Posted on by LydiaA1614

I Keep On Fallin’

I wish I was quoting a line from my favorite Alicia Keys’ song. But unfortunately, I mean it in the literal sense of falling.

First of all, there is the reoccurrence of my vertigo but far worse than I have ever had it before. I can now feel the world spinning around me when I am lying in bed, walking, going from standing to sitting (not just the other way around) and just about any way you can think of. Often I feel like I am either going to fall down or pass out.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Try to say that three times fast LOL! It is when crystals in the ear are out of place. The treatment for this is to basically shake them back by flinging then head back quickly and turning it abruptly in the direction of the affected ear. The doctor does this a few times while watching if the eyes are moving and then puts you upright again. My exercises are something similar, but not quite as abrupt and are done on a comfortable bed, not a chair that looks something like the dentist chair in “Little Shop of Horrors”! For two nights after the doctor’s treatment, I have to sleep in an almost upright position.

But when I had BPPV in the past, it was more random and usually when I was walking around a corner fast or getting up too quickly. What I am having now is almost constant. I don’t want to drive if I think I will be dizzy, though it hasn’t seemed to happen when I am doing something I am concentrating on. It is more when I am distracted – talking while going to lay down (or get up), thinking about something while doing something else, etc.

I have researched various types of vertigo and nothing seems to really fit what is going on. I keep myself well hydrated, I am for the most part getting enough sleep, and I am not taking any different medication.

The other reference to falling is last night I fell out of bed again while I was asleep. I have a bed rail that goes to about my waist. I can’t put it down any further because I would have problems getting into bed. I don’t have enough arm strength to pull myself up and around the rail. The rail is also there to help me roll over and get up out of bed so it can’t be so far down I can’t reach it.

Why do I fall out? Well, because of my back, shoulder, and leg injuries, when I roll over in my sleep I tend to just roll from one side to the other without shifting my body placement. Where I would have been close to the middle, after I roll I am close to the edge or I just roll right off.

Only once did I really hurt myself and that was hitting my head against the night table. It was before I had the bed rail and why I got one. I had a bit of a shiner and bump just above the hairline over the eye. Most times, as with last night, I just end up with all over aches and pains (more than usual) and some extra bruises.

I am using my walker when I go out where I think I am going to be doing a lot of walking or I am feeling unsteady. I even took it to church last weekend and shopping after. I thought I would feel uncomfortable but no, I don’t. After all, I am (newly) 59, disabled and it is a bluey purple walker!

I have a friend who has MS and she deals with vertigo every single day. It is so bad that she has difficulty in large groups of people, riding in vehicles sometimes, and even just looking anywhere but straight ahead. I am beginning to realize just how bad it is for her and mine is nowhere near that severe. But I can certainly empathize with her. Sometimes the Lord will allow us to go through something so that we can relate to someone else.

Maybe that is what this is. Or maybe it is something I need to get checked out.

So, I guess I will go have to go back to the doctor to see if I need another torture chair treatment or if the vertigo is related to something different this time.

Oh, and since I brought it up, I have to include Alicia! I need to get her to change the first line to “I keep fallin’ in and out of bed with vertigo”!

Lydia!

21 Replies to “I Keep On Fallin’”

  1. Oh Lydia, I can completely relate. I suffer from vertigo too. At it’s worst it can make me vomit & has in the past has left me unable to leave my bed for a week. Not nice & thankfully I usually only get short bouts now a days. Thinking of you xx

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    1. Thanks, Sam. I am starting to get nauseous but have yet to vomit thankfully. This is the longest session I have had which makes me think it might be something new. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. It is no fun to fall out of the bed Lydia. I wonder, if it could help you to get a bigger madras just for you. Then you can roll more without falling out.
    After my hospitalizing this summer, I came home and after short time I also felt out of my bed. I do have a bigger madras, but it did lay in a bad position that day. I was just happy, that my night table doesn’t have sharp corners, but I got headache anyway.
    If you are going to be checked by your doctor, then ask for your blood percent. If this is low, you will much easier become dizzy.
    I got blood at the hospital and it helped a lot.
    Wish you all the best.

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    1. Thank you, Irene. I am sorry to hear you were hospitalized. I hope you are better now. I have had my blood checked but not lately. I do have to get some tests done so I may see if they can check it then.

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    1. I have issues with my knees and back which make it very difficult to get down to, and up from, the floor. If I even tried an air mattress it would have to be at least 20 inches from the ground. Thanks so much for the suggestion and the empathy. 🙂

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      2. I take them because if I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to function in any form. I hate taking them and they do not by any means take away all my pain but they are a necessity to have some form of quality of life. I take natural remedies as much as I can. I will be reviewing a natural lotion which is so helpful at relieving muscle and joint pain. I am currently trying to use Serrapeptase to get off of Naproxin as an anti-inflamatory. You have actually given me a great idea for another blog post. I hope you will check back for it…probably later next week. Thank you for this question.

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  7. I’m sorry to hear this. I have had t he benign vertigo thing several times but it only lasts a day or two. I have heard from friends who suffer from it more than I do that there are physiotherapists who specialize in helping people who suffer from this with specific exercises and movements. Maybe that is something you could try?

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  8. Pingback: I Keep On Fallin’ — Being Lydia! – THE BIG BUCK HUNTER 2018

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