Lisa Tillery-Walker has been working to keep her vertigo under control with lifestyle changes and steadfast determination to stay positive and stress-free.
Have you ever stood up too quickly and suddenly felt as if the whole world was shifting around you? Your head may have been pounding, and you may have felt like a cartoon character with little birds or stars fluttering around your head, but it likely sorted itself out in a few moments. What if those feelings didn’t disappear quickly, though, and they instead kept you dizzy, nauseous, and unbalanced for days on end? For PPMC lab processing tech Lisa Tillery-Walker, that’s the reality of living with vertigo – or as she refers to it, the “sleeping beast.”
“The first episode happened when I was 30. I woke up from a sound sleep on a Friday, and I realized that my left side was fine, but looking out of my right eye made me intensely dizzy,” she said. “The room felt like it was spinning. I tried to brush it off, but it lasted the entire weekend, and I was basically on bed rest.”
National Employee Health & Well-Being Month
Whether you’re dealing with a chronic condition like vertigo, you’d like to establish better self-care habits, or you just want to stay active this summer, the UPHS WellFocused team is here to support you with employee health management programs, free nutrition counseling, step challenges, and more!
June is National Employee Health and Well-Being Month, so be on the lookout for WellFocused activities and programs dedicated to getting active, eating well, sleeping better, practicing mindfulness, and becoming happier and healthier overall.
Visit www.uphshrandyou.com for a complete schedule and list of events, and be sure to download the WellFocused app. Just visit your app store, download the Jiff – Health Benefits app, and enter the wellfocused token.
Share your goals, stories, wellness tips, and recipes in the app newsfeed all month long using the tag #EWM18.
Over the years, Lisa has experienced sporadic episodes characterized by spinning rooms (“I look crazy when I try to walk because the ground feels so much higher!”), nausea, sensitivity to light, poor balance, and problems focusing her eyes. Though her symptoms typically span Friday through Sunday, they can leave her feeling exhausted for days afterward. The worst incident, though, occurred shortly after her birthday three years ago.
“I tried going to work, but when I left home, I still felt dizzy,” she said. “I couldn’t get on the train because my eyes felt like they were jumping around in my head. I felt like I was going to vomit. I was finally able to make it to PPMC, but as soon as I told my supervisor what was wrong, she sent me down to ER.”
The healthcare professional soon became the patient, and she was hospitalized for three days to help her recover from dehydration, which was exacerbating her vertigo. She was glad to have easy access to expert care and educational resources, but it was the last straw. Rather than living in fear of another episode, Lisa vowed to change her lifestyle with the hope that if she couldn’t cure her vertigo, she could at least help her body bounce back more quickly.
“In rare cases, people who experience debilitating vertigo might need surgery, but I find that lying down in the dark, avoiding lights, TVs, and other distractions, and just getting some rest can ease my symptoms,” she said. “Stress makes everything worse, so I always try to keep up a positive attitude.”
Medication helps to settle her stomach and calm her swirling head if symptoms begin to appear, and she has developed a better understanding of her triggers and a more effective toolbox of coping strategies. Stretching every morning and performing mindfulness and breathing exercises prevent stress, and consistent exercise and a nutritious diet help her to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. An avid writer, Lisa is eager to someday write a book detailing her experiences as an individual who balances working in healthcare with managing their own chronic condition.