This week I was down for 4 days with vertigo. People call it being dizzy, but it's worse than that for me--I can hardly tell the ceiling from the floor, and tip over even sitting down. And although you don't die of vertigo, if you fall at 80, it's a serious problem. Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.
It happens when a tiny crystal gets dislodged from your inner ear, and really messes up your balance. I had it when I was about 50, really bad, and then again this past week. But at least this time I knew what it was and didn't think I was having a stroke.
You can wait it out for a few weeks, get a prescription, or try some maneuvers to dislodge the crystal (get a diagram from the internet), or see your doctor who might try some head turning maneuvers to move the crystal. I did see a doctor yesterday and by that time, it had pretty much cleared after my daughter read instructions on turning my head--although that took about 12 hours to get better. Still, just in case it's something else, and if you're old enough for Medicare, it's still a good idea for the doctor to look in your eyes and poke around. There is a virus that causes similar symptoms and also Meniere's disease which can cause hearing loss.
After a few days in the house, not driving or going to the gym, the January sun never looked so good, even if it was to go to the doctor.
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