A weekend with Whit, and vertigo

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Whit turned ten in January, but we finally celebrated his birthday with a party (ish) on Saturday.  His best friend slept over on Friday night and we went indoor skydiving and surfing on Saturday at Sky Venture in Nashua, New Hampshire.  The boys had a blast.  The photos and video I have of Whit’s face in the skydiving chamber are priceless.

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After skydiving they went surfing.  This was really fun too.  I thought about the surfing camp I went to, in 2000, right before graduating from business school.  I found surfing really difficult.  Nevertheless, they were undaunted and unafraid.

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On Sunday, Whit’s baseball team had their first scrimmage.  For the first time in his life, he pitched.  I watched him on the mound and tears pricked at my eyes.  He has a long way to go but I’m proud of him for standing there alone, for trying, for opening himself up to failure like that.  It’s a lot of pressure, pitching.  I have a new respect for everyone who has taken the mound, whether in the World Series playoffs or on a Little League field.

Monday morning I woke up out of breath, the room spinning around me.  This has never happened to me before.  I had felt a bit off for days, truth be told: vaguely dizzy and just plain strange.  The best way I can describe how I felt last week is as though I was floating above myself, but not entirely inside my own body.  Monday I knew why.  I couldn’t stand up without falling over and the room kept spinning.  Thankfully Matt was able to stay home with me Monday and took me to the doctor who did some basic neuro tests and confirmed that this seems to be a garden variety episode of vertigo.

I’m writing on Tuesday morning and I still feel terrible.  Perhaps slightly improved over yesterday (I am sitting at my desk, but my head is hurting and spinning at the same time) but definitely not okay.  I still don’t want to drive.  I really just want to lie down.  There’s a limit to how long I can put my day job on hold.  I’m trying to accept the very loud message from the universe that I don’t control it – or anything.  This is both unpleasant and scary though, if I’m honest.

I keep thinking about Whit leaning forward into a tunnel of air or stepping onto a surfboard or the pitching mound.  I need some of his courage now.

Note: I was not compensated by Sky Venture for this post in any way.  This is just my personal experience.

22 thoughts on “A weekend with Whit, and vertigo”

  1. I hope by this morning, things are improving. The time that I had it was truly terrifying. I do hope you are feeling some relief. And yes- the loss of control is all wrapped up in the terrible-ness!

  2. So sorry to hear about the vertigo! I believe there are several possible causes of it, but I wanted to share that I had started getting some in my late 30s that turned out to be a variant of migraines (called vertiginous migraine – no headache involved). FYI in case you end up having more episodes since it’s worth checking. For me, I ended up getting them under control by doing some of the usual migraine-prevention things until I found what worked for me. The doctors said they were likely triggered by changing hormones (nice). Hope you only have the one, though!

  3. Sarah,
    You’re the second person to mention this to me this morning. I need to check it out. A very basic neuro exam by nurse practitioner on Monday seemed to suggest it was likely something in my inner ears due to fluid/allergies/a virus rather than something scary (which of course my brain went right to). I think I shoudl prob see a neuro after this episode passes to understand. Right now I can’t even stand up so the idea of going back to doctor is daunting! (I was told these get way more common in women in their 40s … ahh, the glamour of it all). xo

  4. First, I know I’m not exactly local or even that personally close to you and I’m sure you have people helping you, but if you need anything in the next day or so, I’m around. Second, I echo what Sarah says above, though my neuro calls them vestibular migraines. I get them and they are extremely frightening. The first time I had one (last year…a few months after turning 40 no less) I called E crying at work, thinking I was having a stroke. I needed him to come home to pick up M since I was holding on to the walls just to walk. Anyway, I had an MRI (due to my history with headache migraines) and fortunately it was clear, but it brought a huge amount of peace of mind so I encourage you to explore further discussion with your docs if it happens again and isn’t just a virus like I hope it is. (If you want a referral for a doc at MEEI, I’m happy to recommend mine.) I feel for you friend, I really do. xo

