Part 1

I just thought it might be worth sharing my story with anyone who's interested, so bear with me as I catch you up to today (Day 11)... Obviously, logically this would have been day 1 so here goes, starting at the beginning.

Day 1 - Thursday, July 23
I woke up to the sound of rain - I love the sound of the rain hitting the windows and the roof. I distinctly remember how soothing it was that morning especially. As usual, I got up, drove myself to work and got there just before 8am. I had a meeting from 8-8:30 and until a few minutes after that, everything was still fine.
Some time between 8 and 9, I started hearing an annoying ringing in my right ear, and a short time later, that was all that I could hear from my right ear. I wasn't too concerned, and tried to release the pressure by blowing with my nose plugged, yawning, etc. I was joking with some of my colleagues about it (I'll make sure so-and-so sits on my right at the next meeting,etc). By the end of the day, though, it was getting pretty annoying - the ringing was giving me a headache, sounds were excruciatingly loud in my left ear, and I couldn't hear anything in the right. I had actually walked right by a table of people calling me and they thought I had ignored them because I completely couldn't hear.
That night, I started looking on the internet at my symptoms and everything I read told me to get it checked out. So I called the Tele-Health number, and the nurse on the other end of the phone told me the same thing. Again, I had some fun with her after she told me I had to get to a hospital within 4 hours, and then asked me if I would participate in a survey on the service I received - "I don't have time for that - you said I had to get to the hospital (haha)". We laughed, but I took the advice and went straight to emergency.
So, less than 12 hours after the hearing loss began, I was seeing a Doctor. I have to say, the Doctor did not inspire confidence... he had the wrong chart when he walked in, told me my blood pressure was extremely high (after the nurse who took it told me it was 122/82, almost perfect), and then told me it was just an ear infection and gave me a prescription for antibiotics.
I went home, honestly a little doubtful about this diagnosis and the lack of science that went into it, but hopeful that it really was just an ear infection and it would be cleared up quickly.

Day 2 - Friday, July 24th
I woke up this day, still completely deaf in my right ear except for the Tinnitus (that's what they call the ringing). I felt slightly dizzy but nothing too noticeable, so I went to work. This was a bad day, as I had to go with an Area Manager to terminate a Manager in his region. But we made the best of it. We talked about my "ear infection", and he gave me tips on using mineral oil to relieve it. I began to notice that it was very difficult to hear anything in a room where there were several conversations or a buzz of noise - we met at a Starbucks and I found it almost impossible to follow our conversation in that atmosphere.
Overall, the day was uneventful as far as the ear... still deaf and ringing at the end of the day.

Day 3 - Saturday, July 25
This was the day of my colleague Bridget's wedding celebration. I was looking forward to going, meeting her husband Chris, and her brother from the West. He's also in HR, and I'm such a network-aholic, I was excited to meet him. All morning, I bustled around, cleaning the house, then showering and getting ready for the wedding. By 1:30 I was all ready and sat down to relax until my friend and date, Scott, arrived at 2.
By 1:45, I was extremely dizzy. I found myself laying on the couch, trying to keep up with the room spinning. When Scott arrived, that's where I was. I was still determined that I would feel better though, and be able to go to the wedding. I sat up, and we decided we'd wait it out for a half hour or so and see how I was.
About an hour and a half later, I felt a little better. I was able to walk around, a little unbalanced, but not so bad. We decided to get in the car and try to get to Toronto for the wedding. There was a terrible storm, though, and I didn't feel well as we were driving in such limited visibility, so we stopped in Burlington.
I never made it to the wedding (Sorry Bridget!). I was able to eat something, have a glass of wine and try to relax. We sat at my place and watched a movie, and then Scott went home relatively early. I went straight to bed and crashed almost instantly.
The next thing I knew, it was around 1 am and the room was spinning and I was definitely going to throw up. I stumbled to the bathroom and ended up spending the night laying on the floor, too sick to get a blanket or pillow, so using a crumpled bathmat to put my head on, and throwing up every few hours.

Day 4 - Sunday, July 26
Finally, around 7:45 am, I had my last hurling experience... it really was like hurling - completely uncontrollable wretching... yuck. I found that if I laid on my side in bed, I was ok - it was when I moved, or laid on my back that the room spun uncontrollably.
I called my mom as soon as I felt it wasn't too early - it's amazing how no matter how old you get, you go straight to your mom when you're in need. As soon as she picked up the phone I asked her to come down to my house. I told her I'd been sick and dizzy and I though I might have to go to the hospital again. She came right away. (Thanks mom!)
We called my Doctor's office and ended up getting a hold of an on-call Doctor through a unique Tele-Health number they had. I wish I could remember his name - he was quite thorough on the phone, asking many questions and ended up telling me that it sounded like I had Meniere's disease. He said I needed to see a specialist and that the fastest way to do so would be through emergency at McMaster. As soon as we hung up, my mom and I headed there.
I am a little foggy about this day somehow - I know that my dad actually drove us to the hospital, but I don't remember him getting to my house. But in any case, my family really came together. My showed up within an hour of our arriving at Mac, so the entire Ross clan was together to support me. I needed help to walk without stumbling so my mom walked me into the Dr's office when they called my name.
The Dr seemed thorough and believable this time. He did several tests with balance and eye tracking, looked in my ears, asked lost of questions again, and then said it was Meniere's. He prescribed something called Serc (sp?) for the dizziness and said that the hearing would more than likely come back. I asked if he was a specialist and he said no, but that I didn't need one - it was Meniere's and this is what they do for it.
You really are in the hands of the Doctors in times of unknown illness... You just have to hope that they are thorough and knowledgeable enough. So I believed him. I took my medicine, went home to lay on the couch, and hoped the hearing would come back.
Meanwhile, I also started researching Meniere's Disease. I decided quickly that it wasn't something I really wanted to have.