Vertigo, commonly known as “the spins” is a condition where a person loses their sense of balance, so the world seems to spin around them, and “gravity” seems to misbehave. Most people have experienced very temporary vertigo by playing the childhood game of spin-till-you’re-dizzy. Once you stop – that’s the most common feeling of vertigo. In the case of the kid game, it only lasts about a minute at most. When you have one of the many medical conditions that can cause vertigo, it can last for hours, days, weeks, and in some cases even months. In that case, it’s definitely not a game anymore.
As it turns out, several conditions related to hearing loss can also induce “attacks” of vertigo. This makes some sense, as the main part of our balance system is located in the inner ear, and hence, things which affect our ears can also affect our balance.
I started having occasional attacks of severe vertigo about 2-1/2 years ago. At the time, I had no idea it was related to my hearing, as I’d been nearly deaf on my right side for most of my life (I’m 48). My first thought was that I’d had food poisoning, the details of why I need not explain beyond saying that protracted vertigo (more than a few minutes) can make a person quite nauseous indeed. After having several attacks over the course of a month, however, I realized that something much more “systemic” was going on, so I made an appointment with my family doctor. He immediately referred me to an ENT, knowing that vertigo is most commonly related to conditions of the ear.
The ENT didn’t waste any time diagnosing me with Meniere’s Syndrome, a condition of unknown origin in which sporadic/gradual hearing loss is accompanied by bouts of vertigo, tinnitus (”ringing”, which I’ve always had in my right) and a feeling of “pressure” in the ear(s).
I’ve characterized my vertigo symptoms as “a dagger held over my head.” Attacks come out of the blue, from nowhere. There’s usually very little warning (though I’m fortunate that I don’t suffer “drop” attacks, as some do – in which the attack is so sudden, the person literally falls over, or “drops”).
Nausea aside (quite debilitating in itself), sometimes when my “moderate” attacks last awhile, and I can “hold my cookies” as they say, my symptom takes the form of the “Drunken Sailor”. I can’t hope to walk a straight line un-aided, and walls become a very important navigation resource (using hands to hold me up). When people ask me about it (say, at work – and they know I have the condition; I’ve made very sure of it), I tell them it looks worse than it is (not lethal), and it feels worse than it looks.
Because I’m often enough in public places when I have an attack, I do wonder sometimes how people are perceiving me in my struggle to stay upright and functional (wish I could “choose” to have all my attacks at home!) Do they actually assume I’m drunk or drugged out (before I had this condition, that would have been my first assumption)? The issue with vertigo is the same one we have as HOH people. It’s the constant need to “explain” to people that we’re not drunk (or “stuck up” in the HOH case), we’re actually suffering from a health condition that we DO NOT WANT TO GIVE IN TO OR GIVE UP OUR MEANINGFUL LIFE FOR! In other words, we want to be normal, and have access to all the things that most people can expect.
Of course, there’s also the tired old saw… “Isn’t there a cure, a drug, an operation?” Yes Virginia, there are drugs (I take them) and operations (you join the ranks of the Deaf, in some cases), but there’s no cure, in the “let’s just fix it and go on with our happy lives” sense.
I consider myself very very fortunate that my vertigo has only occurred in sporadic attacks, and the last “remission” I had actually lasted more than a year (I’ve had a few attacks in recent weeks). I’m personally acquainted with someone who has been hospitalized for months with severe attacks. That person could certainly claim deep knowledge of this subject.
The good news, as shouted above, is that I haven’t, and will not, let my vertigo rule or ruin my life. Sure, I’ve had to make some “concessions” – I gave up driving, lock stock and barrel about a year ago. Know what? My life is better for it. Why? Dozens of reasons. Just yesterday I was presented with a beautiful engraved glass award for being the person who “logged the most public transit miles (3000+) last year” by the corporate sponsored Transportation Management Association in my area (they want to get people out of their cars). That’s just a symbol, but there are other good things too. When you need to rely on friends for rides, you tend to get more friends. Try it! Good friends reciprocate (in other ways), and indeed I do – that’s really all it takes.
