ON VERTIGO

September 1, 2024

Why vertigo?? Some time ago, I got hit with a bad case of vertigo. It was truly a frightening experience. I was rushed to the ER and subjected to a battery of tests before being sent home. I was diagnosed with vertigo and informed not to worry. They added that it might or might not come back and could last a few weeks. I wasn’t too happy with what I was told. Here’s what I cam up with on researching this “disease.”

Vertigo is defined as a sensation of personally spinning around or of seeing nearby objects revolve. It has often been described by such words as tilting, unbalanced, and pulling in one direction. It tends to be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, headache, sweating, hearing loss and/or ringing in the ears. As noted above, the disease generally lasts only short times during which the vertigo is usually brief and intermittent.

The causes of vertigo? Vertigo is often caused by an inner ear problem. Some of the most common causes include:

  1. BPPV. These initials stand for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. BPPV occurs when tiny calcium particles (canaliths) are dislodged from another location and collect in the inner ear. BPPV can occur for no known reason and may be associated with age (Hello!).
  2. Meniere’s disease. This is an inner ear disorder thought to be caused by a buildup of fluid and changing pressure in the ear. It can cause episodes of vertigo along with the aforementioned ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and hearing loss.
  3. Vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis. This is an inner ear problem usually related to infection (usually viral). The infection causes inflammation in the inner ear around nerves that are important for helping the body sense balance. It may also be associated with:

a. Head or neck injury.

b. Brain problems such as stroke or tumor

c. Certain medications that cause ear damage

d. Migraine headaches

The treatment for vertigo? The treatment for vertigo depends on what’s causing it. In many cases, vertigo goes away without any treatment. This is because the brain is able to adapt, at least in part, to any inner ear changes, relying on other mechanisms to maintain balance. Here are some treatment options:

  1. Vestibular rehabilitation. This is a type of physical therapy aimed at helping strengthen the vestibular system. The function of the vestibular system is to send signals to the brain about head and body movements relative to gravity.,  Vestibular rehab may be recommended if there are recurrent bouts of vertigo; this can help train your other senses to compensate for vertigo.
  2. Canalith repositioning maneuvers. Guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology recommend a series of specific head and body movements. The movements are performed to move any calcium deposits out of the canal into an inner ear chamber so they can be absorbed by the body. This treatment will likely be accompanied by vertigo symptoms during the procedure as the deposits are repositioned. A doctor or physical therapist can provide instructions on these movements. These movements are safe and often effective.
  3. Medicine. In some cases, medication may be given to relieve symptoms such as nausea, or motion sickness associated with vertigo. If vertigo is caused by an infection or inflammation, antibiotics or steroids may reduce swelling and cure infection. Diuretics (water pills) may be prescribed to reduce pressure from fluid buildup.
  4. Surgery. In a few cases, surgery may be needed for vertigo. If vertigo is caused by a more serious underlying problem, such as a tumor or injury to the brain or neck, treatment for those problems may help to alleviate the vertigo.

In discussing my experiences with vertigo with others, I was shocked to find out how many people had similar experiences. I believe it is a commonplace disease.

Note:   I will be presenting a seminar tutorial on gambling (particularly dice) Wednesday, September 25 at the Village of East Williston Library, 2 Prospect Street, East Williston, at 7:00 PM.  Entry is free and refreshments will be served.

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www.theodorenewsletter.com

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OCTOBER 1:             On My Wish List

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 1st, 2024 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Gambling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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