Sounds to me like AH autodetected the axis in the wrong direction (or you did setting it up, as there's a Z-Rotation (rudder) and Z-Slider (on the throttle by the thumb)) and is just misinterpreting your movements. Look in the Map Controllers section and move specific axis with the controller (only up/down, left/right, or rudder at once). Watch to see which number moves the most. Make sure they're all assigned properly.
I highly doubt it's your problem, but you could try using a wall-powered USB hub. Some people swear they're fine without them, but in my experience the X52 draws too much power to rely on the computer for it. There have been many cases where unstable current has slowly worn away X52s and X45 until they became useless. Also, if it's underpowered, it may not be relaying data quickly enough, causing shakiness in the aircraft's responses.
