Another Bad Day

Was doing well and hopeful for a stable chronic disease state on the Lasix and Diamox.   My hearing was subjectively better and had no more vertigo.  Until two days ago.
At work, about 9:30, and had a sudden onset of dizziness.  Mild at first but worsened to full spinning.   Went and laid down in the locker room.  By 10, the vomiting started.  At that point, there was no going back.   Any time I tried to get up, my head spun.  I had to hold onto the walls.   I had to call Annie to come pick me up.  Went home and went to bed.   Feel really bad to skip out on work too.  
I know Dr Hegarty said to avoid the Meclizine but I let that one get out of control before I took it and couldn't get back.
This morning, I am having some mild dizziness.   Took some Meclizine as soon as I felt the symptoms.  I am visiting CA and can't be laid up for a day w a vertigo attack.
I need to ask the Dr about the sodium connection.  The day before my last bad attack, I ate some Dominos pizza.  Didn't know until later that it was packed with over 4 gms of Na.   I wonder if there is that direct connection.  And on the diet thing; I am finding that my new disease life is going to severely limit my foods.  No pickles or olives.  No fast food or mexican food.    Just about everything that I eat now has to be fresh and homemade.   Not a bad thing but adds a burden to my schedule.  It's not always convenient to cook fresh and pack a lunch for work.  No more stopping on the way home for a take out meal.    This disease really sucks.

Another appt w Dr Hegarty

Finished the steroids and had a couple of good days-adequate hearing, no vertigo and little tinnitus.   Then, I didn't.  I had a whole range of those symptoms changing over the course of a day.  Very frustrated with the whole thing. 
Dr Hegarty spun the variability with some hope.   He said the fact that it varies from good to bad means that there is some repairable function.  If it ever deteriorates and doesn't come back, that's a bad thing.   The goal is to find the treatment that stabilizes my function.   The diuretic he had me on was a just a starting point, the small guns.   Now, he is starting me on the big guns-Lasix w KCL and Diamox.   I'm going to be peeing a lot.

The instability is maddening

Back to baseline this morning with adequate function to be able to work. So, I cancelled my appt. Just like yesterday, wait a bit and things will change. Now having roaring Tinnitus in my left ear and can barely hear out of it.

Bad day

At work and having troubl functioning. Tinnitus is loud today and hearing is down. I have full ess again too. My HA is on full loudness and I'm still not able to understand what is being said in the OR today.
A few hours later: Had some mild vertigo symptoms that have passed and now my ears are clear and hearing is back to baseline. I'm very confused about this whole process.

ASL class

A year ago,when I began to notice that I was having trouble hearing, I began to look into learning ASL. I also wanted to be able to sign with Jeri. I came to find that there were no opportunities for me, even in a city that had a school for the deaf. I looked into Internet classes and books. Found that learning a language is best in immersion. Never got beyond learning the alphabet. Well, after meeting with The Indepedence Center, I now have two resources for local classes and one of them is at the School.

Accessibility to assistive devices is poor

Have been trying to reach somebody at my work to help me in getting an amplified phone in the OR. Not having a lot of success. Contacted Bill Allen twice and was only referred to Diane Garten in HR. She never answers her phone. Took the initiative and called Telecommunications myself. Talked to Dale Cordova who said that the hospital does not have amplified phones available. Kind of hitting a wall here. Frustrated and scared about losing my job.  What steps next?    Vocational Rehab at the state level?   I just don't know where to turn right now. 

Not so fast there... symptoms return

After being on the higher dose of diruetics for a while and having subjective improvement in my hearing, as well as an absence of vertigo, I had a sudden worsening in my hearing, followed by some mild vertigo.  Called the doc and got in the same day. 
A hearing test confirmed that my hearing had degraded from the last appt.
Dr Hegarty wasn't happy about it.  Called it "a failure of treatment".   He had me double the diuretic and gave me a prescription for Prednisone, if the diuretic didn't help.
The vertigo resolved but my hearing didn't improve so I started on the steroids.     Seems better after two days of the steroids but that damn Tinnitus is persisting. 
Very sad today over the death of our schnauzer last night.