Relapse! Coping, Symptoms and Tips.

[Carnation]

Sue, I don't do those things every day, I've actually been quite lazy most days. I'm doing stuff when I actually feel like it. No boss or rules in the house.
Now, I do have something to write. Do not read if you think you may be triggered.
A couple of hours ago I was very close to calling 111.
I was playing the piano and my head felt woozy, the music was not in focus and my heart was pounding!
I called for Mr C who attentively walked me to our sofa. I laid my head to one side and all those thoughts of brain haemorrhage and more entered my mind.
Every time I moved it felt like a whoosh in my head. I could see, but something didn't feel right. It took over an hour to clear and now I'm petrified of doing anything at all.
My brain wants to know what it was and I can only think of my sinus / hay-fever issue and a possible prodding in my blocked ear. Last night I felt very fluey and so congested. But whatever it was, it wasn't nice and very scary! A thought crossed my mind, maybe a panic attack but not familiar in that fashion.
Like your tics Sue. I too have to cover up and as long as you wear natural fibres, you should not get hot. I still wear my boots with sheepskin lining and my feet never get hot. Obviously not suggesting you wear a sheepskin coat, but whatever you do, don't wear polyester. I also have thick longish hair and I adorn a ponytail most days.
I love your seahorse hobby, although I know it's more of a passion. I also love that you have such interesting things to say as well as give good advice. x

[DustingMyselfOff]

Hi Mrs. C.
I would guess your episode was something connected to your ear(s). I think I mentioned once that I had labyrinthitis that had me on disability for 3 weeks, and even when I went back to work, it was just for half days and I still had trouble walking and focusing. That was the worst physical experience of my life and I pray often that it never happens again. BUT....I've had at least two other episodes of the middle ear inflammation that fortunately only lasted a day or two. Once we were at a restaurant and all of a sudden I was very woozy. Of course panic set in and I requested we leave, and I needed help walking out to our car. I kept my head on the headrest the entire way home because if I moved my head at all everything would whoosh and spin again. Hubby helped me to the couch and I spent the night sitting up, not wanting to move. It pretty much was gone 12 hours later. Another time I was at my sister's (the one who causes anxiety) and the whooshing started. I hate to draw attention to myself when I'm there but I had no choice, Brian helped me into her spare bedroom and I laid there for a while. Of course everyone else at that party kept coming in to make suggestions and offer me medication and advice, so we excused ourselves and went home. It was pretty bad most of the night, but by next day, it was almost 100% better.

So yes, I think it's something in your middle ear, either a tiny calcium stone that shifted or clogged sinuses or mucous.... who knows. I'm not saying you SHOULDN'T get it checked out by a professional if it continues, but if it's fleeting and disappears within 12 hours or so, I'm thinking it's an ear thing.

I don't think there's anything more miserable, and then every time you make plans or go somewhere you live in fear it will happen again. My fear has faded a bit, but I still say a prayer that it's not happening again when I feel a slight wave of dizziness.
Sue

[Carnation]

Thank you Sue for reading and replying and yet again giving good advice and information. x
I'm tending to think it was an ear thing.
Reason 1. I suffer with my sinuses.
Reasin 2. I've been suffering with lightheadedness constantly for weeks.
Reason 3. I've had sharp pain in my ear.
Reason 4. I was prodding my ear with my finger and suddenly everything went loud.
I also did the headrest thing for about an hour and I was determined not to let the incident feed my anxiety and as soon as I felt able, moved around the house.
And I won't be sticking anything in my ear ever again.
My partner was very supportive and made dinner and it was good, so maybe he could steal a couple of nights away from me and give me a break.
As they say, something good comes out of something bad.
Thank you for being there my friend. x

[DustingMyselfOff]

Most definitely sounds like an ear thing so get rid of the anxiety, EXCEPT I have read that whenever we have dizzy issues, it triggers anxiety, even in "normal" people. But I'm 99.9% sure you don't have a tumor or hemorrhage. And any excuse for our partners to make dinner works for me!
Sue

[pulisa]

I'd agree with the ear crystal issue..I have been recommended Cawthorne-Cooksey vestibular exercises but I think this is old hat now. Still helps me although I only have rare episodes now. It's horribly unsettling and really makes you feel unsafe and terrified to move your head. Fortunately my episodes have never lasted more than a few hours at a time though.My dad had Meniere's disease and had really bad bouts.

