Crystals In Your Ears

And I don't mean diamonds.  I had a recent bout of dizziness which ultimately led me to discover a bit about BPPV, or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, yada yada.  So far, half of the peope I've spoken to have heard of this and half have not; so this is simply an FYI based on personal experience. Here's a snippet from Johns Hopkins:

The utricle is a nearby part of the ear. It contains calcium crystals that help it detect movement. Sometimes these crystals detach from the utricle and end up inside the semicircular canals. When these crystals move inside the canals, they may send incorrect signals to your brain about your position.

It began 2-3 weeks ago, in bed.  My body turned from one side to the other, but for some reason my head forgot to go along.  When I realized I resembled The Exorcist I snapped it around, and when I say snapped it really did.  When I got out of bed the room started spinning something awful, and I had to feel my way out of the bedroom.

The weather was turning rainy and blustery, sure portents of a migraine heading my way (pun intended), but dizziness had never been an accompanying symptom.  I looked it up and sure enough, some people do experience dizziness with migraines, but when the weather cleared up and the dizziness didn't go away I began to be concerned.

I mentioned this to my Managers, who immediately suggested the Ear Crystal-thing.  They knew a friend who had this problem, and J's mother had a recurring problem.  They told me about an at-home solution known as the Eply Maneuver.  Forever stubborn, I ignored their advice until I could hardly sit up without feeling sick.

Business is slower now at the RV park so I was sent home with the suggestion I try the exercise, for that's all it is; and that it might take a couple times to work. I was skeptical as I made a half-ass attempt while lying on the couch, but thrilled when for the first time in days I could sit up without spinning.  I still couldn't look up or down without a bit of wooziness, but at least I could walk around without holding on to things.

I was afraid to try it again lest I counteract my good result, but after a few days I did try the maneuver again, and sure enough, it took care of the problem and I have not had it return, knock on wood.  If I feel dizzy in the future, this will be my first go-to solution.

The Eply Maneuver is simply turning your head back and forth in a certain way at a certain angle, not too difficult.  If I can do it anyone can.  There are a number of videos and sites which explain the maneuver, here's just one example.

Since I didn't go to the doctor I can't swear BPPV was my problem, but the solution certainly worked for me.  When I spoke to a friend in England, as soon as I mentioned the dizziness she told me about several of her friends who had 'loose crystals' in their ears.  Others I spoke to never heard about this.

Which is why I'm writing this now.  Apparently it can happen to anyone, but it seems to be more common among elderly people.  Which might help explain why so many Seniors fall over.

I'm not advocating anything or suggesting you don't seek professional help, but sharing a simple, FREE, at-home treatment you might try before heading for the Doc's.  You can do this by yourself, as I did.

Now all I need is to get over the flu I've had since Tuesday.