A stressful week
I always hope for a quiet week before we set off on holiday, and I never get one!
Normally, it is work, this week it was other stuff.
On Monday, after a few months of silence we were contacted again regarding the 2 flats at the end of our garden. After they (their insurance people, in fact) made us cut down the tree, they came to inspect the drains that go from the flat into 'manhole' no. 3 in our gazebo. At the time, one of the surveyors told Adrian - informally - that there was nothing to worry about, maybe they would just put in some lining.
Well now they wanted to come on my birthday to dig and replace the pipes!
After contacting them, and pointing out that there's no way they can use heavy machinery and that we don't want them to ruin our gazebo, fence or garden (they said that they will be responsible for any damage but it's not good enough for me, as that would leave us to sort out their mess), they'll come in early March for a 'meeting' to discuss the situation.
On Tuesday I went to see the ENT consultant at a practice on Harley Street. What a difference from a NHS hospital/surgery. All quite swish and posh, from the staff to the patients (the others - not me!). The consultant thinks that it is indeed Ménière's disease but wanted a couple of tests: an MRI and a vestibular testing.
The MRI was booked for today and I started worrying straight-away.
I am claustrophobic and the idea of being stuck in a tube for half an hour or so, made me very panicky. On Tuesday night I had a minor panic attack but luckily over the next couple of days I managed to calm down and this morning when I went I was in the mood of "let's get this over and done with, and no-nonsense!" which really helped. But the biggest help was Adrian coming with me to the clinic!!
I think I was in the machine for about 25 minutes. It is indeed very noisy but weirdly I found the noise easier to cope with than silence. And the visor they put on me allowed me to see the 'control room' and that helped a lot too (although I kept my eyes closed for most of the time).
I left with a CD containing the scans - hopefully they'll show that if there's something between my ears, it is all as it should be.
Normally, it is work, this week it was other stuff.
On Monday, after a few months of silence we were contacted again regarding the 2 flats at the end of our garden. After they (their insurance people, in fact) made us cut down the tree, they came to inspect the drains that go from the flat into 'manhole' no. 3 in our gazebo. At the time, one of the surveyors told Adrian - informally - that there was nothing to worry about, maybe they would just put in some lining.
Well now they wanted to come on my birthday to dig and replace the pipes!
After contacting them, and pointing out that there's no way they can use heavy machinery and that we don't want them to ruin our gazebo, fence or garden (they said that they will be responsible for any damage but it's not good enough for me, as that would leave us to sort out their mess), they'll come in early March for a 'meeting' to discuss the situation.
On Tuesday I went to see the ENT consultant at a practice on Harley Street. What a difference from a NHS hospital/surgery. All quite swish and posh, from the staff to the patients (the others - not me!). The consultant thinks that it is indeed Ménière's disease but wanted a couple of tests: an MRI and a vestibular testing.
The MRI was booked for today and I started worrying straight-away.
I am claustrophobic and the idea of being stuck in a tube for half an hour or so, made me very panicky. On Tuesday night I had a minor panic attack but luckily over the next couple of days I managed to calm down and this morning when I went I was in the mood of "let's get this over and done with, and no-nonsense!" which really helped. But the biggest help was Adrian coming with me to the clinic!!
I think I was in the machine for about 25 minutes. It is indeed very noisy but weirdly I found the noise easier to cope with than silence. And the visor they put on me allowed me to see the 'control room' and that helped a lot too (although I kept my eyes closed for most of the time).
I left with a CD containing the scans - hopefully they'll show that if there's something between my ears, it is all as it should be.