Hey, BD-- Kind of you to ask. Very rough year. Had two nasty falls, late October 2013, late April 2014, both preceded by blackouts, thought they were Menieres vertigo attacks. Making a very long story short, turns out I have another rare condition where my heart rate drops precipitously and unpredictably, causing blackouts and falls. The net result, though, was nasty: 5 broken ribs (four on the left side, on the right), and 3 fractured vertebrae in my spine. The consequence: I got a pacemaker (operation had a complication that is 1/100 called a pneumothorax, a collapsed lung, and I nearly died; it was the first one my cardiac surgeon had ever had in doing pacemakers for 13 years), and some rounds of epidural steroid injections in my back, which I chose to do sans anesthetic. The first round, one of the injections hit the nerve really hard, and I came off the operating table a good three inches. Then, I managed to crush the radial nerve in my upper right arm, causing my right had to go completely dead for about 6 weeks. It is OK now, though still a bit numb. Oh, and if it isn't obvious, there were various hospital stays involved. Seeing Dr. Dereberry at the House Ear institute next month for a last gasp at some Menieres relief, since I still have all of the symptoms from our common ailment (could barely stand today due to vertigo), doing some other medical stuff, then my wife and I are leaving Santa Monica, California for Sacramento, where she has a ton of extended family, so that when I pass she will have some support around her. So I haven't had a lot to contribute here of late, nor the capacity to do so really. Hope things are a lot better with you. Know you are a fighter, and will persevere.
Stay strong BC. You know I have you in my thoughts. Put this disease to rest forever,maybe a 2nd laby and and a 2nd try at the CI? Prayers sent......
A belated thanks, BD. Seas continue to be rough, doing some more medical things preparing to move, more preventive thank goodness. Not yet ready for a second laby and another CI attempt. Don't have any confidence they would help enough to offset the losses involved. Menieres won't kill me; it just limits the quality of my life to that of a prisoner in solitary confinement for the most part. I can handle that, for the sake of my wife and daughters.