Eight months ago, I was in the bathroom when I felt nauseous and my surroundings started spinning around me. One moment I was looking at my towel as I reached for it from the rack, the next moment it was ---- wall—ceiling— ceiling— wall--- floor, floor, floor!. My husband thought it was funny finding me kneeling on the floor of our bathroom and he teased me about it for a while. I decided to ignore the incident because at that time, my husband was vacationing from his work abroad and we were busy entertaining at home or going out, that I related my dizziness with fatigue and lack of sleep. My dizzy spells became more frequent and it was worse when I lie down to sleep ay night and upon waking up in the morning. I would feel dizzy turning from one side of the bed to the other and just about any sudden movement would trigger lightheadedness. I see images spinning even when I close my eyes to block them out of my vision. I’ve also given up my habit of bending over to towel my hair dry after taking a bath because it I know it will lead to me kissing my bathroom floor again. Standing on one foot has also become difficult (and funny, at least to my sister). I was telling my sister a story while she washed clothes when out of habit I tucked my right foot behind my other leg. All along I thought I was standing upright, but from where my sister was sitting I was slowly dropping to one side. I heard her “Oy, oy, oy!” and then a lot of laughter.
After a couple more “spinning” incidents, I was afraid I had anemia or something worse, so I decided to consult a doctor. The doctor introduced me to something called an acute case of “Vertigo”. Prior to this doctor’s appointment, my only encounter with the word Vertigo was finding it written on the CD case of a U2 album and singing along to the lyrics of its title track . There is also a Santana/ Bo Bice song that I know, that goes “she knows a way a spiritual flow of making me dizzy like a Vertigo, her cinnamon kisses melt my soul like fire”. Wow, what a nice name for something so unpleasant!
The doctor agreed that it could be due to lack of enough sleep. Also, he asked about any change in my weight and I had to (painfully) explain to him that I gained five kilos from pregnancy which I have not shed off just yet. He asked me to lose a few pounds (hmmpft) because he explained that my body must be having difficulty adjusting to my new weight and therefore it affects my balance (hmmmpft). He further advised that I should exercise more often (hmmmmmmmpft!). (Guess what, Doc, its dizziness not laziness). Anyway, he gave me some medication to take for seven days and advised that I monitor my blood pressure. After a week I felt better.
After a couple more “spinning” incidents, I was afraid I had anemia or something worse, so I decided to consult a doctor. The doctor introduced me to something called an acute case of “Vertigo”. Prior to this doctor’s appointment, my only encounter with the word Vertigo was finding it written on the CD case of a U2 album and singing along to the lyrics of its title track . There is also a Santana/ Bo Bice song that I know, that goes “she knows a way a spiritual flow of making me dizzy like a Vertigo, her cinnamon kisses melt my soul like fire”. Wow, what a nice name for something so unpleasant!
The doctor agreed that it could be due to lack of enough sleep. Also, he asked about any change in my weight and I had to (painfully) explain to him that I gained five kilos from pregnancy which I have not shed off just yet. He asked me to lose a few pounds (hmmpft) because he explained that my body must be having difficulty adjusting to my new weight and therefore it affects my balance (hmmmpft). He further advised that I should exercise more often (hmmmmmmmpft!). (Guess what, Doc, its dizziness not laziness). Anyway, he gave me some medication to take for seven days and advised that I monitor my blood pressure. After a week I felt better.
I “googled” Vertigo to learn more about it. The experts of Google Search tell me that it is a sensation of spinning (check) or swaying (check) while the body is stationary with respect to the surrounding (check again). A specific type of dizziness, Vertigo is a major symptom of a balance disorder. The word “Vertigo” comes from Latin words, “vertere” to turn and the suffix “-igo” means condition. So it is a condition of turning about. Two types of Vertigo are known in the medical world. “Subjective Vertigo” is when a person feels a false sensation of movement while “Objective Vertigo” is when the surroundings appear to move past a person’s field of vision. Hmm…. I think I had both. Aside from nausea and vomiting, severe effects of Vertigo can result to difficulty in standing and walking.
Further research, (ok, googling) led me the causes of this condition. I learned that it is usually associated with a problem in the inner ear balance mechanisms or the (deep breath) vestibular system, in the brain or with the nerve connecting the two organs. “The vestibular system is responsible for integrating sensory stimuli and movement, and for keeping objects in visual focus as the body moves”. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV (I swear to God, these words are making me nauseous) is the most common cause of Vertigo. Besides being a condition itself, Vertigo can be a symptom of other conditions like an inner ear infection or even more serious ailments like tumors, strokes, central nervous system disorder , kidney disease, thyroid disorders, etc. (Whoa.). Doctors can do additional tests to determine the cause of a Vertigo symptom, so it is always best to consult first.
I mentioned my condition to my sister Dada, and I was surprised to learn she also had the same acute case a few years back. Not only that, she mentioned that our elder sister Anne also has Vertigo! So maybe it runs in the family?!
