Let's celebrate the achievements of menieres! - for Cheese

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Oh! What a wonderful idea Cheese, and bless you Pardonme for picking up the ball.

As I read Cheese's quote, (and the shower part) I was "My goodness! The shower is one of the biggest deals!" That's awesome. What used to be banal... the shower without injury is a HUGE undertaking.

So is, getting down the stairs! Add: with a load of laundry! WOW. There are days when this is not possible for me, because I need to "do" stairs on my bum.

In the past year I've taken some classes at the quilt shop even while kind of dizzy. I just didn't drive.

Some days, just being able to go down our long driveway to get the mail and newspaper is a challenge. I take one of John's golf clubs as a walking stick. But yesterday was extra-wonderful as the dizzies weren't there and the dog and I found a baby turtle and got down to the pond and back!

I do a lot of writing.
I continue to advocate for the rights of abused children.
I quilt, sew, cross-stitch, love watching movies and sewing at the same time.
I love to cook, and do so whenever I can. Filling the house up with good cooking smells is an important part of my day.
I throw toys for the dog. We play outside nearly every day. John continues to say, "You throw like a guy!"
(apparently that's a good thing)

On the weekend after Labor Day John and I went to Epping, NH to the Internation Hot Rod Association's "Nationals." That was dicey, very loud, but used hearing protection. Very crowded, but I was OK. AND I SAW MY VERY FIRST NITRO FUELED FUNNY CAR!! I've seen (and more importantly, FELT) Top Fuel dragsters, but FUNNY CARS... WOW. This, to me, was super major-- because it involved sitting in bleachers, using porta-toilets, walking quite a distance to the car and back for snacks or to take a break and read the paper...

Back to quilting for a minute: I HAVE COMPLETED one queen-sized, two throws, and five wall hangings. Those who know me, know this is a huge accomplishment for me. Finishing anything (other than a pint of icecream) is a major challenge for me.

I have learned to state my needs when I need help.
I have learned to reach out to folks in my world and here on the website.
I have learned it's OK to have "off" days. They do go away.
I have learned to rest and respect myself more.

I take medicine when I feel I need to-- no more "John Wayne-ing" "bite-the-bullet" styling for me.

I rest more.
I play more.

I enjoy my life more.

and when the bad days do come, I know that they will go away. I sleep as much as I can to get through them, and when I'm "stuck" in bed, if I'm not sleeping, I daydream about gardens to plant and quilts to make and recipes to try.

Hope this helps. It's sure put me in a good mood!

Have a better day,
Huggage,
Jendki

 

.....

 

Hi Toni.



I work.
I walk.
I fish.
I garden hard.
I love deeply.
I am like a bull.



got my Master's degree
changed careers
did the house husband thing very well
wrote grants
learned to ask for help

 

hi toni - xoxox - have been thinking and praying about you - xoxox


Every day I breathe in and I breathe out; I take life for all it's worth and thank the Man upstairs for family and friends.

 

i sing
i play the flute
i bicycle
i exercise
i swim
i cart 2 kids all over God's green earth
i keep a fulltime fast paced, stressful job
i entertain family/friends almost weekly

 

Raised my kids (mostly by myself)
Work fulltime
Finished college at the age of 47
Practically live at the baseball stadium
Travel all the time all over the world

 

-Graduated from crawling, to walking with cane, to walking unassisted, to sorta jogging.
-Am totally deaf, but still work full-time position after losing my job (& insurance) of 22 years.
-Drive an 8 lane highway to work every day.
-Organized the first MM get together from this forum.
-Organized a MM support group locally.
-Am starting a non-profit MM organization.
-Totally planned and did EVERYTHING for daughter's wedding & reception this summer. I have a son now!!!
-Had cochlear implant surgery this Spring and am struggling with perseverance in rehab. Can you say "huh?"
-Went snorkeling in Cancun with basically no vestibular function. I saw Nemo!
-Went up in a hot air balloon in New Mexico and didn't puke inspite of a crash landing!
-Travelled to Quebec where I spoke French but hubby didn't, so neither of us could come up with an entire conversation.
-Actually made it home alive flying alone and deaf and no way to understand announcements - flight delayed hours, new plane, new crew, several gate changes, last flight out before they turned off the lights. (Can you believe they don't have TTYs for the Deaf at international airports? - couldn't call home)
-Learned ASL and sang and signed a song in front of an audience. Call me stupid!
-Climbed on the 2 story roof and cleaned the gutters! Call me more stupid!!
-Adopted an abused dog and took her to obedience training. The training was for ME, but I couldn't hear a thing - we won an achievement prize!
-Carry the basket of laundry up and down 3 levels of stairs every week. I think that is my most impressive achievement!

 

Hi GF and Aladdin:
Sherry: WOW...just wow..amazing!!!!
Again, excellent thread!

 

I can actually take a shower--(provided I have my shower chair--have to have the back) without help. MOst of the time I can even get into and out of the tub alone.

I am still working 40 hours at my "regular" job--but it is a quiet office.

