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dizziness and vertigo

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I went and I conquered!

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Welcome to the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge brought together by WEGO Health – a social network for all health activists.  Again, I am participating in the annual Writer’s Month Challenge in which I will be writing about my health activism and health condition based upon prompts given.

The prompt reads as given:

Health Activist Choice Day 1…Write about what whatever you want today!

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to write about for today’s post.  As we all know living with chronic illness is like riding a rollercoaster with a number of highs and lows; and unfortunately many of these are lows.  However as much as I struggle living with my neurological condition, I try my best to remain positive despite it, and so therefore I would like to write about an achievement that I have finally managed to accomplish.  As most of you may know, due to my neurological condition (a long-standing brain stem lesion) one of the main symptoms that accompany the said condition is severe and constant dizziness.

The dizziness, as we have found out is triggered by certain visual stimuli, such as large stores with its open spaces, high ceilings and fluorescent lighting.  This therefore, restricts me into where I am able to shop,  for example the clothing store Next, which also happens to be my favourite clothing store.  A few years ago, a Next opened up in a local retail store near to where I live, however, I was unable to shop in there because the store itself would trigger the dizziness and vertigo, and as a result make me feel very unwell.  When my carer started working for me, approximately fifteen months ago, we made one of my goals to be able to go into the store that was one of my favourite retailers.  Over the months we have tried and tried to no avail; sometimes we got as far as the door but the dizziness became so intense that we had to go straight back to the car.

However, last Thursday on a whim I decided that we should give it another try. As we are due to go on holiday soon, I still need some new clothes to take away with me and seen some clothes that I liked whilst browsing their website.  I have to admit, I love browsing their website and their delivery options are fantastic, for example you are able to order certain products by 9 PM and have them delivered the very next day.  However, there is a delivery charge, and when you order as much as I have done over the years, it really adds up.

I did it! I managed to go into store, and what’s even more is that I managed to shop and browse their lovely clothing and accessories for nearly an hour! And even managed to buy a couple of items!  I cannot describe the sense of accomplishment that I felt when I paid for my items! I actually did it! I defeated the dizziness and vertigo; pushed through and won.  I admit, there were a couple of moments that I nearly collapsed, and even went back to the car at one stage; and apparently at one point I even went green when the dizziness became so severe it made me feel very sick.  The trembling in my legs was also quite severe, but I took along my wheelchair which made it much easier; and even when I was just pushing the wheelchair it have me a sense of stability, and at least I didn’t have to contend with the worry of my legs collapsing beneath me.

I really have to thank the entire staff of Next at the Talbot Green Retail Store, who really made the experience much easier and were very helpful towards me and my situation.  One staff member noticed how unsteady I looked and offered to open up one of the cash registers to save me from queueing.  And the members of staff who diligently looked for items that I was looking for; going up to the stockroom to show me some of the options that were in stock.  It is fantastic customer service that really helps when suffering from a chronic illness or disability and more than makes us more likely to return.

So, I managed to conquer a very debilitating symptom and managed to physically shop in a store which I love.  Now, I have done it once, I look forward to many more visits to Next…

I hope you have enjoyed the new blog post!  Have you conquered any fears or battled through severe and debilitating symptoms to accomplish something that you have wanted to for so long? As ever I would love to hear your comments and stories of triumph over our symptoms and conditions!!  Feel free to share below in the comment section…

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In Chronic Illness

NHBPM Day Fourteen: Anatomy Post – Affected by my Symptoms

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Welcome everybody; am writing this post on a quiet Sunday afternoon.  For today I have chosen a short prompt as this particular day I really am not feeling well.  I have chosen a prompt from an earlier date.  In the prompt entitled ‘Anatomy Post’ it was asked that we re-labelled an anatomy picture with new names or descriptions the body parts.  I have chosen to label the different parts of the body which are affected by the differing symptoms that are caused by my condition; some of them are invisible such as the dizziness and vertigo so I have used the body part in which these symptoms originate (i.e. the brain).

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In Chronic Illness

Another Awareness Week! Balance Awareness Week (September 16-22, 2012)

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Yes, directly after the Invisible Illness Awareness Week, another awareness has popped its head to inform and to raise awareness for those who may not know anything about it or the challenges that it can present for the sufferer.

And what is this new awareness event you wonder?  Well, it’s now officially Balance Awareness Week hosted by the folks at VEDA an organisation that provides support and information for those living with a vestibular condition.  Some of you may be wondering that the term vestibular means – and to simply explain it is a word which refers to the inner-ear balance disorder.

In order to maintain great balance we need to be able to rely on the information from our brain, eyes, inner-ear and muscular-skeletal system.  However, when one of these becomes damaged through injury or a virus then our balance system can become impaired leading to symptoms such:

  • Dizziness (feeling of disequilibrium; or unsteadiness; imbalance)
  • Vertigo (spinning sensation)
  • Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears)
  • Hearing loss
  • Problems with vision
  • Nausea and Vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • and many more!

