August 10, 2007
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It's all a Blur
I woke up Thursday morning at 4 and turned over to look at the digital clock on my dresser. Suddenly the world was spinning -- or I was spinning, I'm not sure which. The display on the clock was flying past me repeatedly, much too fast to bring it into focus. I couldn't bring anything into focus because it was rushing past my field of vision. A wave of nausea washed over me and I started sweating profusely. It was all very frightening and confusing, because I'd never experienced anything like it. I hardly ever get sick.Something was seriously amiss, however, and my husband called an ambulance. It was my first ride in an ambulance and my first time in an ER when I was the one on the gurney. They ruled out heart attack and stroke and a few other things, I'm sure. Some disorder of the inner ear was their best guess -- Meniere's disease, probably. They gave me a pill for the nausea and one for the dizziness, and a tranquilizer, too, and sent me home. Yesterday was just a horrible blur. I couldn't keep even a few bites of lunch down, but by evening I could eat a little and it stayed down. I've been dizzy, but not the world-rushing-by episodes that I had the first few hours. Now I'm just kind of dizzy and in a fog. I hope I never have another event like this one, but from the reading we've done since yesterday, I can probably expect episodes in the future.
Find of the Day: Meniere's Disease
Another Find: A Cool Site to Explore
Comments (23)
Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry! A friend I had years ago had this. She was a reporter for the local paper at the time. She never knew when an attack would hit, and often had to leave work and go home to just lie down, because she would get so sick. I know she went through lots of testing before they came up with Meniere's for a diagnosis. I just saw her for the first time in years, and I should have asked her about it. She is now in her 70's. If I see her again, I will have to ask her if she still has episodes, or if she is better.
What a shock. I am so sorry to hear this.
:sunny:
I am going to pray for you. I do hope that you are an amazing and unusually easy medical case and that you make a miraculous recovery.
Meantime, relax, do what feels comfy, listen to happy music and let those who love you, take care of you.
I did read what you found here... and I think there are a lot of meds available these days to help with the symptoms.
Oh, I am wishing you well again!
Alice,
When I read your first paragraph, I immediate thought Meniere's! I know those symptoms very well because I too have Meniere's disease. Although I had an attack last Monday, it's been more than three years since my last one. All total, I've only had four attacks severe enough to keep me down (and only one attack worthy of a 911 call!) since I found out (the hard way) ten years ago. I find it's very controllable by:
1. Drinking lots and lots of water. Seems to help keep fluid from building up (seems a little counter-intuitive at first) but it works!
2. Chewing gum helps work the ear and keep the fluid moving.
3. Pay attention to foods with heavy preservatives or chemicals. I had my last diet soda on that fateful day 10 years ago. The doctor said the chemicals in it could have reacted with the bacon on my salad, and somehow made me retain fluid... Unfortunately, some red wines seem to do me in. I had a glass of red wine Sunday night and woke up at 5 am Monday to a spinning room. When traveling in Italy, where they don't use heavy preservatives in the red wine, I never experienced any problems. They don't always bother me here, I think the amount of sulphites in wine can vary bottle to bottle.
4. Allergies? It might be helpful if you have routine seasonal allergies to take meds. I was consistent with that for awhile but I don't like the way they make me feel. Since I'm having good success with other methods, I stopped doing that.
In the beginning it scared me (especially after my on-line reading!). What would happen if I had an attack while I was driving? I avoided it as much as possible for nearly a year until I felt confident in my ability to control symptoms. Oddly, it happens more frequently just before rising--4 or 5 am. Sometimes, if I turn my head too quickly, I'll feel a bit dizzy and I immediately head for a glass of water, and a piece of gum. Occasionally, days when I feel low-grade nausea, I'll take a motion sickness pill, and even a diuretic that the doctor prescribed.
My doctors put me through a lot of tests, including an MRI before diagnosing me. Are you going back for more tests? Rest assured, you can manage this disorder...you just have to pay a lot of attention to everything you eat and do until you learn what works for you. :yes:
Debi
:so-sad: Alice, I'm sorry to hear you had a bad turn. I was just thinking about you today. Take care.
:love:
How very frightening all this must be! The comment from Debi above is very helpful. I will say a prayer that there is treatment and that the episodes are few and far between if ever again.
OH MY! Do take care! Sending lots and lots of good vibes that way!
