I woke up about 5AM today and tried to get out of bed. The room was spinning and it was hard to keep my balance. Since I was up, my bladder required attention so I managed to get myself to the bathroom without falling, but it was tough. This happened to me before and the first time was so severe that I couldn’t get out of bed until my husband came home a couple hours later. I eventually went to the hospital because it wasn’t getting better and I had no idea what was happening. I thought was either having a stroke or the breast cancer I was treated for in 2010 had metastasized to my brain. Neither of those options was appealing to me so off to the ER we went. The ER docs did a few scans of my neck and head looking for any suspicious activity that might be cause for concern and found nothing was amiss. I received a diagnosis of vertigo, was giving a prescription for a stronger than over-the-counter version of Bonine and home I went. I didn’t fill the prescription and decided since my life was probably not in danger, I would just wait it out. And I did just that.
This morning’s episode was similar to the last time but not nearly as profound. Since I knew what was happening to me this time, I didn’t panic. I was scheduled to go to a funeral today and was really hoping that this thing did not keep me from attending. It did not. I felt a mild nausea all day from the dizziness and I’m really tired but that could be from the emotion of the funeral. It was hard to see a mother bury her second of three children. In any case, I was able to function normally today without a recurrence of the dizziness of this morning.
As I was thinking about the day and now specifically my vertigo, I considered a third option it could have been from. I was diagnosed with Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD) after my spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) in 2017. This is a condition whereby you may develop small bubbles on the walls in at least one artery that resemble a string of pearls. FMD puts you at a higher risk for aneurysm, high blood pressure, stroke, among other things. Now I’m not sure which artery(ies) it was in for me but I find it interesting that I never had vertigo until I had my SCAD. I don’t know if there is any relationship between the dizziness and the SCAD, FMD or the meds I’m on to manage these issues. I should know more about my own condition but I choose not to dwell on it, especially since nothing can be done about it. I don’t use any hormone based therapy or other medications that could worsen my condition. If there was a treatment I could seek out, I would take a different approach. But that’s just me.
An update on my progress…to date I’ve lost 11 pounds and am on a roll this week, going to the gym and exercising at least 40 minutes but usually more, daily. I have done four days in a row and will be going tonight as soon as I post this entry. I am committed to going to the gym 90 days in a row to create the new habit of exercising daily. I am already feeling stronger and more energetic since I began this process in early July. I will accept nothing less than success and I get to define what that is…and so do you in your health journey.
As a health coach, I work with women who are facing serious health challenges like heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes or who have been diagnosed as having a precursor to a serious health issue such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar. I help them make food and lifestyle changes so they can get healthy, live longer and enjoy a fuller, happier, more energetic life. If you would like to have a free consultation about the health challenges you have and the improvements you would like to see in your health, click here to schedule a no strings attached call.
