Dizzy Dame

One June morning, about three months after my marriage at the ripe middle-age of 46, I sat up in bed -- and immediately flopped backward, my head spinning madly. I thought I was dying.  I couldn't sit, I couldn't lie down, I couldn't eat.  All I could do was "spin."

So began my  relationship with vertigo, an unrelenting dizziness that most doctors believe is caused by an inner ear problem.  It is considered to be mostly benign and short-lived  (unless, of course, it's associated with a stroke or brain tumor, in which case the patient is likely to be short-lived) but it is neither.

For me, vertigo has hovered like a guilty conscience for nearly 14 years.  Some days, it's relatively mild, and after a wobbly walk from the bed to the bath, clutching onto walls and furniture in an attempt to remain upright, my brain course-corrects enough so I can power through the day ahead in a perfectly normal manner.  Other times, however, my brain feels like a dervish, whirling away while my stomach lurches in response.

I've had all the tests and many of the treatments you can have:  The claustrophobic MRI and auditory neurological exams ruled out the tumor, the stroke, the Meniere's Disease.
The neurologist said what I have is "situational."

My situation is "middle age."  And I'm stunned by the number of women in my age group whom I've come to learn suffer from this condition too.

I think we need to organize:  Dizzy Dames Demand a Cure. Join me.  Or if you've found a cure, share it with me.