Monday, August 31, 2009

Is the Room Spinning?

So, for about the past month or so, I have been experiencing some dizziness - even more so than usual. The first day I woke up with it I was totally incapacitated for an entire day. Dizzy, nauseous, headache - the works. Being the completely sane and logical thinker that I am - I was sure I had a brain tumor and that I would be laying in a hospital bed somewhere with Izzy Stevens for the next year of my life. So there began my internal struggle with whether or not I was going to go see a doctor. My phobias, as strong as they are, did subside with the fact that I did needed to become a functioning adult sooner rather then later.
So I made my first doctor's appointment with a lady here in town. After several tests, she concluded that I had a virus. Some virus I thought. What kind of virus creeps in your head and makes you dizzy - I must have the swine flu!! (ok - a little hypochondria going on here too...)
Anyway, I was to come back if the problem persisted. Well, needless to say - I was back after 7 days, spinning room and all, only this time I had two falls under my belt to go with the spinning. Now the kind Doctor made me a little more nervous by being "overly concerned". With that she made me an appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. I figured it could not be THAT bad, as I had to still wait two weeks to get an appointment with them and they did not medflight me up to the hospital or anything...
So today I went to the ENT. After a quick exam and explanation of my symptoms the Doctor put me at great ease. He was even giddy! He told me he knew exactly what was wrong and that he would need to put me through a series of movements, but that he was 80% sure he could cure me today. Well butter my bread! I was a happy camper too! He laid me on some strange apparatus of a chair and had me hold my head in a specific way several times and what do ya know - I am cured! It is a miracle I tell you! The man was a genius! Or a witch doctor...humm... When I asked him to explain he giggled (yes, giggled - like a school girl) and said "Hang on, I have props!" I think I made this man's day. Was I the only case he had cured this month? Maybe he gets extra credit for a quick diagnosis? He brought back a little wooden model with six plastic tubes attached to it and showed me how fluid travels through the ear to create balance, then explained how my little tubes had filled with small crystals that were preventing the fluid from traveling. He basically had to play pinball with my head to get the crystals to move out of the tubes. I had Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Apparently this is quite common and once you get it, it is pretty likely you will get it again. Next time, however, I will be armed with the movements that will make it go away!
The gist of all this is that I am cured - no more dizziness, no more falling over, no more getting nauseous in public. YIPPEE!

2 comments:

Mom said...

Now we all can go back to Normal!!!

Rachel said...

Lol, for a minute there I thought you were going to announce that you were pregnant!

Glad you're feeling better! Falling down frequently is better left to babies with fat bottoms and padded diapers, lol!