The ABC’s: Altitude, BodyTalk, Christmas

I have had a good, and interesting, couple of weeks. We’ll start with the B – BodyTalk.

B: If you’ve never heard of BodyTalk, check it out. It is an alternative medicine that strives to work in tandem with other treatments, which I like. It’s all about how our mind, body, and emotions are all connected. While things like this can be a little bit ‘out there’ for me, I always go in with an open mind. The session brought up a lot of emotions (A LOT of emotions!!!), and was quite interesting. We actually didn’t touch on my Meniere’s as much as I thought we might – in fact it barely came up at all. We did talk a bit about coping and acceptance techniques for when I am having a spell – while I am allowed to be frustrated when spells to happen, sometimes I just have to listen to my body and accept the fact that for the next [fill in the blank] hours I am going to be sick, dizzy, and exhausted I’ll be okay. Realizing that there is a difference between acceptance and ‘giving in’ is difficult. I always feel the need to fight my symptoms, even ignore them until I cannot possibly anymore – and maybe that isn’t always the best approach. Taking a deep breath and accepting what is happening to my body might help keep some of the anxiety and tension down that I feel when I am in the throes of a spell. Easier said than done!

A: Last week I was lucky enough to travel through the Rocky Mountains with my boyfriend and one of my best friends form back in Ontario. We had a wonderful week seeing friends and loved ones in Jasper, and then heading to Sun Peaks BC. As we were setting out from Sun Peaks towards home (about an 8 hour drive) I began to feel sick – ‘me’ sick. Off, unsteady, dizzy, and just generally crappy. I cannot help but think that the major change in altitude is to blame – the descent form Sun Peaks is quite major, and while it didn’t seem to affect me on the way UP, by the time we got to the bottom of the valley for the drive home I was just about keeled over in the back seat. I bought some Advil at the gas station we stopped at, thinking at least that might help me relax. I felt better for a little while, only for my symptoms to come roaring back a few kms down the road. This is one of those situations that was particularly frustrating, since we were at the outset of an 8 hour drive, and with me sick that only left my BF to drive the whole way – poor guy. After riding in the front seat for a little while, I started to feel a bit better, and was able to take over the wheel for a little while. By the time we got all the way home to Calgary, I was feeling just about back to normal. Altitude? I can’t help but think so.  Being away also meant that I was not working out or doing yoga regularly, which leaves me feeling crummier than usual – looking forward to getting back into routine.

C: I am excited about Christmas this year – as always! There have been years when family holidays have filled me with dread – what if I’m sick? What if I throw up the wonderfully cooked Christmas dinner? What if I can’t travel to see my relatives? And indeed there have been years where I have had to sleep through Easter dinner, or sit propped up in a chair enjoying nothing but Ginger Ale and Gravol on Boxing Day. I like to think that those years are mostly behind me though, and that having being symptom free much of the time now bodes well. Again, should I be sick on Christmas, or during my trip back to Ontario,  I will just have to breathe deep and accept that…. but I am thinking positive thoughts and as always, hoping for symptom free days!!