April 9,2000

My name is Rosemary Amb, Rose to my friends, Auntie Rose to "nieces here on the Dizzy and Vertigo board. I am almost 60. I have been married to my husband Dennis for almost 37 years. I have a daughter Vikki who is almost 36. She has been married for two years to my son-in-law Jeff.

I have a weird sense of humor too as many on the board well know. I trained as a teacher and guidance counselor, but Marriage, Motherhood, and Fibro changed that Prior to my last ill-fated trip to Europe in 97, I had been to Europe three times twice on my own . Dennis and I have also been in all 50 states including Alaska and the Yukon in 94 . We have also been all over Canada.

I have been dizzy since Sept. of 1996.

I first got dizzy on a trip to Rapid City South Dakota, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park . I become dizzy when we returned to the flatlands of Montana. Upon my return home I saw an allergist who thought dustmites might have been causing my dizziness. I got over my first round of dizzies in about a month and had no further problems until I visited my late sister Katie at her home in San Diego in April of 1997. The dizzies started again and lasted for about a month after I came home

I didn’t seek medical attention then either. I called my allergist who suggested seeing an ENT if I got worse. I felt fine over the summer. In late Aug I left on what was to be a month long trip to Europe doing an 18 day tour of Scandinavia to be followed by a two week tour of Spain.

Two days after my arrival in Copenhagen, I became very dizzy in an empty castle

in the middle of a park. For the first time I was also gripped by anxiety. I felt like I was going to fall on my face. I got better as we started the tour although the anxiety returned when we visited empty castles

As we moved further north from the hills of central Sweden into the mountains of Norway my dizziness became very bad and my fear got worse. By this time I was holding on to walls ,leaning on my tour companions. I started skipping meals and was really getting scared. By the time we reached Bergen Norway , I knew that I had to come home. I started making the arrangements and told my tour director, who was very helpful. Thank Goodness I had cancellation insurance!! My tour director asked me if I could "hang on" till we got to Oslo where I could fly out. We deemed that a train trip out would not be good for me.

My fellow tour members were wonderful about bringing me food or seeing to it that I got down for meals but being alone 6000 miles from home was really scary. I didn’t know if I had a brain tumor or what.

When we reached Oslo the group left a day after and I flew home. Thank God for wheel chair assistance in Oslo and London. By this time I was so dizzy and traumatized I could hardly walk I will never forget the look on my husband’s

face as they wheeled me out of customs.

After we got home we called our local clinic and made an appointment with my GP. He ran a bunch of tests, Cardiac stuff , blood work, x-rays , etc. I also seem to remember having a brain scan I got worked up from head to toe my GP, an

orthopedist, neurologist and someone else. Then I landed up with my first ENT who did all the "usual" tests and including an ENG and found nothing conclusive. She believed I was dizzy but I became one of the 25% of unspecified dizzies.

After performing surgery for a basal cell cancer on my nose I asked her if we could run the ENG again. She agreed , and I also had a MRI. It was important for me to have a diagnosis as Dennis was leaving for a job in Italy and we only had a month to decide if he should remain at home with me.

The second test showed nystagmus and Dr. Jakob thought I might have BPPV, but still wasn’t sure. I slowly started to get better. I had to. Dennis left for Italy for two months. Friends offered help but they were busy, so I coped as best I could. I gradually got somewhat better and attended my daughter wedding in Maryland in April of 98 without incident.

I also spent time in California again in 98 ( as well as Wisconsin and Arkansas).

In May of 99 Dennis and I spent 17 days in Hawaii. I had some dizziness but not much . Unlike the past my dizziness stayed and became more permanent .I had a sanother ENG with a new ENT and he thinks I have Vestibular Neuritis. I have also gone through re-hab twice which hasn’t helped much.

I am very fortunate that my dizziness is mild compared to some, and that I am able to function pretty well. I am at peace with my condition. I am also workng to overcome my anxiety which has reared itself from time to time. Dennis and I are retired and looking forward to traveling some more I am trying to make my life the best that it can be.

I am grateful to all my dizzy friends and nieces for their love and support I have learned so much from them and for the love of the wonderful man I married so many years ago.