Vertigo: Signs and Symptoms

Vertigo is the name of the 1958 Hitchcock classic. Vertigo is also the term used to describe the sensation that the world is spinning, when there is no actual movement. Until recently I hadn't given much thought to the word vertigo in either context. That is, not until my world started spinning, and I found myself unexpectedly incapacitated.

We were in Oregon, attending the festivities of our son's wedding, which was two days away. Our daughter and her fiancé had just arrived from the airport, and we drove out to Edgefield for lunch at McMenamins.

It was a sunny day, and we decided to eat outside. Some locals were complaining of the heat, but since I'm from Lake Havasu City Arizona, I felt the summer afternoon was quite comfortable.

I'm not much of a beer drinker, but McMenamins has an amazing Ruby brew, and I ordered a glass while waiting for our lunch to be served. I'd finished about half a glass when I noticed I was a bit light headed. My initial thought was that the beer was making me tipsy, followed by the thought that I had really become a light weight.

I had that faint dizzy feeling one gets when having had too much to drink. The strange thing, I'd had a large breakfast mid-morning, and I didn't think half a glass of beer would make me feel this way.

I made the mistake of closing my eyes for a moment, and resting my head on the table. When I tried to open my eyes again, the world was spinning. I felt as if I was on one of those wild carnival rides, and as everything whirled around, I was becoming nauseous.

After I told the other people in our party how I felt, my sister, who had experienced vertigo in the past, suggested I open my eyes, and try focusing on one object. I tried, but each time I opened my eyes, or attempted to raise my head, I felt horrible and increasingly nauseous. The world continued to spin, and spin.

Eventually I heard my husband ask the waitress to call 911. Normally I'd be contradicting such a request, yet I'd been trying to figure out how I was going to get from the table to the car, and knew there was no way I could walk. I simply wanted to lie down, and if someone had to carry me out on a stretcher, I was willing.

Another issue, I felt as if I was going to be sick. Every time I raised my head the possibility increased.

As I waited for the paramedics, my eyes remained closed, my head on the table, and listened to people scurrying around me. Some stranger (she was a customer at a nearby table who claimed to be a nurse), instructed my family to lift up my blouse and place ice cold towels on my back. She was certain I was experiencing heat exhaustion. I mumbled that I was from Arizona, and it defiantly was not hot. No one would believe me.

When the paramedics arrived and began examining me, I politely asked for a bag so I could throw up. She told me it was okay, as if I was embarrassed. I wasn't embarrassed, I simply did not think it was necessary (nor polite) to throw up on the floor or table of this lovely restaurant. It was bad enough I was disrupting their lunch hour, I certainly didn't need to make a disgusting mess. Fortunately she handed me a bag in time.

I was carried out on what I believe was some sort of a stretcher like bed. Since I never opened my eyes, I can't say for sure. Yet, it solved my dilemma of how I was going to make it out of the restaurant.

My sensation of vertigo lasted about five hours, which concerned the doctors. I was told the cause could be related to a mini-stroke, or to an inner ear infection. My vitals were taken, including an EKG and CAT Scan. I was given Meclizine and Diazepam (valium), and was hooked up to an IV.

The neurologist, after reviewing the CAT Scan, didn't feel it was necessary to keep me over night. The doctors began leaning towards the possibility of an inner ear infection, as opposed to a stroke. Since I'd been battling a cold, and had recently been on an airplane, the inner ear explanation was plausible.

Later I wondered what I would have done had the attack happened while I was driving. Yet, after doing a little online research, I learned that episodes of vertigo would unlikely occur while driving, as the driver's focus on the road would help correct or control the contidion.

I've learned there are various causes of vertigo; Meniere disease, A hole in the inner ear, bacterial infection of the middle ear, acoustic neuroma tumor, decreased blood flow to the brain, symptom in multiple sclerosis, head trauma and migraine.

All of that seems rather scary, yet I've talked to many people who've experienced vertigo during their lifetime. As for me, after a day of rest I was able to enjoy the wedding festivities, and didn't miss the rehearsal dinner or wedding day.

When I came home I visited my Ears, Nose and Throat specialist, who explained, my ear had a cold. It was a self correcting problem, and unless I experienced a repeat of the vertigo, I didn't need to see him again for this problem.