Hi Ben, I hope you’re feeling a lot better now that a week or more has passed. You probably got a fright and a big adrenaline rush.

I have to say from what you’ve written about getting back into your studies etc., that you sound as if you've been doing very well despite the roller coaster struggles that happen when things go wrong.

You should be very proud of yourself for getting your life in order as you have and it would be a terrible shame for you to stop the semester because of what happened last week. Think of how far you've come over the past few years. Keep on track and working towards your goal. It's a difficult world and lots of distractions already without these types of ups and downs with worries about your health.

I mentioned this on a post to Tyler a while back but many years ago I found myself in a situation where I was afraid of hurting my head again so I started avoiding certain situations. Stairs were a huge problem. Having balance issues, it was actually quite understandable. These days that’s all gone and unless my vertigo is playing up really badly or I’m very unsteady on my feet for health reasons, I really don't consciously become wary anymore.

I just read what you wrote in your message to claire2770. You sort of answered your own worries there. You said “ Also in my experience this type of thing could cause a bit of a setback and relapse in symptoms but I’ll usually return to how I was prior soon enough without having my long term progress impeded upon”.

Chemar posted to TheNorwegian about reassurance and I think that's a key in our getting through the initial panic moments. If you re-read what you said to claire2770, you already know the answer. I sure hope you're feeling better. I have to also mention that one of the things I find with myself is that I need to work on keeping at a certain level of calmness all the time so that if something goes wrong, and it surely will, then I'm better able to cope.

It's a whole other conversation but involves meditation, yoga, tai chi, relaxation exercises, plain old hard work in the yard, gardening and other very positive aids.

Let us know how you're doing. Keep up the good work.
Lara.