Best Laid Plans

 On my first day back from Corning, I was intent on improving my fitness. I was just finishing a yoga session when I moved my head in the exactly wrong way and the room spun madly. Vertigo! I haven't had an episode in three years and forgot how awful it is. I was out of commission for three days, and had to postpone my MRI as that would have been a nightmare. I did the Epley Manuever twice, which helps get the runaway crystals back where they belong, but the mad spinning it unleashes is just awful. Nausea and just feeling bad for three days was not great. 

By Thursday I felt OK enough to take a long walk with a friend even though the low grade dizziness doesn't leave me. 

Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve for a walk. The snow is gone.

Walk with daughter to see the lights.

More lights!


A back yard visitor, an Eastern Bluebird.

I picked up my daughter at the airport Friday, and we had a nice few days catching up and enjoying each others company. Then I went to the dentist for my crown. I explained that I was getting over a bout of vertigo and all went well until literally the last flossing of the temporary crown. The room spun wildly as I clutched my head and said, "vertigo." They were so kind and had me wait till things stopped spinning. My head got a bit better, but this felt really bad. So of course, I got in my car to drive home. So stupid. So very stupid. I did make it the 4 miles home without crashing, but knew I was in bad shape. 

I tried the Epley Manuever at home, but that sent me into a very scary session of vomiting and shaking that scared daughter so much she called the ambulance. The paramedics came, made sure I wasn't stroking out, and left it for daughter to drive me to the ER. We spent most of the day there where they made sure I wasn't having a stroke and sent me home with some medication, and instructions to follow up with my ENT.

The next day the ENT diagnosed Meniere's Disease, gave me a couple prescriptions to try and some dietary changes to make. 

So, Christmas is a big mystery right now. Driving 4 hrs in a car is out of the question as just driving around town has been very difficult (as a passenger). Thank God my daughter was here to take such good care of me. I definitely stressed her out with this event, but she has been able to rise to the occasion even though her anxiety has been hard for her to deal with. It's going to be an interesting few days...

On the positive side, I do have excellent health insurance as I filled 4 different prescriptions and the total cost came to $0.98. It remains to be seen what an ambulance costs when you refuse transport though.

Update: $500. That is what it costs.



Comments

  1. MargaretDecember 22, 2023 at 11:55 AM

    OMG, this is awful! I've had a couple bouts of vertigo myself, but nothing to this level. I'm so sorry! The timing is extremely crappy and the feeling of dizziness and helplessness must be daunting. Sending supportive hugs your way!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PamJanuary 12, 2024 at 6:17 PM

    That sounds horrible! Sympathy.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Rainy Weekend

Image
Another rainy Saturday to contend with, so I decided on a Van Morrison playlist while I cleaned out the garage and danced and sang. My gardening supplies and planters and pots that need sorting and recycling  were cluttering up my space. They are now sorted and the garage is cleaned out for at least another week or so. I think the shed in the back yard needs to be a project to get it into a more useful state.  The amount of rain we've had is remarkable. May was one of the wettest months in eighty years and June is starting to look the same. I would rather have too much rain rather than a drought though.  After dropping around 3 inches of rain, the skies cleared up later in the afternoon. I loaded up my bike for an impromptu ride on the Electric Trail with the thought of dinner or ice cream at Samascott's.  The first of many turtles on the bike path. Now I see just how rough the path was and how I had no business riding on it.  The trail was very wet on the way s...
Read more

Summer Solstice

Image
Vroman's Nose overlooking the valley. Summer has begun! To mark the solstice, my hiking group held a picnic at the top of Vroman's Nose, which is a short little hike up a 657 foot hill. It overlooks the Schoharie Valley and has a beautiful rock 'dance floor' that easily accommodates our group of forty. The weather was a perfect 74 degrees with a breeze to keep any bugs away. A pleasant gathering on the dance floor near sunset. I drove Sue Ellen who had her gall bladder removed last week, and we hiked up with a guy who has spinal stenosis. As I listened to them discuss their ailments, I silently gave thanks for my health and thought about how 'mature' our group is becoming.  Once at the top, the party began with burgers and dogs, salads and desserts, and great conversation.  Most of our group made it into this sunset picture. Saturday started with me being woken up by my neighbors chatting down below in the street - it was garage sale day. I didn't join since...
Read more

Random Thoughts In My Little Life

Image
 The orchids I bought in February (!) catch my attention each day and I have to marvel at their longevity. Four months of continuous flowers? What other plant does this? I just may become an orchid collector. A new stem with buds is forming on one of them too! This long horn beetle was inspecting my snow peas. They have blooms, so peas are not far behind! I drove up to the Plateau to meet a friend for a paddle. The wind picked up for awhile so we got a nice upper body work out paddling into the wind. Then we just floated near the dock when the wind died down and the sun was shining.  This wetland was covered in yellow flag (iris) on the way to the Pond. Enjoying the calm water after the gusts. This is not proper paddling form, but it was so relaxing. This angle makes my kayak look tiny! Thursday was a nice dry day - perfect for lawn garden work. I'm diligently putting the plants I keep buying into the ground. I have a dozen sunflowers I grew from seed that need planting, but t...
Read more