Willie Marie

 

Thanks for getting it up and running pardonme......There's some really inspiring stuff there....My achievments are certainly few and far btween at the moment, but after reading some of these posts I think it might be time to get off my arse and fight that little bit harder

Not that ive done much since about april, but before then some of my achievements since 2003 have been

*bought a new car .....(commitment is hard for me)
*bought a boat
*I used to take the boat out by myself and fish most of the night ....hardwork when you're dizzy
*Did some regular jazz gigs
*Became an engineering draughtsman
*Snorkled, swam and spearfished quite often
*Surfed alot despite meniere's
*Maintained my relationship with my perfect girlfriend, despite being sick alot of the time
*Was playing touch footy 3 nights a week, despite meniere's
*Didnt have a sick day for 6 months even though some were really hard days

haha some of those are pretty lame i know .....I might try and go for a jog this week and add it to the list

 

.

 

GF: I loved your "learned to ask for help". I think this is one of my greatest accomplishments since 2001. I am very independent, but have learned that I must advocate for my self and ask for help and admit when I'm not well enough to do certain things on particular days. AWESOME, GF, THANK YOU!

 

;D Man I like this thread. I've been reading a lot of negative stuff on MenieresInfo.com. Hope I can stay active.

 

Hey! You got me thinking about "other" stuff I've done and just sort of "stuffed away."

I can still dance the night away on occasion. About a month ago I did a fabulous "soft shoe" number at the Vets Club during Karioke night. And I sang, too. And I joined a group of outrageous ladies known as the "Chair Dancers."

I garden like a wild woman. Pushing. Digging. Kicking. In FACT... that's the first physical activity I got back to as quickly as I could. I figgered the ground was soft, so SO WHAT if I fell...

I take the dog on walks down town alot. Some walks are a mile, some two, some as much as 4.

Before I quit my job because of reasons unrelated to health issues, I worked 20 hours/week as an Activities Director for a Level IV Rest Home. Kept 28 residents "stimulated, exercised, occupied," and otherwise out of trouble.

I do occasional performances of the one-woman theater production, "The Belle of Amherst" for local schools. It's 76-pages of monologue.

physical stuff... physical stuff...

I help John when he cuts down trees. I lug the brush and stack it.
Tote ladders for John when he takes awnings down or puts them up for a handful of customers.

FULL THROTTLE SHOPPING with my pal Sue.

tee hee, I throw like a guy, but I've said that already...

but I have to say it again

 

Oh, and Cheese....

there's nothing "lame" about any of your accomplishments.

And even if there was...

spearfishing makes up for it!

WAY TO GO!

 

I think this def . fits here!



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scuba and MM - Update from Curacao!
« on: Today at 12:10:01 pm »
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Grin

Hi everyone~! Before the site crashed there were some discussions I had initiated regarding scuba diving. My update is this: I completed my open water dive training. I am in Curacao on vacation and happy to report I have dived 6 times. I take it a little slower descending into the depths- today we dove at 100 feet exploring a great shipwreck. I come up a little slower than others - myboyfriend/dive buddy is always by my side and asks if I'm ok about every 2 minutes. I have had no attacks under water. once I got a little bit of vertigo and if you look which way the bubbles are rising you find which ways is up quite quickly and breath deeply, relax, and it is ok.

I will say it is probably the most amazing thing I have evernseen- if you ever wonder what an astronaut feels like. . .this is it - neutral boyancy rocks! With that said the only slight side effects I havve on the surface is that I feel like I am still on the boat about an hour after hitting solid groundd. But, I think it is worth it. If you love swimming, love water, and have MM, don't think youcan't dive. My dive master here has beengreat. Of course it is allllllways dive at your own risk, but we dive with a slte that I can write on underwater so if therer is anything Ican not express in dive sign language, I can write it down. I have something called a tank banger- if I am uunder water and a few feet from my buddy and something happens, it makes noise against the tank getting peoples attention.

It
s beautiful, and I'll post some pictures shortly!!!

I have survived the world trade center collapse in 2001 as an EMSworker
I work as an EMT in the Bronx
I graduated with my masters degree- eventhough it took 6 years
I play in an orchestra
I fell in love with someone who had to take me to the hospital becauseof an attack on our second date ( I knew he was a keeper!)
I lived overseas for a year
I made it to curacao with the onne I love and we scubae dive!
I completed my open water certification for scuba diving
I am still able to drive
I joined weight watchers and recommitted my self to staying healthy -16 pounds and counting!
I am grateful everyday for my friends, my family, for life , and for their understandingand acceptance!

 

Got most of the way through building a house before my MM got past hearing loss and an annual vertigo spell. Hoping to be able to finish it!

 

I was diagnosed in Aug. 2004 but have had major Vertigo attacks since 1979.

May 2005 I took a rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Just wish I could remember it without the pictures. :-\

Worked as X-ray Tech until Jan. this year. (Loved it! and miss it)

Swim during the summer months

Crewed for 2 years a Hot Air Balloon and got to ride in it the 2nd year. So very cool!

Rode in a Glider plane and did not throw up in the plane!

Showering and washing,drying hair is a very good accomplishment when you are spinning!

 

AGAIN, AWESOME!!!!!!