Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 8 (A Braves Game, the Museum of Illusions, Jacob’s Birthday Weekend, and More Vertigo)

I sure wish I had better news to report, but I’m still suffering from vertigo.  Really, at this point it’s more of a constant dizziness and unsteadiness rather than the violent spinning that is vertigo (although, I do have those vertigo spells when I first get out of the bed in the morning and occasionally if I turn my head too quickly), but I still can’t drive, and I’m still hesitant about spending time in the sun and heat as it makes me feel worse sometimes.  Thankfully, I’m able to get around the house pretty well and do most of what needs to be done, but I’m slower at everything I do, so household tasks like cooking and cleaning are taking a lot more time. 

It’s miserable, y’all, and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.  I think it would be more bearable if I knew what had caused it and approximately when it was going to end, but I don’t, and the unknown is just plain scary.  It’s wearing me down, y’all.

Anyway, let’s get to the recap from last week… spoiler alert, there’s a whole lot of talk about vertigo.  Sigh.

Monday, July 17

Monday morning was another day with vertigo.  The extreme spinning had mostly subsided, but I was still feeling generally dizzy and unsteady on my feet.  I decided to try to get through the day without taking one of the Clonazepam to see how I did, and I ended up doing really well.  The Clonazepam makes me really sleepy and kind of groggy, so I think I actually felt better on Monday than I had in a while since I didn’t have the meds in my system.  Thankfully, the spinning and nausea stayed away on its own without the medicine, too.

The day started the way most other summer days do – up around 7:15, shower and get ready, unload dishwasher, water plants, breakfast, etc.  Brian has started working from home on Mondays again for the foreseeable future, so he was home again on Monday.

After breakfast, the kids watched some cartoons, and I headed to my office to catch up on a few things.  During this whole vertigo spell, I have been doing the bare minimum to get by, so the house has been a mess, tons of little things have been left undone here and there, and some bigger things had also started slipping through the cracks at that point, so I was determined to get it together Monday.

Mid-morning, I decided to call the ENT again.  God bless the lady who schedules the appointments there.  She has been so patient with me during this whole ordeal.  I think I called three different times to try to get in there since I was so desperate.  When she picked up the phone, she knew exactly who it was when I called, and she started laughing a little bit very quietly.  I was wondering why she was laughing, and then she said, “Lindsay, you called at the exact right time.  I just had someone cancel their appointment today, so we can get you in with the doctor today at 1:55 PM.” 

Talk about God’s perfect timing, y’all!  I was so relieved I teared up and I thanked her a hundred times before hanging up with her.

Brian had to work, of course, and I still couldn’t drive myself, so I called my Momma, and thankfully, she was able to take me there.  So, we all had a quick lunch, and then I got ready to get out the door when she arrived.

We have been seeing this ENT doctor frequently for nearly 12 years – first with Jacob for chronic ear infections when he was a baby, then for Olivia with her laryngomalacia right after she was born (a minor birth defect that she outgrew), then for Olivia with chronic ear infections when she was a baby, and now we see him several times per year for Olivia’s thyroid nodule that he’s been monitoring for us for five years. 

He’s done one surgery on Jacob (tubes in ears), and three surgeries on Olivia (tubes in ears + two needle biopsies on her thyroid/an eardrum patch from a tube hole that never closed on its own).  And I also started seeing him for myself five years ago when the ringing started in my ears, then for cervical neck issues, then for earwax removal since mine backs up in my left ear every year now. 

So needless to say, he knows our family verrrry well and we trust him with our lives.  He always jokes about how we should have our own room there at his practice.  He’s an amazing doctor all around and I can’t sing his praises enough – he’s patient, he’s kind, he spends as much time with you as you need, he answers all questions, he’s very thorough, he’s detailed in his explanations for everything, he approaches every issue from many different angles, and he comes in with a game plan for every single issue.  He also has the best bedside manner, and he makes me feel at ease every time I see him. 

