Day two

Wednesday  August 1, 2012 On a midday walk through the halls ..while Noah times my stride ..I experience a familiar sensation .. vertigo. What were crisp walls, artwork and sun-filled courtyards ..become a blur. The room is spinning and I feel nauseous. I tell Noah I need to sit and cut it short. I explain what’s happening and suddenly nurses are taking my blood pressure, EKG and EEG. My blood pressure is elevated (200 / 92) but nothing explains the vertigo. “Oh yeah” I tell Noah “I also have a vestibular impairment.” I see a light go on and my therapy is swiftly changed to include my vestibular system.

 

In the meantime I’m given blood pressure medication and asked if I want to take anything else for it. Ativan, Zofran ..? I decline saying I just want to sit and experience this like I never did before. At home, I would find tasks to distract me. Writing, Photoshop or a book and bed rest. It had to be engaging but easy. As a result, I now have three blogs and an online art gallery. Eventually the vertigo and nausea would lift but I never knew what brought it on or how long it lasted. Noah suspects it may be due to a ‘vestibular challenge’. Dr Ross says watching a train, traffic or just tracking fast moving (shiny) objects could also bring it on. It’s why most people who have it avoid direct sunlight. Whatever the cause, while sitting in rehab ..I discover it runs it’s course in about 4 hours no matter what I do (I’m usually too engaged to notice). It’s been the biggest obstacle in my life since the BMT ..and the reason I take ativan most evenings. 

 

 Dr. Julia Bryson is by far the youngest, prettiest and most intelligent doctor I’ve ever met.  She accepts my condition as a challenge. I give my consent to be the subject of a case study, meaning my treatment and outcome will be published in a medical journal. I’m scheduled to see a vestibular expert as an outpatient ..presumably to collect follow-up data. I’m like “Wow” I’ve finally found a doctor who is willing to take an active interest in my situation and not just write it off as something I have to live with.