I usually write about law. Not today.
Today’s post covers something TOTALLY different — a medical condition called BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo).
I wanted to comment about this, because: A.) I was just diagnosed with it, B.) it was one of the scariest medical (near) emergencies I’ve ever had, and C.) given how scary and unpleasant the condition is, the treatment is shockingly easy, fast, and effective.
Here’s what happened — for the last month or so, I have been experiencing a strange feeling. When I roll over in bed at night, my head starts spinning HORRIBLY for about 15-20 seconds. I’ve always been prone to motion sickness, but this was something else. Each time I rolled from side to side (only while laying flat), it felt like my brain would start spinning inside my skull for at least 15-20 seconds, maybe a little longer. This was so scary and painful, it absolutely shocked me. My first thought – that MUST be a brain tumor, right?
Like most guys, I decided to tough it out for a while. It sort of got better for a few days, but then it got worse. And it started to happen during the day. I spend most of the day upright, looking at a computer screen, so there isn’t a lot of laying flat and head rolling during my day. Still, I felt dizzy/nauseous more and more often.
Then, the other day I posted a YouTube video which was the first one I’d done in months. Watching the video back, I noticed my eyes were twitching noticeably. I knew this wasn’t a result of cocaine use or any other illegal drug (since I don’t do illegal drugs). So what was it?
I decided to call my doctor and find out. And guess what it was? Something I had never heard of — benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. Among other things (like a spinning/dizzy head), one symptom is weird jerky eye movements called “nystagmus“. Ah, ha.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vertigo/symptoms-causes/syc-20370055
My primary care doctor sent me to a rehab place (har har, not that kind of rehab….PT, physical therapy). When I got there, I described my symptoms, and the doc asked me to do a simple test — lay back quickly on a table while my head was turned 45 degrees to the right.
IMMEDIATELY upon doing this I was struck with the worst spinning sensation I’d ever felt. Like I was inside a barrel going over Niagara falls with my head attached to a turntable. I SCREAMED for the doc to stop. For the next 2 hours, I was basically unable to move due to the extreme dizziness/nausea.
So that’s the BAD news. I’ve got vertigo (which I thought was a fear of heights, or an OLD movie made in San Francisco).
Now for the good news — BPPV is apparently caused by a tiny bit of calcium coming loose inside your inner ear. That calcium causes your ear to tell your brain you are spinning, even when you’re not.
The cure is extremely simple — you just need to move your head a certain way, for a few minutes, to help push that calcium back where it belongs. This can be done within minutes, and the relief is basically 100% instant. No drugs. No surgery.
I had this treatment done yesterday. It worked. Slept well and didn’t have any spinning issues when rolling.
I still feel like I got kicked in the head by a horse, but at least I know it’s not brain cancer. And I know when/if this comes back, it’s really easy to fix with just a few simple head twists.
P.S. Obviously I’ve got more to say on other topics, but not now. I’m focused on getting my health back to 100%. Then maybe we can talk about other things. Until then, have a nice weekend (the weather is finally beautiful in AZ).
