Variations in Recovery Stages

The cane is back today, although the past week I felt much better. It's been an interesting week or so in terms of my recovery. I experienced massive improvement in my symptoms and was feeling well enough to agree to return to work, starting one day a week just to be on the cautious side. I was able to go grocery shopping without any major issues again, and I was able to do quite a lot of activities that I had been avoiding. My father-in-law had emergency kidney stone surgery, and I was able to be at the hospital for a good majority of the day without any major problems. 

The weather has been dry, sunny, and very nice. But about 2 days ago, storms blew in and it has been overcast and damp. This coincided with a huge resurgence in my symptoms. The tinnitus and really bad neck pain has returned, as well as the vertigo and balance challenges. I nearly fell over tonight while putting dishes into the dishwasher. I am regretting that I agreed to return to work at all, because I feel that the progress over the past week has been washed away completely. I have stayed home all day today because of the worsening symptoms. I am hoping that my symptoms improve as the weather does, although living in a Midwestern state, weather is highly volatile. I am very thankful for the energy I had last week. I was able to get a lot of grocery shopping done, take the dogs to the vet, and other things I have not been able to do since being diagnosed with Labrynthitis. I am hoping I continue to progress and that this is a temporary setback with my Vestibular symptoms.

Things I have noticed affect my vestibular symptoms:

-weather (!!!)

- tiredness

- evening

I definitely see a correlation in my symptoms' severity when it is overcast/raining/storming/damp. My symptoms also get much worse when I am tired, and they tend to get worse at night. 

I still have until December until I have reached the end of the average time for recovery from Labrynthitis. 

I am continuing my online classes, planning for a career where I am not riding horses. I am still not 100% it is a good idea for me to return to work on Wednesday. My husband has strongly advised against me returning to that job. It was just that I was feeling SO much better and chafing at being home with nothing to do aside from normal housework, school, and kids. 

My new career path at this point looks to be post-secondary education. I have always thought about being a teacher. After interviewing teachers for a class assignment, I decided I probably did not have the tolerance to be a primary teacher for small kids. If this vestibular disorder keeps up, I may not have the energy for secondary, either. So, going for my Master's degree with a focus in technology could allow me to teach at the community college part-time as an adjunct or substitute instructor. I could potentially even look for a teaching position at an online university, like what I am attending now.

I hope if you are reading this and you are going through the same thing in regards to a vestibular disorder, you are feeling maybe less alone than before you found this blog.