I'm here! A "quick" intro...

So hi there. I'm here! I showed up to my own party! Lemme get this out of the way first: my counselor suggested that I start a journal to record my journey with this weird mystery illness that I seem to have. She says I'm insightful, and that it may not only help me, but may help others as well. So I decided rather than use a regular pen and paper, I may as well take the easy way out and make it a blog instead. Whether or not I am insightful, I do know from experience that writing things out can be awfully cathartic. If you choose to continue reading, be warned...I will most likely complain. A lot. That's one of the things this mystery illness has done to me. I used to be a positive person. I'd like to think that positive person is still in me somewhere, but if she is, she's hiding well.

The only way this is going to make any sense to anyone is if I give a quick history. Let's see how condensed I can make 20 1/2 months of this experience, shall we?

June 14 or 15th, 2012, while I was just sitting there, not doing anything exciting, I felt and heard a POP in the back of my head, and I instantly felt dizzy as hell and nauseous. Boom. To the ground I went. I crawled to the living room and managed to scrape myself up off the floor and onto the couch. I've been dizzy ever since. I suspect it was due to a middle ear infection (though that doesn't explain the popping sound), and that the virus triggered something known as autonomic dysfunction, or dysautonomia. Nobody knows what exactly causes it, but it is known that illness can set it off. Unfortunately, it affects almost all bodily systems, and finding a doctor who is well-versed in it in my area appears to be impossible.

Since that point in time, I've developed more and more symptoms - ranging from the inability to urinate immediately, to numbness and tingling, to not being able to think, to having my vitals go all wonky. I've seen two family doctors, an ENT, three neurologists, including an otoneurologist (one who deals specifically with ears and vertigo issues), two audiologists, and a cardiologist. I have had an MRI of my brain, an MRI of my c-spine, a CT of my sinuses, VNG testing, a hearing test, a sonogram of my thyroid, a couple of EKGs, an echocardiogram, a stress test, and a 48 hour Holter monitor. I have a tilt table test ordered, but it isn't scheduled yet. I've had a whole mess of labs drawn as well. Thank the heavens my wife has a state job that provides great insurance! So far, the only diagnosis anyone is willing to give me is migraine associated vertigo or vestibular migraines. I think they are full of shit. I have an appointment scheduled with yet another neurologist in March. Cross your fingers!

Meanwhile, I am a gravity enforcement agent. In other words, I hold the couch down. . I haven't been able to work since June of 2012 when it all started. I'm rarely able to be up and moving long enough to accomplish simple tasks like doing the dishes or cleaning the house. All sorts of things set the dizziness into overdrive, and it makes pretty much all aspects of life difficult.

I've been robbed of many of my previous hobbies, but I'm starting to pick up others. I started tattooing last year, for instance. Unfortunately, I can't draw for shit, so I'm stuck with finding pictures that I can trace and then tattoo. I'm thinking maybe I'll try to learn how to draw. It's something to do. And if there's one thing I have, it's plenty of free time.