Wow– that was interesting. I can NOT provoke a vertigo attack just by wearing bad shoes and attending a martial art's themed birthday party. I rotated through several pairs of soft squishy shoes last night, challenging myself pretty much hourly to adapt to a new ordeal of footwear. I got plenty dizzy, felt car sick, wanted to take them off and lie down many a time. But– BUT– I did not find the room doing a full 360. I didn't get true vertigo. And most importantly I did not get sick enough to actually throw up.
What does it all mean? First off, to me it's a ray of hope for the next six months of weather. I means to me that maybe I can tough it out in shoes for an hour here or there when I have to go somewhere, and that maybe I am not looking at losing my toes to frostbite. So, that's good news! It really is. It takes a lot of the pressure off. It emboldens me. Maybe I'll just throw on some seasonally appropriate shoes of my choice and go for a walk this fine fall day. Would that be crazy? It's hard because I have no idea where the line is, and dread crossing it, so I err on the side of caution (wouldn't want to be two miles from the car when it hits, if you know what I mean).
It also may mean that all my desensitization work– walking on foam, pillows, towels, sisal, etc– has actually started to help. Could it be? Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
I don't know. It could also be that there are a lots of other inscrutable variables– hormones, sleep, diet, this other condition called POTS to name a few– that are tipping the balance one way or another. Maybe if I tried this test in a week or two I would get a different result entirely. I don't know! But it's information gathering if nothing else. I'm going to put a toe in this morning and see how it is to walk a short distance in questionable shoes. (Maybe I'll go back and forth only a half mile or so from the car at any time.) And of course I'll see Vince tomorrow and tell him that he won his bet. Then I hope he can help me interpret the meaning of it.
In the meantime, I give thanks that the night wasn't hellish and the sun is shining this morning.