Returning to a Life Once Missed

Take a moment and think about one activity you consider to be your favorite pastime.  Maybe it is arts and crafts, playing cards, or something outdoors such as golfing or bike riding.  Now, imagine how you would feel if you could no longer participate and/or perform this activity.  It would most likely be devastating, just as it was for a local Port Charlotte man who had his favorite, leisurely activity taken away when his life became disoriented and consumed with spells of dizziness.  He no longer could do the things he loved the most, until he made the decision to visit Peace River Regional’s Center for Balance Disorders.   

Joe Dinish relocated to Florida in 2006.  He enjoys the outdoors, swimming and tennis, but his passion is golf.  When he spends time on the Bermuda turf, he doesn’t have a care in the world.  Whether it’s the back nine, or his back spin, Joe enjoys every second and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.  

One day, as Joe was glancing down the fairway, he began to feel sort of dizzy, feeling as if he was going to fall down.  Soon, however, the feeling subsided and he thought nothing of it and continued with his day.  A week later, he experienced the feeling again, but as with the previous week, the feeling subsided after a few minutes.  Soon, this spinning sensation would creep up without notice to the point that it was becoming more severe and occurring more often.  As a result, Joe began altering his day-to-day activities in fear of this whirling sensation and the sense of falling that accompanied it.  He didn’t know the cause, so he slowly began changing the things he did.  Joe altered his physical being to the point that his life became consumed by the symptoms, diverting him from doing the things he loved and living now what seemed to be a sheltered life.  It wasn’t until he read a patient success story from Peace River Regional’s Center for Balance Disorders that he realized: ‘Maybe they can help me too.’  He didn’t hesitate, picked up the phone, and scheduled an appointment.     

When Joe arrived at the Center, he was teamed up with Lori Miller, a Vestibular Certified Physical Therapist.  After obtaining history information and performing her initial exam, Lori diagnosed Joe with a left leg nerve injury, ultimately a result from knee and lower leg damage he suffered from while playing football in the Air Force years prior.  This injury was causing lower extremity function problems causing him to stumble.  She also noticed that he was suffering from BPPV, or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.  This was the swaying and whirling sensation that Joe was feeling - even when standing perfectly still - because it is typically elicited by a change in head position.   

With BPPV, calcium carbonate crystals, derived from a structure within the ear, became dislodged, making their way into the semi-circular canals of the inner ear.  When this happens, you “lose your home base,” states Lori.  “Your semi-circular canals are what detect the angular motion of your head.  When these canals become contaminated with these crystals, your input signals become skewed, causing vertigo symptoms.”  

At the Peace River Regional Center for Balance Disorders, Lori aided Joe in completing a series of patient-specific treatments.  One set incorporated motor control training, accompanied by neuromuscular stimulation to re-educate the nerves and return functionality to his lower extremities.  The second course of treatment consisted of a particle repositioning procedure called the Epley’s Maneuver.  This maneuver incorporates sequential movement with various head positions, ultimately clearing Joe’s BPPV.   

So how is Joe feeling now?  “Outstanding,” he says.  “Lori explained to me that prior to coming here, it wasn’t that I was necessarily doing anything wrong, but that I was accelerating my symptoms by utilizing defense mechanisms.  She showed me my scores and levels that I was at when I first began treatment to what I am scoring now on the same activities and exercises.  The improvements I have made are remarkable and I couldn’t have done it without her and the Center’s help.”   

Joe is continuing his treatments at home with personalized, home-based exercises.  When asked how this program has changed his life: “I’m playing golf again,” Joe replies with the largest grin.  Yes, Joe is back to enjoying all that the sunshine state has to offer and living without a care in the world, something he thought never possible without the assistance of Peace River Regional’s Center for Balance Disorders.