Back Home by Chris Hardie
I’ve never been a betting man – engaging in farming and owning a small business is risky enough – so I don’t play against the odds.
So it’s somewhat ironic that lady luck has dealt me the hand that only affects less than 0.2% of the population. Six years ago I was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease, an inner ear disorder caused by a buildup of fluid and changing pressure in the ear. Meniere’s can cause episodes of vertigo along with ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and hearing loss.
Last year I wrote about my infrequent battle with vertigo, but little did I know that my bouts with some slight dizziness then was merely a tiny pirouette compared to the full-fledged Tilt-A-Whirl onset that I’ve recently experienced.
Meniere’s (men-yeers) is named after the French doctor who first wrote about the symptoms in 1861. Not to be confused with manure’s disease – another ailment where one talks too much and the conversation substance is built from the bottom of a bull pen – Meniere’s often starts with a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear.
That was certainly my case recently when I woke up one morning feeling like my left ear was at the bottom of a deep swimming pool. Half of my hearing in that ear was gone and I felt exhausted.
The notion that this ear fullness would lead to vertigo was in the back of my mind, but my initial thought was that I was coming down with a cold. Later that day I was subject to some clumsiness – not that my steps would ever be considered nimble – but I thought it was just random klutz moves.
That was a mere prelude to the main show, which began when I couldn’t focus on the computer screen. When my head started to spin, I knew that my nightmare episodes from 2020 were going to rerun.
TMI warning here – when you get a bad vertigo attack, bodily fluid expels with force from two of your orifices – sometimes simultaneously. You better be close to – no, actually crouching on or hugging – the toilet because you will need it. Repeatedly.
While this ensues, the pores of your body open up and you’re instantly drenched with sweat. If you could see anything, you’d have to wipe your brow constantly. But unless you like viewing a kaleidoscope, you keep your eyes closed and pray for the nauseousness wave to pass.
It is simply a miserable position to find oneself. I would not wish vertigo upon … well, almost anyone.
Since that first dizzy attack – which as of this writing was 11 days ago – I’ve had two others. In between I feel like I’m walking around with a bad hangover without the benefit of the joys of over-imimbing from the previous night.
As Johns Hopkins says:
“Living with Meniere’s disease means navigating a chronic inner ear disorder defined by profound unpredictability. It involves sudden, violent attacks of vertigo, persistent ringing in the ear (tinnitus), fluctuating hearing loss, and a constant feeling of pressure or fullness in the ear, turning everyday routines into a constant exercise in caution.”
I work when I can and rest when I have to. Since I’ve always been a little dizzy anyway, some folks may not detect a difference.
There is no cure for Meniere’s, but I have eye focusing exercises and physical therapy movements that can help minimize the dizziness, along with some medications. It took me more than six months in 2020 to overcome the dizzy spells, so the journey could be lengthy.
I was already hard of hearing before this flare-up, so I also will test the patience of my wife Sherry. I may be partially deaf, but I will have to listen more.
I am a little worried, though, about too many people looking into my ears. They may just see daylight on the other side.
