Meniere's, PTSD, and Weariness

Here’s a photograph of me on my Grandmother O’Mara’s tractor.

My family was visiting her farm in Anderson, Missouri.

Hello All on this chilly day in Missouri. Today’s posting won’t be an on-line memoir story from the past. The energy to write one of those stories eludes me right now. Instead I’ll bring you up to date on the present.

         The past weeks have been problematic for three reasons. The first is that the acute form of Meniere’s Disease re-entered my life after being on vacation for about two years. The barometer has plummeted a number of times and then zoomed up erratically. Both these occurrences always bring Meniere’s headaches, which are like migraines in intensity but without the sensitivity to light.

         In the past month, those precipitous barometric changes brought, per usual, the headaches, but also brought the long-absent acute rotational vertigo episodes, which I described in a posting in 2011. Living through them, however short or long each may be, leaves me drained, and so I spend time in bed, where I sleep for long hours, or I simply, as some say, crash. Upon awakening, I’m lethargic for days.

         The second occurrence during the past month has been the visit of my friend of nearly sixty years who also came to spend some time with me after Christmas. She has been working on an important report for the college where she teaches. For five days, she and I polished that report. We spent hours and hours and more hours working to make all the data clear and accessible.

         During that time, we were somewhat hampered because I began to experience technical difficulties with the Internet. We needed to go on line to check other college documents and were unable to do so when the Internet service became sporadic.

         Willy-nilly, this led to a PTSD meltdown for me. I think I've shared with you the fact that I have PTSD. The symptoms seldom occur but when they do I figuratively fall apart. This, too, leaves me exhausted.

         In the coming weeks, I hope to post the story of that meltdown, but not today. I also want to review a book of poetry by a fellow blogger—McGuffy Ann Morris. Entitled Weeds, it already has six stellar reviews on Amazon. Reviewing it will be a pleasure as I’ve enjoyed reading her poems, but today my mind simply can’t think straight enough to write something elegant enough to do justice to her work. So I’ll close for today.

         I didn’t post on my Sunday blog and I haven’t visited any of your blogs for a week because, as the Christian scriptures say, “The spirit’s willing but the flesh is weak!” I not only have weak flesh, it’s flabby too!!!

         That’s another thing I had to let go off—attending the weekly Weight Watcher’s meeting. But I hope to get back on track in the next few days. Today, I’ll mostly rest and slowly pick up the reins of my life again. Peace.

Postscript:

If you have any interest in learning about Meniere’s please see the Label “Meniere’s Disease” on the left side of this blog. The earliest postings describe the disease, its symptoms, and how it has affected my life.