Your guide to the perilous waters of the internet

7-31-08

Monday we had an inservice. I was feeling a little unsteady so I went to my office for lunch. As I sat there, I felt a drop attack come on. It started with a light fluttering in my ears, which progressed to a hammer blow of dizzyness that forced me to lean forward on my arms for support on the table. I kept my eyes open for this one (my second in 4 days) and tried to look around to see if I could drive through it. The room was spinning wildly so driving would have been very challenging. After 6 seconds, it was gone and I was ok, with some very minor dizzyness.

That totally freaked me out so I decided to leave early. Sue picked me up and drove me home. While I was waiting for her, I got online and did some research on the disease. I found that about 200 people have had an 86% success rate with a course of vitamins known as "The John of Ohio Meniere’s Regimen". I've also synopsized it here for viewing on a cell phone. Sue and I spent $135 on vitamins on the way home and I've started taking them each morning and a couple at night.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was day three, assuming I'm on a 3 day schedule of ear fluid leaking and I was 2 hours into my morning flash 3 lecture, yakking away at the computer while explaining something to the students on the projector. Suddenly, out of the blue, I felt the beginning of a serious vertigo attack; not quite a drop attack, but much stronger than just a slow entry to a 3 hour dizzy spell. I had time to think: "maybe I should walk out and hide in the restroom, but quickly realized I might need assistance to walk straight. While I was thinking these words, my world was lightly spinning, but I kept talking, very distracted. Within 15 seconds, all symptoms were gone. I never fell off my chair, and the period when I had vertigo was so breif I could have easily driven though it in perfect safety.

This was the first time in ten years I've had symptoms like this where it started very fast, then faded away just as quickly. I'm wondering if this is another flavor of symptom, or if the vitamin/homeopathic regemin is working already. Only time will tell, but I'm going climbing this weekend.

Connie (my sister) called last night and told me dad has already moved out to Panorama City into a small appartment. She and Brent have been doing a tremendous amount of work down there. I've been so wrapped up in climbing season, and now facing down Menieres disease that I've totally forgotten about his ongoing crisis with mom in the nursing home, and the need to sell the old family home to be nearer to her. I owe her big time for the help she has given dad.

7-27-08

Went 10 days without any trouble from Menieres disease. Then Friday, as I was sitting at the kitchen table, everything went black and I lurched forward, landing on my elbows. When I sat up 3 seconds later, the room was spinning, but it subsided quickly. I had some minor dizznyess for the next 90 minutes and sat out on the porch waiting to barf, but I never did.

We'd planned on climbing the next day, so despite the scary blackout/dizzy/episode, Sue drove me up to Index where I had a great day. I took her up the easiest route on the free area, finishing on the left side finger crack. Then I walked down and led Godzilla clean; no hangs, no lowering off, no cheating of any kind, just a good clean ascent.

I came very close to hanging on gear at the layback section. I started up it in a layback, thinking I could easily switch to jaming, but the crack was not easy to enter, and I laybacked up until I was 5 feet above my pro before I was able to sink in a good handjam. I quickly stuck in a 2 or 3 camalot, or both, and flailed a bit, trying to get in a rest when I should have been climbing.

Finally I sensed my power draining and realized I just needed to climb up to the next rest and stop fussing with pro. When I came over the edge on the top of flake that marks the end of that hard section, I was so pumped I could barely hang on while placing gear. I was glad I had my two old 4 friends. I walked them up the next 20 feet of fist jamming. If I'd had a couple green and red camalots, I could have placed those in the off hands crack that runs up beside the fist jam crack.

The step across over to the last crux before the anchor is easy. That finger lock crack takes a three eights inch stopper nicely, as well as the red half inch camalot, which I was glad I'd back cleaned from the first 40 feet where it is mostly small wireds.

The key to the whole climb is to place good gear before the layback, then just commit to the darn thing, secure in the knowledge that the edge is positive all the way up to the jams where you can rest to place more gear. I was rusty at vertical laybacking and wasted a lot of time and energy there fretting. Still, it was a clean send of a very technical climb, my first clean send of that route in over 20 years. I was glad I had all 4 of my yellow hand sized camalots.

7-22-08

Seven days without a dizzy spell...and counting. Last Tuesday I climbed with Fletch for an hour in horrible heat at the gym before feeling a dizzy spell come on. He speculated that it might be brought on by sweating, which by it's nature increases salt content as you dehydrate. It wasn't a severe one, but I did have some spinning and I threw up later. The seasickness pill may have helped me drive home safely, but probably it would have been better to just let it come on full bore and wait it out. I felt worse about bailing on Fletch and letting him discover I have a serious illness than I did about getting dizzy. That is the first time I've gotten dizzy while tied in. Fletch, being a doctor, was very kind, but it saddened me to have to admit defeat.