So it turns out, Drunken Sailor Syndrome and all, I really AM living and working with vertigo. And living, and working are both very good things indeed.
Please feel free to share your own story in comments if you have one!
Paul S (aka LifeWrecked)
9 responses so far ↓
Richard Roehm // March 16, 2008 at 1:30 pm |
I have 2 people in my group home that have vertigo. One is mild and the other is severe and requires the access service public transportation.
Cy // March 16, 2008 at 5:54 pm |
I suffer from Meniere’s Disease, too. Have had it for around 8 years now. It was a very scary time the first year as I did not know what it was and strangely, neither did my doctors. They thought it might be an allergy or something. I did some research and found I have Meniere’s Disease and that there is no cure other than the risky surgery and/or gamma knife in which your vertigo might worsen – the opposite result. I elected not to let it control my life either.
The acute attacks seems to occur seasonally for me – those attacks go the whole 9 yards – vomitting, drunken sailor syndrome, chilling, sweating, etc. My best defense is to take the diazepam and just lay in bed and watch tv…I couldn’t read the captions, obviously, but I become focused enough to try to make sense of what I am watching, and this task helps me fall asleep with the assistance of the diazepam. The aftereffects includes sheer exhaustation. I am usually back to self upon waking up.
Twice the milder attacks occured while I was driving in the 8 years I have had the disease and both times I managed to survive. The first time was fortunate that I got caught in a traffic jam in Los Angeles and I managed to take the diazepam and simply targeted the license plate of the car in front of me and I drove 60 miles following that car to my friend’s house. The second one I was fortunate I was close to home and I managed to hug the sidewalk to my driveway.
I always carry diazepam in my purse. Occasionally I get hit at work, right in middle of teaching, and I’ve mastered the skill not to panic and continue with what I am doing, figting to maintain my balance, spinning, etc. I seem to master the sense of balance by focusing on it.
I did consider permanently become unemployed out of fear of driving and having attacks at work but now I’ve come to accept it as part of my life and learn how to live with it.
However, if my acute attacks occur more frequently to the point it is unsafe to drive, I will have to give up driving, indeed. I am not at that point just yet.
Only people with our condition understand what it is like to have this disease which is no picnic. Not even my husband understands what it is like.
butterfly_blogger // March 17, 2008 at 9:10 pm |
Cy and Paul,
I understand what both of you go through. My husband has severe vertigo attacks from Menieres. Oh-it’s so miserable!! The hearing loss is one thing– irritating sometimes, but managable! The violent vertigo and sickness is unbearable for me to watch sometimes. I feel so helpless cuz I can’t do anything for him.
LifeWrecked (Paul) // March 17, 2008 at 10:38 pm |
Thanks Cy and Richard and Butterfly!
It’s always good to know how “not alone” I am, and I know I have it relatively easy so far compared to some of your situations. Has anyone heard of or tried “vestibular training” to manage their vertigo symptoms? I’m told that if the attack is fairly mild (I sometimes get those), with certain “exercises”, one can train oneself to be fully functional and balanced in spite of the attack.
Paul S
Cy // March 25, 2008 at 10:54 pm |
I’ve never been “vestibularily” trained but I’ve managed to self-teach how not to panic, how to maintain my balance and function during the attacks. This morning I got hit with a brief attack and I managed to drive through the morning communter traffic by not panicking, focusing on the road to stay on my lane. I always drive the same route for that reason – familiarity of the route helps with knowing what to expect ahead of you during the attack and plan on exiting and pull off if necessary. I was able to fully function as a driver.
