Early Friday morning, I sat up from sleep when the face of my dear little cherub Natalie appeared next to mine. I felt extremely weird-spacey, loopy, dizzy...I tried to stand up and immediately had to sit back down...My thoughts instantly started racing-what the h*ll is wrong with me? Am I having a stroke? a heart attack? have I become diabetic?
I laid back down and thought I better try resting for a few minutes and get back up. When I did, I suddenly felt nauseous and knew that lying down was not the answer. I sat up and called for my hubby to bring me some orange juice. He asked if I was ok and I told him what was happening. He thought I should go to the ER. I decided to drink the juice and see if I felt better first. I finished the juice and decided to give standing a try.
I gripped everything I could put my hands on almost stumbling to the kitchen. I thought maybe I just needed to eat something. I tried to down some muffins and still had a sick feeling in my stomach and just knew I had to go lie down on the couch. So I did-still holding onto stuff as I walked-I started to get the cold sweats too...
Kevin pleaded with me suggesting calling the ambulance or going to the ER. I finally caved and agreed. He drove me over to the hospital and I got checked in ok. The facility was easy to get to and everyone was kind as I was taken back to my room. They checked everything-did blood work, EKG, blood pressure-and came to the conclusion that I was suffering from VERTIGO.
The doctor put me on motion sickness medication to reduce the dizzy feeling. After about 3 hours I was sent home. Then, I felt like all I could do was lay on the couch and be a sloth. I basically did nothing for 3 days-I just felt like I couldn't move. I am feeling better today-but I had to slice about this wondering if there's anyone else who's ever had this experience? It is truly one of the weirdest things I've ever experienced in my life...I felt like my head was spinning-and not just from all of the great ideas and learning I've been doing with my colleagues on #cyberpd or #tlap!
I am glad you are on the mend Amy. My sister has suffered from vertigo so severely at times that all she could do was lay on the bathroom floor between throwing up. YUCK! The good news is she has recovered and has not had any relapses. Sending a prayer for your complete recovery!
ReplyDeleteThanks, glad your sister is ok. I hope it never gets that bad with me...
DeleteYes Amy my husband got this a number of years ago...it is HORRIBLE!!! The medicine they gave him drugged him out so bad it scared me more than the vertigo! Being dizzy like that is the worse feeling in the world to me! Take it easy so no relapses!
ReplyDeleteDid he ever figure out what caused the vertigo?
DeleteYikes! Glad you are on the mend, but how scary! Rest up!
ReplyDeleteThanks Katherine!
DeleteIt's hard to rest up when you're not a sitter...
How terrible for you Amy! My sister experienced a similar thing with vertigo. It's nasty. I hope you are on the mend and never have to go through it again! Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Robin...me too.
DeleteHow awful! I'm glad you conceded to go to ER. It is frightening when you don't understand what is happening with your body. Just keep those ideas swirling in your head. Hope you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elsie,
DeleteI agree that I'm glad I went to the ER it was the right thing-I wouldn't have gotten any better trying to stay home!
Hope that this doesn't hang on like vertigo does!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I guess this is your body's way of saying slow down. I hope you're up and about and back to your old self asap.
I know Stacey,
DeleteI think it is saying to slow down-but I can't...my brain does not stop...I took the day to relax...
Scary! Amy, so glad that you wen to the ER and figured out what was going on. You are the third person in the last month I know to have vertigo. I can't imagine that feeling . . . ugh. So glad you are trying to take it easy and rest up. Not much more you can do than that! Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle,
DeleteWow, 2 others you know had it as well? That is unusual-maybe it's more common than we think...
Yes. For me it turned out to be a mold allergy. :-) The vertigo started when we moved to Delaware and I had been visiting one of my school sites on a really windy day. The next morning when I got up the room literally spun. Didn't go away so I went to a walk in clinic. They suggested Vertigo and told me to try positioning exercises in case there were "crystals" in the inner ear. That didn't work and I had the spin for several weeks. Especially if I looked up at the sky or if lying down. As soon as I moved my head the world would spin. As we got closer to summer it subsided. Moved to Illinois to an apartment by the river and had the same issues. I take over the counter allergy meds and don't have the issue very often. Interestingly Glade and Air Wick plug in deodorizers affect me too.
ReplyDeletePeg,
DeleteNo one suggested positioning exercises...I will look that up! A MOLD allergy? That's interesting-we have had a lot of rain lately and I was out digging in the garden and pulling weeds...thanks for sharing.
Amy, this is such a scary feeling. A friend of mine has been experiencing this for the last few months and was told to do the positioning exercising (which didn't work) and is now going for further tests. I hope that your bout with vertigo is short lived and you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteThanks Judy,
DeleteIt is scary! As I said to an earlier comment, I'll look up the positioning exercises...I'm trying not to take any meds now so I can tell how I feel without them so far nothing like the day it started.
Glad to hear you are on the mend! Healing prayers coming your way!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaana...
DeleteThis has happened to me twice and it's the worst feeling ever. I went to the ER the first time. The second time I took meclizine and lay down, but it still took a while to feel better. Someone told me this can be caused by calcium fragments in the inner ear, literally rocks in your head! Hope it doesn't happen to you again.
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
DeleteRocks in the head? Sorry to hear you went through this too-at least now you know the symptoms...we're you reading a lot and using the computer frequently when yours happened?
So frightening. But, it appears to be more common than I'd thought, jugding from the comments above. The best part is that you know what it is, that it is treatable, and that you will feel better soon. Whew!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tara,
DeleteIt was really scary!
The uncertainty of not knowing what is happening to you is certainly unsettling to say the least. Amy, in this piece you capture that sense of being dazed and confused regarding your health and well-being. In this situation the need for diagnosis is all important. It's essentially the fear of not knowing. You have emerged from this experience at least knowing what your body was doing to you. You wrote this piece with raw reality apparent in the words. Be well...
ReplyDeleteThanks Alan,
DeleteFear of not knowing is exactly it...that alone could drive a person crazy. ;)
Oh my, what a scary experience. Your writing got me really worried. Going to ER was a right move. I hope you don't have to experience anything like this again.
ReplyDeleteThanks Terje!
ReplyDeleteMe too!
I came to comment on your cyberpd post & noticed your title. I'm sorry that you've had this happen & hope you are better, Amy, but even more, hope you discover what it was that caused it.
ReplyDeleteI am better, thanks Linda! I don't know if I need to go any further with it just yet...
Delete