Living with Meniere’s

November 20, 2009 ~ thedailydish ~ 32 Comments

I get a lot of hits on this blog. Some of you visiting are my friends and family, but others of you are strangers desperate for answers. Whether you’ve found me through a google search, or have clicked through from The Daily Dish, it is for you that I write this post. You have been drawn here b/c you, like me, suffer from Meniere’s Disease.

I don’t talk about Meniere’s very often, mostly b/c it’s so damn depressing, but today I am breaking the silence. Yesterday the dizziness came out of nowhere. One minute I was fine, the next – nearly on the floor. Why? Good question. It could be a myriad of things, from food to motion to emotion. But often it’s simply a change in the weather. Barometric pressure can do funny things to a girl. And as fun as it might sound to be a human barometer, it’s really not. Right now I am practically strapped to my chair. I walk the hallway, steadying myself with the walls. Living w/ Meniere’s Disease is a literal roller coaster, and most often I try to ignore it away. But today I can’t. On days like this, the best I can do is stay calm.

What is it like, one of these episodes? Well. For me, they vary. Take today. I feel dizzy. Unbelievably so. There’s an intense pressure in my head, which gets worse if I move a certain way, or stiffen up, or cough or sneeze or chew – or pretty much do anything. I feel like a top that’s been wound too tight, about to spiral off into the universe. I am trapped inside my own body. Like a prisoner, I have no control. So here I sit. Feeling sorry for myself. I know these episodes pass. It’s not forever. But it’s hard to reason w/ yourself when you’re feeling so bad. Today it’s the dizziness. Other times, it’s my hearing. First comes the pressure. I try to coax my ear from its hissy fit. With increasing desperation, I try to keep it open. I pop it, over and over.. but it’s no use. Soon my ear closes off to the world. The tinnitus grows, my hearing recedes. Once again, I am half-deaf. I am alone again, inside.

The doctors try, but they can’t do anything for me. Really. It’s amazing how medicine has made such strides, but so much remains unknown. I get very philosophical when I’m like this. Forgive me. But I can’t stop thinking about it all.

Welcome to our next project!

November 13, 2009July 27, 2022 ~ thedailydish ~ 17 Comments

Re-tiling the upstairs bath. A before shot:

Not bad, huh? Unfortunately, the 50s asbestos tile is falling into serious disrepair, particularly adjacent the tub. The bath mat hides an awful lot.

Several of the tiles are cracking and the bathroom sub-floor is beginning to rot. My husband & I don’t want to risk more serious issues arising (like stepping out of the tub and falling through to the first floor vestibule). Although we have a lot going on, this floor is getting worse by the day and cannot be put off any longer. Lucky for us, we have already done the downstairs bath w/ mosaic tile, an inaugural project which was much more involved. This bathroom should be a breeze by comparison. (Famous last words.)

We only have the one tub, so we need to get this project done QUICKLY. In our favor: It’s cold now, so we have a few days before we all start to smell. Against us: we are going to need to bathe by next week. Bottom line: We’re going to have to PUSH this project over the weekend. Today’s agenda? Removing the old tile. And, once my husband returns from his day job, replacing the floor if necessary, and laying the backer board. We’ve selected 12 inch black & white ceramic tile to replace what’s currently there. Stay tuned for progress reports. Wish us luck!

Sip A Bowl – where have you BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!!

November 11, 2009 ~ thedailydish ~ 16 Comments

When I was a kid, I liked to eat ice cream. I liked to eat it in front of the TV sometimes, watching the Flintstones or Bugs Bunny. I would devour the scoops & jimmies first, and when I was done I would lick the bowl clean like an animal. It was fun, but it always left my face a little dirty. And for those of us w/out any couth at all (like my sister) it was more of a full contact sport.

The other night my younger daughter announced that she needed a can of yellow waxed beans for school the next day. Not that you care, but her class was making soup. So I checked in the cabinet, and of course we have black, garbanzo, pinto, kidney and green – but NO yellow waxed. My husband hustled off to Shaws and returned shortly w/ the aforementioned beans, plus the two most SPECTACULAR BOWLS I had ever seen.

