Noisy Environments and Balance Relapse

[another NY postie]

I am very confused about balance right now and what exactly affects it.  On paper, I have had an amazing recovery.  I was jogging around 6 weeks, rode a bike at 11 weeks and skied at 14 weeks.  I did not, however, return to work until January 4th.  I teach in a middle school and it is noisy and chaotic and the doctor wrote me a note for after the holiday break.  I went back feeling great and able to take it on.  I was jogging/walking about 3 miles a day and sleeping well. I knew that I would have an adjustment period getting back into the routine.  I expected fatigue at the beginning. 

What I did not expect and have been experiencing is balance issues.  It is like my brain cannot process all the stimuli that I am receiving throughout the day.  I have a hard time hearing and my head aches by the end of the day.  I started clipping walls with my shoulder - something I haven't done since week 3 or 4.  I actually ran smack into the corner I was rounding and slammed my face.  I had never done that once during post recovery.  My hearing seems to have become hyper sensitive.  I had no issue before with hyper acoustia but yesterday the sound of dripping water in my kitchen sink sounded deafening.  This Friday my surgery side actually ached and hurt where my jaw muscle was cut.  It hurt like it hurt after surgery but I had not felt ANY of this for about 8-10 weeks.  I am dreading going back tomorrow - the hallways alone strike fear in me.  It is like I am trapped in a food court at the mall for 8 hours.

I was told by a physical therapist on Thursday that I went to see that my brain is still re-wiring and that I have overloaded it.  I have also not been sleeping well and she said that was probably due to the overstimulation also.  Has anyone experienced this type of regression?  I feel it is all brain related.

Cheryl

[Debbi]

Hi Cheryl-
I think you are absolutely correct in thinking that your brain is stressed.  Think about all that your brain is trying to do right now.  Also keep in mind that your eyes are doing a lot of the balancing work right now - and when you are in a situation with a lot of visual stimulus, your brain may get "sidetracked" and miss what your eyes are seeing.  I definitely have more balance problems when I am in noisy environments, or places with a lot of color and motion.  I also get very fatigued when I am have been in noisy environments - and with fatigue comes balance issues.  It will get better with time, so try not to get too frustrated!

Debbi

[cin605]

This falls under the 3 steps forward two steps beck rule......you have to remember your head or my head anyway stayed numb
for about 4 or 5 months after surgery as the nerves regenerate n feeling comes back it will be sore.Hang in.

[ombrerose4]

Hi Cheryl,

I think what Debbi said about your brain getting overloaded and sidetracked is so true. We start feeling better and doing too much and result in not feeling well or having balance issues. I think that's what happened when I fell in the subway a few weeks ago- too much movement, too much color and my eyes and brain did not coordinate which caused me to miss a step and fall. I know it is hard when any of us have these 'setbacks', but remember that's all they are and you may just need to slow down alittle bit for a while to regroup. I hope you feel better soon.

[Jim Scott]

Cheryl ~

Although I didn't experience what you're dealing with, l wanted to add my agreement to your therapist's contention that your brain is likely being overstimulated and your balance loss is part of a reaction to that.  I suspect you've pushed too hard - a common mistake when recovery goes well - and are 'paying' for it, now.  You'll just have to slow down, perhaps take time off and allow your brain to rest and 'reboot', as it were.   I'm sure everything will balance out in time.  'In time' being the operative phrase, here.  Even so, you've still had an excellent recovery. 

Jim   

[lawmama]

Cheryl,

I am not as far as you, but...yes!  I asked my ENT on my appt last Monday about my own intolerance to noisy situations.  I also have noticed that when it is very noisy I get dizzy and I have a VERY hard time tuning out loud background noise.  For example, if someone is trying to talk to me in a noisy restaurant, I have a hard time hearing what they are saying because it gets lost in the background noise.  I was told this is very normal, and that it takes the brain a long time to learn to deal with everything coming from just one side because sound from each ear goes to the opposite side of the brain and our brain is used to working 2-sided.  Suddenly, we are asking one side to handle everything we hear.  That made sense to me.

Is it possible some of your balance issues are due to fatigue?  If you are just returning to work, you might be wearing your brain out, so to speak.  I really think it will get better in time, but until then I hope you have an easier week. 

Lyn

[stevecms]

Hi cheryl,sorry to hear of your balance problems but i know what you mean.I havent slept well since surgery and i feel worse now than i did 5 mths ago.ie wonky head,headaches and balnce issues.I think we could do with a good kip.(english word for sleep)take things easy 

[loose screws (tightened)]

Oh no Cheryl you've been doing so good, you've been way ahead of the game up to now.

I still bang my shoulders every once in a while when I first get up in the morning or get tired and in a hurry, and loud rooms that echo such as rooms with tile floors just about always overwhelm my hearing. I think that when you try to hurry things along is when you can get in trouble, like you might when you return to work. Returning to work is a HUGE step in recovery I'm sure it's overwhelming your balance and hearing right now. Then factor in the anxiety of the whole situation with all those kids and it becomes clear just how hard of a step returning to work really is.