He is actually the one who takes all of the credit for “saving my life” a few years ago when I was having all of those physical issues that nobody could figure out that turned out to be anxiety.  I was having all kinds of issues back in 2019 – racing heart, horrendous neck tension/stiffness, throat/esophageal tightness and issues, and breathing problems (as well as a massive panic attack that I thought was a heart attack) – and not a single person had ever mentioned that it could be anxiety. 

At a visit with him when I was convinced I had some sort of esophageal disorder (but things checked out fine) he is the one who finally told me that he thought I was suffering from anxiety and that the anxiety was causing all of my physical issues.  Sure enough, I started seeing someone for anxiety, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, and once I started treating the anxiety, all of the physical symptoms disappeared.  If it wasn’t for him, I would probably still be suffering physically and I’d probably still be searching for answers.  

Bottom line – he’s wonderful.

So anyway, at my appointment, the first thing they did was an audio exam, and then the doctor came in.  He sat with me for a long time asking tons of questions, and patiently listened to all of my symptoms and everything I had done leading up to the onset of the vertigo.  Then he did a physical exam, looking in my ears, mouth, and nose.  Finally, he did the Dix-Hallpike Maneuver which is the one they do to check for nystagmus as that is the #1 indicator of vertigo.

After all of the testing, he said my audiology tests came back normal.  He said my hearing is perfect and it’s symmetrical.  He said symmetry is important because that allowed him to rule out Meniere’s Disease (most likely).

The physical exam showed that my ears are perfect and healthy as far as he can see.

And the Dix-Hallpike Maneuver showed that I didn’t have any nystagmus.  Since I was diagnosed with nystagmus on my left side at the acute care place the week before, he said that it could be that the BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) is starting to wear off and that’s why the nystagmus was no longer present, or it could be that we’re dealing with something else altogether. 

Since the Dix-Hallpike Maneuver was inconclusive, he gave me a list of things that we could possibly be dealing with, and he ordered another test called a VNG (videonystagmography) because it will provide more in-depth access to my inner ear, which will hopefully give us a definitive answer. 

He said it’s likely one of the following things causing my vertigo:

BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) – he said my symptoms for this are not textbook as I’m having a lot of general dizziness all the time and not just when I move a certain way, but he said that doesn’t mean that’s not what it is.  The treatment for this is to continue doing the Epley Maneuver until it resolves.  He told me until I get the VNG to continue treating myself as if I have BPPV.

Viral Inner Ear Infection – he said that it could just be a viral infection of the inner ear, and the only treatment for this is to wait it out as there is no medication that can heal a virus.  He said it just has to run its course, which can take 2-4 weeks.  It could also be a bacterial inner ear infection, and that would require antibiotics.

Cervical Neck Issues – he said the cause could also be because of my neck issues.  I suffer frequently from tension headaches down the back of my neck, and I have a lot of neck stiffness and discomfort because that’s where I hold all of my stress and anxiety.  He said we’ll explore this option if the other things are ruled out.  Treatment for this would be physical therapy.

Orthodontics Issues – he said there isn’t much research out there for this, but that there is a possible link between braces/other dental work and vertigo.  This one would be hard to diagnose, and would probably be the last resort after all other options were ruled out.  He didn’t mention treatment for this, and I’m honestly not sure there would be any, but I can definitely see how this could be a cause of vertigo for me as my jaw is being completely realigned and I’ve been experiencing tons of jaw and facial discomfort lately as everything moves around.  (I did later ask my orthodonist about this, and everyone there told me that it’s not something they’ve ever seen from a patient, so I’m thinking it’s highly unlikely that is the cause.)

In addition to those things, a few other suggestions people on Instagram have given me is that it could be hormones, it could be a situation where my eyes aren’t tracking evenly/equally, or it could be dehydration (which I now know it’s not because I have spent the last two weeks ensuring that I’m well hydrated just in case).  It could also be a brain tumor, but I'm just trying not to even think about that one.

