July 6, 2015: The Power of a Sneeze

    I sneezed, and suddenly my life was changed forever..
    Within a minute, I was lightheaded and dizzy. I walked into our kitchen for a glass of water, and the room started to spin. Thinking it would pass, I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. One minute passed, then two, then three. I opened my eyes. The kitchen was spinning clockwise in front of me.
    Nausea was setting in. I swallowed hard and gripped the edge of the countertop. A few more minutes passed. I squinted. The room was still spinning. Sliding down to sit on the floor, I waited, eyes closed tightly. My pulse was beating faster and I broke out into a cold sweat. I focused harder on breathing.
     A few more minutes and the spinning had stopped. I made my way to the bathroom, afraid I would vomit. "Something weird is happening!" I yelled to my husband in the next room. "I'm all of a sudden dizzy... or... something." The spinning resumed.
     My insides turned out. I was shivering and sweating uncontrollably. I focused again on taking deep breaths. In, two, three, four - out, two, three, four.
     A few more minutes and the spinning had passed.
     "Wow, that was really bizarre." I said to my husband, and laid down on the sofa, suddenly exhausted.
     It was the first of countless episodes of out of control, debilitating vertigo.