Vertigo

Spinning, dizzy, WTF

As I mentioned previously, I had a hysterectomy about 4 weeks ago (give or take a day). Afterwards, they warned that you could be a little dizzy from the anesthesia so to be careful getting up from lying or seated positions for a few days. Ok. Not a big deal, but for me the dizziness never went away. Now, I was ok generally once I sat up and waited for the spinning to stop and could do my mild little exercise or even after my 2 week check up could drive and get a mani-pedi (glory, glory hallelujah).

But, interestingly after the mani-pedi I was so exhausted that I laid down and promptly fell asleep. Unfortunately, also didn’t feel good for several days after. I figured that I simply overdid it physically, like I tend to do when I get going. Listen, for whatever reason, I do have some autoimmune diseases so that makes me a spoonie.

Which basically means, that when I over do the physical activity on any given day, I need to take it easy the next day. Basically this amounts to sitting in bed binge watching a show on any given streaming service. And, no you don’t have to be a spoonie to have that issue. Sometimes it’s just called a mental health day, a day to sit and do nothing, or an I need to sit in bed all day and forget about everything kinda day (we are all entitled every once in awhile to do nothing, too) .

But no, this was no ordinary spoonie event. Not only was the spinning not abating when I sat up, but it was getting worse as I went about the day. In fact, it was so bad that I really was afraid to drive, lost my appetite, and was really really cranky. The husband was getting really concerned, but I thought it was just me doing too much too soon.

Then I did take a shower and cleaned out my right ear with a QTip. Yes, I know you are not supposed to do that, but like most people I do it anyway. Not only was there alot of wax, but a little spot of blood was on the QTip. Now before you get excited, I have eczema in my ear canal and sometimes it does cause dryness and there can be a little blood just like if the dermatitis was on your elbow or knee.

Well the husband went into full panic mode and searched on doctor google. Apparently there is something that says if you have blood in your ear after surgery you could be bleeding internally. I told him that it was just a spot of blood and I had messaged the doctor already about the dizziness. Meanwhile, the nurse on duty did call back and told me to go to the ER to get checked out.

I texted the husband and he went into full combat mode. Just so you know, the husband is enough of a Jewish mother for the both of us. I don’t even need to try. Well, he whisked me away to the ER.

After 3 hours of X-rays, CAT scans, blood tests, and a neurology test, they said, I am fine. No internal bleeding. Nothing with the heart, head or any other internal organ. No stroke. The blood tests showed there was no internal bleeding, and in fact it looked like everything is healing just fine. Of course to hedge their bets they told me I could go see a neurologist and get a head MRI, but in the meantime I need to follow up with my surgeon and/or my primary.

So we came home. It was 1am. And I drank a glass of wine and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning and remembered something from the past. I had had a very bad bout of vertigo years ago. Now vertigo can be caused by stress, and/or dehydration. I can’t think of anything more stressful to your body than major surgery. The ER told me I was not dehydrated. In fact, I had been making a concerted effort to drink alot of water, acknowledging that it was an essential part of healing. And yes, I had made chicken soup, and made sure to put in ginger, and tumeric to help with any inflammation.

So what I did, was remember the exercises the ENT had taught me years ago to help alleviate the vertigo. The one he had had me do was where you lay with your head hanging over the bed and turn you head toward the side that is causing the unsteadiness. Well I tried that, and not only was the room swimming, but there was no doubt that if I stayed like that for the 30 seconds recommended I would throw up all over the room. Yes, I promptly sat up.

So I did what any responsible adult would do. No, I didn’t call the ENT, I went on Youtube and Googled vertigo exercises. And lo and behold there were quite a number of exercise videos to choose from. I watched several and chose some of the more milder exercises to start with. No hanging over the side of the bed for me. And they worked. While I was dizzy to start with, the brain fog began to lift and I also felt much better.

I also realized that the reason I wasn’t spinning when I laid down in bed, was because I slept on a wedge pillow due to my reflux issue. One of the things they recommend when you have vertigo is to not sleep flat, but to prop yourself up in a reclining position. So, that also added to my delay in figuring out what was going on.

Next, I went on line to check to see if there was a diet element to the vertigo.

And yep there is, of course there is, there is now a diet element to everything that ails humanity. And of course the problematic items is all that I enjoy drinking that is left in my diet.

Now of course they recommend eating fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats. Some of which I can’t eat because of the gout diet, others I can’t eat because of the reflux diet and on top of everything there is me keeping a gluten free diet (not for celiac, but for inflammation. It does help with my arthritis.).

So what did it say I need to cut out for the vertigo diet? Chocolate, tea, coffee and alcohol- all alcohol. I told the husband, and for the first time he objected to a diet recommendation. He said this sounds ridiculous.

He was aghast at having to cut out chocolate and wine. He doesn’t like tea or coffee so it would not be such a great loss for him. But he eats more chocolate than me and does like his glass of wine at night.

For me I can do without caffeinated tea. However, I have started drinking herbal tea to go to sleep. Trying to get away from the OTC sleeping meds. I have also really not been craving chocolate lately. Weird I know, but my waist and my tushie are taking full advantage of that disappeared yen.

On the other hand, then I was left with the wine and/or coffee dilemma. At this point I talked to my son’s nutritionist, and of course she recommended cutting out the wine. Everyone is recommending cutting out the wine ever since the report came out that there is nothing positive about alcohol at all and the French paradox was nonsense.

In fact at my last annual check up, my primary and I had a long talk about how no alcohol is good for you.

Seriously, is a person not allowed any vice at all anymore?

Well, in all honesty, I had already decided that it would be the wine I gave up before I had spoken to anyone about it. I thought about it, and I really look forward to that morning cup of coffee more than anything. I actually sometimes go to sleep thinking about that morning cup of java. And yes that does signal its own kind of problem, but I was really proud that I was happy to give up that glass of wine. I might have a addiction to morning caffeine, but there are obviously worse things in this world, especially since they do say there are health benefits to coffee. That is black coffee, not coffee with milk and sugar, or all that additive crap that Starbucks puts in a drink and calls coffee. The benefit is from black coffee alone.

Funny I never drank coffee with anything in it ever. I love the smell and taste of plain coffee. I also don’t like sugary drinks of any kind and am not really a hot milk fan either. No I don’t drink hot chocolate, even the almond milk kind.

Well, lo and behold, one day of doing the exercises, no OTC sleeping meds and no glass of wine and I do feel better. Not 100% perfect but able to walk around, no brain fog, and feel it’s safe to drive.

Also, my surgeon did call me to tell me she reviewed the tests and everything looks ok, she didn’t think there was a need for her to see me before my scheduled check up. I told her I think it’s vertigo, and began doing some exercise, since I had had vertigo before. She let me know she was thinking the same thing, but she isnt an expert on that. (No matter what every doctor always hedge their bets. In today’s litigious society I think they really have to. They don’t know who they are dealing with no matter how nice you are in conversation.)

Have I told you I think my doctor is really sweet and she is very cute. I know she is a grown ass woman who is a surgeon, but there also comes a time when your doctors start to look like children. It’s the same thing with our orthopedist. In fact, my SIL who recommended him said he looks like he’s 12 years old. This is when you know you have entered the cranky old person stage of life. Full grown people, probably in their 40s, who are so accomplished that they have no issue cutting into living human beings look young and cute to you. (By the way, my husband’s heart surgeon doesn’t look like a child. He looks like a grown up, which is good because we trust him with the husband’s heart.)

Meanwhile, I felt so good and non dizzy, I made banana bread this morning.

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