But with the acute attack, I may not be able to maintain the car in my lane. I had the acute attack during my sons sport banquet. My husband was there. Strangely I did not have the other effects such as vomitting, chilling, sweating, etc, but I did have the drunken sailor symptom. That day, I couldn’t independently walk a straight line – I kept walking sideways – I had to hold on to my husband’s arm towards our car. My husband said he felt strong tug on his my arm as I walked sideways..he had to keep his arm closed so I couldn’t pull him sideways along with me. He had a brief glimpse of what it was like for me that day. I believe it was triggered by the long bus ride on a field trip which totaled 5 hours – bumpy school bus ride on winding roads up the mountains. The high atitude seems to contribute to the vertigo symptoms for me…every time I go up into the mountains, I get hit with vertigo sooner or later. That day I was up on the mountain only a few hours but the effects hit me later nonetheless. I expected it so I had my husband drive me to work and take me home and stopped at the banquet on way home where the attack occured.
It is just something I learned to live with. Better than sitting at home doing nothing.
Jocelyn // August 26, 2008 at 11:56 pm |
I don’t have Menieres but I am dizzy ALL THE TIME. I have had occasional attacks of BPV (and I often wonder if it is linked to certain foods such as cheese and coffee) but my main problem is that I am ‘a drunken sailor” all the time. I never get any respite from it although it has got slightly better over the years (I have had it for 5 and a half years) but has since got much worse. I don’t get the sensational spinning round feeling, more a lurch to one side in which case I have to grab at something or stop and get my bearings. I have to take the drugs stemetil and diazepam constantly and this is causing some problems for me as the diazepam is not working as well as it used to. Is there anyone else out there with the same symptoms as me? How do you cope with it?
Carol // April 18, 2009 at 10:40 pm |
Can people with vertigo expect to work successfully?
I have had vertigo for almost 6 years. I was able to keep my long-time job for 4 of those years, as bouts with the vertigo would come and go, lasting 2 days to 3 months, with as little as a few weeks and as much as a year in between. Then, I would use all my vacation, time, delegate lots of work to interns, try to wait it out. For the past 2 years I have been unable to work, due to frequent and unpredictable bouts of strong spinning, probably BPPV. I downplay it with friends, lay low and try not to draw attention to myself, hoping it will go away and that I’ll soon be back in the game. But lately the bouts always last about 2-3 months, with only a few weeks break in between. I can no longer do my previous job as a social worker. What do others do about keeping their jobs? What kind of work can a person with vertigo expect to do well? I know my dreams of becoming a tightrope walker are dashed, but what do you all do? Apply for disability? Thanks, all.
norm3rd // June 14, 2009 at 6:25 pm |
It’s good to see that i’m not alone. I am only 30 and have had vertigo for 2 years now. I had cholesteatoma in both ears (it’s been described to me as tumors that eat away the balance muscles). They have been taken out. My doctor was suprised to hear that my vertigo hasn’t gone away. Now I’m waiting to see a nuerologist. Does this seem like a good path? I also don’t know what to do about work. I am currently a student but my grades are suffering because I can’t afford books. Any advice for a fellow drunken sailor?
maxey13 // June 18, 2009 at 8:54 pm |
I’m 58 I have tinnitus that started a couple of years ago. After 8 months of head ringing and falling down everywhere in the house and yard and a torn rotator cuff my doctor sent me to get hearing aids with a tinnitus breaker. I’ve noticed I can’t walk very fast and turn my head to look behind me and my balance isn’t close to what it used to be. The tinnitus breaker has been a life saver except it has made me very excited. The breaker is set pretty high and I have bouts of never being able to rest. If I’m sitting down I need to get up. I go from one thing to the other not being able to get any rest. The nice thing is all the work outside the house has been completed. The bad thing is I work until I can barely stand up.
Last week my doctor gave me Buspar to help me be able to sit a little. It works great but within about an hour after I take it I am a little intoxicated but that wears off and I am pretty good. I am supposed to take it in the morning and at night but haven’t been able to take it and go to work yet. My guess Buspar is doing the same thing diazepam might do.
That’s my little story
Dennis
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