PuddleMonkey

For the last six months I have experienced numerous episodes of vertigo. At first I experienced only motion sickness in the car, so I wrote it off. When I started getting dizzy in the elevator on the way up to or down from the office, I decided I better see my physician. She conducted a few minor tests, on of which was to ask me stand, close my eyes and hold my arms out in front of me.

I couldn’t maintain my balance.

So my doctor asked me to have a MRI and see an ENT (ear, nose, throat) specialist. The MRI was an interesting experience, and I would gladly do it twenty times over in exchange for what the ENT doctor put me through.

After a cursory exam, the ENT doctor told me he felt a series of inner-ear tests was necessary to get a better sense of what might be going on with my balance system. The first two tests simply involved sitting on a nice comfy chair with my eyes closed listening to a series of clicking noises. No big deal. The third test, however . . .

Pray. Pray that you never, ever, EVER have to submit to this test. It involves laying on a table at about a 45 degree angle while wearing infra-red camera goggles that record your eye movements. The audiologist then blows cool air into one ear for about a minute. I had to keep my eyes open and slowly count to one hundred. By the time I bellowed out the number 18, I was spinning and holding on to the table for dear life. I had about 10 minutes to rest before the audiologist performed the same exam on the other ear. Then came the warm air, first my right ear, then the left, during which I was absolutely positive I was going to toss my cookies all over the exam room floor. Fortunately, the audiologist talked me out of it.

After resting in the exam room for about 15 minutes, I left and sat in my car for another half hour. To pass the time, I called Gippy. He said I sounded drunk. I felt worse than drunk, and I’m really surprised I made it home in one piece because I had a lot of trouble staying focused. But I did, and I promptly passed out for neary 3 hours before one of the dogs woke me up.

What’s worse, I am still dizzy. I’m having major difficulties focusing on my computer, I still feel sick to my stomach, I can’t keep my balance, and I keep walking into furniture. This sucks.

Fortunately, I’ll be seeing the doctor later today to find out what my test results revealed, and hopefully I’ll get an answer and a solution. I’ll keep you updated . . .