The Year has started with a bang ! Pleased to see madness bringing in the new year (at home watching the tv ) with my 3 youngest.

Husband was working as usual . We indulged (big mistake ) and attempted to sing Auld lang syne getting fed up half way through as we still shamefully don’t know the words.

Later that evening after husband got home (thank goodness it was after) the middle one threw up everywhere having indulged a little too much eating doritos and malteesers together .

At this point the stresses of Christmas, having the extension built over Christmas and shall we say a slightly challenging teenager I was forgetting to look at my end game goals .

On my return back to the gym I thought I’d go for a long handbike ride but take it slow . I did level 20 for 20 km in 84mins !!!!! What a start 💪

All going well at the gym my refuge , therapy , place of hope , my future as that is where I will get strong enough to make things happen for myself. Then BANG my Benign positional vertigo or bppv for short came on .
BPPV is caused when loose chalk crystals get into the wrong part of the inner ear. These microscopic crystals should be embedded in a lump of jelly. The crystals weigh the jelly down and make that part of the ear sensitive to gravity. The crystals are constantly being re-absorbed and re-formed and over time fragments come loose. Lying flat can then occasionally cause some of the loose debris to fall into one of the semi-circular canals; the parts of the ear responsible for sensing rotation. Movement in the plane of the affected canal causes the crystals to move along the canal, stimulating it and giving the sensation of rotation.

The vertigo is generally rotational (like getting off a roundabout) but sometimes sufferers, on lying down, will feel that they are falling through the bottom of the bed or, on getting up, that they are being thrown back onto it. The classic provoking movements to induce BPPV are: lying flat, sitting up from lying flat; turning over in bed; looking up (e.g. hanging washing) or bending down, especially if also looking to the side. The duration of the vertigo is brief; usually five to 30 seconds but very occasionally lasts up to two minutes.

I’ve had this reoccurring for 8 years now . To clear it i had something called the Epley maneuver preformed on me .

It’s been in both ears but the right ear was the worst . The Epley would maybe clear it for a week then it would be back again.

So about a year and a half ago I had the operation to get my right ear plugged. This is supposed to stop the particles from moving. I have lost some hearing and sensation but until this week it did settle.

Yes you’ve guessed it … my world had started spinning again. I wish I could say it’s due to a bottle of wine but no it’s not. An A&E doctor did try and clear it yesterday for me but it’s not worked . From what we did yesterday it looks like both ears are affected 😞.

I would physically and mentally like a break . It’s not going to stop me though I’m still going to be doing what I do I’ll just need to make sure I’m seated or holding onto someone.

So if I look drunk or sound drunk I’m most probably not as I don’t usually drink but if I’m totally stressed I might be persuaded to have a tipple or if I’m going to my friends house as she makes good cocktails.

Hope everyone’s New Year got off to a good start. I’m working towards my goals keep working towards yours.

Joanne