Dizziness and Vertigo: Two Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

This may surprise you, but we all have stones in our heads. Actually, “rocks”, tiny crystals of calcium carbonate, are found deep in our ears and help us feel and respond to movement. Sometimes the crystals (called otoconia) loosen and float to other parts of the inner ear. The result is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and it’s terrible.

I know because it happened to me. My BPPV is the result of an accidental blow to the jaw. It wasn’t a huge blow, just enough to turn things around. After an hour I felt dizzy. Eight hours later, he was in bed groaning. My whole world was out of control.

The bed felt like it was spinning and the room also felt like it was spinning. He was so dizzy that he couldn’t take a step, let alone walk. In addition to these symptoms, I had spikes of sweat, followed by spikes of chills. The light was bothering my eyes and I tried to cover them with a blanket, but the blanket made my vertigo worse so I discovered them again. Constant nausea was the worst symptom and I thought I would throw up at any moment.

Mayo Clinic lists the symptoms of BPPV on its website, http://www.MayoClinic.com, and I had most of them: dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, unsteadiness, loss of balance, and nausea. Blurred vision after quick movements was the only symptom he didn’t have. Health experts describe BPPV as a “dizziness and balance disorder,” a “bothersome” and “temporary” condition. These words don’t tell the real story.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is debilitating. I’ve had it multiple times and it knocks me out.

As a health journalist, I decided to learn more about BPPV and looked it up on the internet, using the words “canalith repositioning maneuver”. Over 1,450 references appeared, the most comprehensive being Timothy C. Hain, MD, “Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.” Reading it was like reading my own medical history.

According to Hain, head injury is the most common cause of BPPV in people under the age of 50. This statistic includes children. “About 50% of all dizziness is due to BPPV,” Hain continues. Rolling over in bed and getting out of bed can cause BPPV, Hain says, and it can come back after a visit to the salon or dentist – things that happened to me too.

What can be done with BPPV? If you have a mild case, you can wait and wait for the “ear rocks” to return to their original place or to dissolve naturally. And if you wait for it to pass, Hain recommends using two pillows at night, not sleeping on the “bad” side, getting up slowly, and sitting on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before walking.

Your other options are office treatment, home treatment, and, in severe cases, surgical treatment. Fortunately, my husband is a doctor and he knew what to do. He helped me with the Canalith repositioning procedure, described by John M. Epley, MD in 1992. Only a trained professional should perform this procedure, according to the Vestibular Disorders Association.

As scary as it may sound, the procedure is fairly simple, and Mayo Clinic has posted a slide show about it on its website, http://www.MayoClinic.com. As the Mayo Clinic explains, the goal of the procedure is “to move particles from the fluid-filled simicircular chambers of the inner ear into a small pouch-like structure (utricle) where these particles do not cause problems.”

During the procedure, your doctor closely watches your eyes. The movement of your eyes tells you which ear has the loose crystals.

After the procedure, you need to sit for 48 hours. If you lie down while sleeping, the procedure should be repeated and return to normal in time. Even if you get it right, you may need to repeat the Canalith repositioning procedure. The Vestibular Disorders Association describes the procedure as “very effective, with an approximate 80% cure rate.”

The procedure helps me, but it is not a quick fix and I usually repeat it. At night I sleep on the couch, with pillows behind my back for support and a small pillow on my neck to keep it upright. Your doctor may recommend a neck brace to keep your neck in place.

Trained healthcare professionals can perform other procedures to relieve your BPPV. Again, the Vestibular Disorders Association says that these procedures “should only be performed by a professional trained in the maneuvers and to protect against possible neck or back injury …”

Have you had sudden dizziness or vertigo? Don’t ignore these symptoms and get a checkup now. Your doctor will perform and / or order tests to rule out retinal detachment, esophageal reflex, brain tumor, and other diseases. Be on the lookout for symptoms of BPPV if your child receives a blow to the head.

Having BPPV has made me appreciate the things I used to take for granted, like keeping my balance and walking straight. I am amazed by the spiral design of the ear and its “ear rocks”. Yes, I have stones on my head and I’m glad!

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson

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