124. I Don't Even Remember the Last Time I Was Dizzy": Stephie's PPPD & Vestibular Migraine Recovery

Um, so I don't even know if I'm answering your question.

Did you tell me to jump in like this? [laughs]

You did.

You beautifully answered.

Okay.

And, you know, as I'm hearing this I'm, I'm wondering what your life was like on a day-to-day level at this point.

So I found it hard to even have a conversation with someone without talking about it, and I felt...

I mean, I had, like, you know, people who loved and cared about me ask me how I was doing, but I was exhausted talking about it, but it was so forefront of my mind at all times.

You know, I, like, hardly had a moment where I was enjoying myself because I was constantly, if I wasn't, you know, if I was having a day where I wasn't quite as dizzy, I was, like, obsessing over what had made me not as dizzy that day, you know, so that I could kind of figure out what to do the next day.

So it just kind of overcame my life, and I mean- In my darkest moments, I was, you know, on my ba- bathroom floor crying.

Like, please, like, God help me figure out what is going on.

Um, and but thankfully driving was never a problem.

For some reason when I was driving I wasn't dizzy.

I've never run in my life, literally have PTSD from running the mile when I was in elementary school and in PE, and I had a friend convince me, she was like, "I'm having a lot of anxiety.

You're dealing with this medical issue.

What if we wake up every morning and run for 10 minutes together just to, like, help us set the day off?" So we started doing that, which helped my, my stress around the symptoms a lot.

I also never experienced any, any dizziness while running, so it was like a break in the morning from any sort of dizziness.

So I started running with her every day for 10 minutes, which became 12, which became 15, and we ran a half-marathon.

So-

Wow

... yeah.

So I somehow channeled this stress and anxiety over the symptoms into running, and it helped that I was symptom-free while I was running.

Um, I'm just trying to think what else day to day.

I mean, I was still had very little help with my kids, so I was... found myself in a better head space symptom-wise, and, um, you know, in a better mental head space if I did get out, load them up, get out of the house and go be with other people.

If I was alone in my house with the kids, I would just kind of start spinning.

Um, so I don't even know if I'm answering your question.

Did you tell me to jump in like this? [laughs]

You did.

You beautifully answered.

Okay.

And, you know, as I'm hearing this I'm, I'm wondering what your life was like on a day-to-day level at this point.

So I found it hard to even have a conversation with someone without talking about it, and I felt...

I mean, I had, like, you know, people who loved and cared about me ask me how I was doing, but I was exhausted talking about it, but it was so forefront of my mind at all times.

You know, I, like, hardly had a moment where I was enjoying myself because I was constantly, if I wasn't, you know, if I was having a day where I wasn't quite as dizzy, I was, like, obsessing over what had made me not as dizzy that day, you know, so that I could kind of figure out what to do the next day.

So it just kind of overcame my life, and I mean- In my darkest moments, I was, you know, on my ba- bathroom floor crying.

Like, please, like, God help me figure out what is going on.

Um, and but thankfully driving was never a problem.

For some reason when I was driving I wasn't dizzy.

I've never run in my life, literally have PTSD from running the mile when I was in elementary school and in PE, and I had a friend convince me, she was like, "I'm having a lot of anxiety.

You're dealing with this medical issue.

What if we wake up every morning and run for 10 minutes together just to, like, help us set the day off?" So we started doing that, which helped my, my stress around the symptoms a lot.

I also never experienced any, any dizziness while running, so it was like a break in the morning from any sort of dizziness.

So I started running with her every day for 10 minutes, which became 12, which became 15, and we ran a half-marathon.

So-

Wow

... yeah.

So I somehow channeled this stress and anxiety over the symptoms into running, and it helped that I was symptom-free while I was running.

Um, I'm just trying to think what else day to day.

I mean, I was still had very little help with my kids, so I was... found myself in a better head space symptom-wise, and, um, you know, in a better mental head space if I did get out, load them up, get out of the house and go be with other people.

If I was alone in my house with the kids, I would just kind of start spinning.