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Dammit. Got dizzy again during personal training. Not quite as bad as the pre Christmas one, but that one at least stopped after a while. This one stuck with me all day. I am pretty sure it's a mixture of tiredness and some inner ear problem (both times it's come on when I've been doing an exercise lying down) but obviously once you've had a scary illness it's easy to think everything is a sign of something nasty.
Come on God, let me get the ball stand up show out of the way before your provide me with more material.
Armando wasn't well on Monday and I know he was feeling befuddled, if not dizzy, so I might have got it off that bugger and it's probably just some kind of head cold.
This was just annoying though. I had a hard day's work ahead of me (and with 8 podcasts in the next 8 days a pretty hectic week) and so whilst I thought that a good sleep might sort me out there wasn't really any change to have one. And I don't have the kind of job where you can really ring in and say you're not coming in. Not unless you can't actually move or they've just cut one of your balls off.
I tried to have a rest, but I really needed to prep for the shows and it was OK as long as I wasn't moving around. I don't think I'd have been comfortable driving but luckily Bec was doing that for me today and the journey wasn't too bumpy.
I walked round Colchester looking for dinner and hoping I could get rid of the dizziness with some fresh air, but no, so I tried to have a sleep on the hard floor of the dressing rooms. There was no light switch - the lights were on a motion sensor, which meant they eventually went off on their own, but came back on if I moved. I didn't sleep much if at all.
I had two terrific guests to get me through and one of them (Tony Gardner) used to be a doctor, so maybe he could cure me (not a chance, he's forgotten everything), though it's crazy that we live in a country where your best chance of seeing a GP is to run a podcast for 12 years and then invite one on as a guest. If I am still ill by next Friday then I will be seeing Tony's ex-double act partner Phil Hammond who I think still practices, so hopefully he can sort me out.
Often stepping on stage can banish all symptoms - once I had food poisoning when we did a Lee and Herring spot at a charity night (I think it was filmed - it was quite a big one). I was lying down on the floor in the wings, but managed to do 10 minutes without feeling any sickness, before returning to the wings to collapse again - but tonight I still felt the effects on stage. I was a bit unsteady on my feet and my head swam a bit when I turned it, but luckily this show is static and seated, so apart from feeling a little bit like I was floating ten feet away from my body, I think I did OK. Mary Beard was fascinating talking about her brilliant new book (this show will be out as a book club next Friday) and Tony was very funny and open. It was lovely to see him again. Back in 2004 we ran a few half marathons together (well started together - he was much faster than me) and he was very kind to me at a time when I was a bit lost. Not during a race. I mean in my life. Plus he was in My Parents Are Aliens, so what more do you want?
The show went on, as it must and the people enjoyed it, which is more of a choice. I was driven away dizzy into the Essex night.
