Do you ever get DIzZy? ((((()))))) Does your world ever sPiN ArOuNd AnD ArOuNd? ((((()))))
Mine does, on a regular basis....and no, I'm not referring to any romantic surges of emotion towards my beloved, with light headed feelings of love toppling me off balance...and I'm not talking about the result of drinking 'one too many' alcoholic beverages...I'm talking about the horrible dizzy spells that sufferers get as a result of living with FiBrOmYaLgIa AnD/Or MeNiErE's DiSeAsE...and I have both!
I was first diagnosed with Meniere's Disease over a decade ago when the ENT Consultant broke the news, this happened after a series of examinations and investigations that included hearing tests and an MRI (Magnetic Resonance) scan. Only a couple of years before I had received the 'IT' (Fibromyalgia) diagnosis, (Oh and let's not forget the IBS diagnosis, 'as if any sufferer can!')...and then being informed that I had yet another condition to deal with, was not what I wanted to hear! I was already putting on a brave face to the world....how on 'earth' (and sometimes with the dizziness, I came back down to it with a 'bang') was I going to deal with this?...True, Meniere's isn't going to kill me, none of the conditions are a 'death sentence', however, all three conditions are:- 'Chronic!...'Invisible' and...'Life Changing'.
Meniere's Disease is a disorder of the inner ear, caused by a build-up of fluid in the 'Labyrinth'..(sounds exciting, but there are no magical characters in there!), leading to four main symptom's:- 'Tinnitus', (ringing & ticking in the ear), 'Vertigo' (mild to severe dizziness), 'Deafness' (short term or permanent), and a feeling of 'fullness in the ear'. I suffer from all of the symptoms mentioned. When telling people that I have the condition, I usually hear, "men who?" or "is it catching?"...If you have never heard of Meniere's Disease or you would like to know more about the condition, please click here to find out about symptoms, treatment and prognosis.
However, as any Fibromyalgia sufferer will know, feeling dizzy is also one of the symptoms that occur as part of the 'Syndrome', and hundreds of thousands of people who are living with FMS are dealing with severe balance problems and dizzy spells on a regular basis. Yes all of our worlds are spinning...but for FMS sufferers (or Meniere's sufferers) the world is sometimes spinning too fast! Please click here for information about balance problems and dizziness in FMS sufferers.
Of course, due to my 'double-dizzy-diagnosis', I do not actually know whether my vertigo and balance problems are due to the Fibromyalgia or the Meniere's Disease?...that confusion alone puts my head in a sPiN!!... and much to my embarrassment, on many occasions, I've actually fallen onto poor unsuspecting individuals... yes I've fallen, onto members of the public, students and even my boss!...I've been accused of being intoxicated, high on an illegal drug or away with the fairies! Usually I just make a joke in an attempt to lighten the situation, however, in reality, it is no laughing matter, severe dizziness 'can be' and 'is' dangerous! So, for those of us who suffer from balance problems and vertigo, we just have to be careful...right?
I've been advised over the years (by often well-meaning people) that with respect to my health, I'm trying to do too much, I need to stop being so ambitious, calm down, listen to my body...stop looking at the world from DiZzY HeIgHts!...Am I looking at the world from too high a perpective?.. Yes I get dizzy, I lose my balance, and suffer all the other pain and symptoms, but why should the horrible conditions stop me (or you) having aspirations?
If I'm looking at the world from DiZzY HeIgHtS, then I like it from up here...Yes I have 'invisible' illnesses, but they don't have me (or you)...and from up here I can shout about them...and so can you! So let's get shouting about Fibromyalgia, Meniere's, Irritable Bowel and other 'invisible illnesses', even if it makes us more DiZzY...we can handle, can't we?
Have a relaxing, pain free, vertigo free day.
Mine does, on a regular basis....and no, I'm not referring to any romantic surges of emotion towards my beloved, with light headed feelings of love toppling me off balance...and I'm not talking about the result of drinking 'one too many' alcoholic beverages...I'm talking about the horrible dizzy spells that sufferers get as a result of living with FiBrOmYaLgIa AnD/Or MeNiErE's DiSeAsE...and I have both!
I was first diagnosed with Meniere's Disease over a decade ago when the ENT Consultant broke the news, this happened after a series of examinations and investigations that included hearing tests and an MRI (Magnetic Resonance) scan. Only a couple of years before I had received the 'IT' (Fibromyalgia) diagnosis, (Oh and let's not forget the IBS diagnosis, 'as if any sufferer can!')...and then being informed that I had yet another condition to deal with, was not what I wanted to hear! I was already putting on a brave face to the world....how on 'earth' (and sometimes with the dizziness, I came back down to it with a 'bang') was I going to deal with this?...True, Meniere's isn't going to kill me, none of the conditions are a 'death sentence', however, all three conditions are:- 'Chronic!...'Invisible' and...'Life Changing'.
Meniere's Disease is a disorder of the inner ear, caused by a build-up of fluid in the 'Labyrinth'..(sounds exciting, but there are no magical characters in there!), leading to four main symptom's:- 'Tinnitus', (ringing & ticking in the ear), 'Vertigo' (mild to severe dizziness), 'Deafness' (short term or permanent), and a feeling of 'fullness in the ear'. I suffer from all of the symptoms mentioned. When telling people that I have the condition, I usually hear, "men who?" or "is it catching?"...If you have never heard of Meniere's Disease or you would like to know more about the condition, please click here to find out about symptoms, treatment and prognosis.
However, as any Fibromyalgia sufferer will know, feeling dizzy is also one of the symptoms that occur as part of the 'Syndrome', and hundreds of thousands of people who are living with FMS are dealing with severe balance problems and dizzy spells on a regular basis. Yes all of our worlds are spinning...but for FMS sufferers (or Meniere's sufferers) the world is sometimes spinning too fast! Please click here for information about balance problems and dizziness in FMS sufferers.
Of course, due to my 'double-dizzy-diagnosis', I do not actually know whether my vertigo and balance problems are due to the Fibromyalgia or the Meniere's Disease?...that confusion alone puts my head in a sPiN!!... and much to my embarrassment, on many occasions, I've actually fallen onto poor unsuspecting individuals... yes I've fallen, onto members of the public, students and even my boss!...I've been accused of being intoxicated, high on an illegal drug or away with the fairies! Usually I just make a joke in an attempt to lighten the situation, however, in reality, it is no laughing matter, severe dizziness 'can be' and 'is' dangerous! So, for those of us who suffer from balance problems and vertigo, we just have to be careful...right?
I've been advised over the years (by often well-meaning people) that with respect to my health, I'm trying to do too much, I need to stop being so ambitious, calm down, listen to my body...stop looking at the world from DiZzY HeIgHts!...Am I looking at the world from too high a perpective?.. Yes I get dizzy, I lose my balance, and suffer all the other pain and symptoms, but why should the horrible conditions stop me (or you) having aspirations?
If I'm looking at the world from DiZzY HeIgHtS, then I like it from up here...Yes I have 'invisible' illnesses, but they don't have me (or you)...and from up here I can shout about them...and so can you! So let's get shouting about Fibromyalgia, Meniere's, Irritable Bowel and other 'invisible illnesses', even if it makes us more DiZzY...we can handle, can't we?
Have a relaxing, pain free, vertigo free day.
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