For the past few
days I’ve been feeling unusually dizzy, which is very frustrating.
I’ve mentioned here before that I suffer on-and-off from the balance-related condition labyrinthitis, which first floored me (almost literally) toward the end of 2010 when I was in the West End musical Dreamboats and Petticoats. It hit me one night while I was on-stage waiting for the curtain to go up for the first half, when all of sudden, I felt like I was going to collapse. I warned the Company Manager instantly, but there was little time to set about the understudy changes for me to come off; I told him I’d be all right, but eventually had to leave the stage at a subtle moment mid-show, as I didn’t feel I had control of the situation, and could easily faint.
It was very frightening at the time, as I’d never experienced anything like it. When I went to the doctors’ they explained to me what it most likely was, but warned me that it could take months to pass. Unfortunately they were right - and I ultimately had to call short my run in the show when the illness didn't quickly shift.
Thankfully, it got a better a few months later, but I've gone through periods of it ever since, which at their worst can be debilitating, though I can usually work around them; it’s still frustrating, as it can cause loss of balance and inner panic, purely due to the mixed signals being sent to my brain, telling me I’m in motion when I’m not. It’s also exacerbated by bright lights, stress and loud noise, all of which are synonymous with my job.
The dizziness I’ve been feeling lately, however, has been a little different, though this may just be that I’ve forgotten the severity of the labyrinthitis in the past. What’s irritating is I want to be working on material for my show, but it’s very hard to concentrate when I feel this way. I can’t afford to slow down for long, which in turn creates stress, thus making me have to slow down even more; it’s a catch-22 situation. I think I'll try to make an appointment with my GP tomorrow to see what they suggest. Worse case scenario, I’ll employ an understudy for Edinburgh. Maybe Chris Addision will do it? I’ve had plenty of people tell me I look like him, after all.
I’ve mentioned here before that I suffer on-and-off from the balance-related condition labyrinthitis, which first floored me (almost literally) toward the end of 2010 when I was in the West End musical Dreamboats and Petticoats. It hit me one night while I was on-stage waiting for the curtain to go up for the first half, when all of sudden, I felt like I was going to collapse. I warned the Company Manager instantly, but there was little time to set about the understudy changes for me to come off; I told him I’d be all right, but eventually had to leave the stage at a subtle moment mid-show, as I didn’t feel I had control of the situation, and could easily faint.
It was very frightening at the time, as I’d never experienced anything like it. When I went to the doctors’ they explained to me what it most likely was, but warned me that it could take months to pass. Unfortunately they were right - and I ultimately had to call short my run in the show when the illness didn't quickly shift.
Thankfully, it got a better a few months later, but I've gone through periods of it ever since, which at their worst can be debilitating, though I can usually work around them; it’s still frustrating, as it can cause loss of balance and inner panic, purely due to the mixed signals being sent to my brain, telling me I’m in motion when I’m not. It’s also exacerbated by bright lights, stress and loud noise, all of which are synonymous with my job.
The dizziness I’ve been feeling lately, however, has been a little different, though this may just be that I’ve forgotten the severity of the labyrinthitis in the past. What’s irritating is I want to be working on material for my show, but it’s very hard to concentrate when I feel this way. I can’t afford to slow down for long, which in turn creates stress, thus making me have to slow down even more; it’s a catch-22 situation. I think I'll try to make an appointment with my GP tomorrow to see what they suggest. Worse case scenario, I’ll employ an understudy for Edinburgh. Maybe Chris Addision will do it? I’ve had plenty of people tell me I look like him, after all.