The Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge
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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

POT- AS IN FLOWERS

May 10, 2013

Have been busy cleaning and bleaching my pots to use for flowers. I attended a "planting in pots" workshop given by the local extension office about a month ago. I have not emptied my flowerpots and scrub them in a long time. The pansies I planted in the window boxes (they droop a little on the old front porch) are large and their yellow and deep blue colors are real eye poppers. Since I don't have a lot of money to purchase flowers, I purchased geraniums. I put them in clay pots and put them around my small perennial garden. The key is a pop of color. I also keep my geraniums over the winter by pulling them up out of the pots. I trimmed them back and shake off the soil. Then they are placed in paper bags and put into the pantry where it is cool and dark. Depending on the weather, I will set them in their bags on the enclosed (but unheated) front porch. This is usually sometime in March. In a couple of weeks I get them potted and remove the dead stems as the weather warms up, they quickly produce leaves. Since I do not have a heated porch, I do have to wait a little longer for flowers. However, it cost a lot less.

If you wonder how a person with balance disorders can do gardening, it is due to the waxing and waning of my dizziness. I do have some days when I'm okay. My body lets me know when it is not a garden day.

BEING POOR AND TECHNOLOGY

May 2, 2013

I was unable to find a ride to the University to see the neurologist, even after asking 5 people. Several people suggested I try to have my MRI results transmitted electronically. Then, if he thought I should come back, I could set a follow-up appointment at that time with the neurologist. I called the radiology center to see if they could do this, the records Dept. confirmed my information and told me it was done. Just click a button, amazing- stress vaporized.

The bottom line was that the neurologist just could not find any neurological reason for all of their vertigo and balance, dizziness problems. So, back to square one. Huge let down. I have an appointment with my ENT at the end of May. So what's next, have already started searching on the Internet for another university that actually has a program that specializes in balance disorders. So for now, there's not much else I can do but let go of it for a while

Thursday, May 23, 2013

VERTIGO AT THE HAIRDRESSER

April 22, 2013

It was a beautiful Saturday. After a couple of errands in town I stopped to get my hair done on the way home. I was feeling fine. I was going to get some yard work done. That evening I had plans to attend a play at local community college.

Finally it was my turn. I followed the beautician to the wash bowl. When I leaned my head back the room started to spin around. The whole washing process had to slow down. Then, when the beautician started to wash my hair with her fingers I had another spell of vertigo. I asked her to be really gentle. Somehow I managed to get my hair colored, washed, trimmed and styled. Even with a cane it was a challenge to get out the door to my car. I was fortunate that my house was only about a block away. I urgently needed to use the bathroom so I raced into the house. Then I started to throw-up. I do not even remember peeing. By the time I was done, I was done in. Now I was extremely dizzy. Technically this stage was not vertigo since there was no spinning. I was dizzy and not the room. Well the aftershocks lasted for four or five days. I was constantly nauseated and could not work or drive or get around. I spent a lot of time on the sofa. This was almost as severe an episode as I had last August when the whole thing started.

SPRING EXPLODED FROM BONE MEAL!

April 15, 2013.

Spring has really exploded. It was just waiting for the weather to warm up. My daffodils looked like Martha Steward's garden without the gardener. There were all types of different daffodils…..jonquils, narcissi, doubles, singles. All those long forgotten bulbs which I planted and have never bloomed. As a result of a heavy dose of bone meal in the fall, I received a visual parade of flowers and totally forgot all about Vertigo. You are supposed to put bone meal around the bulbs in the early spring as the daffodils start to come up. Because of the Raynauds in my hands it is usually too cold in the spring.

Monday, May 13, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA

March 23, 2013

I was surprised by a "Grand" birthday my southern son called me and we had a chatty conservation. As he said goodbye, he quipped "oh, by the way Happy Birthday". It was the first time he remembered ever. (He did tell me it was Face Book). Then my northern son called and wished me happy birthday. But it was my granddaughter who was on the line when I answered and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. It was the sweetest sound I ever heard in a long time. She has that song down pat-since she goes to a lot of birthday parties.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

WHAT ABOUT THE GRANDCHILDREN?

