to fill my life with colours

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
the same old thing

Just a recapped...

I am tired of blogger. The skins are not that eye-catching anymore. I will be switching to a new host next year.

Oh yar, do come back if you want to know about Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice.

jotted down at 2:29:00 AM

Monday, November 2, 2009
Might be NEW to you

No harm in learning something new each day

Vertigo - Vestibular Balance Disorders

As a child, did you ever play a game of spinning around and around and then stopping? Recall how when you stopped, the world seemed to continue spinning around you. This same type of feeling is similar to the feelings that someone would experience with vertigo.
I am suffering from this. The feeling is the pits than what they described above. I cannot sit still without having the feeling of going to the ladies to throw up. What I eat all will be out in just few minutes. Eating meat does not help either.

What problems cause balance disorders?

It can be caused by the structures of the ear (peripheral vertigo) or in the brain (central vertigo). Often it is mainly caused by a malfunction of one or more of the structures in the inner ear. These structures make up the vestibular system, which is responsible for balance. While the most common types of vertigo, such as motion sickness and BPPV are not life threatening, there are some dangerous causes. For example, central vertigo can be caused by stroke or head injuries. Recurring or unexplained vertigo should be evaluated by a physician.
Until today, I am not sentient that my ear structures are not properly or should I said balanced. I don’t even know there will be such term. In other words, my ears are handicapped. Right now, I assume that both my ears are unhinged. Do scan through the image below and see how the structures of an ear look like.

Diagram of outer, middle, and inner ear.

The outer ear is labeled in the figure and includes the ear canal. The middle ear includes the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and three tiny bones for hearing. The bones are called the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus), and stirrup (stapes) to reflect their shapes. The middle ear connects to the back of the throat by the Eustachian tube. The inner ear (labyrinth) contains the semicircular canals and vestibule for balance, and the cochlea for hearing.

The vestibular structures of the inner ear are the vestibule (which is made up of the utricle and saccule) and the three semicircular canals. These structures work somewhat like a carpenter's level (a tool used to show how "level" a horizontal or vertical surface is). That is, they work by way of the vestibulocochlear nerve with the vestibular center in the brain to deal with body balance and position. (The rest of the inner ear, that is, the cochlea, is concerned with hearing.) Thus, the vestibular system includes the vestibule, the semicircular canals, the vestibular branch of the vestibulocochlear nerve, and the vestibular center in the brain.

The vestibular system measures linear and rotational movement. A number of disorders can cause this system to stop working or provide inappropriate information. These disorders include Meniere syndrome, labyrinthitis, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, ear infections, tumors, or trauma. Each of these conditions is discussed below.

The general sensory system consists of motion, position, and pressure sensors in the skin, muscles, and joints. These sensors provide important touch (tactile) and position information to keep us balanced. For example, if someone pushes you from behind, a slight increase will occur in the activity of the pressure sensors in the ball of the feet. As these sensors note the increased pressure, the brain is notified, and it knows from experience that the body is being pushed forward. The brain then uses this information to tell the body to shift a small amount of weight backward to prevent the body from toppling forward. So, disorders involving the general sensory system can result in balance problems.

Symptoms/Signs

Feelings of vertigo can be very disruptive to normal everyday activities. Commonly accompanying vertigo are nausea, vomiting, and nystagmus (quick jerking eye movements in one direction while slow return in the other direction). Other symptoms of vertigo include:

Dizziness / Motion Sickness
Lightheadedness
Balance problems or a feeling that you are standing still while the world is spinning around you
Feeling pulled in different directions
Problems with hearing and vision
Headaches
I am fluky that I do not have all the symptoms. It means that mine is not fatal. Hopefully! I am just supercilious in this part. Apart from all mentioned above, I only having the Dizziness / Motion Sickness and Headaches, and not forgetting nausea and vomiting.

Details of the symptoms I am having

Motion Sickness - With motion sickness, situations that cause vertigo can often be avoided. Staying off rocking boats or reading in automobiles are ways to help prevent the onset of vertigo in these instances. If the situation cannot be avoided, staring at a stationary object may help to maintain a sense of balance and prevent adverse symptoms. In cases where the situation will be planned, such as going on a cruise, a scopolamine patch may be worn to help waylay feelings of vertigo.

Lightheadedness - Lightheadedness refers to the typical sensation one experiences prior to a fainting episode. Associated symptoms can include sweating, feeling cold, shortness of breath, numbness around the mouth or of the fingers, and a dimming or tunneling of vision.

Lightheadedness is caused by a momentary decrease in blood flow to the brain. This sensation can occur for a number of reasons including medication side effects and heart (cardiac) and blood vessel (vascular) problems. For instance, orthostatic hypotension is low blood pressure that occurs upon standing. In this condition, the low blood pressure decreases blood flow to the brain, and thereby, causes lightheadedness.

Contrary to popular belief, high blood pressure (hypertension) itself does not cause lightheadedness. Hypertensive patients may experience lightheadedness, however, when their blood pressure drops for any reason. It happens that the most common reason for such a drop in blood pressure is a response to their blood pressure medications. Lightheadedness is usually not a common complaint from patients with vestibular problems.
Apart from those above, I cannot gawk into something that is bright like lamp and computer light. That makes the situation worst since my job requires a computer and the light in the office needs to be BRIGHT each day. And since I cannot shun such a situation, my vertigo is getting worst.

http://ent.about.com/od/livingwithentdisorders/a/vertigo.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/vertigo/page3.htm

jotted down at 5:18:00 PM