Friday Favourites: things that make living dizziness easier

It's been a rough couple of weeks and I feel like I'm either letting the tears out or wanting to scream
internally. It will be 18 months on Wednesday since the dizziness started and we're still no closer to getting answers. While it was great that the MRI came back fine but it also lead us no closer to answers and has made me hit a brick wall emotionally. I'm not coping and I am not going to hide that anymore, the dizziness has taken a toll on me and there's only so much I can deal with before I break.

I saw my doctor yesterday and he said he was going to reach out to a General Physician he had the card of and have a chat with him about me. He actually admitted that he was feeling protective of me as the dizziness had been going on for so long and I haven't had the best experiences with specialists in the past (looking at the neurologist here). So I am waiting for a call from him and hopefully some sort of direction if not it's back to the drawing board. In the interim I have been prescribed sleeping pills because I am not sleeping at all which resulted in 8 hours of sleep last night though restless but it's better than what I have been having (I used to get 9-10 hours before the dizziness got really bad). 

These past two weeks have been really full on and I am looking forward to next week being a bit quieter and giving me some down time. I want to be kept busy and distract myself but I also don't want to push myself too much and deal with fatigue so its a fine line. 

I've applied for a few jobs so I am also praying that I may get an interview soon. I was talking to one of my friends about how I wasn't sure if I could handle a job at the moment but at the same time I want a job and need a job. She simply told me that I have been praying for a job for so long that whatever job I do get we have to trust that its the perfect job for me and will work in with my dizziness. Since that conversation I have felt such peace like if I were to get a job tomorrow then as so much prayer as gone into it I would handle it. 

This fortnights Friday Favourites are a bit different, in that I am sharing what helps me when the dizziness is really bad. All things work well for me and honestly there has been a lot of trial and error working them out. I am consistently trying new things but the following are what I keep coming back to:

Panadol - when my dizziness gets worse I get headaches and nausea which are the last things I need. Its like my body has to readjust itself to the next level of dizziness. Sometimes these headaches only last a day or two other times a week on end of headaches on top of the dizziness. So I take panadol when they get bad. I like the small film coated capsules (I just buy the generic brand) as they are easier to swallow and they work a bit quicker in my opinion. I have a box in my bag, a box on the bench and a box on my bedside table which I know seems overkill but at least I know where to find it when I need it. 

Water - I try and drink throughout the day and I like to think it helps. If I know I will be out and about for a long period of time I try and bring a bottle of water with me. I really love this bottle as water stays cold all day and I can just grab a sip when need be and its a litre in size.

Sprite - I wish I knew why but Sprite just really helps when things are bad. There are days when I will be running errands or something and I just need a Sprite to get through it. I prefer Sprite Zero but normal Sprite also works in a pinch. 

Friends - I'm finding the longer the dizziness goes on the less I want to talk about it as everyone seems to have medical advice and other unhelpful times, So I am thankful that I have a few close friends who I can talk to about the dizziness. There are days when the tears won't stop falling and I know I can be 100% real with them and vent and not get unhelpful advice. 

A mix of medical drama and comedy shows - unfortunately with this dizziness I am finding it hard to read as much, so I am now watching a lot of TV shows. I love anything that will provide me with an escape and funnily enough I have been loving medical dramas. I have been alternating between Private Practice (on Disney Plus) and Superstore (on Netflix) at the moment and I find I get a good mix of drama and comedy. 

Something that has also helped me is continuing to keep a health diary and I also have a very detailed document with everything dizziness on it. This includes the following: a month by month overview since the dizziness started and listing what tests I had and what specialists I saw and what the specialists said, the current medicines I take and what for, my current diagnoses, what operations I have had, the exact dates the dizziness has gotten worse and what score it jumped to and just some facts about what I am experiencing. I wanted it to cover everything so that if need be I could present it to a medical professional and they would know my history just by glancing at it (I guess you could call it a dizziness resume?). My doctor was actually impressed when I handed it to him on Thursday with new updates on it. I also find having it all written down helps me process it and realise just how much I have gone through. 

I am honestly taking things one day a time now and praying that eventually the end will be in sight soon.