This blog has had an unfortunate technical glitch. Sadly the 2012-2015 (not all) have stopped showing here.
I will see if there is anything I can do here to put them back on as I have all blogs about my TBI experience saved on my computer.
So the 7 year “anniversary” of my “first” big accident has come and gone. On the actual day (3/10) I didn’t even reflect or think about it at all. The way we live our lives nowadays the reflection of things that has happened often comes as a reminder photo on Facebook. As I the fatal day 3/10/2012 did not post any interesting posts, the first reminder I got was my cousin Aletta’s post about me to please come back a day or so after the initial injury.
Strange, as everything in my life will relate back to that day. I have a before and after. I am a before and after so it really should mean more to me, but as I happily reflected on not remembering “the day” to Dan his answer back was a dark, -Well I remembered.
As he was aware of what was happening at that time and probably weary of any future for me and us as a family, I guess his journey gave a whole different impact to his memory castle. Mine was vacated, hence I can happily move on without great difficulty.
October has come and autumn is here. Even in Mallorca we can start to feel it, but not as much as the rest of Europe. We have been traveling a lot this month, so even though at home it’s still warm, we get to experience the dull darkness of London turning from summer to autumness, the crispness of the alps and the gorgeous Zoo in Zurich, and now finally, a rainy Southwold by the sea, in Suffolk. We were “promised” a full 3 days of rain but it actually only started raining this morning. As we have been good people and have packed rain coats and Wellies we are more than happy for the sky to cry!
Now to my newest ailment! I could rename this blog something along the lines of -Ailment? I’ve probably had it! Well at least I could be a little bit like an encyclopedic experience for people wanting to read about what an ailment could be like. In this world of “everyone is an author” and we have this internet which makes it so much easier to share experiences, good and bad, my own private illness/ailment blog can hopefully help a lot of people! Not only trying to find solutions to problems, but also finding a way of keeping a positive outlook along the way.
Back to my newest of ailments: it’s called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV for short. Vertigo or in Swedish “Chrystal disease”. It started very slowly. After I had been asleep, when I either turned over in bed or tried to get up my whole world started spinning. It’s like being inside a tumble dryer. The world just keeps turning and it’s very difficult to stay upright. It happened the first time last week after trying a pure CBD oil to help me sleep. As I was sure the oil didn’t help me sleep, I convinced myself it had caused the vertigo. I stopped using the oil and now a week later it has started again. I know quite a bit about this horrible disease thanks to another cousin, Ebba, who has had it for some years now. When you try and read up on it, a couple of years ago, there was no information. Now the inter-of-nets is full of explanations and ways to fight it. What has happened is that a some of the calcium carbonate crystals (otoconia) that are normally embedded in gel in the utricle become dislodged and migrate into one or more of the 3 fluid-filled semicircular canals, where they are not supposed to be. The explanation of the ailment is:
- Benign – it is not life-threatening
- Paroxysmal – it comes in sudden, brief spells
- Positional – it gets triggered by certain head positions or movements
- Vertigo – a false sense of rotational movement
So no need to worry too much although reading up more (which one should never do) on the inter-of-nets, one can realize I’m not a roofer, or a builder but my work could be considered as “high risk”? There are advises for the group of high risk workers such as roofers or builders, that they might have to consider changing their job…
On the other hand there are also a whole newfound fixes of the problem. Throwing, can be done. A doctor will tilt your head in different ways to dislodge the carbon crystals and bump them in to another part of your ear where they can be absorbed by our fabulous self healing body! There is also medicine one can take. The more I’ve talked to people around me the more information I get about it.
The CBD fix, what is it? The oil that actually had nothing to do with my vertigo, is the legal oil of the hemp plant. I have been taking a tablet form CBD since August that has helped me sleep up to 4 hours straight, where “normally” I would only sleep 1-2 1/2 hours before I wake up. I have even started to dream again! Something that hasn’t happened to me for years. I sadly ran out of the tablets and as other people said the oil would do the same trick, I tried it, got vertigo, stopped it, found the tablets that had been re-stocked at the “Cell energy center” and bought those again. Now back on the tablets since Friday and vertigo arrived with a vengeance today. It did it the same way last time, a little wobbly on the first day (yesterday) and a full on vertigo whilst turning over in bed on the second day. Luckily for me I kind of like rollercoasters but when one tries to sleep and when one turnes over to find better comfort only to then realize the whole world spins you round and round, not the most relaxing of even possible to go back to sleep.
I’m going back to Mallorca today and I will try and find a “crystal thrower” there. Otherwise any tips of good vertigo doctors or help will be greatly appreciated!
Keep smiling 🙂 the world keeps spinning so enjoy the ride!
Well you are in excellent company as John Semple had this! A kind doctor performed some manoeuvre that I believe involved him lying, sitting and turning suddenly to dislodge the naughty crystals. He did need a few treatments but eventually, Brenda no longer had to catch him in Asda x