Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

 Starting June 24th, I was bothered with lightheadedness and a weird feeling that my head was going to float away. I upped my water consumption because I know dehydration can cause problems. July 2nd, 3rd, and 4th I felt fine; but then the lightheadedness started up again slightly worse than before. I did not have vertigo (things spinning around) but a persistent lightheadedness. 

I noticed that my diastolic blood pressure was pretty low. I stopped taking my diuretic, just took the ACE inhibitor. The blood pressure went higher, but the lightheadedness remained. I tried to see my primary care doctor, but she is not available until October. They had me come in to see the NP instead. Friday a work order was faxed for the Epley maneuver.

Today I went to the physical therapy department at Grace Village where I live. The therapist did some tests. I did test positive for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo on the left side. I will have the Epley maneuver done Friday afternoon. 

BPPV happens when otoliths (crystals) that are in the inner ear move out of position into the ear canal. It confuses the brain making it think there is movement going on when there is not. 

The Epley maneuver does some strange turning and positioning of the head to try to get that crystal to go back where it belongs. It is actually quite successful most of the time.

 I do not feel safe driving so I have curtailed my activities quite a bit. Hopefully soon I will no longer be a dizzy dame. 

Winona Lake Farmer's Market Today

 

A nice cool cloudy day to visit the Winona Lake Farmers' Market today. Just 76 degrees this morning.

I splurged on a larger bouquet. Bought some green beans and two chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. Unfortunately, I dropped the cupcake container so no photo. We will have to scrape some of the frosting off of the plastic.

We stopped at Sweet Corn Charlie's on the way home. Bought a southern cantaloupe (what the sign said) and two peaches also from the southern United States. The peaches will need to ripen up a bit more. The vendor had sweet corn. I think we will go back Monday and buy half a dozen.

 I was shocked at the price for a box of blueberries. Last year I paid $35 per box. This year they are $45 per box. I asked the manager if he thought the price might come down in the next few weeks as the crop peaks. He said he doubted it. Something more to remind us that we are paying more and more for food.

Happy 250th

 HAPPY 250TH BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

A Little Shopping

 Usually when I make a trip to Fort Wayne to shop, I try to visit several stores to make the hour commute worthwhile. I am learning to think differently now that shopping is not very easy for me. Yesterday I shopped only in Macy's. Since this was following a medical appointment, I felt shopping one store was OK.

I used my Rolloy rollator in the shopping mall (really only the one department store). I shopped for almost an hour, and I only needed to sit down once. I think this is because unlike many people who use a rollator and are bent over, holding the handles gives me the support to stand straighter and taller. This eases the pain in my lower spine. I cannot do it without extra help because my muscles fatigue quickly.

I was pleased to see that Macy's had a lot of sales and markdowns. My goal was to find a summer top that was comfortable and casual enough to wear at home. I did not want a tee-shirt, but I would have looked at Polo shirts if I had seen some. 

This Style and Co. top has one of those prints that is hard to photograph to get the real colors. The spirals look orangish or coral but really are a bright pink.

It fits well, was on sale, and should be good to wear in the summer or spring. My other two mainstays for summer are 5 years old now. They are usable, but I am tired of them. 

Though I was not shopping for pants, I saw a pair of JM Collection slacks regularly $49.50 on sale for $19.99. I own a pair by this company which I wear so often they are starting to look a bit worn.

These have a bit of Spandex and are so comfortable. I find I have to try on petite or short slacks. I have lost 2 inches from spine compression, and the regular Misses sizes are usually too long. These have slimmer pant legs than many slacks which I like. The only thing I do not like about these new pants is that they have no pockets, but at this price I am willing to overlook that.

We had been home about 45 minutes when our power went out. No air conditioner nor fans when it was 94 degrees outside. Since we had eaten an early lunch in order to get to my 12:45 check-in time at the doctor's office, we headed for Bob Evans for some supper. We had been planning to eat out. When we arrived home a little after 6 p.m. the air conditioner was running. Back to normal. 

We have two more days that will be pretty hot and humid. July 4th will be mid-80's which is warm but not beastly. I am going to grill some chicken thighs to eat around noon. Hope your holiday is pleasant.