I was wondering if you ever got better? I have the same issue, had had all the tests (MRI, etc..), have seen 4 specialty doctors, and it looks like I have finally figured it out..but we'll see. My brother has a similar problem and we compared notes, and it looks like it an ALLERGY!  An intolerance to histamines, which can often be misdiagnosed as Meniere's disease because it creates similar symptoms. SO..I am starting a histamine free diet for 4 weeks to see if that fixes the problem.  Like you, I love to run; but, I am unable to run outside.  After 12 minutes, I get vertigo and nausea, and if I try to push through it, I throw up.

What is the name of your Doctor? My Husband has these symptoms - he is a runner - he has lots of allergies. But this problem has been diagnosed as Menier's disease. Menier's disease is what they call it if they can't figure it out. It's really a non-diagnosis.

 

Thanks (in advance) for your help!!

Well..my histamine free diet didn't work, but my Drs still believe it is an allergy of some sort. Looks like I found a name for the condition - it is Secondary Endolymphatic Hydrops. It is caused by a fluid imbalance in the inner ear sac that has electrolytes.  When the fluid is out of balance, due to sweating from running, it causes dizziness and nausea. But the underlying cause can be from an allergy or autoimmune disorder, or damage to the inner ear. I am now seeing an allergist in NYC and he's put me on steroids to atack the allergans. AND we are analyzing what changed in my environment to cause an allergic reaction....

WOW, I can not believe there are other people out there like me. For a year I have been searching for this website and found nothing.

 

I, like many of you, have been a runner forever. About a year ago, I began getting incredibly dizzy when I ran...many times to the point of confusion, vomiting, everything. I saw a cardiologist who told me i had "exercised-induced low blood pressure" and began giving me salt tablets. They don't help, and I am left helpless. I ran a full marathon in November, 2009 and can't run 2 miles now without having this issue. 

 

I am a young, healthy girl and this is such a set-back for me.

 

I can also do spin, run mile after mile on a treadmill, etc...and won't get dizzy. It only seems to be when I run outside. 

 

The only other exercise I felt this with was swimming....

 

Any suggestions, or anything new since you last wrote? 

Hi,

 

I have the same symptoms! It happened years ago, then I took a break from running. I started up again last fall, but the dizziness came back this summer. Now I can run about 2 miles and I get lightheaded and dizzy. I can run on the treadmill (did 6 miles last week), bike, swim, hike, etc. But I can't run outside. I saw a lot of docs about this when it happened the first time and they found nothing. Neurologist thought it was migraine. ENT thought allergies. I do have sinus pressure only on the left side but CT shows nothing. I saw Dr. John Oas (now in Ohio before). I talked to him a month ago and he referred me to Dr. John Carey at Johns Hopkins. Going to see him in April. Have you had any luck? It's really aggravating!

Just wondering if you (or anyone else here) has had any luck with this mysterious condition. I did figure out that if I stop and walk for 2 minutes, then I am able to run 1 mile at a time.  The only problem is that, in the winter, it is too cold to walk...so I've been on the treadmill all winter. In September, I was able to run a half-marathon but I had to stop every mile sometimes more when the dizziness/nausea came on.  My time was 25% slower that it used to be..

How did your referral with Dr. Carey go? My husband was referred to him for a second opinion. He has been told by his ENT he thought he might have Superior Canal Dihiscence (basically a hole in the skull near the ear canal). He referred him to Dr. Eisenmen at UMD Medical who confirmed that. Before getting the surgery, husband wanted a 2nd opinion, went to Carey who says try diet. I am not a fan because the migraines have been around, but the running induced nausea and vomiting is new and only running-induced. Anyway, I can understand wanting to make sure you want to do a surgery but I don't see any other real solutions that have worked. It is the internet though, maybe I'm missing something so far.

