Spinning Wheel

I had a profoundly unsettling experience this week.

On Tuesday morning I was pulling weeds in our south garden, which is sloping and has rock terracing. After about 20 minutes, I started to feel dizzy. I worked a little longer, then decided I needed to quit. By this time, I was so dizzy that I didn’t feel confident standing. I crawled up the rock terracing to level ground and was able to walk the rest of the way inside.

I figured that I was dehydrated, so I spent the rest of the day indoors, guzzling water.

Wednesday was rainy, so I stayed indoors most of the time. Early that evening, as I was sitting in the living room, the world started spinning. I’d had vertigo before, so I wasn’t alarmed – but then things escalated.

I felt hot and clammy, then was overwhelmed by nausea. I couldn’t make myself stand up, so I fell forward onto the floor, then crawled to the bathroom. I made it just in time and felt a little better afterward. In the middle of the night, powerful nausea awakened me, followed by more sickness.

I had another attack Thursday morning, so it was time to see the doctor. Happily, Linda had bailed on a commitment and stayed home to care for me. The doctor (actually, he was a physician’s assistant) told me that the vertigo was caused by an infection in both ears. The infection probably was caused by allergies. If I take my medicine, I should be better in a week or so.

Wednesday night (or was it Thursday morning?), I kept wondering, “How can my head be spinning and I feel like I’m falling, when I’m lying flat with my eyes closed?” And, “I don’t remember ever feeling this awful before.” And, “What’s wrong with me?”

Can you imagine how comforting it was to hear that it was caused by an ear infection?

Praise God, it was nothing worse. It feels great to walk without fear of falling. It feels great to read without the words bouncing around. If feels great to be alive, and healthy. Praise God, indeed!