They're Ba-ack!

They're back. And I hate it. They come without warning, without reason, and they plague me. I can go months without one, and then suddenly they're there again, as if to say, "Ha ha! You thought you got rid of us? Think again."

What are they? They are my dizzy spells.

Now, "dizzy spells" are not the medical name for them, but they are what I have so lovingly termed them.

They started back in August of 2006 while I was on a vacation to northern Minnesota with my parents. After a long day of traveling in the car and reading a book (I remember because I usually can't read in a moving car without getting car sick) they set in almost immediately after we got there. At first I thought nothing of it, just that it was some random weird thing. Boy was I wrong.

I don't remember how they progressed exactly, but I do remember that we switched state parks and in the second camp site we had for the trip, they got really bad. So bad that I spent days laying on a blanket, on the ground in our camp site, just staring into space, because reading/turning my head/moving my body in any way would set the world tilting and spinning in all directions. I couldn't even go to the bathroom on my own for a few days. My parents had to stand on either side of me, supporting me and walking me to the bathroom. It was horrible, but thankfully by the end of the vacation they seemed to have gone away.

Sometime we did go see a doctor regarding this condition. He put me through some tests, (stand up, with your arms straight out and shoulder height, close your eyes) which were negative. I didn't fall over during the tests. He gave me some motion sickness pills I believe, and that was that. We didn't pursue it more, and I was never diagnosed with anything. From then on Mom and I assumed it was "Vertigo" which is the same thing my mom has, meaning that she randomly has dizzy spells occassionally for no reason.

Fast forward to current time, a couple of years later. In the last two years or so they have randomly come on and lasted for varying lengths of time. I have been able to learn to control them. When they come on I am able to quickly get control of my eyes again, and stare at one nonmoving object which makes them go away in seconds usually. They make me a bit nauseous however, which can last a bit longer. I can go months without them, and then they're back. Like now.

The last spells I had were last summer/fall. I had some alcohol one evening and the next day my dizzy spells were there. I spent three days lounging around in a bed, because they were back. It was horrible. After the original three days, they dissapeared, only to return randomly over the next month or so. Eventually they went away, and haven't returned until yesterday. Of course, right when I had began thinking that, "...maybe they are gone for good this time." I haven't had any alcohol to trigger them (in fact, alcohol hasn't trickered them since last summer/fall), or anything else that I can think of that is different which could have started them. Except one thing.

Last week I started trying to get healthier. I started keeping track of what I eat (trying to eat the right food groups everyday), and excercising 6 out of 7 days a week (though I didn't quite make this goal). I have been doing 3 days of cardio, and 3 days of strength training. During the stregth training I noticed my neck was getting tighter, but thought that training it a bit wouldn't hurt. Now I'm wondereing if maybe it is. Which is sad, since as a 20 year old who is healthy, I should be able to do some cardio, and strength training without having problems...

So, now.. yeah. So now there back. Yesterday they set in while I was babysitting. I was able to control them, so no one knew. Then I seemed okay the rest of the day. This morning however, when getting out of bed, I was unpleasantly reminded that they were indeed back. I had to go to the bathroom around 5:10 this morning, so I scooted to the edge of the bed, sat there a second, and then got up - the same exact way I do every morning around 5:10 or so. Except today I no sooner had gotten my feeting on the ground, when the world starting tilting quickly to the right, I felt my eyes dart quickly around no longer under my control, and my feet lost their grip on the floor (it was as if someone had shoved me) and I fell quickly back to the bed. Mentally I was aware of what was happening. I remember trying to control my eyes, trying to find a grip on the floor again with me feet, but it was all to no avail, and I fell on the bed (thankfully it was still there).

That is what they are like for me. They come completely randomly. A turn of the head can trigger one, but that same turn of the head an hour later can be fine. Bending over and closing my eyes are usually bad (to wash my face for example, or dry my hair after a shower), but not always. Sometimes even nothing seems to set them off. Once it hits, the world starts moving and I lose control of my eyes. My eyes will roam all by themselves, the world will tilt, and if it's bad enough I will lose my balance. A feeling of nausea sets in, which will usually last even after the dizzy spell is gone. It's horrible. Thankfully, I can usually can control of my eyes again. But it is an effort. I have to mentally think "Stare at something not moving. Now don't look away from it." And that isn't an exageration. Until I'm sure its gone I have to force myself to stare at something. Thankfully they now only last about a few seconds before I have my eyes under control again....I have read stories online that are much worse (people who literally can't work or lead a normal life because of these spells).

Now, I'm not trying to make any one back home worry about me. I'm actually fine. It's not like I'm going to be driving a car which could be dangerous if a dizzy spell set in, or anything. I don't even have class. Just a quiet day at home. I may or may not work out today, depending on how bad the dizzy spells are. If I do work out it will be cardio, which I don't think is the culprit in my spells being back. I am going to go to a doctor too, to try to get this figured out. The only thing is that I would prefer to not go alone, because I want to ensure that I understand what they tell me. Unfortunately Fabian works during the week, so I will have to ask someone else more than likely. I don't know who quite yet. But we'll see how they go over the next day or so.

The worst thing about them is that I don't know when they will set in. I can be walking down the street, turn my head, and oop- there goes the world. Usually it happens when I'm sitting though. I laid in bed for 20 minutes this morning before getting up, because I knew that while laying there I had them under control, and that after getting up, I had no idea. That is the part that really sucks.

But enough of that. Today is a great day otherwise! Do you know why? Because I am no longer PMSING! And that is truly a wonderful feeling.