I woke up the morning of Wednesday, April 2nd, grabbed my phone, and futzed around on it for a few minutes. It’s only when I sat up out of bed that the world started spinning crazily. I immediately lay back down again and felt better. I tried sitting up again and the same thing happened. I had no idea what was happening, but I really had to pee, so I crawled to the toilet.

I eventually realized that the vertigo was caused by changing the orientation of my head. Sitting upright and still was fine. Lying still in bed was also fine. It was the changing from sitting up or lying down that sent my head spinning. 

Then I remembered a video I had seen online about the half somersault Epley maneuver. What was causing the problem was a crystal stuck in the tubes of my ear screwing up my internal gyro. I did a search for vertigo maneuver somersault, and then tried it. As I moved my head from an upright position to in-between my knees, I thought I was going to vomit. The world was spinning so fast, faster than any tightly wound tire swing I’d ever had a ride on. 

Over the next few days I tried the same maneuver on both sides, as well as the traditional Epley maneuver on both sides. I couldn’t figure out which ear was the problem ear and was worried I was backtracking any progress I was making with one side when I tried it on the other.

Then on Monday I took a little nap in the afternoon. When I woke up, I sat up bracing myself for the inevitable spinning. But this time it didn’t stop after a minute or so.

Let me tell you that trying to search your personal computer, and your work computer, for who your new health insurance is with, and trying to register for teledoc, while the world is spinning crazily is super difficult. I finally managed to have a video call with a doctor, who prescribed a motion sickness drug kinda like Dramamine. Berck drove to Walgreens to pick up the prescription, because I certainly didn’t feel like I could safely drive. 

That next day Tuesday was awful. I spent the whole day in bed and took most of the day off from work. I could do phone calls but I just couldn’t see my computer screen. I made an appointment to see my primary care provider the next day. 

Wednesday, Berck drove me to my medical appointment, where my nurse practitioner wrote me a script for Flonase, just in case that helped take pressure off the tubes in my ears. She also made a referral for me for physical therapy. 

Thursday I called the physical therapy clinic in woodland Park. The soonest they had available wasn’t until the end of April.

My mom encouraged me to find someone who could possibly help me sooner than that. She texted me a photo of her computer screen showing a review of a chiropractor in Woodland Park, saying he had helped the reviewer with vertigo. It sounded like it was worth a shot. 

Friday morning, 9:00 a.m. I called the chiropractor’s office as soon as it opened, and he answered the phone himself, saying he could see me at 3:00.  I got driven to the clinic that afternoon, telling the chiropractor that I had been trying the maneuvers myself but without any success. He said we would try something much more fun. Then he took a massage gun and pummeled my skull around my ears for a few minutes. (He also gave me a spinal adjustment because he couldn’t help himself). 

I found instant relief. I stood up and swung my head down between my knees. Nothing. Pummeling had apparently broken up the crystal stuck inside my ear tubes. 

The chiropractor showed me the kind of massage gun to get off Amazon (warning me not to get ripped off at Wal-mart or Costco), telling me I could treat myself if it ever happens again.

I’m so happy to have my life back.