Eye Eye

Meniere’s and balance problems

Sue is sporting one very black eye and a swollen, misshapen, nose. Her nose has a wide black ‘hoop’ over the bridge – I think there’s at least a crack if not a break. But she’s determined not to go to A&E again, so we can’t be sure. Cause? She fell whilst walking, hit the tarmac face and shoulder first and produced a lot of blood.

I didn’t find out until I collected her that evening. Sue hadn’t, and doesn’t, make a fuss, much as she didn’t make a fuss when an accident a while ago needed 13 stitches to repair her lower lip that had burst into three parts!!!. Sue is extremely stoic and very brave. She also won’t say that Meniere’s caused the accidents, but will admit that she is ‘clumsy’ since the disease got hold of her.

I’m amazed by her reserve, but we can find amusement in these things. Others see Sue with a mangled face and look at me with hate. We don’t need to explain to strangers, so we play to their thoughts. In a queue yesterday I was complaining to Sue about something in the store and she said “the judge was right, you need anger management classes”. I got huge dagger looks.

It’s not flippancy on our part; we just feel that problems can be reduced by not taking them too seriously. I’ve mentioned I have a different sense of humour. In pre-Meniere’s days Sue had an accident where a horse smacked her in an open eye (odd, but true). The eye went black, closed and swelled up alarmingly, so we went to the eye hospital.

The cause prompted doubtful looks, so I said I’d hit her and she deserved it. Back then all my fingers were encased in heavy Navajo silver rings (tasteful I thought, but I do like turquoise). In the treatment room they – and I mean this sincerely – kindly gave her info on domestic violence.

I may find amusement at misconceptions that I’m at fault, but that’s because nothing could be further from the truth. I detest domestic violence. I may raise my voice but would never raise a hand – It’s unthinkable, there can never be an excuse, let alone a reason . The only hand I will raise is to help Sue, and I’m holding her hand a little more firmly this week. As she said though – green mascara just doesn’t go with red and blue.