Balance Awareness Week Archives

In Chronic Illness

Life in a Spin

September 18, 2014 No Comments

Dizziness. Giddiness. Vertigo. Lightheadedness. Wooziness. Disequilibrium. Unsteadiness. Faintness.

Whatever word you choose to describe it, dizziness is defined as “having or involving a sensation of spinning around and losing one’s balance.”

It is also a symptom that I have lived with since early childhood. The reasons for the dizziness is as a result of my neurological condition; a long-standing brain stem lesion. Although we know the cause of the dizziness, we are unsure of the reason why the dizziness and vertigo occurs, and what it worse we have no way to treat or cure this very life-limiting symptom. In the past I have tried various medications as well as undertaking vestibular rehabilitation exercises but unfortunately nothing has worked in even decreasing the severity of the moving sensations that I have to live with twenty-four seven every day.

Dizziness is not just an unpleasant symptom; it is also one which is life-limiting (Click to Tweet)

This condition and the symptoms, such as the dizziness has changed me. It has also affected every part of my life.

Dizziness has not only changed me but it also affects every part of my life (Click to Tweet)

I cannot stand without feeling my body swaying due to the balance problems that the dizziness and vertigo causes; I find it difficult to be able to leave the house on my own due to the disorientation that dizziness and vertigo can cause. Some days that I am so dizzy and the spinning is so extreme that I am unable to get out of bed.

Through this whole experience and after living with dizziness for so long, I have come to learn how little dizziness and vertigo is understood within the medical community. According to some online resources, dizziness is one of the most difficult complaints to assess because it is a subjective sensation with many differing descriptions of the experience. Furthermore, doctors are also unable to directly and objectively measure dizziness. And mirroring my own experiences, patients complaining of dizziness and vertigo will see a number of different specialists, as dizziness and vertigo can be caused by a multitude of different pathophysiological processes, thereby making diagnosis particularly difficult.

As a result of it not being understood within the medical community, it is therefore also not understood within the wider community. That is why awareness events are so important. Now, there may not be an awareness week for my particular diagnosis, but the American organisation VEDA (Vestibular Disorders Association) is this week helping to raise awareness of Balance or Vestibular Disorders this week (September 15th – September 21st) of which dizziness and vertigo is a classic symptom.

The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process the sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. If disease or injury damages these processing areas, vestibular disorders can result. – VEDA website

Vestibular disorders can also include the following symptoms:

Visual-spatial problems
Clumsiness
Fatigue
Holding head in a tilted position
Difficulty in concentrating
Tendency to touch or hold onto something when standing
Poor hand-eye coordination

See this informative infographic from VEDA to find out more about these disorders.

Infographic_final

There may not be an awareness week for my neurological condition anytime soon but I am happy to support an awareness event to raise awareness of a symptom that greatly affects my life. I may not live with a vestibular condition myself, but after living with dizziness and vertigo for so long, I can understand and empathise with those who do. So, I will help VEDA and stand in solidarity with everyone affected by dizziness, vertigo and balance conditions and do so whilst wearing my ‘Dizzy not Drunk’ t-shirt!!

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In Chronic Illness

I’m supporting Balance Awareness Week! Will you?

August 22, 2014 No Comments

Every year in September VEDA (Vestibular Disorders Association) aims to raise awareness for vestibular conditions. They also aim raise money for research into these disorders which causes dizziness and affects the balance system.

According to the VEDA website:

The goal of Balance Awareness Week is to reduce the time it takes to diagnose a vestibular disorder. We help patients recognize the symptoms of a vestibular disorder and urge them to seek help from a professional specialist. We also encourage family and friends to learn more about vestibular disorders so they can support their loved ones’ who are suffering from dizziness and other debilitating symptoms.

Although, I do not suffer from a vestibular disorder myself; dizziness and disturbances in my balance is a large part of my life. Due to a neurological condition, I am constantly dizzy as well as frequent episodes of vertigo and as a result my balance is affected with these symptoms affecting my gait (the way I walk) and causing falls. Therefore, I understand and have experienced the loneliness, frustration and isolation these symptoms can cause and as a result I am supporting the ‘Balance Awareness Week’ (September 15th – September 21st 2014).

