Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is a balance disorder. It is an inflammatory process affecting the labyrinths that house the vestibular system (which sense changes in head position) of the inner ear.

In addition to balance control problems, a person suffering labyrinthitis may encounter hearing loss and tinnitus. Labyrinthitis is usually caused by a virus, but it can also arise from bacterial infection, head injury, extreme stress, an allergy or as a reaction to a particular medicine. Both bacterial and viral labyrinthitis can cause permanent hearing loss, although this is rare. And my wife, Shirley, occasionally has to wrestle with this nasty condition.

This morning, as I awoke, she told me that she would not be going into work at the health centre because her old enemy had come to call again. I knew that meant she would have to spend the better part of the day lying absolutely still, perhaps listening to the radio and occasionally sipping some water. I had to get off to work myself. I gave her the things she needed - mobile phone, bottles of water, house phone and zoomed out of our house to the car parked up the hill as it has been all week.

It was sad that the labyrithitis had paid another visit because we had tickets to see Keane in concert once again at the Sheffield Arena. Of course, Shirley couldn't go so instead I picked up our son from his workplace in town.

As usual, Keane were quite brilliant. The concert was well stitched together around the latest album - "Perfect Symmetry"with some great background visuals but of course the highlight was again Tom Chaplin's amazing voice - pitch perfect and rich in emotion, soaring high into the metal rafters of the vast arena. One of the best moments was their rendition of a Sheffield band's most triumphant hit - "Disco 2000" by Pulp:-

Oh Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small, with wood chip on the wall.
When I came around to call,
you didn't notice me at all.

I said let's all meet up in the year 2000.
Won't it be strange when we're all fully grown.
Be there at 2 o'clock by the fountain down the road.
I never knew that you'd get married.
I would be living down here on my own
on that damp and lonely Thursday years ago.