Hello to you. How are you? I hope well. I just had a telephone consult with my psychologist through the VA and it was pretty intense. She is a short term therapist with goal orientated treatment. I don’t know if she and I will be a good fit or not but will give it a try. She wants me to come up with a goal for treatment. The goal I am thinking of involves leaving the house more. This means leaving Link alone more and that’s hard for me. I don’t like leaving him alone a lot. We shall see what comes up. I talked to her about my swaying sensation being a problem about me doing things. She is going to forward a note about it to my nurse.
Something I’m struggling with with volunteering is driving too. May be there is something I can do that doesn’t involve a lot of driving. I will lift this up to God. I will be useful some how.
Hello to you. How are you today? Today my message has to do with reconciling what happened to me during my episode and not giving up my faith about it. When the police tazzed me like they did I screamed out for Jesus to come and help me but he didn’t come. I ended up in the hospital again. Is that what the answer was? Working through other people to help me? This is what a lot of people have said to me. I have had a crisis of faith but realize without Jesus and his people I am so alone.
Church today
I am not giving up on my faith. May be in all that is happening is a humbling I needed – to realize I can’t do this life alone and have to ask for help.
Message today from Streams in the Desert My buddy Link
Hello to you. Yesterday was interesting. I’m grateful to my cousin for helping me navigate the Veterans Administration system. I don’t think I could have done it on my own. There are a lot of buildings and processes. My doctor had a lot of questions for me and is wanting to taper me off of one of my drugs to see if the rocking sensation subsides. We shall see. Apparently Haldol is known to have an rocking effect. I haven’t been taking it that long so not sure.
Like I said just feeling grateful that I have a support system here to help me get through what it’s taking to get some balance in my life again. We have a follow up appointment in December.
Hello to you. How are you doing? I’m trying to figure out why I have the feeling of being on a boat all the time – a swaying sensation in my head when I walk or move around. Well I found out about a condition that happens after you get off a boat but can persist or just happen even without having been on a craft. I haven’t been on a boat recently. The sensation just started a few months ago when I was in the hospital. It’s very frustrating. I have to talk to a doctor about it as this is just a self diagnosis right now. It’s called Mal de debarquement disorder. Here is a description I found:
NORD gratefully acknowledges the Vestibular Disorders Association and Jeffrey Kramer, MD, Neurology Department, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, IL, for assistance in the preparation of this report.
Synonyms of Mal de Debarquement
MDD
General Discussion
Mal de debarquement (MDD) is a rare and poorly understood disorder of the vestibular system that results in a phantom perception of self- motion typically described as rocking, bobbing or swaying. The symptoms tend to be exacerbated when a patient is not moving, for example, when sleeping or standing still. Studies have shown that a brief period of these symptoms is common in healthy individuals after prolonged episodes of passive motion, normally lasting seconds to three days. However, in MDD, significant balance impairment can persist for months to years. Symptoms may diminish in time or may reappear spontaneously or after another exposure. The most common triggers are water-based activities such as ocean cruising. Less common triggers include airplane travel, extended landing travel and sleeping on water beds. Other common complaints of patients with MDD include a sensation of uneven ground below their feet while walking, or feeling as if they are still on a boat. It is rare for MDD patients to have true rotational vertigo or motion sickness.
Signs & Symptoms
The primary symptom is the persistence of a sense of motion and rocking. Some patients may experience fatigue, mood changes and confusion. Imbalance is a common complaint. Symptoms often increase when exposed to fast movements, flickering lights and grocery store aisles. There may be transient improvement in symptoms with re-exposure to passive motion, for example, riding in cars or trains. After completion of the trip, however, the symptoms tend to recur.
Studies have shown that the length of time one is exposed to a motion experience does not determine the severity or duration of the syndrome, but most typical cases are triggered by day trips lasting several days.
Causes
The true cause behind MDD is still unknown. MDD likely results from the body’s balance system inadequately processing and adapting to multiple sensory inputs (visual, vestibular, proprioceptive and cognitive) from the environment once the stimulus (trigger) has ended. It is as yet undetermined as to the cause of the balance system’s inability to appropriately compensate and adapt. How or why this happens remains a mystery.
