Vertigo

No not the movie... unfortunately.

In late August I was struck down with a mystery illness that knocked me for six, for days and days on end. The most extreme dizziness I'd ever experienced made simple daily life almost impossible for nearly a week. Every time I moved the room would spin uncontrollably. It was so bad that my eyes would flick rapidly from side to side, trying to keep up with the rate of spin that my brain perceived. This of course led to severe nausea. On the worst day, I was sick 8 times, despite having an empty stomach. In fact I think that made it worse, as there was nothing to come out, so it felt like I was just going to turn inside out.
I couldn't lay down as that made the dizziness considerably worse. I sat totally still for 48 hours, even sleeping upright in a chair. It was the only way the fight the urge to throw up.
The whole experience freaked the shit out of me.

Yesterday morning (we're in late October now) I awoke at 5am, completely drenched in sweat and the room was spinning again. Oh crap....
Yep - it came back. The room was spinning, I could barely walk, falling against the wall, feeling sick etc.
This morning it happened again and I was sick too.

As this is the second time it's happened I'm getting a little concerned, so I called NHS Direct. They got a nurse to call me back, then she got a doctor to call me as well.
The conclusion was that I most likely have vertigo, also known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The blurb says:

BPPV occurs when a person turns their head suddenly, or rolls over in bed. It is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

BPPV is thought to be caused by small fragments of debris which, for unknown reasons, break off from the lining of the labyrinth. The fragments, known as otoconia, are made of calcium carbonate crystals, and do not usually cause a problem unless they get into one of the ear’s fluid-filled canals.
When your head is still, the otoconia sit at the bottom of the canal. However, certain head movements cause the fragments to be swept along the fluid-filled canal, where they brush against the sensitive hairs that line the canal. This sends extra, confusing, messages to the brain, which responds by causing vertigo.
BPPV usually affects older people. Most cases occurr in people over 40. However, it can affect younger people, and may develop after an ear infection, or after a head injury that causes damage or inflammation to the inner ear.
Attacks of BPPV usually clear up within a few days. The condition usually clears up within a few weeks or months but it can sometimes reoccur at a later date.

Great....
I found some info on t'internet. I might try The Epley Manoeuvre, which is a set of specific head movements which are designed to move the fragments to a position outside of the labyrinth and hopefully stop the symptoms. Apparently it's successful in something like 80% of cases, so it's worth a try I guess.
I'm just a bit scared to do it, in case in makes me feel worse.

Gutted that we've missed seeing Jock, Mark and the Bushart guys tonight at Islington Academy. I was really looking forward to this gig. I can't risk driving till I'm sure I won't have another attack.