Kicking Vertigo to the Curb

I'd say I'm 95% recovered now.  Its been a little over 6.5 weeks time.  

My physical therapist says my case is on the more severe side.  He explained it like this:  your joints, eyes, and inner ear send signals to your brain.  When they are all sent and received at the same time, your body knows its position and if it's moving or not.  My signals aren't making it to the brain at the same time.

The constant ringing in my ears has become intermittent this past week, and my nystagmus (involuntary repetitive darting of the eyes) is gone.  I worked 4 days in the office this week, and no longer feel exhausted and am not sleeping 12 hours a day like I had been.

To the average bear I look and seem just fine, but I still have moments when I feel off balance and dizzy, especially in new or busy places, where there's lots of people, bright lights, if I get too hot, or don't get enough sleep.

This has just been the craziest and most bizarre thing!  On the way to 100%.

Taking Down the Tree

We cut down our little nectarine tree this weekend.  We had a long warm fall and a sudden cold snap was all it took.  We heard we should wait a year to see if it came back, but the branches were splitting, and it was loose in the ground so we called it quits.

Stove for Sale

Any takers?

We are finally moving the old stove out of the house and getting it ready to go up for sale on Craigslist.  But, we knocked the display panel out of the front (it was loose to begin with) while taking it down the front steps.

Liquid Nails to the rescue.

Back together again.

Vestibular.Org

My PCP sent me a link to vestibular.org today.  These are many of the symptoms of a Vestibular Disorder & I've experienced those in bold over the past month.

I'm going to start Vestibular Rehab which helps your brain compensate for inner ear deficits.  Typically your body learns to compensate on its own over time.  But, my eyes and light sensitivity are enough of a problem that rehab is the next step.

VERTIGO AND DIZZINESS

• Spinning or whirling sensation; an illusion of movement of self or the world (vertigo)
• Lightheaded, floating, or rocking sensation (dizziness)
• Sensation of being heavily weighted or pulled in one direction

BALANCE AND SPATIAL ORIENTATION

• Imbalance, stumbling, difficulty walking straight or turning a corner
• Clumsiness or difficulty with coordination
• Difficulty maintaining straight posture; tendency to look downward to confirm the location of the ground
• Head may be held in a tilted position
• Tendency to touch or hold onto something when standing, or to touch or hold the head while seated
• Sensitivity to changes in walking surfaces or footwear
• Muscle and joint pain (due to struggling with balance)
• Difficulty finding stability in crowds or in large open spaces

VISION

• Trouble focusing or tracking objects with the eyes; objects or words on a page seem to jump, bounce, float, or blur or may appear doubled
• Discomfort from busy visual environments such as traffic, crowds, stores, and patterns
• Sensitivity to light, glare, and moving or flickering lights; fluorescent lights may be especially troublesome
• Sensitivity to certain types of computer monitors and digital televisions
• Tendency to focus on nearby objects; increased discomfort when focusing at a distance
• Increased night blindness; difficulty walking in the dark
• Poor depth perception

HEARING CHANGES

• Hearing loss; distorted or fluctuating hearing
• Tinnitus (ringing, roaring, buzzing, whooshing, or other noises in the ear)
• Sensitivity to loud noises or environments
• Sudden loud sounds may increase symptoms of vertigo, dizziness, or imbalance

COGNITIVE

• Difficulty concentrating and paying attention; easily distracted
• Forgetfulness and short-term memory lapses
• Confusion, disorientation, difficulty comprehending directions or instructions
• Difficulty following speakers in conversations, meetings, etc., especially when there is background noise or movement
• Mental and/or physical fatigue out of proportion to activity

PSYCHOLOGICAL

• Loss of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-esteem
• Anxiety, panic, social isolation
• Depression

OTHER

• Nausea or vomiting
• "Hangover" or "seasick" feeling in the head
• Motion sickness
• Sensation of fullness in the ears
• Headaches
• Slurred speech
• Sensitivity to pressure or temperature changes and wind currents
• Pain, pressure, or other symptoms with certain dietary changes (e.g., high sodium)
  

  ---

http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/symptoms

A Whole Stinkin' Month

It's been 1 month since the Vertigo attack.  Still recovering.

We didn't do much for the 4th.  We went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival for a couple hours on the 3rd and I slept a lot.

I am seeing a chiropractor and have had my atlas and C1 adjusted twice.  It makes my back & neck feel great,  and overall I feel refreshed immediately following, but no real link to the vertigo symptoms as far as I can tell.

I started working in the office again for a few days last week.  The fluorescent lights are tough to take, and make me feel pretty bad though.

I also went to my PCP for a physical last week.  She ordered some tests to check my thyroid & Vitamin D in particular - they can cause vertigo symptoms if out of whack.  I will know the outcome of those tests tomorrow.  Urgent Care said the attack was caused by allergies/full ears.  I'm not so sure that is the reason anymore.  My allergies hadn't kicked in yet, but they are in full force now.  Stress can also be a cause.  And, I'm finding trying not to stress is, well, stressful.  I may never know what set this all off.

I've started Balance Retraining exercises   I found them online and self-prescribed them.  It certainly can't hurt and I struggled with balance & dizziness while walking around the Art Festival last weekend.

I need to be more patient; I have unrealistic expectations of how quick recovery can take.  But I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.  

Naughty Dog

Summertime Favorite

Perfect opportunity to use our fresh basil from the garden.

Rewind a Week

The tiled in dishwasher was conquered this past Sunday & Monday.

Step 1: Grout removal.  Chris started with a Dremel and grout removal bits.  The bits were ground down within minutes with virtually no progress made.  Replacement bits were $12 a piece - ouch.  We moved to a grout saw which did the trick.

Step 2:  Chipping out the tile.  This was done slowly and carefully with a screwdriver.  We had to remove more tile than we anticipated.  The tiles came out whole, and we didn't damage the heated floor elements

Step 3:  Dishwasher install.  It is very quiet.

Step 4:  Reinstall tile - to be completed.

Happy Little Faces

We had a bunch of Wild Pansies pop up on both sides of our driveway this year.  They sure are cute.

2 Weeks Post Vertigo

I still don't feel right and am working from home again this week.  I was feeling good Sunday morning, the best I have felt yet, so we visited family and went to a concert at Red Rocks.  This took everything out of me and I was bad off on Monday.  Very exhausted, and I think this exacerbated all of my symptoms (feeling like my world is altered (that's the only way I know how to explain it - not dizzy, but feel drugged or drunk, in a fog), light sensitivity, tired eyes, off balance, etc).

I have been searching online and found this forum.   Almost everyone has my exact symptoms and a lot of them started with a vertigo attack.  The problem is, these people have felt bad for months & years!  They have had all kinds of tests with no relief or cure.  This cannot be possible.

In my reading, I have realized the first step to getting better is: Do Not Google Your Conditions.  It is scary.

Some folks reported taking Sudafed helps.  I took my first dose this morning.  The pharmacist warned it might make me jittery or keep me up at night, but I honestly don't think that is possible, I'm just too tired.

I see a Chiropractor on Friday morning - I have had some neck pain, and your neck & back can cause these symptoms too.  Or so I have read.

Just Doin' What They Do

The Mc Men