So basically, at this time, we’re just waiting for the VNG test, and the results we get from that will determine how to proceed.

Whew.

Sorry to bore y’all with all of those details (if you’re even still reading – haha), but I’m putting these in the post for my own benefit in case I need to refer to them again in the future.

By the time Momma and I got home, I had just enough time to squeak out a few minutes of work, and then I decided to try to cook dinner.  I stuck to vodka sausage pasta and steamed broccoli because it was easy, and I ended up doing great.  I did get B to drain the noodles for me, though, because nobody who’s unsteady on their feet needs to be carrying a pot of boiling water across the kitchen.  Haha.

After dinner, B and the kids went outside, and I spent some more time working in my office.  I’ve gotten so behind these last two weeks since I’ve been feeling so bad.  I’ve been doing the bare minimum for everything, and it’s starting to catch up with me. 

After B and the kids came in, the kids got showered, and then they watched Brian play some video games for a bit and then we sent them to bed.  B and I watched some more of The Bachelorette, and then we headed to bed, too.

 

Tuesday, July 18

Tuesday morning, B headed off to work, and I spent the morning trying to get stuff done – laundry, tidying, blogging, and packing – because we were heading to Atlanta right after lunch.  The kids packed themselves and played all morning, and by the time B got home from work, we were ready to go.  We all had a light lunch at home, and then we headed out.

We made it to Atlanta mid-afternoon and checked into our hotel, and then after getting unpacked and freshened up, we headed to The Battery.  Our hotel was right across the street from The Battery, but it was HOT, and I was worried that walking in the extreme heat/sun would mess me up, but thankfully, we were able to take the hotel’s free shuttle, and they dropped us off right in The Battery. 

First up, we checked in to Superica to put our names on the list for a table, and then we did some browsing in a boutique nearby to stay out of the heat while we waited for our table to be ready.

The wait was short, and we were seated about 20 minutes later, and then my cousin, Shelby, joined us for the evening since she lives in Atlanta now. 

Superica is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants ever and they have the best margaritas, but sadly, I couldn’t partake since alcohol and vertigo do not mix.  I stuck with water to stay hydrated since we were going to be out in the heat, but I did sneak a few small sips of Brian’s marg.

After dinner, we walked to the stadium, and thankfully, our seats were in the shade all evening.  It was somewhere around 95 degrees when we got to the stadium, so it was crazy hot.  B and Shelby grabbed some beers (and I stuck to water again – boooo), and we got some candy for the kiddos, and then we all settled in for the game.

The game was a crazy one – super high scoring – so it definitely wasn’t boring.  It was probably one of the liveliest games we’ve ever been to, but unfortunately, we lost.  I’m pretty sure we’ve lost at every single Braves game we have been to.  Haha.  They’re actually doing really well this season, though.  The final score was 16-13, Arizona, and there were at least 6-7 homeruns hit.  It was crazy.

After the game, we walked all the way back to our hotel.  By then, it had cooled down to 85 degrees and it was dark, so it wasn’t a bad walk.  That was the longest distance I’ve gone since I started with my vertigo, too, so I was grateful to be able to make it that far.

When we got back to our hotel, it was nearly 11 PM, so all of us got ready for bed and crashed.  The kids were exhausted.

 

Wednesday, July 19

Wednesday morning, we got up at 7:45 so we could start the day.  I had slept like crap – read, I had hardly slept at all – so I wasn’t feeling the best.  I woke up pretty dizzy, but thankfully, it subsided a good bit by the time we left the hotel.  Wednesday was day 3 without any kind of vertigo medicine, too, so I was still rolling along.

First on the agenda Wednesday morning was donuts at our favorite place in Atlanta.  If you’re ever there, check out Sublime Donuts.  They have a huge selection, and they’re all so delicious.  While we were driving around Atlanta, we kept seeing the electric scooters everywhere, and every single time I saw one it reminded me of the show Platonic.  I will never not have the urge to kick one of those over now thanks to that show.  Lol.

