Ear Rocks

This is what my world has looked like for the past 3 days.  I woke up Saturday morning feeling great.  We were having family pictures taken, my mother-in-law is here for a visit, cousins were coming down for the long weekend and my hubby had a much deserved day off on Monday.

I was leaning over the tub like I do every morning to wash my hair.  When I stood up, the entire room began spinning and I feel over and to the ground.  I lay on the floor with the entire room spinning so fast it was a blur.  I managed to get up off the floor and crawl to the couch in the living room.  Now, I have been dizzy before but never like this.  Not even after getting off a spinning ride at Six Flags.  I made the second mistake of trying to lay down again and got sick to my stomach.  I yelled for Steve who carried me to the bathroom where I proceeded to get VERY sick.  I have never in my life felt like this.  It was scary.  I had no control over my brain or my eyes; my eyes kept trying to track where I was in space.  It was alarming.

I quickly called my dad who has had these symptoms before and he confirmed what Steve had already said, it's Vertigo.  Apparently everyone has these thousands of tiny crystals in their inner ear that are suspended in liquid.  These crystals stimulate nerve cells when we move our heads.  Sometimes these crystals or "Ear Rocks" fall into the ear canal and our brains get confused.  These rocks roll around and tells the brain that you are moving more than you are or Vertigo.

Well, I went to the doctor to see if that was all that was going on.  Of course its a Saturday because no one in my family get sick unless its a weekend or holiday or in this case, both!!  After a very long and dizzy wait, I found out I also had a double ear infection too.   So an antibiotic and 3 other meds that make me very sleepy later, I was home.

I was sick and didn't even know it.  Isn't that like a mom?  Always worried that someone else is sick but totally ignoring any thing that may be going on with you :)

What's hard about Vertigo is that you really can't lay down, it makes it worse.  Of course all of the meds for naseua and dizziness make you so sleepy that you can't hold your head up but you literally have to sleep sitting straight up.  As long as you hold you head perfectly straight between your shoulders, your good.  Sometimes you have to wear a neck brace and believe me I have wanted to.

It's unclear if the ear infection is related to the Vertigo.  It probably is somehow but the doctor said that there doesn't need to be any kind of infection for Vertigo to happen.   It can happen at anytime if those "rocks" get knocked loose.

So here I am 3 days later, better but still dizzy.  I am hopefully going to get appointment with an ENT today.  I have heard from my dad and on several websites that they have a very simple technique of moving your head in certain positions that put those crystals back in place.  I am desperate so I am going!  If I don't, I could stay this way for weeks!!

Crazy!  I never knew.