my last post contained the following sentiment....
things are still great, we have health, food, devalued crypto and freedom.... hallelullya
well, karma she is a bitch. but first some music....
black sabbath - fairies wear boots
a simple choice of music and the reason will be made clear...
the very next morning after that specific blog post... waking up i turned over and my gosh... the whole bloody world started revolving ... not dizzy... more wall was ceiling ceiling was floor and ... settled down after a few seconds although my stomach was very unsettled...
press play and you will get a microcosm of what was happening
things went from bad to worse. my bestest half had gone for a run and some exercise stuff.... usually takes her two hours... i stumbled down the passage bumping into the wall at intervals... cold sweats, heart pounding. what the hell was wrong with me?
tommy roe - dizzy.... no, i did not search... i know every word of this song.... i was 10 when this was a hit. i loved it
i stood in the kitchen thinking i was going to die. this is a serious heart attack... does my wife know where the bitcoin hardware wallets are? did i secure the seeds? are my recovery instructions up to date?
for the first time since we arrived in italy i wanted to go home. we did not know where a hospital was, a doctor.... we do not speak the language ... no medical aid... how do we handle this?
eventually my wife got home and i told her what i was going through. i said let us go for a walk... i feel better when moving and no close walls and furniture to spin. getting home i lay down and she researched what it might be... while we were walking we agreed it was possibly ear related.
benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (bppv) was the most likely candidate for my malady.
Inside your ear is a tiny organ called the vestibular labyrinth. It includes three loop-shaped structures (semicircular canals) that contain fluid and fine, hairlike sensors that monitor your head's rotation.
Other structures (otolith organs) in your ear monitor your head's movements — up and down, right and left, back and forth — and your head's position related to gravity. These otolith organs contain crystals that make you sensitive to gravity.
For many reasons, these crystals can become dislodged. When they become dislodged, they can move into one of the semicircular canals — especially while you're lying down. This causes the semicircular canal to become sensitive to head position changes it would normally not respond to, which is what makes you feel dizzy.
source
dizzyness and spinning worlds was the least of my problems... nausea and 'jumping eyes' really made me miserable.... i hate needles and anesthetic but would have happily paid thousands of euros to go under the knife to put me out of my misery....but youtube offered a fix.
we had already ascertained that it was my left side that was affected... more music is required ...
carole king - tapestry
so when discovering a youtube demonstration on how to return these pesky crystal back to where they belong we went for it.
more research and me cowering in a cold sweat just laying staring at the wall... playing safe. eventually i found a different instruction youtube video and after reading many many grateful comments i decided this was the answer ...
it took me eight hours to pluck up the courage to try again. i took an anti-nausea tablet, waited just under an hour and did the maneuver by myself. i did not do it perfectly but on position three i experienced very bad vertigo which apparently was an encouraging sign.
what a wake up call.... go to bed fit and healthy... wake up debilitated !!
needless to say, we now have doctor, hospital, taxi numbers on our fridge. planned routes etc. we are both carrying cards with each of our contact details and our family... in both languages... we walk and cycle a lot... if vertigo dont get us a bus might !
thank you for stopping by, thank you for your support.... stay safe, stay free and love the one you are with !!
