...Since I expounded so eloquently about my ego in the previous posting, I haven't had the inclination to expound on anything else in my blog. I guess I had to simmer down after all the excitement. But now I have some news that is most difficult to discuss in public--I've been getting dizzy spells, and my neurologist sent me to have a brain cat-scan. The only result was that it proved I had one; and so he sent me to a physical rehab clinic where the PT guy said I had vertigo in one ear and so performed the "Epley Maneuver" on me for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Sounds bad, doesn't it? Except when you notice the word "benign". While he was twisting me around on a gurney, I thought it was all quackery, but when I googlized it, I found it was legitimate. You can even see it being done on UTube--not to me, however. What the PT guy told me after he was done with his maneuvering was that I had to sleep sitting up! Now that was a huge problem. I thought only Indians slept sitting up--or is that only when they are buried? Anyway, Rhoda and I dragged into our living room the lounge we had on the terrace. The back on the lounge could be placed in several upright positions. Well, dutifully, she provided me with pillows and a blanket and I proceeded to have one of the most sleepless nights in my lifetime. When I did fall asleep for fifteen minutes or so, I awakened to find that I had slipped down to an almost supine position. I thought of Sisyphus in Greek mythology who, while in Hades, had the task of repeatedly rolling a large stone up a mountain only to have it slide down again. He did this forever. Asking a person to sleep sitting up all night is a devilish punishment. I had to do this for two consecutive nights, and when it was over, I was a zombie. However, my dizziness was gone!
...That's not the end of the story. I had to continue therapy at the clinic with exercises to help with my balance; when I walked, I kinda wobbled all over the place. I went to one session, and yesterday when I got out of bed my dizziness returned worse than ever; then today it was even worse than worse than ever, so we returned to the clinic and the Epley maneuver was performed on the opposite ear. Now, I have to sleep sitting up all night once again! I am now looking around for someone to kill, but all I see are friends, waitresses, and doctors. Perhaps I should drop down to some lower species--like flies or spiders or roaches.
...I have tried to figure out what's wrong and why I'm having all of these incipient ailments and skillions of medications. Well, I have succeeded! The brain scan was correct; I do have a brain. Now I know why I ail; it has just occurred to me. I am old! Yes, old! And I tell you it is not a desirable position to be in, when you would like to be able to do certain things--and you can't. How lucky, though, can I be to have a wonderful, helpful, patient, knowledgeable, helpmate like my wife. Growing old with her around is tolerable--even possible. WonderWoman.
...Amiel, a Swiss philosopher, poet, and critic has said, "To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living." Amen.
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