Vertigo again

Not good. After 11 hours on the job, I thought I'd cruise home, enjoy some dinner with Cindy, and watch American Idol. Sounded like a good plan. Didn't work out.

Instead I hit a bump on HW90 and the unexpected movement threw me into an instant vertigo attack. I had been hurting most of the evening, but it was a sudden and violent change that was drowning me in seconds. I couldn't see straight the last half of the drive. Everything dragging to the right. To the right. To the right. A struggle just to keep it straight. But I stayed on the road. Kept thinking, "Have to get home, have to get home!" Fought a wave of panic the whole way. One eye closed. My shoulders hunched up to my neck. Pushing my thumb into my temple. Absolutely hideous and demoralizing. Completely powerless to control my eyes or my vision. Just short of driving completely blind.

Made it home by crawling down back roads and turning corners as slowly as possible. Couldn't stand when I stopped. Couldn't get out of the car. Had to sit deathly still for ten minutes. Gnashing my teeth and clenching my eyes. Ambled to the door with staggered baby steps. Fumbled the keys. Scratched up the door. Made it through and kept staggering and started stripping on my way to the bedroom. Collapsed on the bathroom floor. The stone tiles cold against my check and arms. Didn't get the heaves or the hot flashes, thankfully. Kids didn't see me, either. Cindy kept them at bay. Crept to the bed on all fours. Peeled off the rest of my clothes. Piled every last pillow onto my face. And crashed.

Before it was over, I would sleep almost fourteen hours. Losing half a day and missing my fine dinner with Cindy as a result.