Lee Henman
Friday 28th November 2008 12:40am
5,183 posts
Another story was when I was struck down about 5 years ago with crippling vertigo. I was puking and falling over and went to the emergency doctor who was SO foreign I could barely make out what he was saying.
Anyway he asked me if I'd been taking drugs and I truthfully told him the only drugs I'd ever taken was a few puffs on a joint at a party about 6 months earlier. He told me that was the cause of the problem, as cannabis can cause balance problems.
I was like "What, from 6 months ago??" and he said "Yes, sometimes for the rest of your life". So he basically sent me home with no medication and told me to come back in 4 weeks time.
The problem didn't go away, in fact it was getting worse - every time I moved my head the room span and I vomited. It was like some sort of living Hell, believe me. So I made another appointment and unfortunately got the same doctor. This time he said it was a condition called labrynthitis which is a virus which dies within two weeks. So I told him it'd been 4 weeks, to which he replied "It's all in your head."
So I went home and was basically bed-ridden for the next two years. Eventually I became severely-depressed and at last they packed me off to an ear specialist who diagnosed something called Benign Positional Vertigo. He gave me some head movement exercises to do which apparently dislodges debri floating in the inner ear, which causes the problem. The treatment worked. I still occasionally get it but it's much more manageable now.
And that's why I don't trust GPs. One told me there's no such thing as a chest infection, and another cost me two years of my life with a ridiculous diagnosis. Golden rule: Always get a second opinion!