The "Thank You Dr. Epley" Story

Preface:  It was eight years ago that I began writing this blog.  I have posted over 3,000 stories to date and have not given up, even if you may have thought that to be the case since I have failed to post any stories for quite a few days.  I have been visiting the island known as New Providence which is located in the Bahamas and during my visit the Melia Resort where I stayed lost Internet and phone service, therefore not allowing me to post any stories.  My lost is minor compared to many whose livelihood required the use of the Internet.  I can assure you that there were many irate patrons who had much more to lose than me.  I’m sorry for the delay, but I will continue once again to delight, entertain and I’m sure disappoint you at times with my extraordinary stories.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting on the bed across from my wife in room 214 at the Melia Resort in Nassau going through the 8 steps in what is known as the Epley Maneuver.  Must have been a few years ago that Carol became very ill and found that if she moved her head to the right, she was dizzy and felt as it she might be sick.  It was extremely scary.  I found the only thing I could do was call 911.  Explained our predicament and they responded by sending an ambulance to our home.  I believe they had an idea what she might be experiencing, but didn’t want to make any observations since they weren’t doctors.  Tough on her as they brought her from our upstairs bedroom by litter to the ambulance.  I followed them to the hospital and after an examination we were told she had experienced vertigo or what is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).  Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo — the sudden sensation that you're spinning or that the inside of your head is spinning. It can be treated with what is known as the Epley maneuver or Epley’s exercises.  The maneuver, developed by Dr. John Epley in 1980, is often performed by a doctor or physical therapist, but we were told she could perform the maneuver herself or I could assist her if she ever had it happen again.  Well, today, with the sun shining brightly and the waves lapping on the sand outside our 2nd floor resort room it happened once again.  Naturally had to happen while on vacation, since it seems that one of us has had the unfortunate habit of becoming ill while on vacation.  If you have been a reader of this blog you will remember Carol’s recent bout with appendicitis, gall bladder attack and a severe cold to go with my shingles and severe cold all while on vacation.  We now have added another bout of vertigo from this year’s trip to the Bahamas.  But, we now travel prepared, since we packed the directions known as the Epley maneuver with our other paperwork and sure enough we needed it.  Carol reported severe dizziness and said it reminded her of when she had vertigo.  We decided to perform the maneuver and see if it would help.  For those of you who may also experience excessive dizziness from time to time, I have included the Epley maneuver that may, or may not, help with the problem.  In Carol’s case, she laid on a bed and after going through the procedure three times, felt much better and within a few hours was almost fully recovered.  You could also perform the procedure while laying on the floor.  We never travel anywhere now without the paper which holds the directions.  In case you might find it helpful, here is the procedure which can be found online.  

1. Sit upright.
2. Turn your head to the symptomatic side at a 45 degree angle and lie on your back.
3. Remain up to 5 minutes in this position.
4. Turn your head 90 degrees to the other side.
5. Remain up to 5 minutes in this position.
6. Roll your body onto your side in the direction you are facing; now you are pointing your nose down.
7. Remain up to 5 minutes in this position.
8. Go back to the sitting position and remain up to 30 seconds in this position

The entire procedure should be repeated two more times for a total of three times.  

Hopefully after doing this for three times, the crystals in your ear will have realigned in their proper place and you will feel better.  I found that I can use my iPhone’s timer if I can’t find another timer.  And, we make sure we don’t cut the time short just to get through it faster.  Stick to what it says!  It’s been a day since she felt ill and dizzy and she is just about back to normal.  Hope this may help at least one of you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.