Coping Strategies

Over the year’s I have found a few things helpful. To get through those both day to day spinning off balance yuk days and full on attack days of hell where all you can do is batten down the hatches and wait for it to pass! 

• Walking with weigh in your backpack, it helps to feel more grounded
• having something in your pocket hold, like a small smooth stone or  treasure. My balance system is completely faulty so I find myself constantly holding onto myself even clenching my teeth! (Cheese Gromit)
• Flat thin shoes.. I could do with a constant supply of converse trainers, as they are good to feel the floor and help maintain balance.
• SUNGLASSES a must… they dull down movement and motion. My eyes can’t feed back to my brain as fast so I get a trail thus feeling sick constantly so the glasses slow this down. FLASHING lights kill me.  Christmas and dark evenings are bad, I have no balance at all in the dark. Autumn leaves (picturesque for some- a nightmare if they are falling or all over the floor ) for someone plotting their steps and snow as it’s like a moving picture. So those once enjoyable beautiful scenes become sickening and anxious times, causing spins. Glasses are helpful for all of these! Although you do get funny looks, again people’s perception and Judgments in these instances can be difficult to deal with. I have encountered various situations where I have been questioned wearing glasses indoors. No it isn’t because I’m posing I want to be able to function at some level!
• Portable medical kit.. I carry my extra super power anti sickness, that I take ontop of the three I take daily. Valium for when my fight and flight kicks in when in public places or spinning starts. Finnaly the sleeping tablet in case I need to try and know myself out somewhere in case of severe attack. I have all this data in my iPhone. My children know where my medication is as they sometimes have to retrieve it for me and my eldest is a young carer.
• While on medicine… blister packs yep you got it! The ones like your grandma might have. Well that’s me. I’m lucky if I can remember my meds. I’m that spinny all the time. So I have them made up into packs. So I know what I’m having and when. It’s also useful with attacks as someone coming to help knows where your up to just by looking at the pack. Tuesday afternoon, yes you have had your meds! I would not cope without them. People who know me will say.. “ have you had your meds?”   I’ll check as I can’t remember! Oops!!

Its hard when when you spend your life on a roundabout trying to cope!!

• Low salt, I have definitely found that a high influx of salt will definitely boot off an attack! No question as it changes the fluid in the ear!! Fact! Also watch out for sparkling water… again sodium, and I can’t take any cold and flu remedies or cough syrup as the soluble paracetamol triggers attacks again salt!
• Barometal pressure changes… I’m the barometer… I can tell you it’s going to rain.. before it does… and will challenge the bbc weather app! I’m always right! Unfortunately nothing can be done about this! Change in pressure screws up people with Ménières! FACT! Winter is coming so it’s gett even harder. Many will suffer with more anxiety and depression as I am myself with increased attacks due to the weather. Which of course we can’t control.
• Excersise, keep challenging your balance… after every attack you have to start again… pick yourself up.. regain your balance and retrain your brain. To add insult to injury you hearing is depreciated with each attack! It’s so cruel. But keep challenging that brain try and keep going! I can’t eat now post skull surgery while I’m walking I just vomit. But I need to move so I walk and move when I can. I eat at night when I’m still.

PLEASE leave your strategies in the comments so we can help each other!