Expect the Unexpected
Posted 02-22-2009 at 04:31 AM by Hear Again
It has been a very interesting 3 weeks or so since I wrote my last blog entry.
At the time, I mentioned the fact that my bipolar was beginning to stabilize.
Unfortunately, that was not the case like I thought. I had a very difficult 2 weeks and spent some time IP because of it, but I'm doing much better now. I think we've found the right med combo and I'm hoping that it will help keep my rapid cycling under better control.
On top of the issues I've had with bipolar, I've also been dealing with dizziness whenever I wear my CIs. It seems that whenever I hear certain frequencies, it causes severe dizziness.
After this problem started back in January, I saw my CI audiologist to find out what she could do to help. After performing a hearing test that consisted of beep tones, she quickly learned which high frequencies caused my dizziness. All of those corresponding electrodes (6 on one CI and 6 on the other) were turned off. The volume level of all frequencies were also turned down several notches.
After this was done, one of the first things I noticed was how much better I could hear. High frequencies no longer sounded off-key or one or two octaves above or below where they should be.
...and then it happened. More dizziness.
I'm currently in the process of scheduling an appointment with my audiologist for possible reprogramming.
After looking at the way my dizziness started, it seems that it all culminated back in January when I began a new medication.
I'm hoping the new med won't be responsible because it means that I may have to lower the dosage by 10mg or switch to an entirely different med altogether. The med in question happens to be one of four that I take for my bipolar disorder. If I need to change meds, it will mean yet another game of "wait and see" to find out how well the new med starts working and if it addresses my rapid cycling (where my moods change every hour or every minute) at all. Rapid cycling is difficult to treat, but when the appropriate meds are used, it can be controlled.
I'm thinking about having my psychiatrist confer with my audiologist. Perhaps they can put their heads together and find the real cause behind my dizziness.
Please keep your fingers crossed that we are able to pinpoint the problem because as of now, I'm unable to wear my CIs unless I keep the sensitivity control turned down very low.
Since this blog entry is pretty lengthy, I think I'll close for now with a Word of the Day.
Thanks for reading! I know I've been a stranger lately, but I hope you will check back on a regular basis to find out what else is happening in my life.
The Word of the Day for February 22, 2009 is:
exorbitant • \ig-ZOR-buh-tunt\ • adjective
1 : not coming within the scope of the law
*2 : exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size
Example Sentence:
I asked what the rent was for the apartment, and my jaw dropped open when they quoted me an exorbitant sum.
Did you know?
The first use of "exorbitant" in English was "wandering or deviating from the normal or ordinary course." That sense is now archaic, but it provides a hint as to the origins of "exorbitant": the word derives from Late Latin "exorbitans," the present participle of the verb "exorbitare," meaning "to deviate." "Exorbitare" in turn was formed by combining the prefix "ex-," meaning "out of," with the noun "orbita," meaning "track of a wheel" or "rut." ("Orbita" itself traces back to "orbis," the Latin word for "disk" or "hoop.") In the 15th century "exorbitant" came to refer to something which fell outside of the normal or intended scope of the law. Eventually, it developed an extended sense as a synonym of "excessive."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
Merriam-Webster Online
At the time, I mentioned the fact that my bipolar was beginning to stabilize.
Unfortunately, that was not the case like I thought. I had a very difficult 2 weeks and spent some time IP because of it, but I'm doing much better now. I think we've found the right med combo and I'm hoping that it will help keep my rapid cycling under better control.
On top of the issues I've had with bipolar, I've also been dealing with dizziness whenever I wear my CIs. It seems that whenever I hear certain frequencies, it causes severe dizziness.
After this problem started back in January, I saw my CI audiologist to find out what she could do to help. After performing a hearing test that consisted of beep tones, she quickly learned which high frequencies caused my dizziness. All of those corresponding electrodes (6 on one CI and 6 on the other) were turned off. The volume level of all frequencies were also turned down several notches.
After this was done, one of the first things I noticed was how much better I could hear. High frequencies no longer sounded off-key or one or two octaves above or below where they should be.
...and then it happened. More dizziness.
I'm currently in the process of scheduling an appointment with my audiologist for possible reprogramming.
After looking at the way my dizziness started, it seems that it all culminated back in January when I began a new medication.
I'm hoping the new med won't be responsible because it means that I may have to lower the dosage by 10mg or switch to an entirely different med altogether. The med in question happens to be one of four that I take for my bipolar disorder. If I need to change meds, it will mean yet another game of "wait and see" to find out how well the new med starts working and if it addresses my rapid cycling (where my moods change every hour or every minute) at all. Rapid cycling is difficult to treat, but when the appropriate meds are used, it can be controlled.
I'm thinking about having my psychiatrist confer with my audiologist. Perhaps they can put their heads together and find the real cause behind my dizziness.
Please keep your fingers crossed that we are able to pinpoint the problem because as of now, I'm unable to wear my CIs unless I keep the sensitivity control turned down very low.
Since this blog entry is pretty lengthy, I think I'll close for now with a Word of the Day.
Thanks for reading! I know I've been a stranger lately, but I hope you will check back on a regular basis to find out what else is happening in my life.
The Word of the Day for February 22, 2009 is:
exorbitant • \ig-ZOR-buh-tunt\ • adjective
1 : not coming within the scope of the law
*2 : exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size
Example Sentence:
I asked what the rent was for the apartment, and my jaw dropped open when they quoted me an exorbitant sum.
Did you know?
The first use of "exorbitant" in English was "wandering or deviating from the normal or ordinary course." That sense is now archaic, but it provides a hint as to the origins of "exorbitant": the word derives from Late Latin "exorbitans," the present participle of the verb "exorbitare," meaning "to deviate." "Exorbitare" in turn was formed by combining the prefix "ex-," meaning "out of," with the noun "orbita," meaning "track of a wheel" or "rut." ("Orbita" itself traces back to "orbis," the Latin word for "disk" or "hoop.") In the 15th century "exorbitant" came to refer to something which fell outside of the normal or intended scope of the law. Eventually, it developed an extended sense as a synonym of "excessive."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
Merriam-Webster Online
