A bump in the Road

I almost had this post done, hit something on the computer, and lost it! The good news is that I was given the OK to drive last week! Yippee, freedom! I even tried to work a little. I overdid it a little, but it felt great to not be home on the couch. Unfortunately, now I'm back home on the couch. I woke up yesterday with such bad dizziness I could barely walk a straight line to the bathroom. It persisted throughout the day, so I called my docs last night. One of the side effects from radiation is irritation in the ear canal, sometimes to a point where it swells shut. I have quite a bit of irritation, itching and some swelling, so the doc put me on some eardrops to help with that. I spoke with my radiation doc about whether the radiation can also irritate my inner ear and cause dizziness/vertigo. He said it's not typical, but doesn't mean it can't happen. My primary doc put me on some medicine for vertigo. I woke up this AM feeling a little less dizzy, but it came back within an hour of being awake. I've spent most of the day on the couch, and we are unsure what the cause is. It's also possible it's a medication side effect. We are having a difficult time getting my seizure medicine at the right level. We are considering changing meds.

All that being said, please pray for my dizziness to resolve. I am obviously unable to drive when I can't turn my head without getting dizzy. Also pray that my meds get straightened around. The more I'm on, the more possible side effects. For those who know me, you know I used to not even like taking Tylenol or Motrin for a headache. This has been a big change for me to have to carry pill bottles around with me everywhere.

Sorry there wasn't more good news for this post. I am in the last 1/3 of my radiation treatments! That's something positive!