What did you do WITH your Gladiator today?

[Rusty PW]

My hearing started to go goofier in the 1990s. A lot of loud noises, loud engines, tractors, you name it and possibly some hereditary bits as well.
I started to have balance issues in the 2000s, was finally diagnosed with Meniere's - like one of my brothers (who sold his motorcycle due to it, I shortly after that sold mine as well)
I had spells so bad I couldn't even sit in a chair but had to lower myself to the floor and lean against a wall. I was unable to stay upright.
It's all related - it's an inner ear function. Besides Meniere's, i've lost over 50% of the functionality of my left side inner ear (and my hearing is worse on that side, hearing aids still do wonders, though)
So it's a mix of things for me. They said that there's no fix, it would only get worse, and the dizzy and sick bits are from part of my senses saying all is fine, others saying hey, not so fast, and the right ear not agreeing with the left ear.
I've been through PT twice for it, some really intense testing as well.
I can't walk through a store and look down the aisles looking for anything. It will make me dizzy or sick. Sudden turns and so on - not good. Stairs are tricky.

I can't wait (he says sarcastically) for my Tuesday appointment with the neurologist for my essential tremor - I'm at the end of the road as far as meds that may help - and they aren't doing much these days.
Last time he said I had to make a choice or decision - live with it, accept it, or go for surgery to implant an electrode in the brain that would be attached to some sort of battery pack to help control things.
Starting a screw with a screwdriver - pretty tough. Putting a 1/4" nut on a bolt - takes some doing these days.

Wifey has the brain implants for her Parkinson. It's been 3 years now. They helped her a lot. Turn it off and she starts to shake really bad. To get the implants, its a 4 step process. Step 1 to install 4 small screws into your skull. These are survey pegs for when they map your skull in Step 2. They will MRI your head to map out the inside of your brain. Now they will make a drill jig that fits into your skull. This is precision drilling. This takes about 2 weeks for them to make the drill jig, Step 3, they will drill your skull and install the implants. You may get one or two implants. One on each side. This depends on where area of the brain they want to stimulate. Just before they finish up. They will wake you up to see if the implants are working. Once they do that. They will put you back out and finish. The wires from the implants are bunched up under your skin, not connected. Step 4 about 1 week later. They will implant the battery pack/controller into your chest like a pacemaker. And route the wires from the brain implants down the side of your head and neck. Then connect everything up. Step 5. You go back in about a week later and get your implants tuned. Wifey hated this part. They crank up the implants to find your upper limit. This is where you have no control on what's going on. The implants made a world of difference for the wifey.

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[RudeJeepin]

In my case - it's a matter of being unable to do it AT ALL.
I can no longer lay under a vehicle and work on it without getting SICK and remaining sick for the rest of the day. I mean headache and a sick headach/nausea feeling.
I can't even write my name. I tried to fill out a form for a chance to win a TV (ours are working, but getting older) and there was no way to read the phone number I tried to write.
My last hope is an electrode implant and battery pack.
For the sickness working under a vehicle? There is ZERO fix, no hope, none at all.
I'm only 68 and thankfully it's not a matter of having to work to make money - I'd be on disability.
It's driving me crazier than usual because I'm used to doing literally EVERYTHIING - there wasn't anything I'd not do myself - from a total and complete vehicle restoration bumper to bumper, tire to roof, to electrical, plumbing, roofing, landscaping. I hired no one for anything unless the scope was just too large or the timeframe too short (I'm good, but not FAST)
If this is what the future holds - maybe I stop asking to live a long life. It sucks.
i can't even go out and swap out control arms in my JT without getting sick for the day.

My father in law used to say "growing old isn't for the weak." He proved that every day his last few years. He had cancer in the spinal cord effecting his nervous system.

My dad has meniere's disease also. It took awhile to figure it out and hen more time to figure out what helped. He's on some kind of meds for it. He says it works about 95% of the time, but every now and then a sudden movement will get him. Fortunately the dizziness doesn't last more than a minute or two anymore.
I have pretty bad allergies and my ears tend to get plugged from them. So I, to an extent, understand about the movements causing dizziness and nausea. The worst for me is usually getting out of bed in the morning. Half asleep and swing my feet off the edge of the bed and go to stand up. During the day, I know when I'm having issues and can move accordingly. Fortunately our bed is just far enough from the wall for me to walk between the wall and the bed. So when the dizziness strikes I have the wall to catch me and then I sit back down on the bed. The first time it happened my wife got pretty worried. Later she told me, I looked like a drunk sailor.
Atleast with my allergies I pretty much can control the dizziness anymore. I know when my ears are wonky and can take precautions. Mostly just being careful not to move too fast. The way dad talked, there wasn't much he could do.

