Weird stuff happens….

Coincidence? Sixth sense? Deja vu? Messages in dreams? Do they really occur? Do I believe in them? Do you? I’ve experienced them too often to dismiss them as nonsense. Let me tell you about a few….

Out of the blue, I dreamed of friend L’s sister who complained of being left all alone because L moved away. Why I dreamed about them at all was beyond me. We weren’t close. It was strange.

Imagine my surprise when I received a call from L, who had moved to L.A., where I lived. Can you explain that?

I awoke distraught.

Another morning I awoke distraught. I felt a band of iron around my chest. I’d had a terrible nightmare in which my mother (in Montreal) was crying. Although I tried and tried to, I couldn’t reach her. I telephoned her immediately.

She was in tears. She was frightened. My dad was out of town on business and had been hospitalized. My brother had gone to see him. Mom didn’t know exactly what happened and so thought the worst. Was she thinking of me? I think so….

He was reading my column!

When I moved to Vancouver from L.A., I called newspapers looking for a job. One editor said he was reading a column of mine covering the arts (in an L.A. paper) at that very moment — and it was better than theirs. What a coincidence. Can you believe that? Another employee had been to L.A. and had picked up that issue. End of story? The editor felt it was meant to be. I was hired.

In 1998, covering the Seniors’ Summit, I saw a lady performing Tai Chi. I wondered if it might help our Vestibular disorders group. I climbed down to her but she was gone and the cards she had left on a table were gone too. Oh well…

 

Teruko taught us for 12 years and helped many

Soon afterwards, I ran into a fellow I knew at a concert. He introduced me to his guest.

‘My, you look like a woman I saw doing Tai Chi at the Seniors’ Summit.’ I ventured.

‘That was me!’ she declared.

Teruko Uedo taught our Tai Chi class, helping many of us, for 12 years until she moved away.

These are just a few stories of many. And so I do believe weird stuff happens…..

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Live and Learn

As time passes, I’ve had to change my mind on many issues — just one of which is wondering why otherwise intelligent people can throw money away on promises of unlikely cures. I didn’t understand, for instance, why people with cancer would pay thousands of dollars to go to some Mexican clinic to be given shots made of apricot pits. Did they really think it would work? Why, I thought, would they be so gullible as to believe charlatans and frauds who offer magical cures for whatever? (Thank goodness delicacy required me to keep my mouth shut on the subject at the time.)
You know I’ve dealt with dizziness, nausea and imbalance for years. Episodes in the past were awful, but less frequent. During the 1990s, they hit with a vengeance and tenacity I was unable to cope with. I, myself, became one of those “gullible” people. I now realize it is not so much gullibility as desperation.

The dizziness was so persistent, I was unable to cope

I, who had flatly refused to take hormones, who questioned and refused just about every prescription any doctor tried to give me, suddenly accepted, bought, payed for, swallowed and did whatever my doctor or anyone else suggested might help. I wanted my life back!
Antivert didn’t help, so I tried SERC, then Dramamine, then, as recommended, I doubled the SERC. I tried a diuretic. I was willing! I was desperate! I was even ready to try inner ear surgery which causes deafness but “might” eliminate the dizziness. (I later did have that surgery, but whatever was causing the dizziness had by then also caused deafness in that ear, so there was nothing to lose.) It too did NOT cure the dizziness.
“We just got a brand new product in for nausea,” suggested my local pharmacist, who no longer had to ask my name. I bought it… It didn’t work.
“Have you tried acupuncture?” inquired a business associate over the phone.
“No, do you know someone?”
I didn’t know her, but I accepted her recommendation anyway.
“How about a holistic practitioner?” someone else proposed.
What’s his number?” I asked.
I was ready to try anything. If someone had promised the dizziness, imbalance and nausea would go away if I stood on my head and spit nickels, I’d have tried that too.

Off-balance, dizzy and suffering with nausea, I would try anything

As you can imagine, I wasn’t doing much cooking and jokingly threatened to turn my kitchen into a bedroom, but the shelves began to look more like a large medicine cabinet, lined with containers full of prescriptions and remedies that didn’t work. I thought I’d have to toss out some dishes just to make more space.
I popped pills, was poked by needles, swallowed vile-tasting, expensive Chinese herbs and solutions as directed, plus I obeyed and consumed nothing but cooked foods. My body had “too much dampness and too little energy”, and there was a heck of a lot of work to be done on my “spirituality”!
Finally, I came to the conclusion that what I definitely didn’t have enough of was — money, to pay for it all — I had become too ill to work.
Being desperate enough to grab at any solution myself, I learned an important lesson and was, once again, humbled. Vestibular disorders don’t kill you, but they can make you wish you were dead. So I now fully understand how others suffering from incurable and possibly life-threatening diseases can succumb to the hope held out by those bastards who prey on our vulnerabilities.
And, I’m still learning…..

Coping Strategies and Learning to Live with Dizziness

Since I’m experiencing dizziness right now and it is debilitating, I thought I could, at least, share this worthwhile information with those of you who may find it helpful. It is a summary of a presentation made by physiotherapist Nicole Acerra, PhD. at a meeting of the BC Balance And Dizziness Disorders Society (BADD) at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, on November 21, 2013.

Coping Strategies and Learning to Live with Dizziness

by Joyce Pinsker

No matter how long you’ve been living with dizziness, you can always learn more strategies to improve your quality of life. If the job of rehab is to maximize your energy and a longer-term maintenance program helps you keep that energy, the job of coping strategies is to help you use your energy to avoid or deal with symptoms. Collect tips from as many sources as you can; talk with others, including those with dizziness problems, therapists and researchers, and search the Internet. You will find there are many small changes you can make in your life that have a big impact.

