Vertigo...almost

Just when I thought I had a plan that was working...

This morning I headed to the gym, stopping first at the money changer. I had taken a meclizine when I got up around 9:30 (slept late today), but as I was walking I felt like something was wrong. Still, I was fairly confident that even though the fluid levels in my ear might be off, I would not have to worry about getting a vertigo attack.

After changing money I decided to grab a quick bite to eat before going to the gym. It just seemed to me that it would be better than leaving the gym hungry and then having to find food.

I went to a little place on Rodriguez Pena called La Cholita. It's a parrilla, but they have sandwiches and salads. I got a choripan and a salad.

As I sat waiting for my food to come I started feeling like something inside my head was sliding back and forth. I fished through my gym bag and found a meclizine and popped one, just in case. I knew it was not a full 6 hours since the last one, but I was not taking chances.

My food came and I took one bite of my choripan and a moderate attack started. I sat and tried to keep my head steady as I noticed that any movement made the dizziness worse. I was lucky to be in a place where I could sit and stare at one spot without being too noticeable. The restaurant was not crowded and I was near the front, with my back facing the staff.

I sat for about 30 minutes until finally I asked the waitress to pack up my food. I wasn't sure what would happen when I tried to walk home, but I wanted to leave.

It was a strange experience being out in the city again making my way home on the tail edge of a vertigo attack. I didn't notice people on the sidewalks or traffic, I just saw the space on the sidewalk where I was walking and was aware of my surroundings only enough to make sure I didn't hit anything and nothing hit me.

I made it home and collapsed on the sofa, where I spent the rest of the day.

Well, that is not true. I logged on to my computer to get information about acupuncture and an insurance broker who speaks English. I called both. I have an appointment to meet a woman named Aurora tomorrow who works for Swiss Medical Group. I'm going to find out about options for insurance plans with the intention of getting a doctor to look at my ear while I am here. It is either that, or pack up and go home and use the rest of my sabbatical to see specialists in San Francisco. That is plan B. But it has become obvious to me that trying to live a normal life here while I'm having these attacks is just not a possibility. Chances are I won't be able to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions. In that case, I'm going to have to decide whether or not I should leave early or if I can tough it out for another two months. I'm hoping I can get some treatment here and I'm hoping in the 6 or 7 years since I first saw a specialist about this that they have come up with some new treatments.

I found a site called Indextar, which is a site for expats to share information. It is where I found my chiropractor, the guy who puts seeds in my ear, this insurance broker and the acupuncturist. It is a good source of information. The only weird thing is you have to be an active user to access the information. It means you have to post reviews in order to have access, and that access is only good for a week. It kind of forces you to say something even if you don't have anything to say. Weird, but the site has been helpful.