Remember that during your recovery you could test your limits in a situation that you controlled, and if it got too hard you could back off until you were ready. Returning to work is a whole different ball game, and teaching middle school, I can't think of many other jobs where controlling the situation would be as difficult as yours. It's no wonder that you feel overwhelmed. I guess I'm more/less saying what's already been said by the others here. Just give it some more time. You'll adjust.

Out of all the people that I've come to know from this nightmare experience, I would bet that you would be the one to get through this. Nothing else seems to have slowed you down. 

Your progress has been important to me for setting my goals. I've been using your recovery to gauge my own. And tomorrow is my first day back to work.

Maybe you could stuff some cotton in your ear/s and slow down your routine. We have to find our "new normal" and that takes some time.

Mike

[moe]

Hi Cheryl,
Sorry to hear about your "re entry into the real world" problems. It will take time for things to settle down in that brain of yours. Recovering from surgery is easy, in comparison,  because you get to do FUN balance games and walking and skiing to get your equilibrium under control! The real life stuff sometimes throws you (me) for a loop.  The overstimulation can wreak havoc on my body, making me feel  more out of sorts-thus the need for daily rests.
Anyway you can do half days with substitute help? Do they have a lounge where you can actually lay down with earplugs for 30 minutes (maybe the nurses office?)


That is A LOT to have coming at you with being a teacher in a noisy enviornment- all day.

The AN journey continues.
Hang in there, we know how you feel!
Maureen

[Denise S]

I wonder if someone with SSD gets one of the hearing devices if that helps at all??   

Has anyone noticed that?   

Thinking of you Cheryl!!!

[another NY postie]

Thanks to everyone for the comments and support.  I just spoke to Dr. Brackmann this evening.  He concurred with the physical therapist that it is overstimulation and suggested that I cut back the load for now.  I was in my car driving so all my questions went out the window, so I am going to call him back tomorrow to clarify some things.

But for any veteran out there, in the noisy, chaotic environments like malls (or schools! ), did you build up a resistance to this?  Does the wonky headed/dizziness go away ever?  I am just wondering if this is just something that I live with, or if, in time, it will happen less and less.  I still find it so disconcerting because I was feeling NONE of this during my recovery, with the exception of the first maybe 4 weeks - and it is feeling more extreme now than it was then. 

Cheryl

[Kaybee]

Hi Cheryl, my vestibular therapist told me last night that fatigue could cause a lapse/regression in my vestibular system.  I went back to work this week too...now my vestibular progress has not been near as good as yours!  Work has not been taxing  but he warned me not to overdo it and get too tired!  I'm looking into intermittent leave (not full medical leave) for the next few months in case my vesitibular system decides to take a vacation as I get back into the swing of things. 

[pjb]

I to started feeling worse a few months after surgery especially after I tried to go back to work we just have to remember we had major brain surgery. Now we have to slow down we are not the same as before and our bodies are telling us something we cannot get overloaded.  Some of us do get better and others learn to live with it I feel personally some of us are never going to feel 100% but hopefully close to it one day.

Best Wishes,

Pat

[alicia]

Hi Cheryl!  So sorry this is all happening.  So, overstimulation...Fill us in if Brackmann has anything else to add today.  But I understand as a teacher - it is hard to just "cut back" your hours! 

I'm stretching for something here,
Are you on your feet all day?  Could you sit more...maybe on a stool, if not at your desk?
Are you eating?  Maybe a snack could level your head a bit.
Maybe it is visual.  Remember my balance issues were much more related to my eye movement.  Maybe all the visual stimulation is affecting your wobbly head.

I still have sensitivity to noise.  I hear electrical zaps when I lay down.  I also hear/feel noise go in my good ear and zap in my deaf ear when my husband clicks off the TV or the phone rings.  I can't hear anything when the water is running or a fan is noisy!

Hang in there.  Try to get some good sleep.  Sounds like your brain is doing jumping jacks  Alicia

[another NY postie]

Alicia, I think it is visual compounded by noise.  I did speak with Dr. Brackmann today but he really didn't add anything - that it was due to fatigue and stress - just to slow down - that I wasn't hurting myself or doing any permanent damage- and that I would slowly get back to "normal". He really didn't give me the brain re-wiring feedback/explanation I was looking for.  I kinda felt like I was annoying him with all my questions...Donnalynn had me read a book called My Stroke of Insight about a 37 yr old woman who recovered from stroke and she explains all about the brain healing.  Very interesting and helped me understand a few things.   I went for my daily walk today that I haven't done in 3 weeks (since returning to work) - felt really good but I am definitely was more visually wobbly than I was before. I have been pretty much in the quiet all day today.  My daughter is home sick with fever/bronchitis and so I stayed home.  So this is more the environment I have been living in..very quiet.  And I feel very centered and not dizzy at all right now.  Unfortunately this is a pretty insulated environment and I really can't live like this forever  I am going to see if I can cut back a little for awhile at work and work it more slowly.  We'll see what they say.  I am not sure I like this school environment anymore which poses a whole new set of questions and dilemas - but enough for one day! lol
Cheryl

PS  You are right by the way, I am pretty much on my feet all day!