I have that also, I've never had an attack serious enough for the ER, but the first one did send me to my own Dr. who gave me meds for it, and told me what he thought it was. After that first attack, I've never had any that were any more than a passing flipped upside down feeling that passes after a little while. What triggers mine most often is looking upwards if I'm bent over, like to brush a horse's belly, or get in the back of the bottom of the fridge. When I straighten up, things whirl for a while. Bending over without turning my head up is fine, it's that tilt of the head that throws it all off for me. So I avoid that if I can. Hope you're better soon, it's scary that first time!
I hope that was just a fluke. Get well =)
Oh I'm so sorry. I know how terrible that is. It may just have been a "simple" ear infection that caused vertigo. I had an episode of vertigo a little over a year ago, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. It sounds pretty much like what you described, except I didn't even have to open my eyes or move. I had the bed spins in the middle of the night. The next morning I couldn't even get out of bed and I puked all day (like every 5-15 minutes) until I could get in to the doctor that afternoon. It didn't occur to me to call an ambulance although that might have been a good idea. It was seriously the worst thing ever. Childbirth was not even close to being that bad. So anyway, all that to say, I feel your pain and hope with you that it never happens again. I have a friend who is deaf and she said she used to have recurrent episodes of vertigo for years (when she had small children). I don't think I could cope with that very well.
wow so sory hope your felling better soon
What a terrible and scary feeling it must have been. Hope it doesn't happen again.
I had something similar a few years ago, even woke up at the same time, thought I was having a aneurysm or stroke or something - didn't want to wake my husband until six, lay there trembling - lucky for me he's a doctor, when he woke up he said it's an inner ear, "acute labyrinthitis", and the severe sudden onset kind is GOOD, in that it does not commonly recur. I have not had a recurrence. But for about 24 hours I could not move, if I sat up I threw up, crawl to the bathroom, throw up. After about 4 days I was back to normal, only the first 24 hrs were unbearable. For a long time afterwards I was grateful, just to feel normal again. And it was so awful, that first 24 hrs, it scared me a little, what I might have been willing to do, to MAKE IT GO AWAY!!! Hope you never have another attack! But if you do, WE'RE TOUGH - it's amazing what a human being can endure...and having done all, to STAND. (Standing Upright, it's a downright MIRACLE, those three little inner ear SPIRAL that are PERPINDICULAR to each other!!! Kind of "philosophical" too!)
I'm sorry to hear about this. Interesting those that have experienced it or had experiences that were similiar. Praying for wisdom, discernment, insight and understanding. Thanks for sharing.
Yikes! Hope this turns out to be only a temporary problem....
i've been looking at your photos of flowers and i think they are wonderful! =) i am a fan of your photography.
~kimi
hello i was just out surfing and came across your site and whated to let you know its a very plesant :sunny: site to visit hope you get to feeling better
OMG! Well I'm glad that it wasn't heart attack or stroke. I'm sure that it will be just a fleeting problem and not a permanent one. Get strong so we can see her smiling face here once again.
I hope you're feeling better.
Oh I'm so sorry Alice! I had one of those vertigo episodes from medication for an infected ear. It was just ghastly, and I can so sympathesize! I hope it was a one-off, like mine was & not Meniere's, although it sounds like following ItzaRoos advice will keep that at a minimum. I hope you never have another bout of whatever it is!
:so-sad:
Sorry to hear about your troubles. I have heard the disease called "The Swoop Of The Hawk".
I hope you don't have it and that your symptoms disappear soon.
Alice, Sue has that. She was a doc's asst. ,he had her takethe ginger root caps., which she still does to this day to prevent attacks. several years ago she had me get some, and I still have most of them, if you want to try them. It is a frightening and terrible thing to have happen to you. God will see you through this too. try to take it easy. :love::love::love:Mom
Alice,
I'm sorry to hear about your scary experience. I hope that you are feeling a better now. I heard on the news that with the heat we are having, you should have 1 bottle of water each hour if you are going to be outside at all. Keep us posted on how your doing and we'll certianly keep you in our prayers.
Cheryl
Cuz,
And here all this time, I thought Chris was the dizzy one!
Seriously, I hope you won't experience that again. Glad that everything checked out, though. Perhaps you are suffering from a Casa Bonita deficiency! Love you, girl. Remember, we are family, so if you need any help or money or anything, call Steve! 
Tom
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