In Norway, 80,000 are affected by crystal sickness every year: – Was terrified

In the middle of the night, Kersti Hilding Hansen suddenly woke up with a jolt, opened her eyes and discovered to her horror that the whole room was spinning.

– The ceiling was the floor, the walls switched places with each other and I felt terribly nauseous, and the symptoms unfortunately felt familiar – I have had crystal sickness once before, says Danish Kersti.

The night when everything started spinning, she tried to escape the spinning by closing her eyes and lying quietly in bed. When she woke up, everything was chaos.

– When I woke up a few hours later, the room continued to spin before my eyes. I had no idea what was up and what was down. With the help of my husband, I managed to get to the bathroom, and then back to bed again – terrified. What should I have done? I’m known to be a true Google master, so I began frantically searching the web for information.

Kersti also tried to remember how she had behaved the last time the crystals in her ears started dancing around. At the time, she didn’t know what it was all about, so she immediately contacted the health service and got good help.

– The doctor resolutely tipped me in a quick movement straight back, so that my head hung down over the edge of the sofa – in what I later learned was called Epley’s manoeuvre. “You have a classic crystal disease,” said the doctor, “with crystals moving in the right ear.” The doctor could see this from my eye movements. The movements triggered strong gag reflexes, but after the treatment I immediately felt much better, says Kersti.

Did not dare to bend

She was further referred to a physiotherapist, where she received treatment with lateral lunge exercises, among other things. After a couple of weeks she was completely fine again and did not feel any dizziness.

– At the request of my doctor, during this time I trudged around like a Lucia, not daring to bend my head to tie my shoes. Instead, I put my foot up on a chair, so I didn’t have to keep my head down. I also stopped throwing myself backwards into the water, and I generally avoided jerky head movements.

For several years, Kersti was completely healthy and felt nothing about crystal movements in her ears. Until the night when the spinning in her head returned a thousand times.

Also read: Ellen (60) goes to medicine for NOK 164,000 a month: – I am grateful and happy

Epley’s maneuver

– What immediately popped up on the screen when I googled my symptoms was Epley’s maneuver, which was described as the best solution for loose particles in the left and/or right posterior ear arch.

Another exercise that was presented as slightly easier to perform was the so-called Somersault maneuver developed by the American ear and nose doctor Carol Foster.

Kersti tried both, with the result that everything started spinning and she threw up.

– Lying down is supposed to not be good for people with crystal disease, but what was I supposed to do when I felt so bad? The next few days I continued to do the exercises, but nothing helped. And besides, I had no idea in which ear the problem was. What I began to suspect was that I was training incorrectly because I didn’t know which arches needed to be treated.

Wanted to know all about the crystal disease

This time, Kersti wanted to dig deep into what crystal sickness is and what can be done about it. After a conversation with doctor Mikael Karlberg, who is an expert in vertigo disorders and has written the book “Det snurrer”, she was able to share in his valuable knowledge.

Karlberg works as a docent, senior physician and specialist in ear, nose and throat diseases at Vertigosenter Skåne, at Skåne University Hospital in Lund in Sweden.

He suggested that Kersti should come to the clinic for treatment in a TRV chair.

– I was fastened in what is popularly known as the crystal chair, around my wrists, legs and head. Over my eyes I was given a pair of glasses which made it completely black, and I was told not to close my eyes at all during the examination. It felt a little uncomfortable, but was made easier by the fact that the doctor and the audiologist talked carefully about what would happen during the treatment, she says.

Kersti was first turned forward with her head down, then backwards and then to the left. The doctor carefully watched her eye movements on a screen.

– When they turned me to the right in the chair, they saw my problems. The crystals had moved far back in the right arch, says Kersti.

Read also: (+) Readers say: When my husband gave a speech for me on my 50th birthday, I realized that something was very wrong

Goes around fast

Kersti noticed immediately after the examination in the chair that the dizziness had subsided. She was told that for the next 24 hours she should not move her head.

– I asked if I should walk straight like a Lucia, and the doctor said yes. I was not allowed to bend down and had to remain completely calm. I had to sleep on my left ear and avoid turning over during the night.

Now a couple of weeks after the treatment, Kersti feels that she is doing much better. The dizziness is gone, she still sleeps on her left ear at night and has been doing Epley’s maneuver for a few days straight.

– I am fine now, and I have promised myself to check the values ​​for both calcium and vitamin D. I avoid making sudden movements with my head, but I aim to be able to live normally again in a while.

What is crystal disease?

In the balance organ in the inner ear there are small particles shaped like crystals, and these have moved out of their position. With these crystals out of position, the world goes round and round.

– In the technical language, this is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and is a common disease of the inner ear that causes certain head movements to trigger short bouts of vertigo. The disease increases in frequency with age and is somewhat more common in women than in men, says Kalberg.

He explains that crystal disease is harmless and usually transient, but that relapse is common.

– A typical seizure of crystal disease lasts from a few seconds to a minute. It occurs with various head movements, such as lying down, sitting up, turning when lying down or looking up and down. Many also become nauseous or have problems walking normally or focusing their gaze.

Read also: After the death of the partner and the mother, everything became dark. Maren decided to make one last phone call

Who gets crystal disease?

Mikael Karlberg says that it is most common to get crystal disease after the age of 60, and that age is therefore an important aspect.

– There is also a certain connection to calcium and vitamin D deficiency, and to women who have osteoporosis or osteoponia. Other possible explanations could be violence to the head, head injuries, concussion or drilling in the teeth.

You cannot get crystal sickness from stress. The crystal disease is a mechanical failure of the balance organ, and the most common cause of vertigo.

The expert explains that if it spins most when you turn your head to the right, the right ear is affected. It is also the most common side to have crystal sickness.

– This may be because most people usually sleep on their right side.

The disease can be treated with the Epley manoeuvre, the Semont manoeuvre, the TRV chair and training with a physiotherapist. You should practice yourself at home by learning the exercise that suits you best.

– The exercises are equivalent, and you can get an introduction by searching for them on YouTube. Epley’s maneuver is calmer and Semont’s a little more intense, but if you don’t do it right, they won’t help you. Remember that it is usually not harmful to exercise even if you make mistakes, says Kalberg.

After treatment, it is important to keep your head completely still, and to walk upright as straight as possible.

– For 24 hours after treatment, it is advisable to be at rest. After that, you should not be afraid to move as usual

You can prevent crystal disease

Kalberg says that to prevent crystal disease, certain vitamin levels can be checked.

– Make sure you get calcium and vitamin D. If you are not sure whether you are deficient, ask your doctor to take a test.

In Norway, more than 80,000 suffer from crystal disease every year. It is most common to be affected in early summer, and this may be related to lower vitamin D levels after winter.

Kalberg emphasizes that one must not panic if one is affected by crystal sickness.

– Try to take it easy so you don’t stress yourself, which can create anxiety and fear. Buy over-the-counter anti-nausea gum if it’s too difficult to do the exercises because of the feeling of vomiting, he says.

This matter was first published on 02/05 2024, and last updated on 02/05 2024.