Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
I can't believe it!
I've been unwell all week, and am not better yet, but have a bear show tomorrow!
I have a couple of half made bears waiting to be finished. Luckily I have not left it all to the last minute this time, and already have a nice selection of bears.
I get severe episodes of dizziness, where I have to sit completely still in a chair, and can't hold anything in front of my face, e.g. sewing, a magazine, or it makes it worse. Unfortunately, this episode started last Monday evening and is not showing any signs of going.
I guess, as long as I am well enough to get there, set up, go and buy the bear that I have my eye on ( 
), then sit behind my stall, my Mum and husband can help me out for the rest of the day.
I just can't believe the unfortunate timing. After years of doing fairs, and suffering with the dizziness, they have never come at the same time before. 
I'd better go now, as I can't look at the computer screen for any longer!
Havng glanced at some of the other posts, it seems that teddy talkers aren't having much luck at the moment.
Posts: 8,574Awwww 
Thank heavens your hubby and mum are willing to help out. I am so sorry you have this nasty chronic condition.
I wish you the very best on your show.
gollyhugs
dilu
PottersHouse BearsFrom one Potter to another, I'll say a prayer for you. I'm glad you have help.
DoodlebearsGood luck with the show Sam! That's real bad luck that you are not so well, I hope it settles down for you soon.
Go and enjoy your show, get the bear that you are wanting and then sit back and let your husband and Mum help you.
Enjoy your fair!
Hugs Jane. 
Dolls N DreamsHope you get to feeling better, glad you have loved ones that will help out!
Good luck at the show.
Sam..I think this condition is quite common amongst bear makers..I have it and so do a couple of others I have spoken too. Stress makes it worse and I have weeks when I can't sew at all!!
See you tomorrow..
Just Us BearsSending you lots of positive vibes Samantha. 
Being sick in thel eadup to a show or on the day is every artists worst nightmare. Just be assured that your bears are cute enough to sell themselves, so just get them on the table, sit back, smile lots, and let the bears work their magic. 
Three cheers for organisation...I'm a beggar for leaving stuff until the last minute with no chace to catch up if I get sick. I should take a leaf from your book. 
All the best...fingers crossed you'll feel better tomorrow...and you too Jenny! :hug: :hug:
Posts: 1,836Yep, vertigo is a real p.i.t.a. I've had it for years...they called mine positional vertigo. Lots of folks who do consistent work at a PC, or who work with odd head positions get it (my dentist gets it)
For whatever reason antihistamines seem to help out a little. If you don't already have a prescription from a dr. you might try it. But don't take too much or you'll be sleeping through your show!!
Hope you feel better!!
:hug:
~Chrissi
Sheila LeighSamantha,
I'm so sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. Here a big hug for you. :hug:
I've dealt with dizzy spells and vertigo for years. Within the last few years they have finally figured out what has been causing mine. I have meniere's disease which is an ear condition. I also have irregular brain firing which is similar to seizures. I do hope you don't have a serious problem. It sounds like you need to be seeing a doctor.
bear hugs,
Sheila
Bears by JodiLifting prayer for you and hope the show goes well. Your art is wonderful . Chin up !!!
Get well soon!!!!
Maybe it will go at the right time and you´ll have the best time ever! best of luck,
Magda
West Sussex, EnglandSam
Sorry to hear you're under the weather...what bad timing
I hope all those lovely bears cheered you up today 
and that the fair went well for you.
Take care
:hug: :hug:
Thanks for all your kind wishes.
I have just got back from the show. I felt terrible all day, but it is better to sit feeling ill amongst bears, rather than sat feeling ill at home all day!!!
I sold quite few bears, and was lucky enough to buy one of Jenny's stunning bears. 
Sheila - my doctor has suggested that it may be meniere's disease, but I'm only 23, which is quite young to have it. Out of curiosity, do you have any problems with your hearing, which are also connected with Meniere's?
Hugs,
Samantha
x
Kingfisher Farm Teddies and Folk ArtSamantha, I do know another bear maker that has it! She was diagnosed with Menieres last year or so, and she is in her early 40's. She takes "water pills" I dont know what the technical word is, sorry.......take care, Hugs,Pam
Past Time BearsMy husband has Meniere's disease and has the vertigo/nausea attacks fairly often. OTC anti-motion sickness pills (like Dramamine) sometimes help ward off more severe episodes if he takes it soon enough. Glad your show was successful! :hug: :hug: :hug:
Mine's called benign positional vertigo...it is , I am sure because of the sewing. I have bouts were I feel nauseous for days..and it did slow me down considerably last year.
It was triggered by an ear infection but hasn't affected my hearing..I don't miss much that's for sure...
But it is horrible..however I am becoming more tolerant of mine..I find aspirin helps..the motion sickness stuff didn't seem to do much.
Anyway...thanks for adopting Isla....I saw her sitting on your knee this afternoon!!!
I find it interesting/odd/fascinating that we all have these same problems. I also have struggled with postional vertigo. My doc called it BPPV -- benign paroxysmal positional vertigo -- although it sometimes goes by the lay terms "top shelf vertigo" -- because symptoms often come on suddenly if you tip your head back and your chin up, as you would when looking at a "top shelf" -- or "labyrynthitis" here in the US.
