the group, dead or alive, a british new wave band from the eighties, wrote and performed the lyrics to the song in the title of this post. i thought it appropriate for my story tonight. and? it's all i had.
nothing like your world spinning out of control, (literally) to make you appreciate the little things in life. little things like, breathing, walking, smiling, talking. you know, the usual. my fourth of july holiday was grand! the days that followed, however, have not been so great. i spent friday (my day off) laid up in bed, not being able to stand because of severe dizziness. luckily, the malaise only lasted a few hours. yay! my day was not a total bust after all! so i went on with my original plans. running errands and attending a swimming party in the evening. well, saturday morning i woke up to nausea extreme dizziness again. the dizziness was unbearable. nothing i did would make it stop or at least, let up. on the contrary, it only seemed to get worse. so after spending most of the day in bed, i finally called my sister to drive me to the er. three hours, a ct scan, an ekg, 3 vials of blood and $100 co-pay later, i was told that i am suffer from benign positional vertigo (bpv). which basically means that there is a disturbance within the inner ear. the inner ear has fluid-filled tubes called semicircular canals. the canals are very sensitive to movement of the fluid, which occurs when we change positions. the fluid movement allows our brain to interpret our body's position and maintain our balance. it usually occurs when a small piece of bone-like calcium breaks free and floats within the tube of the inner ear, sending confusing messages to our brain. thus making it think we are moving, when in actuality, we are standing still.
scary stuff, kids. scary stuff. yeah i'm a total girl when it comes to this. i hate, hate, hate to spin! i do not like that sensation and is the primary reason why i never got on the "cool" rides at the now defunct, astroworld, or why i never wanted to drink alcohol. well, i still don't ride the rides, but i do indulge in adult beverages now. all in moderation of course.
ugh. so this was my weekend. not a total bust, but not the epic one that i had been planning. oh well, there's always next weekend to look forward to, right?
10 comments:
Is BPV similar to motion sickness? Is there any kind of treatment for it, or will it pass on its own? Sorry you had a rough weekend. Hope you feel better soon!
Insomiac- Yes, it's very much like motion sickness. In fact, the pills that they gave me to help control the "spinning", are actually for motion sickness. If it gets worse and is not alleviated with the medication, then I'll have to go see an ENT, for further treatment. It just sucks. It's scary and alarming. Thankfully, the naseau has subsided. -Hope all is well with you! Thanks for the well wishes! :)
This vertigo stuff doesn't sound fun at all, but for a moment you had me going and I thought you were pregnant, you know, dizziness, nausea etc. Don't be mad, ok? Hope it gets better without further treatment, but who knows, if you keep going to the hospital you might meet some nice doctor...:)
Any form of vertigo is the worst! It's amazing how one little 'disturbance' can cause so much trouble.
I got MDDS- Mal De Debarkment Syndrome from being on a cruise ship for 4 days and it lasted 8 months! Actually still have some slight symptoms left over after several years.
Look up some physical therapy type exercises and take a lot of ginkgo biloba. Those things helped me a ton!!!
Best of luck. I wouldn't wish this stuff on anyone.
Sounds like you need to see an ENT doctor to know for sure what is going on in your inner ear. I was having vertigo problems and had to have an ENG test. Turns out my problem was that I had lost 70% of my Inner Ear Function in both ears (has nothing to do with your hearing), but everything to do with your body's ability to determine where you are in space. Hence the dizziness. I was taking vestibular therapy for several months but it has been put on hold because we were treading water due to my migraines. If you were diagnosed with something like that, you would likely get better much more quickly:-)
Alessandra- Bahahahaha! Now THAT would be a miracle for sure! (the pregnant part) And actually, I'm soooo having illicit thoughts about my primary care physician! It's naughty and downright hilarious, at the same time! :)
YRJ- Thanks for the suggestions, I will try them out! I'll try anything to get rid of this crap! -Sorry your cruise was hampered by your malaise.
Robin- Thank you so much for your suggestions! I am going to let this week pass and if things are not better, I'm making an appt with an ENT. -This dizziness crap is so dibilitating and just bothersome...
Yvonne, I empathize with you. I've had vertigo problems for years. I hope your problem responds to treatment and is soon resolved.
I had to laugh when I read your comment, saying, "I'm soooo having illicit thoughts about my primary care physician! It's naughty and downright hilarious, at the same time! :)"
Go for him, girl, you never know what might happen unless you do it.
I hope you're feeling back to normal, Yvonne. Take it easy on yourself. Sending hugs and healing thoughts.
xoRobyn
Don- thanks
Robyn- I'm feeling a little better, thanks. Still spinning though, but not as often or as intense. Let's hope it stays that way!
Wow, I have felt that way too, and hate it...
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