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Yesterday, I had an unwanted visitor.  BPPV.  That’s short for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.  If you’ve never experienced it, pray it never happens.  Seems we have tiny crystals in our inner ear somewhere, I can’t recall, and if they become disturbed, we get seriously dizzy.  I mean seasick dizzy, nausea, vomiting, the whole schmere.  And I’ll tell you, it’s unsettling.

When it first happened years ago, I went to the doc, got everything checked out, ct scan, everything.  Nothing wrong.  Checked my hearing too, and found the left ear had lost lots.  So, I’ve been living with one good ear for a while.  That’s ok.  And I discovered after trying a therapy group, that did nothing for me, that there are videos on youtube with different ways to clear the initial dizziness, and restore balance.

Why knew?

Well, I tried the famous Epley Maneuver, and got nowhere.  But I found a lady doctor who had the problem herself who posted a video with a maneuver where you get down on the floor, in a somersault position, and I can’t find it now, but that worked!  And I used it yesterday.  This is the one I found years ago.  And found yet another video by a chiropractor who helps folks with BPPV, and he did a maneuver very similar, but better for old people like me with bum knees.  You can get the same result using a chair!  Well, I tried that one, too.  Very useful.  Can’t find that video now, though.

Today, I’m a bit wobbly, because it takes a bit of time for your equilibrium to come back, and your confidence!  Jeez.

Thanksgiving next week, and to all that I have to be thankful for we can add these nifty maneuvers to solve the BPPV attacks.  Now, pray I don’t get another when I have to cook next week!

This morning, as I was going out in the dark to put out the scoop of dry cat food I put out for the foxes, the ones who were born under our own shed, across the yard came a deer!  Headed right for the food spot!  Amazing!

What a beautiful gift!  What a way to start the day!

He was surprised, and took off, but hey, he was coming to our fox food source for a nibble.  Very interesting.  I’ve known a raccoon to come eat there, and the cardinals and crows love to feast as well on the food I leave for foxes.  What a treat!

It never occurred to me that deer also snacked on that little bit of food I put out.  I’m so glad!  Thanks be to God!  His creation is simply awesome and wonderful!

The Covid wasn’t enough.  No my sis fell and broke her hip, on top of the covid.  The hospital stay was brief, they replaced the hip, and tossed her out.  Sent her to the only skilled nursing place that would take her, and it was a pit, a nightmare, and they didn’t even have any pain meds for her. So, she’s home, and totally dependent on others to get her even to an adjacent potty chair!  I’m going to have to go over and help out this afternoon, and hopefully, some arrangements can be made for skilled nursing care, or rehabilitation help soon, because I’ve got my own physical problems to deal with, and while it’s probably manageable with increased meds, right now, I don’t have those.  Ugh.

And, since I talked her into going to that place, she will probably never take advice or suggestions from me ever again.  Ugh.  Well, such is life.  I hope and pray I can be of some help today, anyway.

It’s almost time for our 60th Anniversary, and this year, instead of going to Saratoga for the Travers Stakes and spending time with our good friend, Michael, we are stuck here at home because, guess what?  We are old now.

My wonderful husband is 83, and ailing with chronic back pain, even though he had extensive back surgery years ago.  The pain never stops.  And now, he’s also recovered from that pneumothorax last November, but has COPD, and it’s no joke.  He has medicine, and inhalers, and bravely works out three days a week.  But the driveway?  Heck, it’s long.  And while he used to go up and down with ease, now he drives to the mailbox.  He can walk downhill to it, but can’t manage to get back up.

I’ve got bad knees now, had injections recently and now can walk ok, and get up and down, but once those wear off, I’m facing the decision again, shot or surgery?  Ugh.

So, we are waiting for my son to come visit, and he’s taking us out for dinner.  Boy.  I will love that, because I love them, but I sure wish I were well enough for a four or five day visit to the races! 

I didn’t think any of us would ever really get Covid, and always thought that if we did, we would not have a big problem with it.  We could survive.  Forgetting how damn old I am, I guess.  And my sis and her husband are even older than I.

And they got it.

Last week, we had no clue to begin with…my guy of 83 had a small head cold, so I asked the pharmacist about covid tests, and he gave me 8 of them.  I thought that was a lot.  But they are almost gone.

I tested him.  No problem.  He’s got a summer cold, and COPD, too, so it was a worry.

Then my sis and husband were both sick in bed.  Well, I decided to take the tests over there, and see if that was the problem.  Ugh.  Wound up taking them both to Urgent Care, and from there to hospital for xrays, and then they got sent home to “isolate.”  OK.  So, that was Friday.  Sunday, after mass, I took my finger OX reader over, and my brother in law was up and mobile, and managing just fine.  My sis was in bed, unconscious, (he thought she was just sleeping) and the finger OX thing said her blood OX was 69-70.  Dialed 911, and the EMT’s took her to the hospital.

For a week I was running back and forth, from their house to the hospital, to my house, and trying to deal with everything masked and trying to deal with it all.  God is good.  He got me through all that, got my sis home, (although she’s not well yet, and still tested positive) and my brother in law is doing fine.  We tested negative!  After all that, all that exposure and helping out, I don’t have Covid!  🙂

Thanks be to a loving God, my helper, my motivator, my source of peace, strength and health.  May your days be as blessed as mine.  He helps me do so much more than I ever thought possible.