Throughout the summer and as the season begins to change, I'm reading a lot of posts from fellow Meniere’s warriors who are struggling with the weather right now.  There are lots of fun things to do. Everyone wants to get outside…at least in the Midwest, because we’re all going to be hunkering down again once winter comes.  That’s too soon, by the way! 

Unfortunately, summer means rain, humidity, and barometric pressure changes.  Autumn brings warm days, cool days, rain, wind...not to mention seasonal allergies.  Woo hoo!  I can tell you without even consulting my Weather Channel app when the pressure has dropped below 30!

During these months when we find ourselves looking forward to those much anticipated events and activities.  Outdoor games, hayrides, bonfires, taking the kids to the pumpkin patch, even getting the lawn mowed those last few times, raking leaves...and then only to be sidetracked…sidelined…by this crazy, unpredictable disease.

Thursday evening, I was at my bookclub. Now, I know on a good day, it’s hard to hear, let alone follow, the conversation of 9 women all talking at once! We’ve actually considered using a “talking stick”!  We have a great time catching up every month, laughing, drinking wine, eating…and occasionally we get around to discussing the book. Trying to follow the conversation when half the time it sounded like it was under water was more than frustrating!  During my Friday morning meeting in a small, bustling coffee shop, I had to keep leaning in with my “good” ear. Thank goodness, my client knows about my Meniere’s. And why all the trouble? The barometric pressure had dropped below 30 and it was going to storm!

If you’re here reading this, then you know what I’m talking about. We want to enjoy the changing seasons and not be left out of life. And every one of us is different. But it doesn’t change the fact that we all experience falling behind schedule, either with work or personal obligations, and we’re often disappointed because we’ve missed out on a family outing, a football game, or a cook-out because our Meniere’s Disease had another plan for us. 

So yes, I blame the stormy weather and the barometric pressure. But full disclosure…I confess I’ve have been getting a bit careless with my sodium intake, not monitoring it to ensure I stay within the 1000-1200 mg range. I’ve been a little lacking in my water consumption. (Dehydration causes the body to retain water, especially when it's warmer, and the last thing we need is more fluid in our ears!) And, I’ve only been sleeping 5 ½ - 6 hours a night. That’s not enough for me, never has been, Meniere's or not.

What is having Meniere’s Disease trying to teach me?  I often ask myself that question.  This week, it taught me that I have to take care of myself. I can’t get lazy.  Meniere’s or not, I need to take care of the machine God gave me as best I can. We all do.  Various mechanical failures will come soon enough, thank you very much, we can't stop the clock!

Meniere's Disease is like a big science experiment.  I’m continuously learning what is working for me, and what is not. And yes, Meniere’s is unpredictable. However, I can…you can…we all can strive to control what is in our power to control. Our food choices, our sleep habits, our daily exercise, our stress levels. Then we are doing our part, our best. 

Yep, I got humbled this weekend. Meniere’s raised its ugly head and said “Hi, remember me?!”  And I could have told you on Thursday night and Friday morning it was brewing. That an attack was coming. But I was also reminded yesterday, as I made my way through the post-attack brain fog (you know what I’m talking about), that number one, I can’t control the weather…and number two, I can do my part to keep myself healthy, to be responsible for and to listen to my body.  Even in the midst of this chaotic, disruptive disease…my body is still sending me messages. 

Our bodies are ours…not our doctor’s, our spouse’s, our friend’s, our partner’s, our coworker’s…not even our fellow Meniere’s warrior’s. They’re ours!  And we need to listen to what works and doesn’t work for each of us as individuals. 

Today, once again, I'm so thankful our community shares so many ideas about how we can live our best lives. Try things. Experiment. If it works for you, keep it and put it into your self-care tool box. If it doesn’t work for you, or it stops working for you, throw it out. 

This weekend reminded me that not only am I a human barometer, but also the importance of taking time. Taking the time to listen to my body and the signals it's sending. Taking the time to be mindful of my habits. Taking the time to honor and care for my own, unique, machine. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s the only one I’ve got.