I'm getting old...

I think I have BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)... Yes, I'm experiencing vertigo and not because I've been listening to too much U2. Since yesterday, I've been feeling dizzy every few minutes. Everytime I turn over in bed, get out of bed, bend down to pick something up or look up, the entire room spins. Sometimes when I walk, I loose my balance. I also felt like vomiting many times. My sister joked and said it might be that my ears were imbalanced. So I Googled 'imbalance in the ear' and the results were pages for BPPV.

"BPPV dizziness is generally thought to be due to debris which has collected within a part of the inner ear. This debris can be thought of as "ear rocks", although the formal name is "otoconia". Ear rocks are small crystals of calcium carbonate derived from a structure in the ear called the "utricle". Normally, the crystals rest on a membrane that allows the brain to perceive the position of the head relative to gravity. These crystals can become dislodged and float around in the semicircular canals. This causes an aberration in the brain's perception of gravity, which induces the sensation of spinning or vertigo. BPPV is a common cause of dizziness. About 20% of all dizziness is due to BPPV. While BPPV can occur in children, the older you are, the more likely it is that your dizziness is due to BPPV. The symptoms of BPPV include dizziness or vertigo, lightheadedness, imbalance, and nausea. Activities which bring on symptoms will vary among persons, but symptoms are almost always precipitated by a change of position of the head with respect to gravity. Getting out of bed or rolling over in bed are common "problem" motions . Because people with BPPV often feel dizzy and unsteady when they tip their heads back to look up, sometimes BPPV is called "top shelf vertigo." The most common causes of BPPV is head injury, ear infection, minor strokes or in older people, ear degeneration... but then in half of all cases, BPPV could be "idiopathic"."

I don't think I had a head injury (although if I did, it might explain why I don't remember it). I don't think I had a stroke. It could be due to an ear infection... Perhaps it's because I'm getting old or else, I'm an idiot. I need to get to a doctor right away and get my head properly diagnosed. The webpage also said BPPV has an intermittent pattern. It may be present for a few weeks, then stop, then come back again. I hope it will stop this thursday... I don't want to fall over when I walk up on stage to get my degree...