I was not surprised to learn about our eldest sister’s condition, though. She is a couple years older than me and as far as I can remember, she’s always had motion sickness and we tease her of being a “biyahilo”. That is why, when riding a vehicle, she always has to choose where to sit. In a car, for example, she has to sit at the middle part of the back seat. Sitting elsewhere makes her feel like the roads are closing in on her, especially when the car goes though tunnels or narrow roads like toll gate queues. She also carries around Bonamine (antiemetic, Meclizine HCl) just in case. My other sister, Dada, tells me that Vertigo is caused by too much cleaning of the inner ear. At least that’s what her doctor told her, probably linking to ear infections. (And here I thought cleanliness was next to Godliness). Me? Apart from less sleep and more body fat, I partly blame my husband’s crazy driving for my condition. Kidding.
Lately, I don’t experience Vertigo symptoms anymore but I try to get as much sleep as possible. I am also trying (very hard) to follow my doctor’s advice of losing weight. Hopefully my Vertigo days are over.
I mentioned my condition to my sister Dada, and I was surprised to learn she also had the same acute case a few years back. Not only that, she mentioned that our elder sister Anne also has Vertigo! So maybe it runs in the family?!
I was not surprised to learn about our eldest sister’s condition, though. She is a couple years older than me and as far as I can remember, she’s always had motion sickness and we tease her of being a “biyahilo”. That is why, when riding a vehicle, she always has to choose where to sit. In a car, for example, she has to sit at the middle part of the back seat. Sitting elsewhere makes her feel like the roads are closing in on her, especially when the car goes though tunnels or narrow roads like toll gate queues. She also carries around Bonamine (antiemetic, Meclizine HCl) just in case. My other sister, Dada, tells me that Vertigo is caused by too much cleaning of the inner ear. At least that’s what her doctor told her, probably linking to ear infections. (And here I thought cleanliness was next to Godliness). Me? Apart from less sleep and more body fat, I partly blame my husband’s crazy driving for my condition. Kidding.
Lately, I don’t experience Vertigo symptoms anymore but I try to get as much sleep as possible. I am also trying (very hard) to follow my doctor’s advice of losing weight. Hopefully my Vertigo days are over.
Out of this experience, my husband was inspired to come up with a superhero character he called “Vertigong Astig” – the hilo hero. Let me introduce you to our her
o (Hey, this picture is Naruto not Vertigong Astig!). This superhero is cocky or astig because he prances around with his tight and straight neck and with head held high. Of course this is only because he refrains himself from abrupt head movements or risk fainting. Our superhero is muscular, strong, has the ability to fly, and can hear sounds from miles away. His Vertigo is both a blessing and a curse. Thanks to his Vertigo, his sense of hearing is enhanced. He cannot however, have this treated because this is where his powers comes form. He uses his powers to save people and make the world a safer place.
o (Hey, this picture is Naruto not Vertigong Astig!). This superhero is cocky or astig because he prances around with his tight and straight neck and with head held high. Of course this is only because he refrains himself from abrupt head movements or risk fainting. Our superhero is muscular, strong, has the ability to fly, and can hear sounds from miles away. His Vertigo is both a blessing and a curse. Thanks to his Vertigo, his sense of hearing is enhanced. He cannot however, have this treated because this is where his powers comes form. He uses his powers to save people and make the world a safer place. When he is not saving the world, he is simply called Iggy, a grocery ‘diser (a product merchandiser, 'diser as they are called in supermarkets and groceries). His work as a ‘diser is a big challenge because it forces him to climb ladders to replenish grocery items on display, and requires him to walk inside confined stock rooms---- both tasks make him dizzy. His greatest challenge however is transforming from being normal Iggy to amazing Vertigong Astig. The only way he can transform to his superhero form is by doing three jumps, three cartwheels, and three spins. He becomes dizzy and faints. When he’s recovered, he becomes this totally new person in red suit with gold spiral design in front. He escapes into a whole new world where he has all these powers as Vertigong Astig. Of course we really don’t know if he actually regains consciousness or if he is just dreaming about being a superhero while he sleeps on the ground after fainting. In his other world, he saves damsels in distress, absorbs bullets, stops airplanes, and walks on water. But because he has Vertigo, flying can result to free falling from the sky on certain days when looking down while on flight is inevitable. His weakness?... Well, if Superman has kryptonite, the only thing that nullifies his powers is …. a cotton bud!
It’s time to save the world!
“Ver..ti..gong…. Assss…tiiiig!”
(U2 on the background: Uno.. dos.. tres… catorce! Hello hello … I’m at a place called Vertigo…..)
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_(medical)
http://www.neurologychannel.com/Vertigo/index.shtml
It’s time to save the world!
“Ver..ti..gong…. Assss…tiiiig!”
(U2 on the background: Uno.. dos.. tres… catorce! Hello hello … I’m at a place called Vertigo…..)
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_(medical)
http://www.neurologychannel.com/Vertigo/index.shtml
naruto image c/o : neo.t.free.fr/wall/manga/naruto/naruto_10.jpg
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