The Epley Maneuver
Miraculous is not a word that gets overused in my personal
vocabulary.
I had vertigo for a long time, off and on and sometimes
debilitating. A couple years ago, I had a fierce episode that lasted eight
months. The Adele song “Rolling in the Deep” was my theme every morning when I woke,
turned over and traveled from bed to bathroom, a mere few steps. I started each
day with an initial wave of nausea that eventually calmed down but never quite
disappeared.
More than once, I slid into friends on both level and uneven terrain,
was obliged to apologize and straightened my pace but I almost succeeded in
knocking some of them off their own feet. People who’ve never had vertigo
have no idea what an unbalanced plane the victim suffers; how equilibrium
swings around like an out-of-control pendulum; what getting out of bed or
rising from a seated position entails.
I’m not sure if all vertigos can be cured as mine was, but I
know there are a lot of people who have never even heard of the Epley Maneuver
and neither have their doctors. I was lucky that my physician, Dr. Vanessa
Feliciano, on the staff of UW Medicine, sent me to the UW Medical Center
Physical Therapy. She was convinced I could be helped, even though I was sure
it was hopeless.
When I arrived, I was confronted by a waiting room full of
people who were clearly disabled with canes, walkers, wheelchairs. I thought perhaps
there was something wrong with my neck and/or spine, so maybe I was in the
right place. I met with a physical therapist, Emmanuel Craig. As we chatted, we
discovered we had friends in common and I relaxed and allowed him to manipulate
my head and neck. I've never been comfortable having people fiddle with my
neck.
When Emmanuel told me it was clear I was suffering from
vertigo, I told him I knew that! but then he explained BPPV to me (benign
paroxysmal positional vertigo). BPPV is the [sudden sensation that you’re
spinning or that the inside of your head is spinning.] I had a severe case. Surprise,
surprise. What he told me next promised to change my life. It could be cured,
simply and within moments.
I walked out of the UWMC PT, clearheaded and balanced. I was
also astounded. That this treatment could be so uncomplicated, involve no drugs
and leave absolutely no after effects, amazed me. I tried to share the
information with others who I knew suffered from vertigo but was met with disbelief
(I could relate) and skepticism. I told them to ask their doctor and make an
appointment with a physical therapist.
I am well now. I know how to resolve my vertigo if it
returns, and it may. I no longer need to fear falling and running into people,
furniture, small children, etc. I don’t have to cling to walls. I get out of bed in the morning and sit up normally, ready for my cup of
coffee, not afraid I will vomit it up.
If you have vertigo and you want to try curing yourself, you
can follow the instructions in this video, which is what I will do, if mine
returns. Have someone with you to help guide you along. It won’t hurt, isn’t
complicated and can change your life. Good luck.
Thanks for reading.
