Yesterday the wife and I were planting some new flours in our humble little garden. I was digging holes for the larger 1 gallon and two gallon plants to go into and she was sitting the plants in the holes and filling them in. Once again, I got overconfident with the way I felt, and fell while moving from one task to the next. No broken bones or scapes since the fescue broke my fall and the clay underneath cushioned it. This makes the third fall in so many months, with several near misses in between. I’m on a cane when at work (required by my boss) but around the house I usually leave it by the door leading to the garage. It seems like such a bother, but maybe I need to reconsider it and accept the fact that neuropathy and my ear problem are dictating more and more that I use it. Additionally, the wife got tangled up while she was standing over me and fell right next to me. She landed on her hip and is having trouble with it today. I have tried to get her to go to hospital, but she’s even more stubborn than I am. On a positive note, my PCP gave me a referral to the ENT. But, I don’t know if the ENT can do cochlear implants yet because I don’t know yet who it is. I just know it is a Utica Park doctor. Utica Park is the clinical part of Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa. I know that Hillcrest has doctors that do CI’s, I just don’t know if I’ve been referred to one of them until they call me to set up the appointment.
I hear you. To picking yourself up, &, at times, to picking up those who fell in an attempt to pick us up.
Sorry you are going through all this. Just a couple comments which are worth what you paid for them . I haven’t fallen since I was told I had a balance problem. Before that I fell flat on my face all the time. Falling on my face was not enough to get through to me that I had to pay attention to every move and accommodate. I am careful but I do a lot more than people thought I would. I walk miles and ride a bike but I am always thinking ahead. The other thing is you are entitled to have the answer to your questions like does this doctor do CI’s. It is not presumptuous to ask. My acoustic neuroma and CH taught me these things. Last I heard serc was an rx.
I’m always proactive in my healthcare. Once I know which doc they have referred me to, I will be on the phone to them to find out. Someti think the doctors don’t like me being so involved in my healthcare. All I have to say about that is, “too bad so sad…”
Betahistine is widely available in the United States and is used to control vertigo. Betahistine is an anti-vertigo drug first used for treating vertigo assosicated with Ménière's disease. It is also commonly used for patients with balance disorders. I lived in California and got it at a Walgreens. Most of the cost is covered by insurance. First you need to do some research to find a a specialty pharmacy or a full service Walgreens that has a compound pharmacy technician. Because Betahistine comes in bulk powder by special order your Doctor has to tell the pharmacy EXACTLY what you want. The standard prescription is 90 capsules, which is a 30 day supply, taken every 8 hours. Next the dosage has to be specified, the internet shows the common dosages are 8mg, 16mg and 24mg. So my prescription looks like this, 90 capsules, 24mg, with 2 refills. When you have this worked out, you will need a prescription from your Doctor. Because of the severity of my vertigo, I started with 16mg but let my Doctor know upfront to please issue a 24mg prescription if the 16mg was to weak and it was. The 24mg has been very effective to control the vertigo but you have to maintain a high level of discipline to take it every 8 hours or it does not work like it should. All the best to you .