One way in which I have already shown my support for VEDA and raise awareness for Balance disorders is by purchasing a t-shirt designed by my great friend, Marissa. Marissa has been a fantastic advocate for everyone affected by dizziness and vestibular conditions. Marissa not only blogs about her own battle with dizziness and balance issues at her site Abledis.com, but she also founded ‘The Spin Sisters’ a podcast that discusses life with chronic dizziness and coping with a chronic condition. To find out more about why Marissa is raising money and helping VEDA, then you can read so by viewing her personal campaign page here.

There are two t-shirts available in the Balance Awareness storefront – one funky and lighthearted design that features the phrase ‘Dizzy not Drunk’. This is because many people who suffers with vestibular disorders often are accused of being drunk because it can result in an unsteady gait when walking which is also a sign of intoxication. The other design is a simple and plain design with the hashtag ‘Cure Dizziness’ and ‘Balance Awareness Week 2014’ underneath. The ‘Cure Dizziness’ design is available in adult (men and women) and youth sizes.

There is only six days left on the t-shirt campaign, so please if you can then purchase your own to show support for everyone affected by dizziness and balance disorders. These disorders can affect anyone at anytime and is something that could affect at you at some point. As Marissa says:

Rocking an awareness t-shirt means we all get to stand in solidarity with those suffering in silence… PLUS you’re getting a cool looking t-shirt!

If you aren’t able to get your own t-shirt then please help spread the word and raise awareness about such conditions on social media and help all those who are suffering with such conditions in silence. Awareness is a catalyst for a change so help and be a change agent!

In Chronic Illness

Another Awareness Week! Balance Awareness Week (September 16-22, 2012)

September 16, 2012 No Comments

Yes, directly after the Invisible Illness Awareness Week, another awareness has popped its head to inform and to raise awareness for those who may not know anything about it or the challenges that it can present for the sufferer.

And what is this new awareness event you wonder? Well, it’s now officially Balance Awareness Week hosted by the folks at VEDA an organisation that provides support and information for those living with a vestibular condition. Some of you may be wondering that the term vestibular means – and to simply explain it is a word which refers to the inner-ear balance disorder.

In order to maintain great balance we need to be able to rely on the information from our brain, eyes, inner-ear and muscular-skeletal system. However, when one of these becomes damaged through injury or a virus then our balance system can become impaired leading to symptoms such:

Dizziness (feeling of disequilibrium; or unsteadiness; imbalance)
Vertigo (spinning sensation)
Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears)
Hearing loss
Problems with vision
Nausea and Vomiting
Fatigue
and many more!

Just as those from last week’s event, vestibular conditions are an invisible chronic illness as the symptoms nor its effects cannot be seen by an observer which lead many to underestimate or completely ignore the severity or the impact of the sufferer. And as a person who lives with dizziness and vertigo every day, believe when I say that it is not a walk in the park and its effects are very real and can interfere with the ability to perform daily activities and tasks such as bathing or dressing. Many people didn’t believe that I was suffering from dizziness or that I was overestimating the severity of it – and that is why this campaign is so important to teach people about the effects that vestibular and balance problems can have. They are very real and sometimes can be mistaken for being under the influence of alcohol – so is an issue that people need to be addressed on especially as there have been cases of those with vestibular disorders being arrested on the suspicion for driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. Another great example of why we shouldn’t judge books by their covers – we don’t know the true facts.

To learn more about the Vestibular system, you can read the VEDA pamphlet on the ’10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Balance (Vestibular) System’

And to find more about Vestibular Disorders, here is the VEDA Factsheet of Facts, Figures and Trivia

To find out more about vestibular disorder and the work of VEDA then please visit their website: http://vestibular.org/

And to learn more about the VEDA campaign of Balance Awareness Week and how you can help please visit: http://vestibular.org/BAW