Good luck, hopefully they can get your right.

 

[KevinM60]

Mine was a 95 regular cab, 4cyl, 5 speed, manual everything. I loved that truck.

I still have my ‘99
425k, rattles some but still runs good as my DD

 

[NC_Overland]

Trails everywhere in CO and UT. Everywhere.

Yeah, that’s one thing I miss about living in CO. I could be on a trail in 5 min. I miss that and CO summers…

 

[NC_Overland]

Went to Lowe's and defied everyone that said I couldn't put plywood in my bobbed Gladiator bed, I just had them bob the plywood

Wood is for the rear seat delete and a door cart.

So you shortened the bed and are making more room by removing the rear seat?

 

[drewcnit]

So you shortened the bed and are making more room by removing the rear seat?

It's mostly about the height of it now, I have the bed rack and storage back there for my gear but it's a lot easier to lift all that weight to waist or chest height, then over my head onto the rack. Back seat storage also gives me security when I have the roof and doors on (at least a little bit).

 

[NC_Overland]

It's mostly about the height of it now, I have the bed rack and storage back there for my gear but it's a lot easier to lift all that weight to waist or chest height, then over my head onto the rack. Back seat storage also gives me security when I have the roof and doors on (at least a little bit).

I was just Fin with you man. You do you. lol

 

[WILDHOBO]

Wifey has the brain implants for her Parkinson. It's been 3 years now. They helped her a lot. Turn it off and she starts to shake really bad. To get the implants, its a 4 step process. Step 1 to install 4 small screws into your skull. These are survey pegs for when they map your skull in Step 2. They will MRI your head to map out the inside of your brain. Now they will make a drill jig that fits into your skull. This is precision drilling. This takes about 2 weeks for them to make the drill jig, Step 3, they will drill your skull and install the implants. You may get one or two implants. One on each side. This depends on where area of the brain they want to stimulate. Just before they finish up. They will wake you up to see if the implants are working. Once they do that. They will put you back out and finish. The wires from the implants are bunched up under your skin, not connected. Step 4 about 1 week later. They will implant the battery pack/controller into your chest like a pacemaker. And route the wires from the brain implants down the side of your head and neck. Then connect everything up. Step 5. You go back in about a week later and get your implants tuned. Wifey hated this part. They crank up the implants to find your upper limit. This is where you have no control on what's going on. The implants made a world of difference for the wifey.

They now can do a test to see if it works for a specific patient prior to doing anything surgical. Trial run. They also now use them for certain people with status migrainosis.

 

[Rusty PW]

They now can do a test to see if it works for a specific patient prior to doing anything surgical. Trial run. They also now use them for certain people with status migrainosis.

My wife had that done.

 

[WILDHOBO]

My wife had that done.

How did it go? For what. Migraines?

 

[Janster]

My hearing started to go goofier in the 1990s. A lot of loud noises, loud engines, tractors, you name it and possibly some hereditary bits as well.
I started to have balance issues in the 2000s, was finally diagnosed with Meniere's - like one of my brothers (who sold his motorcycle due to it, I shortly after that sold mine as well)
I had spells so bad I couldn't even sit in a chair but had to lower myself to the floor and lean against a wall. I was unable to stay upright.
It's all related - it's an inner ear function. Besides Meniere's, i've lost over 50% of the functionality of my left side inner ear (and my hearing is worse on that side, hearing aids still do wonders, though)
So it's a mix of things for me. They said that there's no fix, it would only get worse, and the dizzy and sick bits are from part of my senses saying all is fine, others saying hey, not so fast, and the right ear not agreeing with the left ear.
I've been through PT twice for it, some really intense testing as well.
I can't walk through a store and look down the aisles looking for anything. It will make me dizzy or sick. Sudden turns and so on - not good. Stairs are tricky.

