UPDATE

Hi everyone,

I am in the process of moving my blog over to Wordpress. I hope to be up and running early November. Thanks you for all your support and kind words over the last couple of years. I look forward to getting back online and blogging about my life with Meniere's.

Will keep y'all posted :)

I Hate When They Say, "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

October has been a crazy ride! After weekly appointments of seeing a physical therapist, a chiropractor, an acupuncturist and a massage therapist, I can say without a doubt that my quality of life has taken a bit of a nosedive. The last couple of weeks have been a real challenge. My balance has been tested to it's limits and once again I am having to be ever aware of my surroundings so I don't knock things over. I have become more sensitive to light and certain noises so now I am back to desensitizing my brain to all this stimuli. I was able to do well on the standard 8 hours of sleep a night but now I am needing on average 10-12 hours (including naps). Yup things have gotten worse. Was it worth it? I will let you know the end of November. I am hoping that by shaking up my system I can reach a higher level of wellness than what I had the beginning of October. It's a long and arduous process that includes so much trial and error. So here I am - back to those baby steps!

The Learning Curve Continues

Two and a half weeks ago, after much coaxing, I decided to get some second opinions. I am now seeing a physical therapist, a chiropractor, an acupuncturist and a massage therapist. I have learned more about living with Meniere's from these four women in less than a month than I have from my doctors in the last couple of years.

At my last appointment, my physical therapist helped me put things in perspective with where I am in relation to living with Meniere's. She noted that from a clinical stand point I am doing excellent because I am not having vertigo, but as for my quality of life, I am no where near optimal. What I consider a good day isn't what she considers a good day.From her perspective I am basically just living at a minimally functional level. This means I can get through most days but if I don't pay attention to what my body is telling me I end up spending hours or days recovering from exhaustion.

Once again perspective is playing a huge part in managing this chronic condition. I figured that as long as I wasn't having vertigo and I could do my usual daily tasks, then all was good. I didn't take into account that on most days I still have to lay down a couple times a day for at least 1-2 hours to rest.  I think I have just set the bar low and maybe now is the time to re-evaluate and raise the bar a bit higher and so the journey continues.

Learning Curves

It has been one year today since I was diagnosed with Meniere's.So....what have I learned about living with a chronic dysfunctional vestibular system.

 1)  It is okay to ask for help.
 2)  Set clear boundaries with people.
 3)  Do not over schedule.
 4)  Do not invest time in toxic relationships.
 5)  Have low expectations of others.
 6)  Be realistic with expectations of myself.
 7)  Cherish the friends that enrich my life.
 8)  Don't take things personally.
 9)  Be honest with family and friends.
10) Live life.

The end result of all of these changes - a much happier me.

New Posts

I will be posting new blogs every other Saturday starting October 1. It's been a great summer! I have only had to deal with minor Meniere's symptoms for the most part. Making sure I eat well, exercise and get enough rest seems to be the biggest part of staying on track these days. I have developed a love/hate relationship with this chronic condition. On one hand I despise every bad day it has given me, while on the other hand I say thank you for making me wake up and live my life.

Enjoy the last few days of summer.

Gone for the summer - check back in September :-)

This summer is turning out to be busier than originally planned. So I have decided to take a break til September. I have been doing quite well for the most part experiencing only minor or short term symptoms. With that said, I want to take advantage of every minute I can while I am feeling well. Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and for all the support you have given me on this journey.

Cheers!

The Value of Solitude

“The whole value of solitude depends upon one's self; it may be a sanctuary or a prison, a haven of repose or a place of punishment, a heaven or a hell, as we ourselves make it”

John Lubbock quotes (English Biologist and Politician, 1834-1913) A couple of months ago, I started to look at what I could do to improve upon in my environment, to help make me feel better. Immediately I realized that I am a chronic clutter bug. Why was I keeping all this stuff called "so called memories"  around. I was to the point where I no longer owned my stuff, it owned me. As I slowly started to purge my environment of unneeded and unwanted memorabilia,  I started to feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders. The more I got rid of, the easier it became to part with even more. My need to create a space where I felt at peace was getting stronger. Creating a space where I could have some order in my life was slowly starting to take shape. What a difference it has made for me. Having just one room that I can go to in my home has given me such a sense of calmness. It has been the best medicine. It has also inspired me to start working on the rest of the house.