for you. Do not give up – keep on pushing through, even on the hard days where it feels impossible.