A quick look at a film classic .. much more about the condition, after-the-jump ...
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Recently, there was a news story about the GOP pollster Frank Luntz suffering from a case of vertigo (before it seemed to morph into a stroke). From our side, there were some mentions of karma. Not from me: as I went through a case of vertigo twenty years ago this October … and though I turned out to have a mild (and even short-lived) case, it fell into the not-something-I-wish-on-anyone camp. And just the other night on MSNBC, there was an ad for Lipo Flavonoid (intended for ear ringing but also advertised for vertigo).
Before 2004, the only thing I knew (or thought I knew) about the medical condition vertigo was watching the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo (starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak). It received mixed reviews upon release, and was just a modest success at the box office. Hitchcock later took the film out of circulation, and it was only in 1983 (a few years after his death) that it became available to the public (and I saw it in a theater). Today, the film ranks high not only among Hitchcock’s films, but also among the favorites of critics polls everywhere.
Yet the police officer portrayed by Jimmy Stewart had to leave the force due to both a case of acrophobia (fear of heights) and vertigo (a sense of items spinning a a loss of balance). I wound up conflating the two conditions at the time.
I awoke Saturday morning, October 23rd, 2004 with a strange spinning sensation (not having any symptoms the night before). I could not keep food down, and called my doctor. He asked me what I was doing to cope: and I said I’ve been pacing all around, trying to shake-it-off. Just as I didn’t recognize vertigo (from the film, thinking it was due to heights) he told me later he was thrown-off: as people undergoing it want to stay under the covers and not risk falling. So my telling him I was moving wasn’t a telltale sign, and the prescription he gave (delivered to me) wasn’t much help.
The reason I recall the date: because it was Game 1 of the World Series. By evening, the spinning relented a bit, and I finally could eat something (maybe Jello?) without barfing, and could watch the game .. yet could not pinpoint. When David Ortiz hit a ball deep to right, announcer Joe Buck said “Will it stay fair?” “You’ll have to tell me, pal” was my instant reaction (and it did).
I stayed inside that weekend and missed two days of work. Working at the time at a major medical center, I was given an appointment with an audiologist on Wednesday (to see if it was an inner ear issue, typically referred to as peripheral vertigo). After several tests it apparently wasn’t. However, an appointment with an Ears Nose & Throat (ENT) doc was not available for two weeks.
I was able to take a local bus service that wasn’t plentiful (only used it on occasion) but was quite handy then. I went to work that Wednesday after the appointment, and by then the dizziness had slacked off. My biggest problem? Walking down the hall and having someone call out, “Hey, Ed” — and if I turned my head while walking, it would start a (mild) spin. I had to learn to stop, then turn my body to return the greeting (this lasted 2-3 weeks).
I finally drove Friday evening to visit friends in Albany, NY (a 3-hour drive) and all went well. When we went out for our Saturday afternoon hike, I did have to ask for a flat course: as walking downhill gave me some near-dizziness.
By the time of my appointment with the ENT doc, I was nearly back to normal. After a discussion and some tests, he told me he was ordering an MRI (just as a precaution). He added that — unless you hear back from me — the MRI would have come up clean (and was not the more serious central vertigo). He concluded with two notes:
→ Very likely the cause of my condition was exposure to a virus that lay dormant inside me … then it sprang to life one day … then your immune system went to do battle with it … and you were caught in the cross-fire.
→ He added that I healed myself: agreeing with my primary care doc that the best way to overcome a mild case (without major causes) was to push oneself, rather than attempt to stay under the covers.
Just a few years ago, my younger brother Pat got a severe case … kept him not only out of work, but indoors. When he came down with it, I felt odd telling him my story … how easy I had it. If anyone else reading has dealt with this, feel free to note in the comments.
Let’s close with … U2.
Now, on to Top Comments:
Nothing came-in from the field this evening
And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by Pakalolo about some recent subpoenas claimed to have been received by General Flynn — blue aardvark believes that some anti-Merry Men may face the music.
Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful (and now eternal) *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment featuring that photo.
TOP PHOTOSMay 1st, 2024
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And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
17) I loved your kid Tweets: by lpeacock +7321) Guns by Denise Oliver Velez +6926) Dump … by Denise Oliver Velez +6626) SCOTUS by Denise Oliver Velez +6629) Broken nose? Son of a bitch! … by anon004 +64