where Joey was diagnosed with epilepsy and pre- scribed antiseizure drugs and antidepressants. But nothing worked. Debbie Zarello recalls the doctor's recommendation. "She wanted to put him on pretty serious drugs. Some were old psychiatric medications with a ton of side effects," she says. "We just didn't want to go that route." After spending a year to no avail with specialists at another hospital, they found Amor Mehta, MD, an Ocean County neurologist. Under Dr. Mehta's care, Joey's seizures stopped, but the migraines and vertigo didn't. Dr. Mehta couldn't get Joey out of his mind. He was determined to find an answer. A luncheon that he almost didn't attend led him to one. cular canal dehiscence--also called third window syndrome, so named because of an abnormal open- underneath the brain, that creates a third window in the inner ear. On his way home from the lecture, Dr. Mehta called Debbie Zarello, told her what he had learned, and gave her Dr. Wackym's contact information, advising her to consult with him immediately. That was when the Zarellos finally learned what was ailing Joey. to the inner ear, which is filled with fluid. Normally, causes an asymmetric stimulation of gravity receptors between the two inner ears," Dr. Wackym says. "Patients talk about how loud sounds make them dizzy and sometimes even feel like the floor is falling out from under them. They can hear internal sounds, such as their voice resonating. Some can even hear their eyes and joints moving." spatial orientation. "Frequently, patients feel detached, feel like the walls are breathing and floors are moving, as if they're walking on a trampoline or deck of a boat; they can even have out-of-body experiences," Dr. Wackym says. these patients to be misdiagnosed with psychiatric problems. Some have seen as many as 40 doctors before finally getting to Dr. Wackym. event such as a car accident or sports injury, forms the third window. In some cases, the bone wears away over time. There may be a genetic component to the probability of developing third window, since Dr. Wackym has encountered five mother- |