Affected Populations
The majority of people affected are adult females, although there have been reports of males having the diagnosis. Patients with migraine may have any increased susceptibility through unknown mechanisms
Hello to you. How are you? Today I’m having a tree trimming service come out and trim my neighbors tree back from my house. It’s amazing how much growth happened over the summer and early fall. It’s not cheap either but needs to be done.
My neighbors tree reaching over to my house
News about Dad is he’s dealing with a UTI (urinary tract infection). Please keep him in your prayers. His name is Larry.
later – think this might be what I’m dealing with for the swaying:
Mal de Debarquement It literally means sickness of disembarkment. It refers to an illusion of movement felt as an aftereffect of travel on water most frequently. Most individuals will recover following exposure to motion within a few days. It becomes pathological if it persists more than a month. Most patients note a resolution of their symptoms within 12 months. Middle-aged women are most at risk, following exposure to an unfamiliar movement and removal of the stimulus. The pathophysiological process seems to arise from the brain rather than the inner ear. Functional MRI studies suggest that the brain is able to adapt to an unfamiliar movement but is unable to readapt once the movement has stopped. Most commonly, the patients describe their symptoms as rocking, swaying and disequilibrium and rarely a spinning vertigo. The symptoms are worsened when the subject is in an enclosed space or when they are motionless. They feel better when they are moving or driving. Diagnosis is made after taking an appropriate history and after ruling out other disorders that can cause dizziness. There is no single effective treatment for Mal de Débarquement Syndrome. Short-term use of benzodiazepines and may alleviate the symptoms. However, prolonged use may cause delay in the necessary compensation to recover. Vestibular rehabilitation is controversial. Early exposure to motion may exacerbate symptoms. After a variable wait time for spontaneous resolution it can be suggested. The rehabilitation will focus on readjusting the maladapted vestibulo-ocular reflex.
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. Found out last night my Dad is having some troubles with his health – so keeping him in my prayers. I am having some problems of my own. When I walk there is a swaying sensation in my head. Don’t know if it my equilibrium or something in my ears. I find because of this that I am having trouble feeling useful. I don’t think it’s vertigo.
My buddy Link this morning
My Aunt and Uncle helped me figure out how to get Link to take his pills – cream cheese! Seems to be working so far.
Hello there. Hope you are well. Link and I had to go to the vet again yesterday. He was coughing really bad so they sent us home with antibiotics. Probably got something when he was at the pound. So now we are up to 4 pills I have to get him to take! He tolerated the peanut butter but I don’t know for how long. Why don’t they have doggy pills that are more pet friendly? I hate having to force him to take things.
Hello to you. Hope this day finds you well. I’m doing ok just dealing with the usual stuff plus low energy levels – stamina. I really have gotten weaker after my stay in the hospital. Gradually trying to build it back up. Link is still limping but has such a positive attitude about it! Please keep him in your prayers.
I want to say how grateful I am that things are even if I hope for better. I’m home with Link and have loving family and friends. Thank you for your prayers and support through all of this.
Hello to you. How are you today? I’m up and at em but still having to figure out routines. Having a schedule of when to get up and when to go to bed and life in between. Link is a big part of all of that especially with his leg bothering him the way it is now.
I am kind of having a crisis of faith too. It was Jesus I cried out to when the police tazzed me with electricity the day I was picked up. There was no rescue just going to the hospital. Was that his reply to my plea? I really thought it was time for the end of the world that day. I will have to see what the days ahead hold for me.
Hello how are you? I’m doing ok. Still working through the wreckage after what happened. Last night was my first night alone in the house. Link ate the ham for his pills but didn’t want to this morning. He’s too smart. He hasn’t been eating his regular dog food which concerns me. I’m having the internet people come out today as it’s inoperable. It got ripped from the wall for some reason during all the chaos.
I’m so frustrated with myself. My little house was so nice and now there is damage to it that has to be repaired eventually. This is the aftermath of a manic episode. I look at some of the stuff that happened and it makes no sense at all. What was I thinking?! Just not in my right mind I guess is the only answer. Just have to keep taking it one day at a time.
To be 