I first had it when nine months pregnant with my youngest son. I woke up one morning and had nystagmus, which I was familiar with from my psych studies years before. I proceeded to freak out entirely when I couldn't get my eyes to stop darting; fall out of bed, crawl to the bathroom with my huge swollen belly, and vomit. The doctors told me it's a benign condition but boy oh boy can it be incredibly scary, especially when it first hits, or when it hits really hard.
Slowly, over time, as the docs predicted, my symptoms abated. The nystagmus was gone in a few hours, thank goodness. I was without symptoms for many years until about a year or so ago it came on again, and again in the same fashion. I just woke up one morning, after having slept on my side all night -- same as the time before -- and I had nystagmus. This time for just a few minutes, but the walking into walls and terrible dizziness were the same. After about six months things were normal; it seems to slowly just correct itself over time.
I did some research on this over the years and found some conflicting reports on the hows and whys of this totally nuisance disorder... but most seem to conclude that BPPV is caused by crystals that form inside the ear canal(s).
For those reading this who don't know anything about positional vertigo...
A normal inner ear contains fluids which roll and shift when you move. The movement of that fluid flexes the cilia, or little microscopie hairs deep in your ears, when it passes by them. The cilia in turn interpret this flexing as a signal of "body movement", so they send a message to the brain, telling it that your body is moving... and where you are in your environment (right side up, upside down, falling, sideways, etc.)
When those crystals that form in BPPV get mixed in with the normal ear fluids, they roll around like little rocks and trigger the sensitive cilia (hairs), which then shoots off a message to your brain that you're falling, or sideways, or upside down... even if you're not! Those little crystal rocks don't always flow in sync with the ear fluids, and that, I've read, is the problem with BPPV.
I've been told that it's the slow dissolution of these crystals that brings about healing over time, but what I haven't been able to figure out is whether anyone knows what causes these crystals to form in the first place. Anybody know anything about this?
In any case, I'm so sad to hear that so many of us suffer from this really inconvenient and miserable disorder. I'm symptom free right now but because there doesn't seem to be any kind of preventative course of action, I'm resigned that it will probably hit me at some point again in the future.
Samantha, I'm so happy to hear you were able to tolerate your symptoms and that you enjoyed your show and that it was successful, despite all this. Take care, hun, and I hope you're feeling much bettter soon. You've got my empathy and most healing thoughts!
dusty attic bearsHiya,
You can add me to the list as well. I had my first bout of dizziness back in july.I had the whole room spin around about 6 times. it frightened me to death.The doctor said i had a mild form of labyrinthitis. even now 4 months later i still sometimes get the feeling of tipping sideways or rocking as though i am on a boat.it does seem worse if i am on the computer or sewing (how strange)
Thanks shelli for writing up the cause, you have told me more that any of the doctors i;ve seen.
Kinda makes me feel better to know that i'm not the only one out there with this.
it is slowly getting better now, i wish it would stop.i find myself getting in a real panic when the tipping starts.
Anyway perhaps we should start a dizzy bear club, for all of us dizzy bear heads
Take care all of you. :hug: :hug: :hug:
Here's some more authoritative reading for anyone interested:
http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-di … s/bppv.php
http://www.mayoclinic.org/balance/bppv.html
http://www.webmd.com/hw/balance_disorders/hw263717.asp
WoW!!!! My balance has really been off lately and I nearly fall over, is this possible....I do know when making bears to get it just right ones head needs to be held a certain way, and the sticking out of the tongue helps too...No seriously I have been unbalanced lately in more ways than one!!!
Hugs,
krista
Kiprie BearsHi Samantha,
I'm sorry to hear that you have not been well.... :hug:
I hope that show goes well.
DoodlebearsWow! all you girls with balance problems. I'm so sorry to hear that so many of you are suffering this way. I have a permanent balance problem, so much so that I have to use a walking frame or if I am really bad my wheelchair. I have had so many different treatments but nothing has helped. I've fallen over so many times broken my right wrist four times and the left once. I've had a couple of concussions and hundreds of bruises and scrapes...the list goes on.
I hope none of you ever get to the stage that I'm at.
Take care all of you!
Hugs Jane. :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Bears by JodiGee I hope there isn't a chemical in the furs that are doing it or breathing poly fill !! Thats allot of just a hand full of us artists here at TT that have that problem ,I get vertigo every once in a while ususlly at night when I lay down , room wants to spin. So Add me to the list. I haven't had it in a while but I don't sew every day any more either. Don't have the time. Ummmmmmmmmmmmm
I also have this problem..not to the degree of some of you, thank goodness.....but I often feel
all at sea, and off balance.I found out a few years ago that I had a thyroid problem
(underactive) and apart from weight gain....the topply feeling was another symptom, so
assumed this was the cause. Although I am much better since taking the medication, I do still
get dizzy!.... So reading this makes me really wonder if maybe there is something, all us
bearmakers are doing to cause this.....mmm.....interesting.....!!!!
Hugs
Yvonne.
Well I have today been to the doctors, and he is more certain that it is meniere's disease.
Its a bit depressing to think that this will keep happeneing for the rest of my life, but we are going to explore different treatments, so fingers-crossed that something helps!
Thanks for all the info and messages of support. I am just completely fed up with it, as I have now been continuously dizzy for a week. Its exhausting!
