Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Every couple of years I go down with what I have come to believe is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). It starts as a light-headedness, and a day or two later, I can't walk without literally bouncing off the walls. This has been going on for about ten to fifteen years, I think. (Not that I've been bouncing off walls for ten years, I've been periodically afflicted for ten years.)

The first doctor I saw about it prescribed Anti-vert, which, contrary to it's name, made it worse. I did not realize that until the second or third doctor. One doctor thought it might be an infection and gave me anti-biotics. I had ear-nose doctors check me out, and they gave me some bizarre test that gave me even worse vertigo. No doctor had a clue. (It must be really hard to be a good doctor.)

It was not until I mentioned it to my mother, shortly before she died, that I got a suggestion that it might be BPPV, or "ear-rocks" as it is also known. The theory is that tiny crystals of Calcium Carbonate in the ear become displaced, causing the vertigo. Treatment is a series of maneuvers of the head such that the crystals move to where they can be re-absorbed.

This used to put me down for around three days. This time I was not feeling 100% normal until more than a week after I first noticed the dizziness. One part of the treatment is keeping the head level after the maneuvers. Next time I feel this coming on, I'm going to try to pay more attention to avoiding sudden movements. Maybe that way I can avoid it altogether.