September 2008 destiny took an abrupt detour...

The winds of change were gusting through my life. A persistent cold had settled in, casting a shadow over my days with its heavy coughs and perpetual sinus congestion. Amidst this, I found myself in the whirlwind of buying a new home and ascending a new rung in my career ladder, a role I had always aspired to. The future held promises and aspirations, seemingly within reach...

Yet, on that fateful October 27, 2008 destiny took an abrupt detour. Sitting in a meeting, enveloped in discussions with an editor, I felt something shift within me. My hearing in the right ear started fading, like a distant echo. A numbing sensation crept across my head, and even the familiar contours of my own jaw, my TMJ, felt foreign.

With a heavy heart and a weighty head, I left work that day, desperately clinging to coherence. Home became a haven, but it was there that the world around me began to blur. Standing became an ordeal, and the room spun like a carnival ride gone rogue. My attempts to steady myself were futile, and soon, I was collapsing onto my living room floor, unable to raise my head.

As the clock struck 2 AM, the world around me crumbled further. My body, unyielding, refused balance. Nausea engulfed me, and my vision danced in chaotic frenzy. Panic and confusion reigned as I grappled with the unknown. My mother and daughter, witnesses to my spiraling torment, could only share my fear, helpless in the face of my inexplicable plight.

A lifeline emerged in the form of a friend, finally answering my desperate calls for aid. The paramedics arrived, their assessments confirming my body's rebellion - soaring blood pressure, erratic blood sugar. The decision was made - Toronto Western Hospital awaited.

The hospital became my sanctuary for 11 long hours. Tests, IV drips, and Gravol formed my surreal reality. Yet, as dawn broke, I was sent back into the world, my symptoms still mercilessly clinging to me. Another week of relentless ear pressure, unrelenting vertigo, and ceaseless vomiting awaited my weary self.

Two more visits to the hospital followed, each marked by uncertainty and a desperate plea for relief. An appointment with an ENT specialist was secured, but patience was a bitter companion; two months loomed between me and potential answers.

In the midst of this waiting, my quest for understanding led me online, where the stories of others echoed my own bewildering tale. Connections forged with fellow sufferers and their online resources shed light on a path forward. Armed with newfound knowledge, I embarked on a regimen of vitamins - a multitude of promises crammed into capsules.

Grapeseed extract, VINPOCENT, Lemon bioflavonoid, and a symphony of others filled my daily routine. Yet, time proved their gradual nature; they were a slow dance with recovery, not a sudden sprint.

Seeking solace, I turned to my chiropractor, Dr. Kathleen Ohara, who extended a lifeline in the form of Dr. Fitz-Ritson. Gradually, the ear pressure released its grip, and equilibrium tiptoed back into my life. The vitamins remained a constant, a melody of sustenance for a lifetime, a pact with my own health.

Amidst the whirlpool of uncertainty and the depths of despair, I found a team of support and a wealth of resources that guided me back to solidity. My journey through Meniere's, vertigo, and the labyrinth of recovery had transformed me, forging resilience in the crucible of adversity.