Abbreviations and Definitions

ABR     Test: Auditory Brainstem Response (a test)
> ACV - Acyclovir antiviral drug
> AIED    Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease
> AVCD    Autoimmune   Vesibulo-Cochlear Disorders - new AIED
> BPPV, BPV, BPPN   Benign Paroxysmal Positional
>                 Vertigo/Nystagmus
> Brain Fog Feeling of blankness and confusion, common w/MM;
>                caused by sensory overload
> Burnout: hearing loss is stable and permanent, tinnitus is constant
and
> vertigo *attacks* cease, only to be replaced with dysequilibrium or
> unsteadiness.
> CI       Cochlear Implant (an aid to hearing)
> CS       Cogan's Syndrome
> CDP      Computerized dynamic posturography, aka Platform Test
> DMZ      Dexamethasone, a steroid used in MM treatment
>
> Drop Attack   An event where one completely loses one's balance and
> feels pushed to the ground, without any warning. Proper name:
> Otolthic Crisis of Tumarkin. *Serious* symptom - see your doc.
> Discrimination: In a standard audiogram, the test for
> discrimination has to do with the person's ability to correctly
repeat
> words presented at a certain volume (loudness) above threshold.
>
> ECoG Test: The ECoG (electrocochleography) is a test that measures
the path
> of a
> sound impulse as it moves through the ear and is interpreted by the
> brain. A "positive" ECoG (i.e., one with elevated sp/ap ratio) is
highly
> suggestive of some sort of hydrops. However, the test is not
absolutely
> diagnostic!
> ESD - Endolymphatic Sac Decompression (shunt surgery)
> ENG Test: Electronystagmogram (encompasses several tests)
> Gent    Gentimicin, an antibiotic used to treat MM and deaden the
>               vestibular nerve (a last step in treatment)
> HA      Hearing Aid: BTE (behind-the-ear), ITE (in-the-ear)
> Hyperacusis/Recruitment - Sensation that some noises are too loud
>                (see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~rmjg101/hyp1.htm)
> IT, TT   (usually used in conjunction w/DMZ or gent) IT
(Intratympanic)
> means inside or within the tympanic membrane or
> the tympanum. It means placement of something within the middle ear
> space. This could be done be inserting something through the ear
drum
> via a needle, catheter or microwick, or it could refer to surgically
> lifting the ear drum out of the way and then placing something into
the
> middle ear. TT (Transtympanic) means across, through or beyond the
> tympanic membrane or the tympanum (tympanum
> is another name for the middle ear space). It can refer to sending
> drugs through the membrane either via a needle, catheter or
microwick,
> or sending drugs across the tympanum to the inner ear via a hole in
the
> ear drum or by surgically lifting the ear drum out of the way and
> placing a drug into the tympanum. (whew!)
> LSD     Low salt diet; lo-so
> MM      Meniere's (Morbus Meniere's; primary/idiopathic
>               endolymphatic hydrops; no known cause; MDG shorthand
only)
> MAV    Migraine Associated Vertigo - like it says
> MRI    Magnetic Resonance Imaging
> MTX    Methotrexate, a drug often used to treat AIED
> PET    Positron Emission Tomography
> PH or plh or hyper ag or that thing that Jim, Diane and Alice
>               Claire have: hyper-platelet aggregability
> PLF    Perilymph Fistula
> RA     Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease
> Remission is an absence of symptoms, although most people always
have at
> least one symptom.
> RVT, SHA, SHAT      Rotary chair tests
> SEH    Secondary Endolymphatic Hydrops (the cause is known)
> SERC   Drug: Betahistine hydrochloride (not available generally
>              in the USA, common MM treatment elsewhere)
> Shunt Device placed in the inner ear to relieve endolymphatic
>              fluid pressure (major surgery)
> T      Tinnitus
> TMJ    TemporoMandibular Joint syndrome; a jaw joint problem
>                  often causing pain in the ear area
> TRT    Tinnitus ReTraining - technique that makes tinnitus less
>               intrusive
> VAT    Vestibular Autorotation Test (i.e. headshake test with
>                   recordings)
> VNS     Vestibular Nerve Section ("the last frontier")
> V&V or VV     Vertigo and Vomiting
> VOR      Vestibular-Ocular Reflex
> VRT      Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy: a form of physical
>                therapy
>
> Dosage Abbreviations: qid means four times a day - in
> a hospital the drug would probably be given at
> 9AM, 1PM, 5PM and 9 PM. There's also tid, three times a day,
> bid, two times a day, od, once a day, and prn, as needed.
> Dx      Diagnosis
> GORK    God Only Really Knows - When a doc has no idea what's
>                       wrong with you
> GK      Preface (in the subject line) to a post that's *very*
>                   technical <g> (strictly optional)
> Hx      (Medical) History
> OT      Preface (in the subject line) to a post that's not really
>                       about MM, etc.
> OTC     Over-the-counter med (i.e., you don't need a prescription)
> Rx      Prescribed medication
> Sx      Symptoms
> Tx      Treatment
>
> <g> or <G> Grin
> $#*!        Swearing
> 24/7    24 hours a day, seven days a week
> f2f     Face-to-face
> BMT     Before my time
> BTW     By the way
> FWIW    For What It's Worth
> IANAD/L/AIDPOOT   I am not a doctor/lawyer and I don't play one
>                       on tv
> HTH     Hope This Helps
> IMO     In my opinion, or IMHO, In My Humble Opinion
> IRL     In real life
> LOL     Lots of Laughter or Laugh Out Loud
> MAO     My Ass Off, used with the ROFL
> OTOH    On the other hand
> ROFL    Rolling on the floor laughing
> SFAIK   So far as I know
> TIA     Thanks in advance
> TTYL    Talk to you later
YMMV    Your Mileage May Vary (i.e., everyone is different)
WAG     Wild-Assed Guess, a/k/a SWAG (Scientific...)
WGARA   Who gives a rat's ass?