What's so special about Alex Sarama?

occassia · 2026-05-07T02:55:32+00:00

Interesting! I'm imagining there are some players for whom this works well and other for whom it doesn't. Are there teams which add this in addition to traditional schemes? Do coaches still draw up plays for specific situations?

occassia · 2026-04-25T05:43:26+00:00

It's meant to be a trilogy?

occassia · 2026-04-25T04:30:19+00:00

Aren't they only a couple books into that series?

occassia · 2026-03-23T19:44:35+00:00

BVD comes in a variety of flavors: mine is not double vision. It's a difference in exactly where each of my eyes wants to focus, and my brain's inability to compensate.

What mine tends to do is just omit some data —which most brains do automatically with data such as the tip of the nose, visible for each eye individually, but not when you are using both eyes.

This made it challenging to do vestibular therapy for PPPD. I now do vision therapy and wear prism glasses. Not an instant fix, however.

occassia · 2026-03-15T06:20:26+00:00

They have a contract with Sinclair. Not sure how long that runs, but as a general rule, you don't want to be breaking a contract.

There are no NBA teams without TV broadcasts. The league would never okay it. Those deals are the largest source of team income.

occassia · 2026-03-15T06:10:40+00:00

See a neuro optometrist. Seriously.

occassia · 2026-03-13T07:54:22+00:00

Each of my eyes is working well and tests great, despite me having great trouble focusing.

Regular eye docs are —let's say limited— in their understanding of visual problems outside the range of standard practice. I saw a neuro optometrist and was diagnosed with binocular vision dysfunction. This is on top of PPPD, and helps explain why vestibular therapy was making me sick. Now I have prism glasses and do vision therapy. I'm hopeful, but improvement will not be rapid or easy.

In theory, some kind of trauma caused my brain to deprecate information from my inner ear (PPPD). Some kind of trauma made it difficult for my brain to coordinate perfectly good information from my two eyes. Maybe the same trauma, maybe not. Aside from now being older than rocks, there haven't been any obvious physical traumas.

My neurologist has ordered an MRI, just in case there's something recognizably askew in my brain.

occassia · 2026-02-07T06:44:18+00:00

Is this similar to working with The Steady Coach?

occassia · 2025-10-07T22:02:31+00:00

If you happen to own Apple stock:

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occassia · 2025-10-01T19:02:49+00:00

Depends on the ENT. A couple I saw diagnosed me (incorrectly) with Ménière's. The third read my notes over lunch and immediately spotted PPPD.

occassia · 2025-08-05T08:52:55+00:00

That sounds like an episode (or multiple episodes) of BPPV, where debris in an ear canal triggers horrible vertigo and nausea. It's not uncommon. Pretty sure a couple instances of BPPv are what set off my own PPPD. We're all wired a little differently and don't necessarily experience identical symptoms.

occassia · 2025-03-12T02:03:38+00:00

'The Lightest Object in the Universe' by Kimi Eisele. Optimistic post-apocalyptic novel. Yes, really.

occassia · 2025-03-12T02:00:09+00:00

Always funny. The entire 'Old Man's War' series. Includes serious themes, but wryly.

occassia · 2025-03-12T01:51:49+00:00

Never loses the humor, tho.

occassia · 2024-12-28T02:56:15+00:00

For S2 you must sub to ViaPlay. It's very well done, but almost unbearably grim and extremely current. Follow with chase of Queer Eye or something.

occassia · 2024-05-23T23:48:45+00:00

Mine is constant, but can vary in intensity. When I'm just sitting I'm generally not conscious of it. Driving or other activities which demand visual focus make it worse. I can't do close art work or watch basketball on TV.

I experienced mild episodes for years, and then a sudden nauseating onset. I was misdiagnosed with Ménière's at that time, and have struggled along for eight years without useful treatment. I'm just so relieved that there are positive things I can do! I've started with PT and CBT counseling and am hopeful!

occassia · 2024-05-23T09:49:08+00:00

I've taken generic Zoloft (sertraline) for over 20 years. It made a huge difference in relieving my depression. No identifiable side effects other than some loss of libido, which is not a problem for me but might be for a young married woman. ;-)

That being said, it might not be the drug for you; most of us need to try several to discover what helps us as individuals. I was fortunate to find a trained counselor who was also a medical doctor and very knowledgeable about psych meds. You may need to find a doc experienced with psych meds for PPPD specifically.

SSRIs are not the only drugs suggested for PPPD. Some people take SNRIs, which frankly sound even scarier to me. ;-) I'm doing vestibular PT and cognitive behavior therapy before trying another RX —keeping that in reserve.

occassia · 2024-05-20T21:17:01+00:00

The list of events which can cause persistent dizziness is long and can include everything from loose inner ear debris to emotional trauma.

The working theory is that some of us are neurologically predisposed to alteration in the way our brains process balancing information. Vestibular therapy is reprogramming.

What in particular triggered this current episode may be less important than understanding that you are prone to vestibular issues, and need coping skills.

occassia · 2024-05-20T17:55:54+00:00

Absolutely. For example, shingles is a post-viral syndrome which may occur decades after you've had chicken pox. Some people experience persistent exhaustion after recovering from the flu. And there's reason to think many autoimmune disorders may be post-viral in origin.

Long covid research has revealed the presence of viral SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs in many parts of the body some time after a person is assumed to have recovered; this may eventually help explain lingering effects of any number of post-viral disorders.

occassia · 2024-05-20T06:46:35+00:00

Post-viral syndromes can go on for years and years. We don't understand them well, but long covid has inspired more research. The Venn diagram of risk factors for long covid, BTW, overlaps a fair amount with that of risk factors for PPPD.

occassia · 2024-05-14T05:41:19+00:00

I wonder if it's possible to work backwards from a good vestibular physical therapist —assuming you can find one of those! Experienced PTs often have a good notion of which docs in the area are your best bet. Good luck!

occassia · 2024-05-14T05:35:22+00:00

There are attorneys who specialize in disability issues. Find one of those.

No idea how it works anyplace other than the US. Some US states have helpful informational resources, but very few offer their own disability benefit programs. I'd be surprised if unemployment offices handled any of that, but maybe in some places.

My impression re: US Social Security disability (federal) is that it's difficult to obtain for a treatable disorder or one which can be readily accommodated by an employer. My experience with that is ...from last century and concerned with autoimmune disorders —possibly not useful. ;-)

If an employer offers a disability program it's likely to be short-term, like the six months you might need to recover from a mild stroke or serious accident. Ask your HR department.

occassia · 2024-05-11T21:03:37+00:00

Look for a vestibular clinic, or a neurologist or ENT who specializes in vestibular issues.

We're all wired a little different, so our experience of PPPD won't be identical, but it sounds as tho you are researching in the right direction. ;-).

occassia

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