Ms. Dizzy

Remember when I recently wrote about feeling like I was having a heart attack? The good news is that I don’t have a heart problem.

The bad news: something still ain’t right.
Specifically, I’ve been dizzy off and on ever since then. Let me preface this with an update on the cold I had awhile back. After coughing violently for about two months, I finally decided to see my doctor, who diagnosed a viral infection and prescribed antibiotics. Note to self: don’t wait so long next time!
At that same appointment, I mentioned bouts of dizziness. I tried to describe them. “You know, like you’re on a roller coaster, you go flying down a big hill and there’s a feeling of weightlessness in your stomach and your legs aren’t connected to you anymore.” Great fun if you’re at Six Flags; trying to vacuum – not so much!
Anyway, the doc called it “atypical vertigo.” She said there are dozens of reasons a person might get dizzy, but the infection was probably to blame. “Let’s worry about the vertigo when we get the infection under control,” she advised.
Do you ever go to the doctor feeling like a whiney hypochondriac? I sure did when the sneezes subsided and the dizziness was still going strong. But doggone it, I just wanted to get to the bottom of that “bottomless” feeling!
Blow It Out Your Ear
Here’s what the good doctor surmised: the viral infection had caused my inner ears to get out of whack, and that’s a common cause of vertigo. Perhaps the virus had inflamed the delicate membranes that hold the tiny magic balancing crystals normally floating freely within the “walk down the hall without falling” fluid.
Perhaps the volume on my iPod earphones had been too loud (The Beatles will do that). Maybe I just blew my nose too hard at some point. Whatever – my balance was off, and most likely it was because my ears were not communicating properly with my brain. I had apparently insulted my ears somehow, and they were sulking, refusing to function correctly just for spite.
So my doctor sent me to a physical therapist to find out if he could knock those little ear crystals out of their funk and back into earning their keep.
It didn’t work. Well, not so far. The P.T. guy said that my vision may also be affected. Great – my eyes and ears are now in cahoots! He said my dizziness might take a while to right itself, so to speak. He gave me some head-positioning exercises to do and said not to move around too suddenly. I guess I should hold off on joining that karate class.
I still sometimes feel like I’m on some hellish Tilt-A-Whirl. I’ve been called “dizzy” before, but not in a literal sense! Here’s hoping that my body’s natural healing powers will prevail, and that I won’t be “Ms. Dizzy” for much longer!

Playlist:
1. Dizzy - Tommy Roe
2. I've Got a Funny Feeling - George Strait
3. Spinning Wheel - Blood Sweat and Tears
4. Helter Skelter - The Beatles
5. Vertigo - The Libertines
6. Will It Go Round In Circles - Billy Preston
7. You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
8. Dizzy Miss Lizzy - Larry Williams
9. Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
10. Dipsy Doodle - Ella Fitzgerald