Vertigo AGAIN!

We were watching TV on Sunday evening when I started to have a slightly off-kilter feeling. But I thought it would pass. I hoped it would pass. I wondered if I’d contracted COVID like several other people I know. 

However, when I got up to take a bath before going to bed, I got swamped with a totally awful vertigo. Art suggested I do the Epley Maneuver which was taught me at the Tripler ER when I last had my vertigo incident in 2021.

I did the maneuver. And on my second try, felt even worse and ended up vomiting. Arrgghhh…. I haven’t vomited in decades. Luckily, Art had the presence of mind to grab a waste basket in time. 

This can’t be happening now. We’re leaving for Japan in a few days. My brother is coming to stay with mom while we’re joining our children and grandchildren in Tokyo for a couple of weeks. We haven’t seen our son and family in more than 2 years because of COVID and their international move. (I’ve written and scheduled blog posts ahead of time to go up while we’re gone.)

Interestingly, I checked my blog to see when was the last time I had vertigo and ended up at Tripler. I’d written about it, and it was very helpful. I’d had the vertigo attack on October 17th 2021. It was a couple of weeks after our annual flu shot. I mentioned that I’d had a weird sensation of my ears being plugged after the flu shot.

I had my COVID booster on May 5th this year and have been experiencing that clogged ear effect now for several weeks. And now I’ve got extreme vertigo, much worse than before. Could they be connected?

Going to Tripler ER this afternoon.

POSTSCRIPT:

OK, we arrived at the Tripler Hospital ER at around 12:15 PM. OMG! It was super crowded! A nurse told me later that Mondays are the worst days to go to the ER. Sigh...

I was finally called in to see the doctor at around 3:00 PM and was immediately given meclizine. I'd been told by two other check-in nurses that I'd probably be given that. I'd already texted friends and a cousin about where I was. Two of them told me that it's what they were also given when they'd had a case of vertigo. So, OK, I took the pill.

At 4:00 a fellow came in who was probably an Intern. He did several tests to see how much of the vertigo still remained. I must tell you... he was probably the handsomest, cutest doctor you'd ever see. (Art did agree with me, by the way) Oh, and he was very nice too, and good at what he was doing. 

A young, obviously pregnant doctor came in next... also very attractive. She did the same tests he did. I told him, he'd learned very well. 😁 She also did the Epley maneuver with me and explained how the side that made me most nauseous is the side to do first because the crystals in the ear are most out of kilter there. She was an awesome ER doctor. I'd heard her treating other patients throughout the afternoon and her kindness and professional care never faltered. I can't imagine doing what she was doing while pregnant.

I was then given blood tests to make sure everything was OK and an EKG. 

They said I was dehydrated. Must be since we'd been sitting in the ER since noon and it was now past 5:00.

They then gave me a liter of fluids by IV. 

Couldn't they just let me go and drink a lot of water at home?

Nope.

This is why we weren't able to leave until 6:40. 

Those IV drips are not fast.

Ah well... I have meclizine tablets they gave me for the next 10 days. 

Apparently vertigo will probably clear up in 2-4 weeks. Hopefully sooner. 🤞

POSTSCRIPT 2:

Yes, I did mention to the doctors about my plugged ears. They weren't super surprised that I had that sensation after the vaccinations but I don't think they related it to the vertigo. Whatever the case, they checked my ears and said it was not plugged up and clean. 😁

POSTSCRIPT 3:

My regular doctor called the following day and I mentioned the plugged ears feeling after my flu and COVID vaccinations. He says it's not all that uncommon and he even had one patient who went almost deaf for about a month after a vaccination. 

I asked if it was possible that my vertigo was related to that plugged ear thing and he said it's quite possible.

So there it is.

Fingers crossed it doesn't happen again for a long, long while.   

POSTSCRIPT 4

Just wanted to be sure to add my ears cleared up both times and my ears got plugged only those two times after the vaccinations. You should definitely get your vaccinations!