February 22, 2013

My relation with my Northern (N) son continues to worsen. Now I was getting fewer and fewer opportunities to talk to my granddaughter. He said "it was my decision to do what was right for my family". This time I did some confrontation such as the person who was being hurt the most was my granddaughter. Her grandmother whom she loved was being taken away from her. My son was modeling how to treat mothers and grandmothers. I asked him how long he was going to hang on to all this anger. I asked if he remembered how angry he was with his brother when he and I were estranged and was causing me a lot of pain. No response. The last thing I said was did he even have a clue as to how much he was hurting me?

About an hour later the phone rang and it was my granddaughter asking if I wanted to "Skype". After telling her how much I loved her I said I would have to fire up my computer. Her response was "awesome". Then she said I'll be in my chair waiting. She likes to share with me her pictures, new toys or something from her pre-school. A few days later I got an email from my northern son (N) saying he was coming down in a couple of weeks with JJ and stay at the motel in town with a pool. I was in shock.

I was also surprised at how well the visit went. The focus was on JJ. She was so excited to see me. We all went swimming, out to dinner, played hide and seek and did ceramics at "Frog and Toad". They came over to the house to visit. JJ told me she could hardly wait to get here to play with "Grandma's toys". There was hardly any tension. My son actually seemed to be relaxed. They had driven down making a 2 day drive each way.

I felt like I got a hypodermic needle of feel good family love.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Vertigo, Dizziness, and Disequilibrium

December 20, 2012


 

After seeing the ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor, he told me I could discontinue my physical therapy because he felt the test results from a hearing and balance Doctor were inconclusive. So off I went for more testing: M I R and Sonogram of the neck to check for vascular issues or tumors. No tumors or blood clots were found. Next I was scheduled to see a neurologist at University medical school. All I knew was you have to wait months to see the specialists plus, none of them agree on what is causing the problem. I've learned more about the kinds of vertigo and balance issues on the Internet.

My problems started out as a major vertigo episode back in August that landed me in the hospital. I have also experienced dizziness, and this disequilibrium which can be the result of the dysfunction of the balance organs of the inner ear. This is called a peripheral vestibular disorder.

I have been amazed at how complicated it is to be able to walk upright without falling over, or not getting dizzy for days at a time. There is also a central vestibular disorder, which is a dysfunction of one or more of parts of the central nervous system that helps with balance.

  • Dizziness: can be described as light headedness, faintness or unsteadiness. It does not include "Room spinning".
  • Vertigo: is actually the perception of movement or whirling or "room spinning" of the self or the room.
  • Disequilibrium: unsteadiness, imbalance, or spatial orientation.
  • Spatial Disorientation: sensation of not knowing where one's body is in relation to the vertical and horizontal plan.

Vestibular Disorders Association, "Causes of Dizziness", www.vestibular.org.


 

I have experienced all of these since August. I was slowly improving to where I didn't need a cane for after 3 days a week. However, walking any distance, like a mall or the market – I was pretty slow and often looked like I was drunk. On really good days I've been able to work as a substitute teacher. Walking down the hallway of students was a challenge. There were some students I may have had thoughts of smacking with my cane!

Some doctors think I have a vestibular disorder because of how the dizziness presents when I am moving, standing up, walking, turning around, etc. The body maintains its balance by a multi-system of signals. It begins in the inner air with signals from tiny balance organ. They work with the visual system so you can know where you are standing, sitting, and lying down. These visual organs can also keep objects from moving when your head moves. The 3rd system is the touch sensors in your feed, trunk, spine and scan. As a result, the sensory input from these 3 systems: vestibular (inner ear), vision, and touch sensors send balance signals to your brain, which processes them to send feedback to your eyes and muscle to help maintain balance and posture. There are more than a dozen different balance disorders. I feel like I have had them all.