The future

It is difficult to stay strong and positive when this illness seems so unrelenting and persistent. It is very easy to feel angry or bitter and to think “Why me?”. Both of us have been there.

We found that asking for help from close friends, having each other and putting the illness into perspective, helped us cope. Thinking philosophically and realising the amount we have learned from the experience, has enabled us to accept the position we are in and deal with it until we recover. Recovery from stable vestibular disorders such as uncompensated Labyrinthitis is highly likely when VRT is incorporated into an active lifestyle.

Hold onto this thought when times are tough and remember you are not alone – there are many people out there who know just how nasty inner ear disorders are.

Accept that this illness will take time to go and that the recovery will not be linear. If you are mentally prepared for this, it is easier to deal with.

See it as a learning curve, a glitch in your life that has happened for a reason and believe that once you come out the other side – your life will be enriched in so many ways. You will be wiser and will know what’s worth worrying about – and in a positive way - you will view life in a light you've never seen it in before. This was definitely the case for us.

In summary, try and remember, that when suffering from inner ear dysfunction, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with you. It is just some bad electrical signals generated by an injury to a sensor (vestibular) which will repair itself by relying on the good (vestibular) side "more" or getting the brain to "take over". It will take time - and you need to help the compensation - but it does go for most. All you need to do is understand it - for what it is and what it is not. This will help you keep it together.

The real danger for many - is not the injury but the stress/anxiety/depression, which can cause some real long term problems - long after this thing has disappeared. So you must be aware of this and get help from the onset.

The "uncompensated" Labyrinthitis journey is not a pleasant one and one which you would not wish on anyone - but it will be over one day. Remember the quote "We are who we are not despite adversity but because of it".

If you want to help others in the same position as you, support VEDA (see links) or start your own dizzy self help group like Emma did. Channelling everything into doing something positive can help you cope and feel like you're helping all those sufferers out there.

Good luck, stay positive and have hope even during the very bad times. Remember we and so many others understand exactly what you are going through.