I hope it has passed now, Carnation and that you take things easy today if you can x

[Carnation]

Thank you Pulisa x
Within 2 hours the episode was over and being determined not to let the anxiety freeze my life and moved about as soon as I could.
Although I did enjoy having dinner cooked for me and rested up watching a very strange version of Eurovision which went on ALL evening. Went to bed with pillows propped up and woke up reasonably bright.
But, what a scary episode. Mr C just kept repeating "you'll be fine", like he always does, but he was right.
Thank you Pulisa for being there too. xx

Sue, I don't know how you coped when you were having that meal at your sisters, but it must have shut your sister up for once. Maybe you'll subconsciously do anything to quick exit being there.
My lightheadedness that has been haunting me for weeks seems so much better today and I am doing some exercises I found on YouTube.
I'm beginning to admire the brain on its survival mechanism. x

[DustingMyselfOff]

SO GLAD your episode was short-lived, and if it happens again, you will remember this incident and realize that "this too shall pass" and try to stay as calm as possible. We can only hope that when and if these episodes happen, we are in a time and place where we can quickly remove ourselves and tend to getting better. My fear is this happening on an airplane or at my daughter's while visiting two toddler grandchildren.

No, Mrs. C.... the episode at my sister's was what you would have expected from her. She poo-pooed it, said she has similar issues all the time but carries on anyway because she has responsibilities, etc. etc. All her problems are always bigger than anyone else's and she never gives validity to anyone else suffering. BUT... a friend of her's daughter suffered vertigo a few weeks later to the point where they called an ambulance and she was taken to the hospital, so all of a sudden my vertigo DID have validity. But only when it happens to one of HER friends. My describing it wasn't enough for her.

Anyway, she rarely gets to me anymore and the bright side of this quarantine is I have been able to turn down her invitations without having to be creative. And as much as she thinks I'm being overly-paranoid, some of her kids agree with me about stopping with the family gatherings so I have some support on that. "Accept the things you cannot change . . . ".
Sue

[Carnation]

Sue, things are aways worse when it's happening to them.
And unfortunately too many people do not have empathy, they have something else called self-centered.

I've passed 48 hours since my vertigo episode without a repercussion, and although I've carried on as if nothing happened, anxiety has hiked up even more. How high can get go?
I managed to go out yesterday and do a bit of shopping while anticipating a funny turn. Yeah, I know I shouldn't be thinking that way.
Life's really testing me at the moment.. With the lock down, the virus, anxiety and all that goes with it, my local council setting up new rules that will basically close the town for good and even NMP has decided to take this moment in time to tweak the Site. I can't help thinking, "I'll join a convent for the rest of my life".
I know, I don't deal with change very well, but everything has changed and my brain can't catch up.
The other thing I've noticed is so much aggression and rudeness in people lately. I've never understood why people get like that. Doesn't it just make you more unpopular and unapproachable.
It doesn't matter how many times you are nice to someone or praise them, if they are angry, they stay that way.
I've never been able to deal with anger. I grew up with it as a child and I did one of two things.. Hide or runaway. I don't like confrontation and always think it must be me, battering my confidence just a little more.
For instance...
I was watering my neighbours front garden. Then one day she banged on the window, wagged her finger at me in protest and backed it up with a text to STOP!
Why?
For as long as I live, I will never understand people.

[DustingMyselfOff]

"The more I know people, the more I love my pets." Fortunately for me I have discovered LOTS of people that are restoring my faith in humanity lately but, yes, there are still so many others and behaviors that I can't tolerate nor understand. I am blessed to have many neighbors on our street that are WONDERFUL. We're there for each other, stop to chat but not TOO much, keep an eye on each other's property, and two have actually become friends that we occasionally socialize with. I can't even imagine having to feel stress when entering or leaving my home due to an unfriendly neighbor.... that's a horrible way to live.

Thanks for mentioning some tweaking by NMP.... I've been playing with my computer settings to try and figure out why some things look different. I didn't realize it was on the NMP end.

The situation you are living right now is challenging in so many ways, and I think the scariest part is that most of it is out of your control. The vertigo, the mandates by the town, the virus, etc. We feel anxious when we lose control, and Lord knows we're losing LOTS of it these past few months. I guess all I can offer is a reminder of the Serenity Prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." I use that prayer so often to remind myself that there are just some things I can NOT change, and then I focus on the things that I can. And "the wisdom to know the difference" is a difficult one for me..... I often find it hard to believe that I CAN'T change things. I'm still working on that one.

You're not alone, Mrs. C..... so many are struggling right now, and change is always hard to handle. I'm not sure who first said "Change is good" but I think they'd take back that statement now. And I just had a thought: perhaps the neighbor who didn't want you watering her lawn was trying to take back some control over things..... her yard/garden is something that she can have complete control over and maybe she felt you were taking that away from her?
Sue

[Carnation]

Thank you for those wise words Sue x
I'm on a roller-coaster of grief and stress at the moment.
Ever felt like taking your head off so your body can relax?