Typically I share about my daughter's health issues, but today I thought I would let everyone in on what has been going on with me lately. It started back in January of this year when I had a vicious attack of vertigo that lasted for about three days. After that the vertigo was still there and was provoked every time I moved my head, but was at least calm while I was still. This led to time spent with an ENT, Neurologist, 8 weeks of physical therapy, and a MRI...all of which determined I had something known as Vestibular Neuritis. Basically this is inflammation of the nerve that sends messages to the brain from the balance organs in the inner ear. What puzzled the doctors was why the nerve was not healing, allowing the brain to adjust to the new level of balance and let me move on with the rest of my life. Normally this happens within a couple of months at the longest. At this point I was a good six months in.
About two months ago I was visiting my family doctor, who had been keeping tabs on all of this and trying different medications in order to get me some relief. She happened to catch me on an extra grumbly day. I vented
everything that had been bothering me, which ended up being much more than the vertigo once I laid it all out. Some of these gripes included:
*Achy flu type feeling throughout my body* I would also have a burning sensation in my muscles when doing anything physical....like in my thighs from walking up the stairs. I felt as if I had done 100 squats where as in reality I had only climbed 10 steps.
*Tired all the time and easily exhausted* Even by the most 'normal' of activities, like running the sweeper or going to the grocery.
*Having trouble concentrating* It was like I knew people were talking to me...I could see their lips moving and could hear that words were coming out. I was even engaging them with head nods and eye contact but was having trouble processing what they were saying well enough to make a remotely intelligent reply. Many times I would need to ask clarifying questions about things that should have been obvious. This has been one of the most challenging things for me at work when speaking with colleagues and customers. I feel like I must look like a total idiot and fear loosing the respect from those I have worked so hard to earn it from.
Once my doctor took all this in she said, "Well, that sounds like Fibromyalgia. Does anyone else in your family have a history with this that you are aware of?" Actually yes doc. Both my father and sister are dealing with Fibromyalgia. How could I have not made the connection sooner? One thing I was not aware of is the interference this creates with the nerves - resulting in the aches and pains, but also could very well be the problem with my vestibular nerve. A few weeks on a fibro med and my vertigo has quieted tremendously.
One thing I have encountered with this that brings me back to PANDAS is the extra sensitivity to touch. This is something my daughter has struggled with for years. So many times she told me her jeans 'hurt' and as compassionate as I was I never could really understand. It was a couple of weekends ago when I was laying on the bed watching TV and just could not get comfortable. The seam on my jeans was pushing up against my knee and I honestly said, "This *hurts*!!" I am pleased to say I have found something good thing in all of this...genuine empathy.
I still need to see a specialist for an official diagnosis, but at least with this medication I feel like I have some of my life back...so hopefully you will be seeing more posts from me!
