A Quick Update

Daughter Janna, told me I had to do an update because I have been lax in my duties.

First, I am doing pretty well. The BPV seems to be under control, however the CRIS has kicked up a bit lately. Regarding the BPV, we did the exercises over again, changed my pillow this seems to have worked.

My only problem recently has been a buggered left shoulder. I did something on the weekend and have been paying the price ever since. I was trying to be a gentleman stretching to open the gate on the deck for Merete. Teach me to try and be a gentleman. What was I thinking!


This heat wave has been wiping me out. I used to love the heat, working in the garden, building things and other recreational activities. Right now I can't handle it, my heart rate goes up and I hear the valve clicking away. Quite irritating. The best part today was I went to town and found something for my shoulder at the pharmacy. It's acetaminophen with a muscle relaxant, boy what a pain reliever. Fortunately right now I am just between doses, so I can type. This drug mellows you out and relaxes everything. I had been having some issues with nerve damage in my chest and the cracking of my ribs, this has relieved everything. What a change to be pain free, hopefully I will be able to do more of my exercises without hurting keeping in mind not to over do it as well.(that's for Janna)

"Sorry, I suffer from BPV."

I mentioned in a few postings about weird side effects, trying desperately not to sound too much like my Mother. I love my Mother but she has a genetic predisposition to focus on health issues that may or may not be totally real. After all she does have “fibre myalgia”. In my opinion a manufactured disease that doctors made up when they can't figure out what is wrong with a patient. This condition is usually diagnosed when the patient hasn’t been totally honest with the doctor and the doctor becomes stumped by the weird list of symptoms. Sort of like a bad episode of the TV series House. I have tried my best to suppress this genetic predisposition, not that I haven’t caught myself a few times getting carried away with self diagnosis.

I thought the dizzy spells I have been having since the surgery were caused by this blasted sinus infection. Not so, according to my GP, I suffer from BPV or Benign Positional Vertigo. Quel Surprisssse! According to the Internet, small particles of garbage have come loose in my head. They have lodged themselves in the area of my inner ear that controls my balance. This area looks a bit like a snail shell. The Epley Maneuver is a set on exercises that cure this condition in over 85% of the cases. I have yet to complete the Epley Maneuver, instead I have come up with a few ideas where BPV could come in handy as an excuse for questionable behaviour. Feel free to add to the list.

Perhaps you have had one or two too many glasses of wine. When you stand up you are unsteady with your movement and perhaps slurr a word or two. This could be caused by BPV. Perhaps you are driving and have been distracted by conversation and something shiny on the side of the road. The local constable has pulled you over for driving erratically, this too could be caused by BPV. You bump into someone suggestively that you find attractive, this could be a caused by BPV or Cranial Rectal Insertion Syndrome (another condition that I occasionally suffered from).

The Cranial Rectal Insertion Syndrome is something alas that I will suffer from until I leave this planet for a better place. I’ll let you know how the Epley Maneuver goes, hopefully it will correct my Benign Positional Vertigo.

http://www.tchain.com/otoneurology/disorders/bppv/epley/first.html

Tandem Nightmare & Head Colds

Brother Jim arrived last Wednesday night. My head cold arrived Tuesday night. I finally figured out what was causing my dizzy spells.

Apparently my head is full of crap. (just keep your smart remarks to yourselves). Crap makes me crabby. We actually managed to have a pretty good visit and then on Saturday we drove Jim to the ferry so he could go visit Mom.

I learned a few things on Saturday. Number one, it is impossible for me to be a passenger in a car for more than 40 minutes at a time. Not only is it difficult in my 'tender' condition but my nerves take a beating like you wouldn't believe. The trip to the ferry is one and a half hours each way. So you just imagine the aching basket case I was by the time we got home. To compound this torture, Saanich was invaded by a group of American Tandem Bicyclists.

They were on every road we drove down, coming from every imaginable direction. Using bizarre hand signals that only meant something to them. Some even had small children strapped on the rear bumpers like some kind of trophy to indicate their breeding abilities. It was hideous, Tandem bikes everywhere, with Americans dressed in brightly coloured stretch biking outfits. To make it even worse we got trapped behind some maniac driving a tour bus, that was determined not screw up his schedule and reach Buchart Gardens by his designated time. He roared up behind the Americans, then passed them on hills and blind curves. Finally in Brentwood Bay he turned off, but by then the damage was done. I thought I was going to puke.

There was a glimmer of hope, we thought we had out run the brightly coloured Tandem Americans. But noooooo there were more. Finally I had to close my eyes each time Merete passed a Tandem, just to keep from screaming and puking. We got home safely but I was severely damaged and probably won't ride in the car past Sooke for the rest of the month.