After breakfast, we drove to The Museum of Illusions.  Brian questioned if that was the best place for me to go with my vertigo, but the kids really wanted to go, so I figured it would be fine because I could sit out of anything that was triggering for me.

We ended up staying there for nearly a couple of hours and the kids loved it.  They had all kinds of cool picture-taking spots and illusions to look at.  There were a couple of rooms that I avoided – one of which spun around in circles (yeesh) – but other than that, there wasn’t much that irritated my vertigo, and I did pretty well overall.  And the pictures that look crazy below are just illusions, of course.  Obviously, I didn’t spin around or go upside down or anything… I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I tried.  Haha.

After we were done there, we made the drive home.  In the car on the way back, I was overcome with crazy exhaustion, and my neck and face and jaw felt like they were going to fall apart because they were so tight and tense.  And no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the muscles to relax.  Not sure why, though, but it was miserable.

By the time we got home, thankfully, some of the pain and tension had eased up, and I also didn’t feel as tired, so I spent some time getting unpacked and getting things done in my office.  I also got in a very short arms workout because – y’all – I’m dyyyying not being able to work out every day.  It is killing me.  I miss it so much.

Wednesday evening, we met my friends Jeannine and Jessica and their families at the bowling alley, and we had the best evening hanging out.  The kids and a couple of the adults bowled two games, and we had pizzas and snacks delivered.  The bowling alley has little robots that deliver all the food, and I know this is pretty normal for 2023, but it will never not feel way too futuristic for me.  Haha.

By the time we left the bowling alley, it was time to get the kids home and showered and ready for bed.  I spent some time watering the plants and sitting on the front porch to get some fresh air because I missss myyyy eveningggg walkssss soooo muuuuch. 

Once the kids were ready for bed, we got them settled in, and B and I watched some more of The Bachelorette.

 

Thursday, July 20

Thursday, Brian headed off to work and the kids and I had a lazy day at home.  It was kind of nice after the busy couple of days we’d had.  I got some blog work done in the morning, and the kids finished their summer homework!  Woo hoooo!  I also decided to take a Covid test in the morning just to make 100% sure that I wasn't having some sort of weird Covid experience and that that was the cause of my vertigo.  It was negative, of course, but I thought it was worth a shot.

Then we all had lunch together and I spent the afternoon ordering Jacob’s birthday cakes and making last-minute birthday plans for him while the kids played video games.  We also checked on Olivia's sunflowers and they're still looking great!

I was still feeling like poo on Thursday, so my parents came to pick up the three of us and take us to the kids’ music school.  They dropped us off and then we hung out there for an hour until Brian got off of work and picked us up.  Olivia had a makeup voice lesson after missing the one from the previous week, so it was a long one.

After that, we headed home, and I felt decent enough to cook an easy dinner – one pan sausage, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and onions + blueberry muffins – and while I cooked, Brian headed out to buy the rest of what we needed for Jacob’s birthday.

After dinner, I felt decent enough to try to work out, and I managed to do 40 minutes on my stair stepper while holding on to Brian’s dresser.  It was the hardest and longest workout that I’d done in 10 days at that point, so it felt good. 

After that, we watched some of America’s Got Talent from the week, and then the kiddos went to bed.  B and I finished the episode of The Last Thing He Told Me that we’d started days ago, and then we watched a little more of The Bachelorette before heading to bed.

Right before bed, I was doing my maneuver again (I’ve been doing them at least three times per day), and when I did the maneuver on my left side (the side they’d diagnosed), I felt dizziness when I rolled over to my right side, which can indicate vertigo on the right side.  That made me wonder if all this time that I was having it on both sides, and that maybe I needed to be treating the other side as well, so I decided to do the maneuver for the right side for the first time ever, too.

BIG. MISTAKE.

