Do you remember when you were a kid and you suddenly woke up with your hearth pumping fast after having had a terrible nightmare? The sensation you felt as not completely awake of not being able to escape from the boogeymen and from the situation you were in? Well, that's exactly how I felt when I had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
It was Sunday morning, the 31st October 2021. As I woke up, I felt some dizziness but I thought it was because maybe I've had one too many the night before at one of my best friends wedding. This strange feeling accompanied my throughout the day but I didn't give it too much consideration. The same happened on the day after but the feeling just got worse and I started having some balance problems. Then, on Tuesday 2nd November 2021, I stand up from bed and suddenly felt down. I could not keep my eyes open as I had the visual perception that everything around me was spinning and my eyes as well were moving out of control. I tried to go back on my feet but felt down again, and again. I called my mom and asked her to bring me to the ER, where a otolaryngologist (ENT) visited me and told me I was having benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). He explained me there was nothing to be worried about, as this vestibular problem was "mechanic", in contrast with labyrinthitis (which I had several years ago and took months to be cured), could easily and quickly be managed with some maneuver (the most effective for me was the Epley maneuver). The ENT told me to go home, take some rest and that I would be able to go back to work the day after. But it wasn't so. I had to go back to see the ENT the day after as the symptoms were always severe. After doing the maneuver again, the physician told me to go home and take some rest days, that feeling some dizziness was normal for two-three weeks and that I was going to be back on track soon. Relying on the medical advice I was given, despite dizziness and nausea, I went back to work telling myself I just had to be patient. Unfortunately, I couldn't be more wrong, as you will understand in the next posts.
There are some clues indicating why the crystals on the otolith organs to become dislodged and cause BPPV such as an head trauma and keeping your head in the same position for a long time (beauty salon, changing light bulbs, night movement on pillow,...) or high intensity training, but there is not a specific and clear cause to it. By reading a lot of articles, I discovered some authors speak also about its psychosomatic side related to high stress levels. I therefore started meditating more deeply about my mind-body status and soon enough I found some interesting and likely triggers to the health condition I experienced.
2021 was a really rewarding but intense year for me where among other smaller things I ended a 7 year-long relationship, changed 3 jobs, joined a further education course and had to move to a new town. I always was an active person, but in 2021 I also started to improve my sport trainings, particularly with HIIT and trail running. I don't know if all this changes and some overtraining were the cause of my BPPV or if it had to happen anyway, but what I (unfortunately later) learned is that you always have to listen to your body. Mine was telling me I had to stop. But of course I didn't listen and went on in my could-not-a-day-have-36-hours various routines.
Ireland, June 2019
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