Pills, no thrills, belly is fine though*
So I say to the doctor, last time I had vertigo it was an ear infection. And I think he notes the tone of pleading in my voice. Because ear infections are easy.What happened? he says.
I had antibiotics and Stemetil and it cleared up.
I doubt the antibiotics cleared it up, he says.
No, I say, but it did clear up.
So he asks some questions and says, you're going to need a scan of your neck. And I'm wtf. But apparently your carotid arteries can get blocked and that can cause vertigo.
Which sounds a bit lethal, eh?
He says take aspirin to reduce the risk of stroke, and takes my BP. Which is very high. So he says, take this stuff for that.
This is old, isn't it? I mean, this is what you get when you're old. BP medicine and aspirin. Next it will be statins, angina medicine, quit everything you like eating, no more booze.
I don't know how I feel about having a stroke and dying tomorrow. Not happy, obviously. Does it make me want to stop and smell the flowers? Well, perversely, no. It makes me want to go home even more, that's all. I feel convinced that I will die here "before my time" and if I go home, I will return to the normal course of my life.
I know it's a crazy, poorly formed thought. But I have those.
* Happy Mondays fans will not need that title explained to them. The rest of you, don't worry. The joke's too small to care about missing.
posted by Dr Zen @ 12:12 pm
10 Comments:
I get vertigo, and every time it's an ear or sinus infection symptom way before the others. Now I just wait because if I go to the docs, they'll be all writing the scrip for the woowoo vertigo voodoo clinic to retrain my crystals bla bla bla. A couple weeks later, bam, sinus infection, antibiotics, goodbye vertigo.
But that doesn't mean we're not getting old. :)
The months-long spell of wooziness I had at one point turned out to be due to dehydration. For like six months I felt totally wobbly, like I'd had too much to drink, but I wasn't drinking. The docs looked at inner ears and all sorts of crap.
I self-medicated after I'd been to the medicos who checked me for this and for that and I finally researched stuff and went ... maybe I'm dehydrated? Huh?
However. ... Risk of stroke. High BP and all that. Beta blockers work a treat. Ask for some beta blockers to take the edge off your ... life.
Carotid arteries, though. I've had sibs of friends who ... almost died when their carotid arteries blocked up. Don't want to lose you, Zen.
I know it's a crazy, poorly formed thought. But I have those.
Not so crazy if you believe that the state of your mind/(figurative)heart can affect your health.
This is old, isn't it?
No. It's being over 30 and having lived the kind of lifestyle you wanted - which just happened to be pretty fucking hedonistic by other standards.
If like me you always knew you'd pay for it one day but thought you might be lucky enough to get a period of grace, between a small scare and a coffin - during which time you could put things a bit more right - now might be that time.
The comments on this thread are now closed.
boots, you are excluded from making comments on this blog. You can either accept this or childishly attempt to continue to comment, which will result in your being responsible for no one's being permitted to comment.
Zen, come down, baby.
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You are wrong. The email tells you who the comment is from. I can bin Gunt and boots without reading a word.
I've given up wanting home, Zen.
It hurts too much.
But I am watching
my beard turning white.
I guess aging has become
my substitute for a having destination.
--
Okay,
Father Luke
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