Dr. Carey also thinks I have SCD, but it's not clear cut. The bone looks thin, as opposed to a hole, but the MRI and CT aren't 100% definitive. The results of my hearing test with dampening don't support that there is a hole - my hearing is great - and that test should show something. He also suggested a diet change, but cheese, wine and chocolate are my favorite and they never caused problems in the past. I really feel a lot of pressure in my left sinus and feel there is something wrong there and I've always thought that was an issue - the first time I got this I had a sinus infection on the left side. But, on the positive side, I just got some new shoes that help roll my foot forward more, reducing concussion, and ran with them for a little over two miles (longer than I usually can) on soft grass and I didn't have a dizzy episode. Does your husband have trouble running on a treadmill?

I am currently trying a chiropractor for my running vertigo. I am going to an upper cervical chiropractor (very different from a regular chiro). He took xrays and my neck has a reverse curve and some mild arthritis. He has had cases in which the improper alignment of the 1st vertabrae has caused vertigo. Mine is the first running related case. He thinks it is a possibility that improper alignment could cause nerve trauma when running on hard surfaces, make the brain think I am spinning. Reversing the curve and regaining proper alignment is not immediate, but within the first month, re-alignment has made a big difference in helping some other nagging issues (one-sided sinus pressure, headaches, etc.).

Hey Shirly,

 

Glad to hear you're finding some relief! Hope things continue to improve!

 

I think the hardest thing about this issue is that it's different for everybody. Husband is now 2 months out of surgery for SCD, where his one canal was blocked, and in the past 2 weeks he has gone jogging 3 times. He says he still feels dizzy when running, but it's over when he stops running and isn't experiencing nausea. He's also able to continue working on a computer after he runs (he jogs at lunch), which would have not at all been possible prior to surgery if he attempted running even a short distance.

 

Good news is there are things out there that work, just have to find what's best for you! Good luck to anyone having these symptoms!

Did your husband have surgery with dr carey? I cant believe he was jogging after 2 months! Hos has the recovery been till now/ are all his issues resolved?

He had surgery with dr eisenman. He is great now! Runs 4 days a week and bikes 5 days a week. ( The first time he biked outside after surgery he did crash from bein dizzy but he was with a friend rhank goodness. He is fine now and has been for most of the past year.)The dizziness he felt while running went on for a while, maybe 6-8 months? It was a different way less severe feeling than presurgery, he could run but felt a little wonky for a while. But it tapered and now he is fine.

So I went to go see a Ear Nose Throat Specialist about my vertigo problem that i usually get after running long distance. I explained to him that i do not get it while i am running, but after a day or two after the running. He said it is most likely something called BPPV. It is a common vertigo that many people have. He explained that the three semicircular tubes in the inner ear have some microscopic hair that sense the stone moving and send the signal to the brain that there is movement. The stone is a bone in the semicircular tube that rolls around. So he said that the hair folicles sometimes break and this causes messed up signals. He gave me physical therapy for this, no real medication. He said also since i do have some sinus issues after running, that I take some anti histamine. he prescribed some only because it may be cheaper than the OTC stuff, but it is basically the same. he asked me to do the physical therapy - it is called "Cawthorne Head Exercises for Dizziness". Look it up. He asked me to do this 3 to 4 times a day and then return in three weeks. 

I am back in the gym now, have not started back up running yet. My vertigo is still there slightly.....but i have learned to accept it since it is not a show stopper. it is easier to deal with when i dont freak out about it, and just roll with it. I will start back up with running next week and see how it goes. If it is bad, i may just stick to the gym...which still allows me to feel great and be in good shape. Thats all i have....if you guys learn anything else, please do let me know.

 

thank you.

 

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My symptoms are very similar. Twice now, I have gotten such motion sickness like symptoms the morning after a long run (both times during cold days where my nose was running a lot during the run). I also got the symptoms a third time but it was maybe several weeks after I had increased my weekly mileage a lot (during the summer).

 

I do get motion sickness very easily but it usually goes away the same day and almost always after a night's sleep.

I also have the bad habit of blowing my nose hard, especially when running and trying to do it (blow my nose) quickly. I wonder if this added pressure on my inner ear is what is causing the problem. Seems to fit with the information you relayed about tiny hairs breaking.