Something really obvious dawned on me recently.
I think I join most of the rest of our species in having figured out, at some point in my own developmental odyssey (very odd issey, I should say) that although sensory input comes from “out there,” and we actually receive it only “in here,” most of us can usually tell the difference.
I say “usually” because I am, and have been for as long as I can remember, somewhat burdened with tinnitus – ringing in the ears. That, I’m finally clear, comes from “in here.” Though I did wonder at one point whether it was EMF static from the power lines – or whether I was receiving Mars in my fillings. That would be out there for sure.
But when I had myself checked by an otolaryngologist (that word – “otolaryngologist” – how my logorreehick heart sings) he said, with disarming simplicity, “That’s what ears do. They hear things.” Would that we logorreehicks could be that succinct.
Anyway, my point. Differentiating between what goes on in here and out there.
Physically it seems I’m usually up to the challenge. Emotionally, though, it’s a different story. And when I get confused like that, I actually get sick. Physically sick, I mean. My emotions tell me all is not well, and voilà. Don’t feel well. Am actually not well. Very not well. Start showing marked, dramatic, and undeniable symptoms of physical unwellness. I’ll spare you the details.
I tried to explain this interesting theory to Bugs.
He is such a nice boy.
Bugs struggles to stay awake.
Many thanks to Glogirly and Katie for their extraordinary patience in holding Bean’s hand, as she labored long and hard to figure out how to accomplish this nifty gif. image. I hope they think all that work was worth it. The Bean does. Bugs isn’t so sure.
catself 
pretty hard to separate the emotional from the physical, seeing as how they’re housed in the same flimsy package!
Can’t really be done, I have heard. How we know anything is through the physical. What are brains, after all? Yup flimsy, you know whereof you speak . . . .
yeah–I had a sinus infection that nearly killed me! how rude! and rather unexpected! >:-D
and I’m still unsure about the brains part… maybe later!
hope you feel better all the way around very soon. one will come with the other…
uurgh. I’m with ya…very rarely physically sick from someTHING, mostly I suffer from someWHERE, usually in my head.
Ain’t that the truth. And so difficult to cope with. From time to time. Fortunately only that. So far.
Such a cute gif! It is indeed hard to separate emotional from physical. I used to be very vulnerable to the Flu, for example. Everytime I got sick, I’d take a couple of days off to recover due to absolute impossibility to do anything (that’s how vulnerable I was). Noticing that, I decided to change the strategy: every time I feel incredibly tired, I just stop and give myself some time to rest. I even cancel things like work or family appointments. I feel guilt for doing it, of course, but I never had the Flu again…
Yay you for self-care. We have been well-taught to feel guilty about that, haven’t we. We must do it anyway.
Congratz on your GIF!!!!! I LOVE it!!! You picked purrrfect pictures for it! ….and it sums up your post so well. The girl didn’t even know that ringing ears was something real until now. So sorry it plagues you. : (
….hopefully all the GIF lessons didn’t make them ring more. ; )
Glogirly
Ringing is just part of the background music by now, Glogirly. And the gif — all down to you! You are so wonderful.
Awww… it looks like he’s gently swaying to and fro on a swing.
Nerissa,
Nerissa’s Life
Does, doesn’t it!
great giff! Wish i could do that!!
Oh dear minlit you of all people could . . . . I figure you must do much more complicated stuff on a daily basis, don’t you?
Dear Bugs–I noticed tinnitus when I was 63. The ENT told me I was losing my hearing and would need hearing aids eventually. So 7 years later, thanks to GE’ healthcare credit card, I took the plunge. The audiologist fitted me with two Oticon devices and took about 6 weeks to adjust them to my hearing loss. I still have the ringing, but when the hearing aids are in I hardly notice it. Good luck.
Anne
Hey, I used that GE credit too! A pretty good deal, for those of us who really really need a break in that department. So glad your hearing got fixed up for you, Anne.
Do you know, I totally understand about your struggles with that, though my neurological manifestations are slightly different! But it is neurological, not psychological, though there is overlap sometimes. We are so complex *sigh*
On a lighter note … yay! You did it too with the gif thing 🙂 Pop over when you have a moment and see how Austin fared under the Glogirly tutelage 🙂
YOU ARE COMPLETELY AMAZING!! Readers! Be sure to check out Austin’s gif!
Poor you having tinnitus. My mother had it and Menieres. She has had treatment, radical, but it worked. But she hated it.
Oh dear. I’m one of the so-lucky ones — no Menieres, just a song in my ears. My brother, tho, got the Menieres diagnosis. He is so not happy about that. So glad your mother’s treatment worked out! Care to say more about what was involved? I know my brother might appreciate it — he’s taking diuretics. Ugh.
First she had a drain put in to get rid of the fluid that made her dizzy. That worked well for several years. When it stopped working they thought she was too frail for a repeat, so she opted to be made completely deaf in one ear via injections of an antibiotic whose name I don’t recall. It’s a few years back though, so I expect there are better options now. I hope there are!
Good. Lord. Appalling. Well — I know my brother mentioned other “drastic” options. Bet these were some of them. Sounds so grim.
The drain was good, but the deafness obviously less so. However, she preferred that to the falling over.
What a choice.