TIME presents the Rand McNally Atlas of the Body... that is the name of the book.

And I was correct (for once ... it is the Cerebellum which controls vertigo...

All the information flows into the cerebellum and allows it to continually modify the activity in the main motor pathways so that the body is held balanced in an upright position. Faulty information form these organs results in the feelings of vertigo, when the room appears to spin although the body is quite still.

I was prescribed Meclizine for this problem when I had it. It makes you sleepy and you indeed fall into a deep sleep but when you wake your vertigo is gone.

I studied this book when my MS was active and told my neuro what I felt (he was trained at the MS Clinic in Pittsburgh under their top neurologist) and he said you're no dummy...a second long look and he said no, you aren't stupid.

I feel they are looking at MS all wrong. I too think there's a reason the most they have learned about MS is through AIDS research.

Dear Friend,

I am sorry that you are experiencing a new flare with possible brain stem lesions. My brain stem lesions have given me my biggest issues. Some of my brain stem lesions continued to enhance, with contrast om MRI, for more than one year. It was very unusual and very concerning for my neuros.

My brain stem lesions were located on my pons and my medulla. They have caused several autonomic dysfunctions including increased heart rate, poor temperature regulation, feeling very short of breath with no cause (respiratory centers are located here), and arrhythmias. My biggest problem was difficulty in swallowing that took over a year to improve and the loss of my gag reflex (has not returned).

I hope that your lesions are not in the brain stem and that your neuro can identify the lesion locations for you based on your recent MRI. I know that lesion location does not always correlate to symptoms but my neuros were dead on when my symptoms presented. They knew the MRI was going to show brain stem lesion and they were right. Hope you feel better soon.