There is simply nothing I can do about this disease. When it comes to visit, I have to accept it as there is no fighting it. I have an appointment with the ENT in early August. He said to come back if it ever returned as there is much more they can do now as compared to ten years ago when I first got it.

I climbed at the gym twice since then but carried my water bottle and drank copiously. I've heard from other dizzy sufferers that water helps a lot. I climbed great tonight at the gym, leading a new 5.10+, and a new 5.11- with just one short hang. That's above average climbing for me.

Saturday I paid bills, replaced the trucks alternator (80,000 miles) and the front brake pads and rotors on the blue corolla (270,000 miles). I finished that job in the twilight, planning to climb at Index the following morning. When I woke up, and felt how tired I was I told Sue to forget it. I love how she understands my thinking on stuff like that. With a regular partner I would have felt forced to go (never bail is my motto) but with Sue, she understands how hard I worked on cars.

7-14-08 I'm painting again!

Sue dragged me kicking and screaming out to Kalaloch with Lisa. It was perfect weather and we drove in Lisa's luxurious Corolla. So weird to not be packed into our tiny truck. I brought my easel, but also threw in my macro stuff because I assumed I wouldn't have any desire to paint.

I saw my old stance up on a boulder and figured, what the hell, might as well give it a shot. All it would cost me is a sheet of art paper and some embarassment. To my great surprise, I still know how to paint! It's been over a year, maybe two since I painted. The sky is still a bit unfinished, but I completed what you see here in about 4 hours. Too Cool!

7-7-08 Menieres Disease pays a visit

I had a rough 4th of July. It started out well enough. Sue took my school pack back to Target and got a full refund on the 2 month old pack with the ripped shoulder strap. We drove to REI where I spent an extra 50 to get a nice Kelty pack more suitable for the heavy laptop and books I pack to school.

I started work on the right front wheel bearing after that. Things were going well by around 6 PM. I had cleaned and repacked both bearings with fresh grease, and had just inserted the second bearing and the washer when I felt a pulse of vertigo.

Oh Crap!, I thought, I don't need this, I have a car in peices that has to be running tomorrow. But there is no fighting this disease, so I screwed on the nut, tapped in the cup lightly temporarily (finished the next morning at 6am) and walked out into the back yard where I sat for half an hour until full vertigo arrived. I took a couple seasickness pills but they didn't help at all, I just barfed them out.

By nine oclock I was able to walk again and went out to finish the job. Fireworks were going off right and left all around me. One of the neighbors was clearly using the commotion to target shoot in his backyard with a large caliber handgun, in short, it was a war zone. I was kneeling out there in the dirt trying to focus on finishing the job while pretending I wasn't stressed out of my mind by the first dizzy spell in three months, which was still going on. Eventually I just barfed again gave up for the night.

In the morning I woke up normal at 5:30 and finished the job, then went climbing with Fletch and Christine. I should have stayed home to rest, but I've never been one for doing what I should do. Index was raining, so we continued over to Castle where the three of us climbed: Fault, Catapult, Bone, Cat Burglar (first pitch) and Canary (first pitch). When I got to Saber ledge after my first clean lead of Canary in 20 years, it was 8:30. I pulled them both up and we screamed up Saber, arriving at dusk wearing headlamps.

I found that the key to staying powered up on Canary was to take full advantage of all the wonderful stem rests. I led powerfully right up to the last move, even placing the stopper at the lip before running out of power. I climbed back down to the last good stem rest and began whimpering for my mommy. I could have easily hang dogged it, but chose to "go for the redpoint" as Christine said later. I think all that training at Tieton is what made the clean ascent possible. Fletch and Christine both climbed Canary beautifully, no knees or anything. Those guys are good!

I finally posted the trip report from my vacation here.

7-3-08

Climbed at Index with Chris and Jay Saturday. I followed Princely Ambitions 5.8+, and led the second pitch. I used two number 4 camalots up there, though a 5 would have been better. It was a bit to awkward to comfortably place the big bro, though it would have fit. It was also the kind of place where moving up would be better and safer than placing more gear as the climbing was solid and juggy.

I think I'm ready to lead the first pitch of princely as well. Once you commit to the thin, no hands traverse at the crux, you only have to balance up one or two steps and you can reach a two hand jug. The pro is only 5 feet away and horizontal with your waist, clean fall on a one half inch cam or stopper. It was incredibly hot. I need to bring at least a gallon of water on days like that.

I just spent the last three evenings, working until midnight or later working on a delightful aluminum cell phone case for my Blackjack II. The leather case I bought was so flimsy it let the buttons be pressed while on my belt. This new one I made is smaller and literally bulletproof. I love inventing things and working with my hands. It's so refreshing to get off the computer for a while.

I was supposed to climb with Christine and Sue in Leavenworth this 4th of July but Christine is shopping for houses and bailed. Now Sue doesn't want to go for 3 days so I'm not sure what will happen. Maybe I'll get some car work done.

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