My neuralogist does a scale of one to ten like the pain scale when I go in. On good days mine run a 2-3 on bad days it can get as high as 8.

Okay, so posted below is my proposal for a standardized scale. I'm thinking about showing this to my PT. Let me know what you all think.

INTENSITY SCALE FOR VERTIGO SYMPTOMS
0 No dizzy at all.

1 Slightly dizzy at times, such as when a normal person spins while dancing. Easily ignored and quickly goes away.

2 Slightly dizzy or sensation of movement. Eventually goes away. Forgotten if you put your mind on something else. Usually not enough to compel someone to take medicine.

3 Bad enough to give you pause. Comparable to a normal person after playing "airplane" with a child. You can still read and walk around alone, but it takes more effort. You can work through it and live a normal life.

4 Reading and driving are difficult. It's hard to ignore the problem unless you use treatment. Medicine or rest can bring it down. You live a fairly normal life as long as you avoid certain triggers.

5 Here comes the queasiness or imbalance. On the level of a normal person after they spin in circles to make themselves dizzy. Medicine/treatment/willpower keeps it under control, but you plan your activities and always move with caution. You can still keep up appearances at your job but spend more nights staying home.

6 Comparable to being drunk or stoned. You can't make it go away, and you can't seem to focus on anything else. It takes all your willpower to get necessary work done. You're afraid to go shopping alone and don't even think about going out for fun.

7 The merry go round that never stops to let you off. You need medicine for more advanced symptoms like nausea or anxiety. You dread getting up to take a shower, much less go to work.

8 Comparable to bad hangover. You can barely stand to watch TV. It's a struggle to make yourself eat a bowl of soup. Panic attacks are common starting here.

9 Similar to food poisoning. Crippling nausea, high anxiety, possible fainting or blackouts.

10 Unsustainable sickness: inability to move, constant vomiting, disorientation and dehydration.

It's hard to go by a scale, everyone reacts differently to their symptoms. I say I'm a 5 or a 6 most of the time, but I don't take pills and don't suffer from nausea as much. I get more anxiety and don't work, but I'm not so bad of most of the time that I'm rocking back and forth curled up in a ball.

I've had two occasions where I peaked at 9. When I started therapy I was living at 7. These days I'm usually about 3.

If we are going by that scale, I am usually a 2, but I do take medicine to reduce the symptoms. Anytime I peak its usually a 6. I cannot do 4. That makes the rest of the day worse. But will usually subside.

I think I hit a 5 last weekend walking into Walmart. Fluorescent lights, all ready a bit off balance and the stimulation was a bit much for the brain. Got lightheaded and had to stop about halfway to where I was going to let it catch up. And of course the nerves kinda got uneasy. But once that settled down, the rest of the day was a bit off..but the trigger was playing my guitar a few days prior and I usually feel the effects as residual. Makes it really difficult to remember the trigger.

most of my life im at a 3.
as July 4 (what i call out of remission) a lil of 5 and 6

I get to 9 when i have the actual vertigo attack in the early mornings hours of 2-4 am.

during period 6 but can get to 9 if i don't relax

Do you all take meds on a regular basis? I only take mine if I can take it anymore. I don't want to get too use to them so they don't work anymore, plus I heard that it can make it worse because you're just masking the problem and not fixing it.

I currently have prescriptions for Antivert, Zofran, and Valium. I keep them on standby and only take them when I have no choice. Before I started therapy, I was taking 25mg of Antivert every two hours when I was at work, just to make it through the day.

That period really affected my body's tolerance for it. When I get super dizzy, I now have to take 50 mg just to notice a difference. It doesn't have the drowsy effect on me like it does to most people.

My PT visit today was productive, but it set me off pretty bad. I had to take Zofran for the first time in a week. I'm taking Antivert maybe twice a week or so. Valium also once or twice a week.

i have some ativan when its to 10. But i dont take anything for it but have tons of meds..

call e crazy but i suffer through it. but i feel that at some point of my life, as im getting older, im going to maybe take something. Im hopeful when menopause hit symptoms will subside.

Candance,
I applaud your efforts!! It is an art to put our feelings into descriptive words. Such a scale would be a wonderful tool to doctors, therapists, family, and friends. It might help family and friends understand just exactly what it is we feel - even if it isn't physically apparent.