May 22, 2013
I returned to the ENT. He didn't have much of an answer. He only did a basic in your face exam. I have waited and waited for someone to come up with an answer to my questions. Why did I develop vertigo, dizziness or vestibular neuritis, or whatever you want to call it? What was the cause? How about a definitive diagnosis. Why won't it go away? The waxing and waning drives me crazy. How do you fix the problem? The ENT thinks it is a form of benign positional vertigo, but does not know which ear is the problem. He also sent me to the neurologist because he thought I might have Hydrocephalus, which is caused by the "interference with the normal circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. CSF filters through a membrane in your brain. And later, is reabsorbed from these subarachnoid spaces above your brain."
"In adults, there is a variation of hydrocephalus, in which the pressure is normal, but the re-absorption is defective." Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, David E, Larson, M. D., Editor-in-chief; William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1990.
He asked me if the neurologist mentioned it. Well, no, why do you ask? There is no neurological indicator for my vertigo. Now he wants me to go back to the hearing and balance testing people to see if there's been any change. Since I already did these tests 6 months ago, I can tell you there have not been any changes. I think it is time to think out-of-the-box and get a 2nd opinion.
The physical therapist thinks I have vestibular neuritis. I will say I am getting him to start to think out-of-the-box ie. Consider the effect of stress on the dizziness. By now, I can do all the little exercises with very little if any negative impact. i.e. Provoke dizziness. My balance is much better when I stand on a pillow.
However, when I walk my head feels like it is going to roll off, or it gets filled up with cotton. My head can also feel like someone put a rubber band around it and tightens it. The dizziness occurs when it is dark and when I am tired. It can also occur when my brain goes into overload from too much visual stimulus. The grocery store is the worst. Next is Wal-Mart. I can get so overloaded that I can't function. I can't figure out where to go or what I need to buy. It is totally overwhelming. This is followed by high levels of dizziness.
I feel that the more I practice, not using my cane, the faster I will return to a normal state. It forces my brain to use the input signals (eyes, body sensing signals and touch) to walk and move without getting dizzy. I feel like I'm learning to walk all over again. When I go to school on a substitute job and feel okay at first, I will take a folding cane and not use it. By the end of the day, I will feel really tired and start to feel dizzy. This is when I have to monitor myself in the level of dizziness. I often get asked if I'm afraid of falling, my answer is no. Even if I do fall, well, you just get up. I continue to find it very annoying when people treat me like I'm a frail old woman. Get a grip folks I'm only 66.
Another thing that pisses me off is that more specialists are not accepting Medicare or my state Medicaid. This has meant I have had to pay out $35-$40 co-pays +20% not covered by Medicare. These doctors do not even think about how this might affect their patients. I just got done paying off the bill from the round of hearing and balance testing. Now I am supposed to go back next month. Plus, I return to the ENT at the end of June and I still owe him money. Even physical therapy once a week is $140 in co-pays for the month. The month of June means extra medical bills as I go into loss of teaching income. The medical community does not seem to get it. There's a reason I have Medicaid. How do these folks think poor people are going to pay those co-pays and other medical costs, just because they don't want to take or be a provider? No wonder low income people and/or especially those at or below the poverty line do not go to the doctor or get their scripts filled. This causes a worsening of chronic illnesses and the development of new winds. This affects people's ability to work and take care of their families and home.
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