I’ve had vertigo for a week now. It is most evident when I make a major head movement as when I lie down, turn over in bed, bend over, or get up in the morning. The world as I see it will then start to rotate to the right and my equilibrium will be discombobulated. It is hard to stand up or to walk a straight line. After a while the sensation of a moving environment will stop and though things seem to my eyes to stay put, there is still a vague unsettledness and I don’t feel properly situated in space. I can do my customary things (drive, shop, clean house) but have a feeling that I have to plough (plow) through the feeling that my world is askew. It would definitely be nicer to be back to my usual wobbly self.

My first experience with vertigo was in 1976 when I awoke with nausea and an inability to get out of bed. Fortunately at that time I worked for two neurologists, I was examined for a TIA (transient ischemic attack), sent home, and returned to work in a day or two. There was a similar episode in 1981.   Again, in 1992, a different neurologist diagnosed me as having “acute peripheral neuropathy.” In 2006 the onset of vertigo was so acute it woke me from sleep in early morning, with nausea, and an inability to get out of bed. This time I asked my son to take me to the emergency room (about 3 AM!) After a CAT scan, IV hydration, prescriptions for nausea and vertigo, I was sent home, and in due time returned to normal.

Over the years it has not been unusual to awake with a “touch” of vertigo which vanished during the day. So, you see, vertigo for me is not seen as a big deal. I am currently on Meclizine 12.5 three times a day which makes me very sleepy and doesn’t really make me feel normal.

Vertigo is common among the elderly and is usually called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It is reputedly caused by a shift in position of tiny stones in the inner ear. This, in turn, can be caused by a head injury, inner ear infection, or the aging process itself. It is most dangerous because of the risk of falling. One website tells me vertigo needs further evaluation if accompanied by headache, double vision, weakness, difficulty speaking, abnormal eye movements, altered level of consciousness, difficulty controlling arms or legs.

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It is now a week later and of late I’ve forgotten to take my medication – a good sign because it means I am not much bothered by the vertigo – maybe just a little in the morning. I am intrigued by a couple of websites I came across in my browsing which offer helpful treatments for vertigo. One charges $37 and another $49.89 for the information with money back if requested. It is my impression that these people have good ideas (from reading their promotional pages) and I might actually send them money if desperate. Since I tend to doubt that they have learned anything about vertigo that I can’t find out if I search long enough, they will just have to wait until desperation sets in!