Relaxing Long Weekend

Ralph and I flew to Sacramento to visit his Aunt this past weekend. 

(The sunrise, because we took an early flight.)

I was worried about my ears and the change in pressure, but managed to avoid any complications by chewing on some Twizzlers. 

Since we are foodies, what trip is complete without trying the local fair? We started with breakfast at Tower Cafe. I am glad I got the small portion of French Toast, because it was huge, delicious and filling. Paired with Ghiradelli Hot Chocolate and breakfast was a success. The place was jammed packed with knick-knacks...

Our next foray was out for ice cream to the Back to the 80’s Cafe. We were waited on by George McFly. I am not kidding. This kitschy place is worth checking out.

What trip would be complete without checking out local breweries? We checked out Claimstake Brewery and River City Brewery. Such very different places.  

Claimstake Brewery was difficult to enjoy, because noise carried in it. We could hear everyone and no one at the same time. The beer was good and they allowed dogs inside. 

River City Brewery was much different. It was bigger and offered food. The food was delicious and the beer was enjoyable, okay so I really only tried the stout. (I didn’t want to trigger dizziness by drinking too much.) 

Ralph also made his stacked enchiladas on Friday. They were delicious. We posted a video on You Tube you are welcome to check out. 

I had a few episodes of lightheadedness and some vertigo during the trip, but I took naps when needed and nothing got out of control. 

Love, Peace and Light!

Rita

Ménière’s Episode

I am a bit upset, I just finished publishing a blog post about strobe lights... And I am sitting in the comfort of my own home and I have an episode. I just recorded a video where I describe how it felt. 

I am totally glad I was sitting otherwise I think I would have had a drop attack. The whole episode didn’t last long. It felt like an elevator dropped and then the room started spinning and rocking. It was brief, but disconcerting and I am trying not to get anxious or have a panic attack, which would make everything worse. 

Although the anxiety doesn’t cause Ménière’s it makes it worse. I have spoke about this before, anxiety is a symptom you can control. Right now I am keeping my breathing even. And by videoing and writing about it, I am providing an outlet for my anxiety. 

I try to smile and laugh no matter how I feel. And if you can find a reason to laugh about some of the situations you get into because of your illness, I think it will help make it more bearable.

We all find something that helps us cope and this is my way of coping. I hope you do not view it as whining. I truly only talk about it to promote awareness and to help those with this debilitating disease. 

Have a spin free day. 

Love, Peace and Light!

Rita 

Strobe Lights-Why?

It mystifies me that shows still utilize strobe lights... I want to know why? Surely, they know that strobing can cause seizures. For me it’s a trigger for my Ménière’s. 

The other night my husband and I went to see Carrot Top. It surprised me that a comedian used strobes when he entered the stage. Luckily, I know it’s a trigger and I covered my eyes until the strobing stopped. Others might not be so lucky. 

We enjoyed the rest of the show, though I had to hold onto things and the railing in the hallway when we left. So, even though I covered up, I still had a slight issue when we were leaving. 

I did have a slight sensation of falling forward when we got on the escalator, but it was brief and I got down to the next floor without more issues.

I really did enjoy Carrot Top, though I’d tell people with issues like seizures and Ménière’s to use caution when going to see him. 

Love, Peace and Light!

Rita

NASCAR

I was never into NASCAR or sports of any kind, but then I fell in love with Ralph and he’s all about NASCAR, Tennessee Titans, Houston Astros and now The Las Vegas Golden Knights.

I faithfully supported him and sat through many races/games. I got into the racing and the Astros, but still don’t understand football. Hockey is super easy to follow.

I started watching one driver in particular, Kevin Harvick. And then Ralph took me to my first race where Kevin won. It’s such a high to have your driver win.

Fast forward 4 years and it’s Daytona weekend and the kickoff for this seasons races. We are with friends at Southpoint to watch Daytona. Hoping we win tickets for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. #4 the win!

Love, Peace and Light!


Rita

Blogspot vs Wordpress

I just tried out the Wordpress app and it was so easy to use. It dawned on me that blogger might have an app too. So I found it and downloaded it. 

Here I am writing a blog using the app. The clincher will be if I can quickly post a photo to the blog. Using my phone without an app has been frustrating when I upload photos to my post. Here goes nothing... 

Wow that was easier than trying to do it from the website. I was going to switch to Wordpress, but I am a diehard Blogger fan and this makes me love it again. 

Thank you, Google, for the app. 

Love, Peace and Light!

Rita 

Dizzy...

As my episodes of dizziness get more frequent, I am trying to decide how to cope. Simple things like walking the dogs can be kind of scary. So far I haven’t fallen, but I have been slammed backwards in this latest round. I have been fortunate that there has always been something behind me, this time my bed. I have a new to me type of vertigo in which things appear to move up and down. 

I was diagnosed somewhere between 2000 and 2002, but have been mostly in remission since about 2005. It was quite a shock to have an episode at Disneyland. I suppose it was triggered by being exhausted and not enough sleep. Going on Space Mountain did not help. 

I refuse to give in to Ménière’s and as people in my online support group say, “I am going to kick Ménière’s ass.” That being said, I am not going to put myself or others at risk. I will access how dizzy/tipsy I am before venturing out on my own and I will not drive if things appear to start spinning or waving.  

How do I know how bad I am if things aren’t spinning or waving? There are some signs... tinnitus gets louder, ear feel clogged, my head feels weird and my eyes move rapidly. If I close my eyes while standing... I will move back and forth or side to side. A little side to side is my norm and I am used to it, but a lot side to side and any back and forth is not. Thus I had better not venture out on my own. That is not to say an episode cannot occur at anytime, but normally there are signs. 

There is a fine line between being cautious and being afraid. I am trying hard to not panic or give in to anxiety. The trap there is that anxiety is a trigger for my Ménière’s. I believe that when I went to physical therapy for it, they helped me learn to stop the panic with the various exercises they put me through. And there are tricks I can use like focusing on one point. If I keep that all in mind, I’ll be okay. 

I will continue to do the things I enjoy, because to give in means Ménière’s wins. And I refuse to let it win. 

Love, Peace and Light!

Rita

Valentine’s Day/Ash Wednesday

Well, our priest wouldn’t give us permission to eat meat today. I have to giggle about that, since most people go out to dinner for Valentine’s Day. Father Bill said have lobster instead. Even among Catholics there are those who do not like fish or seafood. Fortunately, I am not one of them. Unfortunately, my hubby is, though he does eat shrimp.

Ralph and I went to mass this morning to avoid the crowds that evening mass generally brings. That was an error since it was standing room only in the trailer. (Our church is being built and will open in May.) After mass, I dropped Ralph at work and went home.

I didn’t get much sleep last night so I ended up taking a brief nap. The nap got rid of the budding migraine and alleviated the vertigo too.

I met Ralph for dinner at Promenade Cafe for our Valentine Dinner. We enjoyed some good food and good conversation. All too soon it ended, fortunately our time together has not ended. We have the rest of our lives together.

Mutual respect and a genuine like for each other will carry our love forward. I pray that everyone has or will have the enduring love that I am fortunate to have found with my Sweetie.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love, Peace and Light,

Rita