BEHOLD!! The Sip-a-Bowl.

My daughter may appear skeptical but I assure you, one use & she was HOOKED. This sip-a-bowl is amazing! No more liquidy mess all over my leather couch. No nasty sticky glop on the coffee table. Fewer brown stains on the tee shirts. Hooray! Next up: cereal w/ milk. Yogurt w/ whipped cream. Applesauce. Cream of soup. Whatever else we can puree and suck down w/ a straw. Somebody – quick! SEND MORE BOWLS!!!

Why I hate vitamins.

November 10, 2009 ~ thedailydish ~ 17 Comments

Growing up w/ a nurse mother, I was hounded daily to TAKE MY VITAMIN! Flintstones chewables weren’t bad, but b/c they were mandatory I resented them. Their grainy texture, metallic taste, the stain they sometimes left on my teeth & tongue. By comparison, my best friend (one of seven children) was never offered vitamins at home. She used to come over and when my mother wasn’t looking, she’d take the bottle and eat them by the handful. This always scared the crap out of me, as my mother cautioned against that sort of thing, but the over-supplementing never seemed to do anything to my friend, good or bad.

From childhood through early adulthood, I took a daily multivitamin. Every single morning, along w/ my frozen waffles, cereal, or scrambled eggs. It was rote. Once I hit my twenties, I added calcium pills to the regimen. My mother, the nurse, was always going on about preventable osteoporosis. How too many women my age were forgoing milk in lieu of water or diet soda. How my entire generation was going to be hunchbacked by 2040. So I took them, thinking I was doing myself a true service. Unfortunately, vitamins didn’t keep me from getting Meniere’s Disease. Something I was diagnosed w/ at the age of 31. As a Meniere’s sufferer, I was put on a strict low sodium diet, limited to 1500 mg or less per day. I had to account for everything I consumed. I noticed the multivitamin I was taking listed several types of sodium on the label. Not salt, but sodium. Hmm. Was this “bad” sodium? I went to the pharmacy to compare brands. All of the vitamins contained at least one type of sodium, more often several. I was stumped. Should I worry about the sodium in multivitamins? Could it exacerbate the Meniere’s? I asked the pharmacist. Who didn’t know either. I went to a different pharmacy and then another. I asked my mom, I asked my doctors. No one knew. So I stopped taking vitamins altogether.

That was 6 years ago. Recently I have begun thinking about osteoporosis, wondering whether I am getting enough calcium. I’ve always had a tendency towards slouching. I slump when I sit in chairs, I’m hunched over right now as I type. I hear my mom’s voice echoing through my head, I envision myself having to shop at Big & Humpy. For the past week I’ve mulled over the idea of supplements. Yesterday I happened to be at the pharmacy and finally said what the heck. I picked up calcium pills and a multivitamin for good measure.

I took them first thing this morning. I thought YES! as I swallowed them down w/ a glass of water. But after a short time, I noticed something. Everyone says vitamins are good for you, but I felt sick as hell. First, they made me burp. I have no idea why, but they did. I burped all day long. These burps smelled (and tasted) terrible. Before you say OH YOU FORGOT TO TAKE THEM WITH FOOD, no way. I took them after consuming a full breakfast. But even w/ the food, they still made me feel queasy. Like having morning sickness all day long. And no I am not pregnant. I normally have a stomach of steel. These stupid vitamins, which everyone touts as being supremely good for you, they make me belch, they make me want to wretch. It is awful. I hate these terrible sick-inducing vitamins. Earlier I went to the supermarket, and felt dizzy. Yes, I do have Meniere’s Disease, and feel dizzy quite a lot of the time, but this was different. I was pushing the cart and felt like I might topple over from gag-producing illness. That was VITAMIN dizzy. I am sure of it. I hate you vitamins.