I had never experienced vertigo or any balance issues before. It was an ordinary weekday—let’s say a Tuesday—and I had just woken up. I’m not someone who jumps out of bed quickly, and that day was no different. I sat up slowly, as usual, but this time, my head spun intensely. “Wow, that was weird,” I thought. I sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, waiting for the spinning to stop. After shaking my head to make sure it was gone, I stood up, assuming I had just moved too quickly.
At the time, I was living in a previous home where the master bedroom had a small step leading into the dining room. As I stepped up and walked a few feet, I suddenly lost my balance and fell onto the dining room table. It felt like my knees had given out, but I wasn’t sure if it was that or the spinning in my head. I didn’t want to wake my boyfriend and worry him, so I quietly continued to the kitchen—my usual morning stop for coffee and water.
But the spinning returned, stronger this time. “What on earth is happening?” I wondered. I made my way back to the bedroom and laid down, deciding to skip work and rest, assuming it was some kind of bug.
The next day, I woke up, and the spinning was still there. The best way I can describe it is that I felt like I was stuck on a merry-go-round I couldn’t get off.
In true problem-solving fashion, I turned to Google. It didn’t take long to land on “vertigo”—a term I had never encountered before. I tried everything I could find online: Dramamine for motion sickness, ice packs, heat therapy, and plenty of rest. I hoped it would pass after a few days.
But it didn’t.
I scheduled an appointment with my primary care doctor. I explained my symptoms and my self-diagnosis. She examined my ears and found fluid in my right ear. After draining it, she prescribed antibiotics and told me to come back if it didn’t improve within a week.
Spoiler: It didn’t improve.
On my follow-up visit, she referred me to an ENT specialist. My appointment with the ENT was brief. He couldn’t see any fluid in my ear (likely because it had already been drained) and didn’t notice any major concerns. His advice? “Let it ride out.”
Those months dealing with vertigo were some of the longest and most frustrating I’ve ever experienced. I was constantly nauseous, and every little movement felt like it could trigger the spinning again. Slowly, I learned to manage, and eventually, it faded away.
Now, any hint of dizziness immediately makes me think, “Oh no, not vertigo again!” Thankfully, it hasn’t returned. But I’ll never forget how debilitating and disorienting it was—or how much I took balance for granted until I lost it.
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