Doing the maneuver on the right side just about did me in.  When I stood up, everything was spinning horribly again, and I couldn’t walk straight.  I was falling over and feeling awful, and it felt like gravity was going to pull me down flat on my face.  Thankfully, I’d done it right before bed, so I was able to go to sleep, but it did take about 30 minutes of spinning before I finally fell asleep.

 

Friday, July 21

When I woke up Friday morning, the extreme spinning wasn’t quite as bad as the night before, but I could tell that I was still way more messed up than I had been before I did the maneuver on the right side.  Ugh.

I got myself ready and then had breakfast with the kids, and then I did a couple of things in my office before my Momma picked me up yet again… this time for a visit with my therapist.  I’ve been doing weekly sessions all month because we’ve really been through the ringer the last couple of months, and it definitely makes a world of difference to see her.

After my appointment, Momma dropped me back off at home, and then I decided to do the maneuver on both sides again to see if it would undo what I’d done the night before.  Thankfully, it did seem to straighten out the issue of feeling like something was pulling me down on the right side, and for the rest of the day after that, I just had the general dizziness again, which was a relief.  Even though that still sucks, too.  Haha.

The kids and I had been invited over to swim by one of my friends (and Jacob’s math teacher), but it was a million degrees, and I just didn’t feel up to being out in the heat or the sun (even with access to a pool) because I didn’t want to risk the vertigo getting irritated even more.  I felt terrible declining for the kids’ sake, but thankfully, they weren’t too disappointed.  I do hate how much time they’ve had to spend in the house lately, though.  Between me not being able to take them anywhere and this extreme heat we’ve been having, there’s literally nothing active that they can do.  The temps have been near a hundred every day, and I just can’t bring myself to make them play outside in that heat.  It’s misery.

After lunch, the kids did some tidying and then I went to my office to work, and then B picked up takeout from Carrabba’s.  We rarely eat at chain restaurants, but man, we love us some Carrabba’s lasagna!!

After dinner, I was feeling really good and fairly stable, so I got in a mixed workout.  I basically just did whatever felt good that I could actually do – squats, walking up and down the stairs (holding on to the rail), arms, etc. and I did really well.

Once that was done, we all piled on the couch to finish the episode of America’s Got Talent from the week, and then we watched another episode of Is It Cake? 

After the kiddos went to bed, B and I watched two more episodes of The Last Thing He Told Me and then we went to bed, too.

 

Saturday, July 22

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling pretty stable and good again, but after I did my morning maneuver (only on the left like I was supposed to), it messed me all up.  Sigh.  Thankfully, the extreme spinning/head heaviness wore off enough so that I could function, because we had Jacob’s birthday party at 10 AM.

All he wanted for his birthday was a day at the arcade with his best friends from school, so that’s exactly what we did.  Unfortunately, one of his friends was out of town, but the other two were able to make it, and we invited one of his friend’s little sisters to hang out with Olivia, too, since they dance together.

First up, we turned them all loose in the arcade to play games, and then Jacob wanted everyone to do a round of laser tag.  After laser tag, they all redeemed their tickets for prizes, and then Jacob opened his gifts while we waited on our pizza to be delivered.  Shortly after that, the pizza was delivered by a robot again – LOL – and then we had cookies and cream cupcakes.  Both of the kids had a blast, and it was a fun morning celebrating our Boo!

When we got back home, the kids played for a while and Brian and I tackled a few things around the house.  We’re currently converting all of our lightbulbs to the dreaded LED bulbs, and I hate them all.  Haha.  I’m suuuuper picky about light, and to me, all LED bulbs are just ugly.  I don’t care how “warm” they say they are, they are just not the same as the OG lightbulbs.  I know, I know they’re so much better for the environment and all that, but man, I. hate. them.

