A dizziness called vertigo

MANILA, Philippines - It happened at dawn about three months ago. I just got home from a night out with friends. I was sober. I had already gone to bed and about to doze off when it first hit. It felt like someone was kicking me off the bed. When I opened my eyes, it felt like I was spinning.

It went on for about half an hour. As it subsided, I slowly walked to my mom’s room, my hands tightly holding on to furniture and appliances for balance. I just sat beside her until the sun was up. Then I forced myself to sleep, hoping that the odd feeling would be all gone by the time I wake up. I still had to go work at 2 p.m.

Unfortunately, it didn’t stop. I still felt dizzy when I woke up; I even vomited. So, I went to the company doctor and to inquire about it. I was made to undergo laboratory exams: EENT (eyes, ears, nose, and throat), CBC, sugar, blood pressure and other tests. The doctor asked me a few questions and concluded it was vertigo.

I had vertigo, a condition that usually affects those already in their 50s, according to the doctor. I was only in my 20s! I was prescribed medication and it helped, although not completely

It still strikes every once in a while up to now. Sometimes I’m prompted to skip a day at work and stay in bed the whole time. I learn that 40 to 60 percent of dizziness is caused by vertigo. There are two known types of the ailment: central and peripheral.

Peripheral vertigo is the more common of the two and is usually benign. According to Dr. Bacasmas of the University of the Visayas, “Peripheral vertigo is the result of abnormalities in your cranial nerve.” In my case, there’s this sound in my left ear and I am unable to maintain my balance.

Dr. Ian Loon Genaldo, also of UV, explains, “The nerve that is in charge of our balance is located in our inner ear. That is [also] why you can hear a tingling sound.”

Patients diagnosed with peripheral vertigo have to be more careful with their movements. They have to move slowly, especially if the movement involves their head. For example, from lying down, one has to slowly move to a sitting position first before standing up.

It is important to go for an EENT evaluation when experiencing dizziness, to identify where the problem is. If no problem in the EENT is found, the patient is referred to a neurologist for further evaluation. It might be the more serious type of vertigo.

Central, on the other hand, already involves abnormalities in one’s brain stem or cerebellum. When a person has this type of vertigo, several tests are done on him or her to identify the root problem. Central vertigo shall be attended to immediately as it can become life-threatening. It is the neurologist that conducts examinations on the brain.

Dr. Genaldo said that one cannot predict when vertigo will strike or avoid it from happening. “That is why when someone experiences vertigo, they [shall immediately see] an EENT specialist so that [he or she] could be given the proper medication,” Dr. Genaldo further explained.

There is one thing though about peripheral vertigo, the more common type, that surprised me the most. It is what Dr. Bacasmas told me: “One way [ ] to avoid vertigo is to continue doing the activities that caused the vertigo, until your body or your system is used to it or can already adapt to it. It gets better with repeated physical maneuvers.” So it’s like giving vertigo an overdose of kick that triggers it. (FREEMAN)