Sunday 2 March 2014

Drunk But Not Drunk

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted here and, for that, I apologise. In that time I've been diagnosed with a little known, but quite wide spread, ear infection called "Labyrinthitis". While it displays no physical pain, its primary symptom is vertigo. The afflicted person acts as though drunk, wobbling, swaying, and slumping against walls. It also makes it difficult to sit and type for long periods of time, or even to think in a straight line. As I try and type this, I'm constantly having to go back and correct words, all the while struggling to think about what to write about. Normally I can crack out a thousand words in under an hour. Now I'm struggling to to reach a hundred in a day. The way I formulate sentences has changed and I often sound, both in speaking and writing, as if I'm struggling to speak English (English is my primary language).

It's scary. Really, really scary.

Thankfully I'm now taking medication to stabilise the vertigo which, in turn, should help the inflammation deep inside the ear. The symptoms have eased off but there are still days when I struggle to get my head together and approach the day logically. The only downside is that this is an infection which, even when it's cleared up, can leave the symptoms behind for months, years, or even an entire lifetime.

Luckily, social media has helped me to connect with others who have the same symptoms and I'm taking their advice to heart. Hopefully this won't be a long term issue.

Thank you for listening and have a great Sunday!

Labyrinthitis

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