Living with Vertigo – A Reminder

Maybe I got a little cocky, saying I’d had no extreme vertigo episodes for almost two years and it had been a year since I’d had a sign of anything. Shortly after I said that to someone who asked how I was doing, I had a “not quite right” week. My body was reminding me that it was still there and I shouldn’t take anything for granted.

It’s been four years since all this began. The first two years were horrible and seemed to last forever. The last two have been wonderful and have flown by. This is the way my retirement was supposed to be. So any sign of it brings back all those terrible memories.

This time

I need to say, nothing I experienced recently was extreme. Mostly, I just felt a little off and fuzzy-headed. I had a few days where I’d bend over and experience a momentary dizzy feeling. It always came and went quickly.

I had the same thing happen a few times at bedtime. I’d lay down and my head would spin for two seconds. That’s it. But I didn’t like it because it was too close to a dreaded episode. That’s when all those terrible experiences come back to haunt me and I don’t like it. It messes with my confidence and frame of mind.

I knew I had a chiropractor appointment in a week and her hours are so quirky I decided it was easier to just wait until my scheduled time. I never know if my visits make any difference but I’m not ready to give them up.

During this time, I also got a new hearing aid. It’s actually a nice one and I can see no connection between it and my issues. It’s rechargeable so I don’t have to mess with batteries anymore and that annoying ding, ding in my ear when they need to be changed.

So, I lived with the little reminders for a week and then saw my chiropractor.

I needed an alignment, which somewhat confirmed there could be something going on. And it took her two tries to get it to stick. I’ve never had that happen before.

That night during dinner, I felt something that lasted longer than a few seconds. I was able to finish my dinner. Tim asked if I wanted to lay in bed but I didn’t feel like I needed that. He’s told me since that he can tell when it’s happening to me. He can see it in my eyes. He told me I looked like the Good Doctor, who never seems to be focusing on anything!!

I just wanted to sit in my recliner and close my eyes. I had already planned to use the heating pad on my neck that evening, which is something I have done after chiro visits in the past, especially after an alignment. So I curled up with it and my afghan.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had this experience after seeing her. I’ve wondered if it’s my body adjusting to the new alignment. It’s a positive, however, that it wasn’t a full-blown episode. And I’m grateful for anything that isn’t debilitating. But I slept enough in my chair for my FitBit to register sleep!!

It took probably a couple of hours and then I felt fine. Maybe kind of groggy but no fuzzy head feeling. And I slept fine that night.

The next day, I still didn’t feel quite right and stayed in all day. I had a brief sensation in the mid-afternoon but again, nothing that required my life to stop. With these things, the biggest impact is mental and not physical. I don’t think it’s feeling sorry for myself. It’s more like no energy or interest. Maybe a little depression? It’s definitely something I can’t control.

I don’t remember exactly which day it was, but possibly by the second day, I felt “normal” again. It’s strange how I’ve become so in tune with these feelings. My mood was better as well as my confidence. And I’ve been fine ever since. Back to not thinking about it constantly or afraid to go out of the house. This is the me I prefer to be!!

But – I do need to pay attention. This is a reminder that every day is precious and I need to appreciate each day when I feel good.

It’s too bad we need reminders, isn’t it?