Brian had gone to Lowe’s and loaded up on several different brands/styles, so we spent the next hour testing each of them out and picking out the best options for the lamps, the recess lighting in the kitchen, and the candelabra bulbs in the ceiling fan fixtures in the bedrooms.  I’m pretty pleased with the lightbulbs for the lamps, but I didn’t love any of the options for the recess lighting in the kitchen. 

Once that was done, I did my maneuvers several times until I got my head feeling just right (and by just right, I mean full-on dizzy, but without the heaviness pulling to one side), and then I decided to stop doing the maneuver altogether since it’s been messing me up lately.  After that, I spent some time working in my office while the kids played video games, and then at 5:30, we headed to Mass.

After Mass, we went to dinner with our usual Saturday group – my Momma and Daddy, Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg, Uncle Billy, and Mama Cass – at our favorite Mexican restaurant. 

By the time we got home, it was time for the kiddos to get in the bed, and then B and I finished The Last Thing He Told Me and the episode of The Bachelorette from the week.

 

Sunday, July 23

Sunday morning, it was Jacob’s birthday!!  We started the day with cinnamon rolls as we always do, and then Jacob opened his presents from us.  After that was done, he wanted to sort his new Pokemon cards and build his Lego set, and while he and Olivia did that, I watched my Sunday morning sermon, planned the week ahead, and then got in a stair stepper and an arms workout followed by some light stretching. 

I felt generally dizzy and unsteady all day Sunday, but I didn’t have any major spinning, and I didn’t do the maneuver all day because I was so worried about it messing me all up again.

Before lunch, I got showered and ready for the day, and then we reheated some leftover pizza from the arcade for lunch.  Brian then went out to run errands since I’m not able to drive right now, and I got some things done around the house – more laundry, tidying, prepping for the kids upcoming week at camp, etc.

The kids played with Jacob’s new Minute to Win It set for a while after lunch, and then they got showered and ready for the day, too.  The rest of the afternoon was lazy… I worked in my office and helped B unload groceries, and the kids played video games.

We headed to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and my Momma had cooked Jacob’s requested dinner for his birthday – her famous spaghetti… and white rice.  LOL.  Those are Jacob’s two favorite things, so he always requests them for his birthday even though they don’t go together, and my Mom always obliges.  Haha.

My oldest brother was in town Friday without the rest of his fam since he was traveling through for a work trip, so we got to spend some time with him Sunday evening, too.  Jacob opened his gifts, we had cake and ice cream, and then my brothers and I snapped a picture with my Momma because she wanted a picture with all of her babies together while we were all in the same house!  ;o)

And now for a few current things…

Currently Reading

 

Reading a book is something that has been aggravating my vertigo, and I only got one book finished this month before it started.  It was a good one, though!  I read A Flicker in the Dark and I loved it.  It was suspenseful and I couldn’t put it down.  I think I read it in just four days, most of which was all in one day. 

 

Last month, I was also still making my way through Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel, but that one was put on hold this month along with all of my other reading thanks to my vertigo.

 

I did also start my Bible Recap, and I got through day four, but that’s on hold right now, too.  I’ve tried to power through and read it with my vertigo, but it does make it much worse, so unfortunately, I’m just going to have to wait until the vertigo improves before I can pick this up again.   

 

Currently Watching

 

With B:  This month, we finished season one of Platonic and season three of Trying.  We also started and finished The Last Thing He Told Me, and we’re still working our way through the new season of The Bachelorette. 

 

With the Kids:  We’re still rolling through Weird But True, the new season of America’s Got Talent, and we started the new season of Is It Cake? 

 

Alone:  I’m still just watching The Wedding Planner on repeat when I’m not listening to music and I love it.  Haha.

 

Currently Listening To

Hymn of Heaven (Acoustic Sessions) by Phil Wickham is still on repeat this month, and I also can’t quit Ed Sheeran’s new album.  I’ve also been listening to the new DMB and new Phillip Phillips albums, and of course, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was downloaded and played a million times this month as well.  Oh, and I’m also loving Olivia Rodrigo’s new song Vampire!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!