#7 - The Newsletter Awakens

*Tap tap* Is this thing on?

I did NOT expect to be sending my first newsletter of 2024 towards the end of July. But this year has been… I think “shitshow” is the most fitting description, even beyond the absolute chaos of worldwide events.

For those who aren’t aware: At the start of March, right in the middle of Emerald City Comic Con, I ended up in the hospital for the first time in my life, thanks to a severe bout of vertigo. It’s five months later, and I’m STILL recovering, unfortunately.

I plan to do a more detailed post about what happened at a later date (that may be behind a paywall, so that discussing my hospital stay can help with the hospital bills), but since a lot of questions come up every time I see folks, I figured I’d tried to head off a few of the most common ones here.

So what exactly happened to you?

Viral labyrinthitis, or an inner ear infection caused by a virus, which caused severe vertigo. The “funny” part is I tested negative for both COVID and the flu. So it was that nasty cold virus that was going around in February that landed me in a Seattle hospital for five days. A good reminder that you should stay home and away from folks even when it’s “just” a cold.

Five days?! Is vertigo really that bad?

Yes, unfortunately! I had always assumed it meant you were just really dizzy. It’s more like the world is spinning at 500 MPH and up and down have ceased to exist. There weren’t really enough directions left to actually feel dizzy. I had to wear an eye mask for three days, because any visual input would immediately make me throw up. Also, I had zero control over my eyes, and could feel them jerking all over the place when a doctor needed to take a look at them, which was INCREDIBLY disconcerting.

So how are you doing now?

Still not super great! Some of this is due to having had a more typical ear infection later in the spring (why I had to cancel Calgary Expo), which set back my recovery.

It’s not really accurate to call it vertigo at this point, but I’m still dealing with serious vestibular (balance and spatial orientation) issues. I need a cane to walk (unless I’m holding onto furniture toddler-style) and I haven’t been able to drive more than four blocks or so at a time. I’m also VERY prone to feeling motion sickness when watching videos, riding in a car, etc. The trip to San Diego this week will be… interesting.

Will you be getting better at some point?

My prognosis was for a full recovery. I just didn’t expect it to take nearly this long. But health professionals haven’t seemed concerned about my rate of recovery, particularly after the spring setback (hopefully that’s because there’s nothing unusual and not because American health care…) I’m trying to be patient, but it’s a lot easier to be angry with myself than kind to myself. I’m sure that’s not unusual for people dealing with disability for the first time, even when it’s considered temporary.

Are you doing physical therapy or something?

Yes, I have PT exercises I’m supposed to do every day to help my totally borked vestibulo-ocular reflex recover (basically the connection between my eyes and my balance/spatial awareness when I move is… kinda broken?) It’s fun intentionally making yourself dizzy plus multiple times a day! (It is the opposite of fun.)

What about that maneuver thing that cured my relative’s/friend’s vertigo?

The Epley maneuver is meant to help people with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), which is when the crystals in your ears shift out of place (yes, you have balancing crystals in your ears, you magical creature). Labyrinthitis is a completely different type of vertigo, and is unfortunately far more difficult to treat. I still tried the Epley maneuver a few dozen times because why not? Didn’t help.

But you’ll still be at SDCC this week?

Yes! But please don’t be offended if I’m avoiding eye contact. It just means I’ve hit my limit of moving my eyes around for a while. I’ll definitely be masking again the whole show—we’re deep in the middle of the summer COVID spike, and I have zero interest in seeing how much a COVID infection would mess me up when I’m still trying to recover from the damage that “just” a cold virus did.

Speaking of SDCC…

I’ll be tabling at GG-22 for most of the show, alongside the other Comic Sketch Art folks. I’ll have a bunch of comics available for sale, as well as slowly improving writer “art”, which now includes little watercolor paintings!

Next up will be Dragon Con in Atlanta (Aug 29 - Sep 2) and Rose City Comic Con in Portland (Sep 6 - Sep 8). Hoping to be in better shape by then.

There’s some VERY cool stuff coming down the pipeline, some of which I hope I’ll be able to talk about before too long. Keep an eye on this newsletter/my socials for the next few months!

In the meantime, the fourth volume of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins has launched from Dark Horse. You can find the first two issues in comic shops everywhere!

So how am I dealing with uncertainty/anxiety/panic about the unending stream of unprecedented world events and my own malfunctioning body? By going all-in on my latest ADHD hyperfocus hobby, of course!

Yes, I’ve been going deep down the fountain pen (and ink) rabbit hole, mostly because it feels like a proper writer sort of hobby. Never mind the fact that I have terrible handwriting and need spellcheck to function and don’t even hold pens correctly (well technically, I have an extreme lateral tripod grip, which IS considered one of the “proper” grips, but the best grip for a fountain pen is the dynamic tripod, which is what the pens with triangular grips like the Lamy Safari are designed for.)

See? Rabbit hole.

Pictured above is a Pilot Prera, one of the pens I’m currently inking up to bring with me to SDCC. Really enjoying the Pilots I’ve tried so far (only the least expensive models) and I’d definitely recommend the Kakuno if you want to drop $10-$15 on a solid (and cute!) pen to try. The Pilot Iroshizuku inks are fantastic as well.

And I’m going to stop there, because I still have a lot to get done before SDCC. Hope to see a lot of folks at the show!