I was going to write today about some of the lovely live music I’ve heard in Toronto in the past couple of weeks, but instead the day has become another quiet time-out. I woke up at 8:30 AM with vertigo, which I’ve never before experienced even though I get mild dizziness or motion sickness on a fairly regular basis. This was something quite different. The world didn’t feel as still as usual, and when I tried to still myself, I felt a strong push to my right, as if gravity’s force went sideways instead of straight down. I got back in bed, but sleepy as I was, closing my eyes made things worse. I lay there for a few minutes, breathing deeply against the nausea, but finally I just got up. I moved to the living room sofa and huddled there for a while, looking up “vertigo” online until the backlit iPad text made my head swim too much to continue.*
A couple of hours later Erik and I were in a taxi, eastbound along a short stretch of Bloor where we normally walk in the evening for ice cream or cash or postage stamps. We stopped on Spadina and took an elevator upstairs to a fourth-floor walk-in clinic where the receptionists were nice and the upholstered chairs greenly dingy. By the time a doctor saw me, almost an hour later, in an exam room decorated with faded charts and out-of-date brochures, the nausea had receded and I felt merely dizzy rather than acutely disoriented. Diagnosis: vertigo, she said, and unless it continued for longer than a week, there wasn’t much I could do except take Gravol. Yes, she confirmed: it feels awful.
So, instead of the writing and drawing dates, shopping, and arts festival-going I was hoping to do today, I am taking Gravol, drinking lots of water, and lying around on the couch trying to stay off the computer. The pills are helping, but I still feel weird… now that I think of it, this feels a lot like jet lag, where I’m mostly fine but the relationship between the vertical and the horizontal seems a little closer than usual. I hope I’ll be all better tomorrow.
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*Strangely enough, it didn’t occur to me — and the doctor didn’t ask, either — whether this could be a different kind of morning sickness. Well, maybe it’s occurred to you, in which case I say: it’s not likely. Taking various factors into consideration… it’s not likely. Seems kind of weird she didn’t ask, though, huh?
satsumabug.com | Lisa Hsia 
oh oh oh!!! but there is something you can do! i woke up with vertigo a couple summers ago (i blame genetics since my dad gets it… even if that’s not a valid conclusion :P) and my mom told me about these funny exercises you can do where you lay down semi-propped on a pillow and kind of with your head hanging back and then you do this like… moving of your head through certain positions, holding them for counts at a time, and it supposedly helps realign stuff in the inner ear or some such? anyway, dunno if it was all just psychological but it seemed to help for me. which i preferred to taking meds (which is what my dad does) cuz i feel that just masks the symptom instead of fixing the underlying cause. i just looked it up and i think it’s called the “epley maneuver.” maybe have erik check it out online if you’re feeling too woozy to yourself!
Interesting! I have a friend who suffers from vertigo occasionally. I’ll have to share this with her.
It seems like it often recurs… I’ve been a little nervous every time I’ve had a headache or mild dizziness since then, holding my breath thinking, “Okay, this isn’t vertigo… right?”
Thanks, Tamgerines!! Erik found it online — might try it if it ever happens again. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. 😐
Extremely weird that she wouldn’t ask. I’ve had extreme dizziness myself, but nothing like what you described here. I’m so sorry it happened when you had so many wonderful, self care activities planned. I hope it subsides soon so you can get back to them sooner rather than later.
Thank you, lovely Ré! Fingers crossed, so far I haven’t had another episode. It was scary — made me feel extremely vulnerable and dependent — and I’d hate for it to happen again while we’re traveling. 😐
I get vertigo from time to time also, the last time just a few weeks ago. It came on gradually after I got out of bed one morning. My experience with vertigo is that if I take a dramamine it will be gone in about an hour. I still feel a little strange for the rest of the day, but I think it is the dramamine making me sleepy/relaxed. This started happening when I was in my thirties. It’s not fun, but I no longer let it concern me. I wonder why the fluid in the ears starts spinning when we are in bed. Interesting. Anyway, tomorrow you should feel wonderful, and go about your business of having fun!
Sherry, it is really reassuring to hear about your experiences with vertigo (although I’m sorry you get it)!! I did feel strange the rest of the day, but you’re probably right, it must have been the Gravol (which I think is the same thing as Dramamine). I’ve been carrying it on me since then. Hope I won’t need to use it!
I hope you feel better soon. Also, remember, you went through a personal trauma and loss and sometimes it manifests as physical symptoms. Many hugs sent from San Jose!!
Love, Heather
Thank you so much for the love and good wishes, Heather! 🙂 I had that same thought, that rough emotions often lead to illness. I definitely know I’m not “over” Gong-Gong’s passing because I’ve been dreaming about him (and the rest of my family) pretty regularly for the past couple of weeks. Lots of love to you too!
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Woah. This is worrisome. I hope you feel better.
Only two things:
1. Are you pregnant? Did I miss this news?
and 2. Does it have something to do with your inner ear?
xooxa
Thank you, Anna — so far so good *knock on wood*. Yep, it’s inner ear related, and if I’m pregnant it’s news to me too. ;b I must say, travel makes my cycles all crazy, but if I were to be pregnant it would have to be one of these planets-aligning, multiple-statistical-anomalies-happening-at-once kind of things!
[…] And that’s partly why I write so openly about my days of self-doubt and loneliness and vertigo, because I want to remind that future self (who will probably find the realities of settled life […]