It started out as frequent buzzing in my ears. While often called "ringing" in the ears, it sounds more like a big (but rather low-pitched) bunch of crickets to me. Everyone has that happen, but it seemed to get especially annoying when the refrigerator was running, or I was near a fan. Those sounds seemed to intensify the effect.
I didn’t really think about it too much, but then I got hit by an attack of vertigo. That was really weird! Everything would start twirling around me, whenever I would lie down, or get up.
My doctor isn’t sure why I’m getting these bouts of dizziness, but it could be BPPV. As this article puts it, "With Age Comes Dizziness."
Before an appointment could be scheduled though, I’d done some research. At first, I didn’t even realize it was vertigo. A search on "dizziness causes" led to vertigo, and searching about vertigo led to a list of conditions. One was BPPV, but another was something familiar to me – Meniere’s disease. I have a good friend who has that. My friend has complained of the vertigo, but hadn’t mentioned any other symptoms. Good ole Google brought me to an article that said tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ear) usually accompanied the vertigo in Meniere’s disease.
The doctor has given me Meclizine for the dizzy feeling, and will schedule me for a specialist. She also gave me a diuretic since I was concerned about the possibility of Meniere’s and since my blood pressure was slightly elevated (maybe stress had something to do with that!)
Until they figure out what is happening, I’m cutting back drastically on sodium. I was just miserable last month when we had Kentucky Fried Chicken! That’s what made me realize that something was really wrong. I fell after bending down to move something on the porch and couldn’t get up. That night, I laid down on the bed and felt the world start whooshing around me like a spinning carnival ride!
The doctor is still working on narrowing the cause down. In the meantime, I've figured out all sorts of ways to cope with eating a low-sodium diet. It's not too bad since during two of my pregnancies, there was a problem with water retention and I had to watch the salt. Then, I found that corn-on-the-cob was wonderful without anything on it (or maybe just a dab of unsalted butter). I also started making my own French bread. Flour, yeast, and warm water is all it takes! Mayo is also easily made in a blender.
Strategies for low-salt meals:
Breakfast is pretty easy. Fruit, yogurt, eggs, or my favorite – oatmeal. It is simple to make "instant" oatmeal right in your bowl by putting in the following:
* ⅓ cup "minute" oatmeal
* ¼ cup raisins (I like a lot of those!)
* ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 heaping teaspoon sugar
Stir in ⅓ cup of hot water and let it sit for a minute. I eat it without milk, but sometimes add a little non-dairy creamer (I’m lactose intolerant too). You could add less water and put in a little milk. Different flavors can be made by adding fruit (or jam), honey, or maple syrup (especially good with some chopped nuts).
Lunch at home is usually a small serving of meat, that has been seared and then smothered with a couple cups of mixed veggies. A little steaming in the pan mingles the flavors nicely, and a little rice wine or Mrs Dash can be used for seasoning. A baked potato is also good with lots of veggies and some cheese on top.
My usual lunch at work is ramen. I started eating ramen as a cost-cutting move, but never liked it too much all by itself. Normally added small amount of left-over meat and lots of veggies. Now that I'm watching sodium levels, I don't use the flavoring packet (almost pure salt), but put in a few herbs, some onion, and a half can of low-sodium tomatoes in with the meat and veggies.
Dinner is almost always a big salad, with a little cheese, and oil & vinegar dressing. Flavored vinegar makes it better, and so does a healthy dash of garlic powder.
Occasionally, for something different, an excellent BBQ sauce can be made with a base of tomato paste. Brown sugar, cider vinegar, onion, and spices can be combined with the paste in a way that is finger-licking good!
Snacks are usually raw fruit, applesauce, raw veggies, and unsalted nuts.
I feel much better, my blood pressure is very low, and an added bonus is that I've lost 6 pounds!