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Lisa Welsh
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By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
Vertigo. There’s the old Hitchcock film and of course the song by U-2 but this post is about the medical Vertigo that rudely interrupted the tail end of a “Best Girlfriends’ Weekend” in Boston two weeks ago.
With limits on our time and money, it’s hard for cheer moms and dads to get away for a weekend for their own fun.
Dirk, Duf, Kris and Jaime Graduation Day 1981
There are five of us; known by our teenage nicknames: Duf, Dirk, Cowlsie, Kris and J’aime, who say yes to an original date agreed upon months earlier. Something usually comes up (sick kids, birth of a grandchild, lice) at the last-minute, someone doesn’t show up. This time around three of us made it.
J'aime, Cowlsie and Duf, 2012
Something about being around the people who knew you the best as a teenager, seems to bring out the teenager tucked far away in us all. At any rate, we laughed and laughed, regressing into old personalities who now played in a grown-up way but still with that knowingness of a shared youth. Except we added texting all night to the missing two girlfriends and our significant others. As we used to say in Massachusetts during the 80′s “It was wicked awesome!”
Until Vertigo reared its ugly head in my head.
After saying our good-byes to J’aime who had to catch a plane home, I joined Nancy at the Mall at Copley Place where she could find some fashionable wear, not to be found in the stores around her home in Vermont. First, the dressing room where I was trying on a dress at a store where I couldn’t afford to buy anything (cheer tuition-need I say more?) started spinning.
This was followed by visions of three or four of everything, also moving about in their own little circles, just like special effects of an old 60′s show, except I was pretty sure there were no hallucinogens on the menu –unless there was something in the white truffle oil sprinkled on the beef tenderloin and mashed potato thin crust pizza we ate the night before at Mistral Bistro.
Yes, Nancy (right) and I were cheerleaders of the 'Pom-Pom" kind
Then it got really bad. I started sweating and had nausea like I’d never known before. Besides being a great friend, Nancy also happens to be a nurse so I trusted her judgment implicitly as I started to become aware of the fact that I could no longer respond to her questions or those of the two female doctors who were also shopping at this store at Copley Place (I’m sure none of them had Allstars to support, although Nancy who was my high school cheerleading captain, is a great supporter of Allstars, CHEERMaD and me). When you are half-undressed, literally can’t see straight, ruined the outfit you couldn’t afford-to-buy because you can’t stop your breakfast sandwich from making reverse appearances, Nurse Cowlsie is the only one I want in my corner.
In fact, later that night, after the ambulance ride to Mass General Hospital, I caught a glimpse of Nancy’s worried face from the corner of the ICU as a team of doctors trekked me between CAT scan and MRI to rule out a brain tumor (Don’t have one) or stroke (not that either) because my eyes were playing a game called Nystagmus; also called “dancing eyes” and a fancy word for a vision condition which the eyes make repetitive uncontrolled movements.
Thank goodness for my moms-mine has been running rampant keeping my household in order.
Four days in the hospital and I was “stable” enough to go home with the medication Meclizine, exercises to help my eyes realign and follow-up appointments. The headaches, blurriness and dizziness continue and my left eye remains troublesome. My mother has been staying with us since the day after Vertigo descended to help with my busy household, especially driving the kids to their schools and various practices. It’s one thing for a mom to leave for a girls’ weekend, a completely other situation when she is out of commission for a few weeks.
It took a great deal of effort and much more time than usual to write this blog but doctors expect a complete recovery and I look forward to getting back to 150 percent full speed-ahead by competition season.
For the immediate future, this is a great opportunity to bring in some new CHEERMaDs, like a cheer mom who has some great craft ideas of things to make for your cheerleader, more of strength coach “Ask Alton” and of course our ongoing mission of cheer safety and bully prevention continues, including an interview I did with Steve Fehr, the father of Jeff who committed suicide on New Year’s.
By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
Vertigo. There’s the old Hitchcock film and of course the song by U-2 but this post is about the medical Vertigo that rudely interrupted the tail end of a “Best Girlfriends’ Weekend” in Boston two weeks ago.With limits on our time and money, it’s hard for cheer moms and dads to get away for a weekend for their own fun.
