By Tom Walker
SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Friday, Aug. 4, was a day when everything changed.
I went to see 'Dunkirk' with a friend. We really enjoyed it- a strange yet powerful war movie about civilians who rescued more than 300,000 Allied troops pinned by the German army at Dunkirk. The war could have ended right there, a year before Pearl Harbor, if not for the heroism of small boat owners such as Mr. Dawson, played by Mark Rylance, who endures even the loss of a son to carry out his rescue mission.
I went to see 'Dunkirk' with a friend. We really enjoyed it- a strange yet powerful war movie about civilians who rescued more than 300,000 Allied troops pinned by the German army at Dunkirk. The war could have ended right there, a year before Pearl Harbor, if not for the heroism of small boat owners such as Mr. Dawson, played by Mark Rylance, who endures even the loss of a son to carry out his rescue mission.
Later, it was fun to relive the movie with my friend, over lunch. I
thought I could see parallels between the civilian action that saved
Britain from a fascist dictator and the protests, court actions and
special inquiries that are working to save our democracy. Possible
column in the works?
But all that blew up the moment I got home.Our house has a courtyard in front with a locked gate. As I approached it, I heard someone crying, 'Help me, help me!' I rushed inside the courtyard and found Linda, my wife of 52 years, a woman who has helped me through so many health crises, lying flat on her back, unable to get up.
Barely able to speak, she said she had gone out into the courtyard to
pick up something that had blown in. When she bent down to pick it up,
she was knocked flat by a massive attack of vertigo, so powerful she
couldn't stand.
That had been about 21/2 hours earlier. She'd been lying there in the
heat of the day. Fortunately, she was in a shady area, not in the
sun. I tried to help her up and give her water, but she couldn't sit
up to drink it.
At the
same time, I was dialing 911. And everything worked perfectly after
that. The paramedics arrived within minutes, sirens and horns blaring.
And very quickly, they had Linda monitored, neck-braced and hooked up
with fluids. Then they transported her to Northwest Medical Center, with
more sirens and horns.
There, doctors and nurses did blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, and other
stuff. And found absolutely nothing. After a night in the hospital,
Linda was discharged with this stunning diagnosis: 'Dizziness.' The
follow-up instructions were a prescription for anti-dizziness medicine
and a visit to her primary care physician and an ear, nose and throat specialist within a week.
By Monday, Linda was better, able to get around without a walker. She
even baked some brownies. And I came away from this with some follow-up
instructions of my own.
First, as the hospital doctors said, we're going to get a referral to a
good ENT guy and really try to find the cause of Linda's vertigo
attacks. Apparently it's hereditary; both her great grandmother and
grandmother suffered from 'sinking spells.' And our son had attacks
that eventually were traced to allergies.
Second, we're getting a medical alert system. I don't want to be
accused of spamming, so I won't say the name of the company. But my
sister and sister-inlaw recommended them.
And third, we're going to work on neighborhood bonds. We live in a
56-unit townhouse complex, neighbors on both sides and across the street
from a community swimming pool. And yet, no one heard Linda's cries
for help.
I haven't
been to an HOA meeting in years. But I plan to start pushing for a
neighborhood that listens for cries for help. We'll see where that goes.
Tom Walker is a retired journalist who worked at the Arizona Daily Star and now writes novels and blogs. Contact Tom at twalker7251@comcast.net
3 comments:
Menieres....did anyone mention that Tom? A little sack in one of your ears fills with fluid causing a plugged ear sensation which in turn can cause severe vertigo. Before I was diagnosed I experienced the sensation for almost two weeks and then one afternoon my head tilted, my husband helped me to the bathroom as I was nauseated with bowel involvement. Once there my head was in my lap, I couldn't lift it or turn it and any movement caused vomiting. Eventually my husband got me to bed, still vomiting until I was lying down and I fell asleep for hours. When I woke I was well again. I was told by my ENT that I had an extreme Menieres attack. While I haven't had another in over a year, I still occasionally have the fullness in my ear. It's annoying but I'm told it will go away eventually, possibly with some hearing loss. Too much salt, caffeine, or stress can be possible culprits. I hope that you have recovered from your fright and I'm grateful your wife feels well again.
Thank you, Anonymous. Linda was diagnosed with inner ear vertigo several years ago but hasn't had any more problems until now. She's being treated for it and we have our medical alert system installed, so we feel much more secure.
Cheers!
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