I hate being dizzy. I always have. The first time my aunt took me on a ride that made my brain go haywire, I screamed for it to stop.
When I felt dizzy in my sleep early Tuesday morning, I didn’t make a sound.
The world began to simmer violently and spin vertically, like a record spinning back and forth. I thought, “I guess that’s what happens when you die.”
It lasted 10 seconds. It felt like 10 days. I went to the emergency room to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. Before I left, I searched for “severe dizziness during sleep.” The AI-generated response mentioned BPPV: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
The good news is that it’s not serious. The bad news is that it’s terrible.
I was feeling much better until I got to the hospital. Then I got worse. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t walk. I could only get into one position and stay there. Any movement of my head caused more dizziness.
The doctors ruled out a heart attack and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed neither a stroke nor a tumor. They provisionally diagnosed BPPV.
Today, an audiologist performed what is known as the Epley maneuver, a series of movements that can be performed with minimal effort and are aimed at returning the calcium crystals in the inner ear to their normal place.
Yes, we have small crystals deep in our ears that control our balance. If they get out of position, we get dizzy. Severely so.
If you’ve had it before, you know what it feels like. If not: (1) you’re lucky; and (2) if you ever wake up in the middle of the night with the whole world spinning, there’s a pretty good chance you won’t die. Get yourself checked out anyway to rule out anything more serious. And to confirm that it’s BPPV—which is as treatable as it is horrifying.
Last year I had a kidney stone. It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. It was the worst discomfort.
The good news is that it’s slowly getting better. I did #PFTPM earlier today. I posted more today than yesterday. I’m sleeping a lot, which seems to help. When I change position, I don’t get dizzy; it feels like someone grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me, and it takes me a second or two to get my bearings.
Through all of this, I have gained a new appreciation for what we do, how we do it, and who we do it for. Two nights ago, I thought for ten really long seconds that it was over forever. For several hours in the emergency room, I thought I was permanently unable to function the way I used to – basically full throttle, non-stop, all the time.
I’m not fully there all the time without interruption yet, but I’m getting closer.
Thank you to everyone who has left me good thoughts and positive thoughts. Thank you to the crew who have carried the load while I have been limited. Thank you to everyone who continues to visit our little corner of the internet to stay up to date on all things NFL.