  5. Thank you … right now I’m still just hoping it’s a virus or something to do with fluid in inner ears, but who knows, day 3 and definitely not feeling better. May ask for your doctor’s name xoxo

  6. Lindsey,

    I am so sorry that you are feeling this way. I too, battle vertigo, and have done so for the past 3 years. It is debilitating and disconcerting. After some convincing by my husband and ENT, I eventually got an MRI and it turned out to be clear. They never really pointed to a cause for my vertigo, but through trial and error I’ve learned that alcohol, late nights, a bad allergy season or stress can trigger it. I hope your vertigo resolves soon – sending love and light. xo

  7. I’m so sorry you are going through this. I had a spell when my youngest was around 2, and then another spell this spring (8 years apart). It’s terrible, debilitating. I’m glad you got through the weekend with Whit first! Mine eventually went away after a couple weeks. The last one I had him flush my ears and that could have helped. Just an idea.

  8. Sounds like an amazing birthday. Indoor skydiving. I had no idea. And I am going to go asap.

    Now, I usually stay away from giving other people medical “advice” but I had vertigo and it turned out that the little otoliths in my inner ear were out of place. An ENT doctor had to knock them back where they belong. And, yes, I realize how strange that sounds but it’s true. It’s called the Epley maneuver. Your doctor is going to just love you walking into your appt. giving him/her all this advice. They love that.

    Good luck. Feel better. <3

  9. Ugh. So sorry. I felt dizzy just reading this. I’ve been feeling that somewhat dizzy, kind of off feeling off and on lately and I’ve wondered if vertigo might be in my future. Hoping it’s just a virus for you. On the plus side, I’m sure you got major cool points with Whit last weekend.
    xo

  10. Did the doctors checked you for Meniere’s
    Disease ? You can read about it on the Internet.
    Not all doctors are good at dealing with
    Meniere’s, but do be sure they rule that out.

  11. Not sure if u got to a chiro or not. I had vertigo in November..it was awful I thought i was dying. I went to ER. On a whim I asked the chiro if he treated vertigo. He did what is called the supine roll test(I think that is what it is called. It identifies if the trigger is “crystals” that can become dislodged and cause vertigo….actually called benign paroxysmal vertigo. As soon as he rolled me back it induced the vertigo. He then did the epley maneuver which moves your head in a sequence of positions to get the crystals to migrate out of cochlea.

  12. I’ve had tinnitus (ringing in the ears) for four months and it triggered vertigo and both of those things suck. I did see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor and they have a treatment for vertigo (involving a tilting chair) that does alleviate it some, in most cases. You’ll feel pretty sick for a day or so after but you feel lousy with vertigo anyways, so it’s worth a look. I’m sorry!

  13. So sorry you are feeling yucky, Lindsey. I have Meniere’s disease, a usually genetic disorder that both my grandma had and mom has where attacks of vertigo are kind of a regular thing, so I totally understand. Mine is most likely cause by some malformation in my inner ear, thus the genetic component, but it’s worse when I’m sick (especially something that makes me congested) and only started when I was in my 30s so has a hormonal tie. Hang in there. May you feel better soon. xo

  14. Hi, Lindsey,

    I’m so sorry to hear about your vertigo–it’s a terrible feeling. I had repeated attacks that disappeared once I was discovered to be hypothyroid and was on medication. Hypothyroidism is another thing that can crop up in middle age, and symptoms are not always the usual ones. BTW various skin issues (hives, rashes, allergic reactions) were greatly reduced once I was on medication.

  15. Thinking of you and hoping everything is ok… and happy birthday to your sweet 10 year old. Makes ME want to do indoor skydiving and surfing!

  16. I’m so sorry, Lindsey. I had this only once years and years ago, and for me, it was the worst way to be sick–other than something life-threatening. It completely wiped the day/s off the map. But I never had it again. Hope you’re already better. xo

  17. Catching up on blog reading. I apologize for the late response. I am so sorry for your vertigo:(. I had it a couple summers ago and it is not fun (mine ended up being an inner ear infection). Sending prayers that it pass soon!

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