Vertigo

Vertigo (from the Latin vertō "a whirling or spinning movement") is a type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary. The symptoms are due to a dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear. It is often associated with nausea and vomiting as well as difficulties standing or walking.

The past few days, because I have been suffering from vertigo, I have been a little lax in responding to the comments my blogger friends have left on my blog.  I apologize to you all.  I have suffered from vertigo since I was about 17 years old.  I remember the first time I ever experienced this horrible feeling.  I was working in a clothing store on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn.  I was in the middle of showing a customer the newest arrivals when suddenly the store began to sway.  I grabbed onto the nearest clothing rack, thinking that we were having an earthquake (I don't know why that thought ran through my head since we don't get too many earthquakes in Brooklyn!).  I managed to open my eyes and observed that nobody else was panicking or running for cover.  In fact, they were just standing there looking at me like I was nuts!  The manager of the store came over and helped me to a nearby chair.  She gave me something to drink and chalked up the dizziness to my latest diet fad (which at the time was "starvation". Being young, I had the bright idea that if I only ate plain lettuce for every meal I would lose weight and stay healthy.)  While my "diet" may have contributed to the dizziness, it was also the beginning of my vertigo ordeal.

Until recently, the episodes have been sporadic over the years.  While each bout was debilitating, I managed to deal with it because it didn't happen too often and at the time I didn't have a mortgage to pay or two children who required my attention.  I had the luxury of staying home from work, laying in bed and waiting it out.  Now, the vertigo has been coming more frquently and I just can't afford to miss a day of work.  In addition, my kids just don't understand that Mommy is feeling sick.  They still expect me to cook their favorite meals, play games and snuggle with them like I always do.  My husband helps out when he can but because he works so many hours, at different jobs, he is not home too often.

The only treatment that helps me is to take a "Dramamine" type drug.  The problem with the drug is that I am snoozing about 5 minutes after I swallow the pill.  In fact, it knocks me out to such an extent that a bomb could go off and I would sleep soundly through it!  So, I cannot take the medicine unless my husband is home to watch over the kids.  Without the medicine I am forced to endure the nausea, vomiting and dizziness.  :-(

I am going to put positive thoughts out into the universe and believe that my vertigo will go away soon and this will be a better week.  :-)