It can take months or even years to determine a diagnosis and sometimes there is no clear answer. This can be a real source of frustration and stress. Simply not knowing what’s going on can make your dizziness feel worse. It is normal for stress to make this kind of impact. Unconfirmed medical diagnosis ranks at the top of the stress scale, right along with death of a loved one or getting fired.

Most people go through a period of active rehabilitation after diagnosis. This might involve gradually reintroducing activities on your own or formal rehabilitation with healthcare professionals. To maintain and improve the level of function and fitness you’ve achieved through rehab, make an exercise program part of your regular routine. Tailor it to your needs and lifestyle, including cardiovascular exercise; ten years of research has shown that cardiovascular activity is one of the top keys to recovery. Many people’s problems completely resolve after rehab while others continue to live with dizziness and can be helped by doing long-term rehab at home.

As much of the vestibular apparatus lies within the inner ear, no lab tests can be done to provide a precise label for what is wrong. Clinical dizziness tests, however, will show what is not working and quantify your deficits. In terms of moving forward with your life, identifying your deficits is every bit as helpful as getting a label for what is wrong.

When you know the source of your symptoms, and have rehabbed as much as possible, at some point you need to learn to live with the remaining symptoms. As we have a limited amount of energy each day, it is very important to use it strategically. Compile a list of what predictably makes your symptoms worse and what relieves them. This will give you a sense of your triggers. Then ask yourself what it is you want to do, what it is you’re struggling with, and what your goals are. Make your goals SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant to you, and given a timeline).

Coping strategies vary widely and include avoiding aggravating factors, learning to prevent your symptoms or triggers from happening, learning how to prioritize and organize your day or week, eating well, keeping hydrated, maintaining fitness, avoiding safety pitfalls, and improving your sleep.

Good sleep hygiene includes falling asleep well, being able to go back to sleep well if you wake up during the night, and feeling rested when you wake up in the morning. Research shows that a disturbed sleep impairs your ability to remember things. If your dizziness symptoms feel worse when you don’t sleep well, you’ll have a bad day, and that can become cyclical. Sleep tips include avoiding evening naps as well as television viewing just before bedtime.

If you need to get up frequently at night to use the bathroom, work with your physician. Try pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises. Learn strategies to fall back to sleep quickly. For example: don’t look at the clock; keep the room at the right temperature; orient your bed for quick and easy access to the toilet; and wear uncomplicated nightclothes.

If your symptoms are worse in the dark, use a nightlight and be mindful when turning lights off as you walk to your bedroom. Keep spaces clear so you don’t bump into or trip over things in the dark. Slide your finger along the wall for extra proprioception.

Help the balance receptors in your feet by wearing the right type of footwear. Firm soles make you feel less disconnected from the ground and are usually a better choice than soft soles.

On a bus, try to sit near the front or where you can see outside. In a car, avoid the back seat. On a plane, planning ahead is often a major part of success. Pack well ahead and get a good sleep the night before. Schedule daytime flights if possible and keep well hydrated. Sit near a window and look outside during take-off and landing. When you can both see and feel the movement, your vestibular and visual systems will be more likely to agree with each other.

Proprioception can be improved through activities including a wide variety of balance exercises, rubbing your feet, or stretching tight calf muscles. Pay attention to the joints that cause you problems. Try Tai Chi, balance, or yoga classes to add a bit of fun. Many community centres offer adapted yoga and fall-proof programs. You may be eligible for a research study or fall prevention program, such as that offered by the VGH Fall Prevention Clinic. www.fallsclinic.com.

Reprinted with permission from the BC Balance And Dizziness Disorders Society’s newsletter “The Balance Sheet”. Find BADD’s website at www.balanceanddizziness.org

The Magical Maneuver

June 17, 2012

The Magic Maneuver

Last night I gave in. I did an Epley maneuver on myself. I hate doing it. It makes me feel so dizzy and ill during the process, and then nauseated for a time afterwards. But, I’m much better for it today. Whew!

For many years I’ve dealt with a vestibular disorder, which causes bouts of dizziness and problems with my balance. Often, an Epley maneuver can help dissipate the dizziness when it occurs, depending on what is causing it. Since the Epley is non-invasive and can’t hurt, it is worth a try, but I tend to stall because, in my case, it temporarily feels so awful. I’m a coward. I keep hoping the spinning will pass on its own. It usually doesn’t and I usually end up giving in. This week, it didn’t go away, so……

I didn’t do the Epley until I went to bed, so I wouldn’t have to do anything afterwards except concentrate on feeling miserable and sorry for myself. When I awoke this morning, however, and turned over to get out of bed, the room didn’t twirl. It worked! I’m so glad, because my son, his wife, and their little one are coming to visit and I don’t want to be feeling unwell while they are here.

The Epley maneuver, named for the doctor who discovered it, is believed to move particles in the semicircular canal of the inner ear out of the area where they are creating havoc. The condition it works so well for is called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, (BPPV) and is the most common cause of dizziness. It is more likely to happen to people like me, who already have another vestibular condition.

One of the ways you can identify BPPV is if the dizziness occurs mostly when you move your head, like up or down, or roll over in bed. Physiotherapists who deal with vestibular disorders know how to perform the Epley, and most physicians today are familiar with the maneuver. I DON’T RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO IT YOURSELF. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN. I was carefully coached by my own wonderful physiotherapist, who did it on me so many times, she thought I could finally manage it by myself.

For more information about vestibular disorders, go to the B.C. Balance and Dizziness Disorders Society’s website: www.balanceanddizziness.org