Just as those from last week’s event, vestibular conditions are an invisible chronic illness as the symptoms nor its effects cannot be seen by an observer which lead many to underestimate or completely ignore the severity or the impact of the sufferer.  And as a person who lives with dizziness and vertigo every day, believe when I say that it is not a walk in the park and its effects are very real and can interfere with the ability to perform daily activities and tasks such as bathing or dressing.  Many people didn’t believe that I was suffering from dizziness or that I was overestimating the severity of it – and that is why this campaign is so important to teach people about the effects that vestibular and balance problems can have.  They are very real and sometimes can be mistaken for being under the influence of alcohol – so is an issue that people need to be addressed on especially as there have been cases of those with vestibular disorders being arrested on the suspicion for driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.  Another great example of why we shouldn’t judge books by their covers – we don’t know the true facts.

To learn more about the Vestibular system, you can read the VEDA pamphlet on the ’10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Balance (Vestibular) System’

And to find more about Vestibular Disorders, here is the VEDA Factsheet of Facts, Figures and Trivia

To find out more about vestibular disorder and the work of VEDA then please visit their website: http://vestibular.org/

And to learn more about the VEDA campaign of Balance Awareness Week and how you can help please visit: http://vestibular.org/BAW

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Summer’s Here!…And worsening of some symptoms??

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Hello, Everyone!

I hope you are doing well and are AWAP (as well as possible!) and I hope that everyone has been able to enjoy the great weather we’ve had (granted, for those of us in the UK, it’s only been a week or so!). Anyway, although it has been delightful to see bright blue skies and the feeling of warm sunshine on my skin, the hot weather and particularly the humidity at night has been playing havoc with the symptoms which I experience.

For example, Monday I had the opportunity to sit in the beautiful gardens at the Centre for which I volunteer, and after only a short time the dizziness and vertigo which I experience daily were incredibly intense, leading to visual disturbances and incredible nausea as well as deep aches and pains in my legs.

And last night was one of the worst nights I have experienced for a while.

It was so warm and humid in my bedroom, and unfortunately for me, I also had a guest in my room – my dog Honey! And believe me, this didn’t help the situation!

Due to the humidity, it was incredibly difficult for me to get to sleep anyway, especially with the cramping and deep pains in my legs, but somehow I did manage to drop off sometime during the night.

Honey looking angelic keeping cool – complete opposite of her antics last night!

But alas, was awoken around 2.30 by the dog, crying and heavily panting – seems I wasn’t the only one that is having trouble with the heat, and hampered by my bedroom which always seems to get very warm.  And after that was unable to fall back asleep due to the severe stiffness and pain in the legs as well as the violent dizziness and so spent the early hours of keeping myself occupied by listening to music and watching episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Once Upon a Time.’

But a question that might you be thinking is why does the heat affect those with neurological conditions so much?

Well, the reason for this is in many neurological conditions the nerves are damaged or the neural pathways which slows the ability of the nerves to function and send messages to the appropriate part of the body.  Heat can further slow down nerve impulse in affected areas such as legs in my case. And this is the reason for increased symptoms during the hot weather.

 

Image: She Radiance.  A Magazine by Ayushveda 

So to ward off increased symptoms and those of heat intolerance it is vital that those with neurological conditions such as in my case, or those with MS, keep cool during these warm Summer nights.

And what steps can we take to ensure that we do not relapse or our symptoms become worse or find ourselves unable to sleep because of them?

 

Suggestions for keeping cool and being able to sleep comfortably on a hot night: 

  • If safe to do so leave a window open in your bedroom to increase the air circulation in the room.  Multiple windows facing different directions to admit breezes is even better.
  • Set up a fan – if you are worried about the noise emitted by fans, consider buying a large fan or even a ceiling fan which tends to move air with less speed and noise
  • If you are unable to open a window, consider using a fan and ice to mimic air conditioning if it is unavailable.  Buy a commercial bag of ice and empty it into a shallow container (to contain the water as the ice melts).  Place the bowl of ice directly in front of the fan (between the fan and you), level with the top of the bed
  • Keep your neck cool! It works the same way as keeping your feet cool.  Try using a cooling pack that works for you, or place a damp towel on your neck
  • Consider using the ‘Egyptian Method’: wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water, and wring it or run it through the spin cycle on a washing machine until the sheet is quite damp but not dripping wet.  Or you can use a spray bottle of water to spray the top sheet until it is damp but not soaking.  Place the dry towel or sheet underneath your body and use the wet sheet as your blanket.  The wet blanket will help keep you cool.
  • During an extreme heat wave take a light t-shirt and wet it, wring it and then wear it.  Evaporation from the shirt will help to keep you cool enough to sleep for a few hours
  • Take a pair of cotton socks and rinse them in cold water, wring them until they are damp and put them on.  The cooling of the feet lowers the overall temperature of your skin and body
  • Chill your pillowcases: put your sheets, blankets, and pillowcases into freezer bags and place it in the freezer all day.  Doing so can help you fall asleep faster, further reducing your exposure to the uncomfortable heat
  • Sleep in a ‘spread eagle’ position, so heat doesn’t gather around you
The ‘Spread Eagle’ Position
  • If it is a terrible night for you, sleep downstairs – warm air rises, so it tends to be cooler downstairs
  • Take a cold shower or bath before bed, or if this is not an option splash some cool water on your head and feet – this will help you keep cool for longer allowing you to fall asleep faster

 

These are some of the examples of keeping cool during those unbearable hot summer nights.  Have you got any other tips?  Please leave a comment with any other suggestions!

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