I can't wait (he says sarcastically) for my Tuesday appointment with the neurologist for my essential tremor - I'm at the end of the road as far as meds that may help - and they aren't doing much these days.
Last time he said I had to make a choice or decision - live with it, accept it, or go for surgery to implant an electrode in the brain that would be attached to some sort of battery pack to help control things.
Starting a screw with a screwdriver - pretty tough. Putting a 1/4" nut on a bolt - takes some doing these days.

Wow….. the ear is such a complex thing - dig in there to fix one thing, damage something else in the process.. Docs are often reluctant to dig in there.
Meniere's Disease…that’s a whole different ball game. Not something they know how to treat yet…… I’m sure its such a mysterious disease that varies from person to person. I hope you find some relief…… but such a pain in the ass to go thru all the Doc appointments & tests.

My mom had a Stapedectomy when she was in her 40’s. I had the same thing…..My surgery didn’t really work like they thought. So, I wore regular hearing aides for about 9 years. One morning I woke up with ‘nothing’ in the left ear. Hearing aids didn’t work at all. I was implanted with a BAHA. Basically, it’s a stud they implant into your skull. You plug a ‘hearing aid’ into the stud and it transfers vibrations into your skull / cochlea.

Luckily …my right ear is very good. I don’t wear the BAHA aid often….
It’s difficult in ‘noisy‘ situations and …… when you get sounds in the BAHA - it transfers vibrations to both cochleas - so I can’t tell where the sound is coming from. It’s a weird thing……

As I get older…who knows what will happen…..but we’ll all deal with it as it occurs.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Wifey has the brain implants for her Parkinson. It's been 3 years now. They helped her a lot. Turn it off and she starts to shake really bad. To get the implants, its a 4 step process. Step 1 to install 4 small screws into your skull. These are survey pegs for when they map your skull in Step 2. They will MRI your head to map out the inside of your brain. Now they will make a drill jig that fits into your skull. This is precision drilling. This takes about 2 weeks for them to make the drill jig, Step 3, they will drill your skull and install the implants. You may get one or two implants. One on each side. This depends on where area of the brain they want to stimulate. Just before they finish up. They will wake you up to see if the implants are working. Once they do that. They will put you back out and finish. The wires from the implants are bunched up under your skin, not connected. Step 4 about 1 week later. They will implant the battery pack/controller into your chest like a pacemaker. And route the wires from the brain implants down the side of your head and neck. Then connect everything up. Step 5. You go back in about a week later and get your implants tuned. Wifey hated this part. They crank up the implants to find your upper limit. This is where you have no control on what's going on. The implants made a world of difference for the wifey.

Thanks for that - I have an appointment tomorrow AM with the neurologist who has been tracking the tremors.
I'll see how what you said compares to what he has to say.
Anything like this spooks the living @!#$ outta me.
Go to sleep and wake up dead.....
on the other hand, I can't start screws or easily use a screw driver, I drop things, can't carry a coffee cup that's very full, can't even print my name easily.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Thanks for that - I have an appointment tomorrow AM with the neurologist who has been tracking the tremors.
I'll see how what you said compares to what he has to say.
Anything like this spooks the living @!#$ outta me.
Go to sleep and wake up dead.....
on the other hand, I can't start screws or easily use a screw driver, I drop things, can't carry a coffee cup that's very full, can't even print my name easily.

Listen to the doctors.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Listen to the doctors.

I listened to one last spring and ended up in a year of pure hell, on yet another drug to offset the damage done when that doctor said "stop taking Gabapentin"
and - multiple doctors including in the ER, totally missed a dead, gangrenous gall bladder for months.

So - guess I'm skeptical.
But this guy is different and lays things out quite differently and systematically.

I'm not left with a lot of choices if I want to be able to do anything with my cars or Jeeps.

Oh, on topic - what did we do "with" - drove it to a family dinner/party this AM. Fun day, no pressures, all relaxing, TONS of food.
The MPG has already crept up a few tenths.
The wind was sure pushing us around, though.

 

[Janster]

Listen to the doctors.

I wouldn’t say that….
When you’re talking about speciality ‘issues’ or ’conditions’………not all doctors are rehearsed with all conditions.

Back 15+ years ago…. My local audiologist didn’t recommend (or know of) the BAHA implant. I had to do the research myself and contact Johns Hopkins myself.

I’m sooo glad I did the research…….

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