I have now been off Nortriptyline for 6 1/2 months and all is good except for occasional fullness in my right ear. I continue to not have any alcohol or foods with chemicals and only eat small amounts of avocado, citrus, cheese and chocolate. I not only do not drink regular coffee but I have finally figured out (accepted) that even brewed decaf will excite the nerves in my head. I do tolerate Mount Hagen Instant Decaffeinated Coffee and Rooibus Tea, all of which I order on Amazon. (See my Food List)
So far, I have noticed that small amounts of rotated "problem" food triggers are tolerated. I have 6-8 chocolate chips a day. I have a half of an orange once or twice a week. I eat 1 or 2 eggs a week. A little "Natural Flavor" in a food item does not seem to cause a problem. I eat 1/2 ounce of cheese every other day. A quarter cup of Greek yogurt does not bother me although too much dairy causes allergy symptoms and makes ear fullness worse. I take Nasonex or Allegra for this issue, probably once a week. I can tolerate some wine added to Marinara sauce and I am okay with a little wine vinegar added to salad dressings. Two chips with 1 tablespoon of guacamole is fine. Please note, however, I do a lot of cooking at home and use fresh ingredients. I make my own salad dressings, chicken broth (and freeze it), red sauces and cookies. I do not use packaged mixes for rice, pasta or soups. We rarely eat out in restaurants. I am so happy that 1/2 ounce of chocolate does not have enough caffeine to bother me. But, too much sugar at one sitting will definitely aggravate my symptoms. A half cup of Carrot Juice (Organic from Costco) gives me a little extra energy but some days I am just plain tired. I put my head down for 15-20 minutes for a cat nap and that helps.
For the last 9 months I have been preparing for my younger son's wedding. Of course it has been stressful and fatiguing but so far I have not had any vertigo. The wedding weekend included three late nights of activities and lots of work on my part. The temperature hit 98 degrees. I rested when I could, stayed away from caffeine and "too much" of other people's food and, so far, no negative reactions other than fatigue.
I go for my 50 minute walks, alone, at 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon and wear a sombrero hat. I have begun riding the recumbent bike at the gym for 40 minutes where there is a fan. July has always been a bad month for me, as the heat increases. My hot flashes return and that is when I end-up in the ER. I hope being totally off brewed decaf and coffee will help. I may have to reduce my exercise program if the heat exacerbates the problem. We'll see!!
Good news. I found a new product at the market to help keep us cool. Healthy Choice came out with 2 new Popsicles with only 5-7 ingredients in each and I tolerated them well. One is" Mango Peach" and the other is "Fudge Bar". No preservatives. Life is good.
The wedding was wonderful, my vertigo is currently at bay and I have new "okay" popsicles to cool me off. I hope the heat of August and September do not trigger my decline. My regular doctor gave me a few Valium to take, just in case. That is what the ER gives me when I end up there. I will let you know what the summer heat brings.
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