Two-day comp? No problem?
Back-to-back-to back weekend Nationals in Georgia, Texas and Florida? We’ll make it happen.
But to take an entire weekend for ourselves, to catch up with those who have known us through countless social mishaps and graces from elementary through high school, wasn’t possible for about a decade. Now with great amount of calendar and check-book checking, we get together about once every three years.Back-to-back-to back weekend Nationals in Georgia, Texas and Florida? We’ll make it happen.
Dirk, Duf, Kris and Jaime Graduation Day 1981
There are five of us; known by our teenage nicknames: Duf, Dirk, Cowlsie, Kris and J’aime, who say yes to an original date agreed upon months earlier. Something usually comes up (sick kids, birth of a grandchild, lice) at the last-minute, someone doesn’t show up. This time around three of us made it.
J'aime, Cowlsie and Duf, 2012
Something about being around the people who knew you the best as a teenager, seems to bring out the teenager tucked far away in us all. At any rate, we laughed and laughed, regressing into old personalities who now played in a grown-up way but still with that knowingness of a shared youth. Except we added texting all night to the missing two girlfriends and our significant others. As we used to say in Massachusetts during the 80′s “It was wicked awesome!”
Until Vertigo reared its ugly head in my head.
After saying our good-byes to J’aime who had to catch a plane home, I joined Nancy at the Mall at Copley Place where she could find some fashionable wear, not to be found in the stores around her home in Vermont. First, the dressing room where I was trying on a dress at a store where I couldn’t afford to buy anything (cheer tuition-need I say more?) started spinning.
This was followed by visions of three or four of everything, also moving about in their own little circles, just like special effects of an old 60′s show, except I was pretty sure there were no hallucinogens on the menu –unless there was something in the white truffle oil sprinkled on the beef tenderloin and mashed potato thin crust pizza we ate the night before at Mistral Bistro.
Yes, Nancy (right) and I were cheerleaders of the 'Pom-Pom" kind
Then it got really bad. I started sweating and had nausea like I’d never known before. Besides being a great friend, Nancy also happens to be a nurse so I trusted her judgment implicitly as I started to become aware of the fact that I could no longer respond to her questions or those of the two female doctors who were also shopping at this store at Copley Place (I’m sure none of them had Allstars to support, although Nancy who was my high school cheerleading captain, is a great supporter of Allstars, CHEERMaD and me). When you are half-undressed, literally can’t see straight, ruined the outfit you couldn’t afford-to-buy because you can’t stop your breakfast sandwich from making reverse appearances, Nurse Cowlsie is the only one I want in my corner.
In fact, later that night, after the ambulance ride to Mass General Hospital, I caught a glimpse of Nancy’s worried face from the corner of the ICU as a team of doctors trekked me between CAT scan and MRI to rule out a brain tumor (Don’t have one) or stroke (not that either) because my eyes were playing a game called Nystagmus; also called “dancing eyes” and a fancy word for a vision condition which the eyes make repetitive uncontrolled movements.
Thank goodness for my moms-mine has been running rampant keeping my household in order.
Four days in the hospital and I was “stable” enough to go home with the medication Meclizine, exercises to help my eyes realign and follow-up appointments. The headaches, blurriness and dizziness continue and my left eye remains troublesome. My mother has been staying with us since the day after Vertigo descended to help with my busy household, especially driving the kids to their schools and various practices. It’s one thing for a mom to leave for a girls’ weekend, a completely other situation when she is out of commission for a few weeks.
It took a great deal of effort and much more time than usual to write this blog but doctors expect a complete recovery and I look forward to getting back to 150 percent full speed-ahead by competition season.
For the immediate future, this is a great opportunity to bring in some new CHEERMaDs, like a cheer mom who has some great craft ideas of things to make for your cheerleader, more of strength coach “Ask Alton” and of course our ongoing mission of cheer safety and bully prevention continues, including an interview I did with Steve Fehr, the father of Jeff who committed suicide on New Year’s.
