The past 2 days have been horrible for me. I must have had at least four small episodes of meniere’s attacks. No vicious spinning or throwing up but the feeling came over me that if I didn’t lay down I would get sick. Luckily it was the weekend and I wasn’t at work or on the road. I took an Antivert on Friday night and Saturday. Saturday evening I took a phenregan, which surprisingly didn’t make me sleepy. I don’t know what is going on. A couple of posts ago I wrote about coming back from a plane ride and it made me feel sick. I just don’t know if it was the plane ride that is causing all these problems.
It could be that that my condition was just in remission for a half year and now it is back. It couldn’t be my diet because I haven’t changed my diet at all. So the increase in salt theory can’t be valid.
One thing that really scares me is the thought that the meniere’s has moved to the other ear. That is a real concern because I don’t think that you can have the gent injections in both ears considering that the injections kill the balance in the ear. You have to have some balance don’t you?
It is estimated that anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent of people with Meniere’s go ‘bilateral’ (meniere’s in both ears). I hope that I am not in that group. But there isn’t very much documentation on how that would happen. I have looked and looked on the internet but I haven’t seen any information about the progression of meniere’s from one ear to the other.
Hopefully I am just going through a rough time right now.
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Monday, July 13, 2009
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7 comments:
it could be any number of things that has brought this back (including diet)...:Menieres Disease is very unpredictable. Do you drink or smoke? A good diet full of fresh veggies and fruits and low in saturated fats, salt (of course), sugar and processed food (refined and junk food) is going to help a great deal over time with Menieres Disease and Vertigo. It wont cure it but it will help (over time). Alcohol and smoking will only make things worse
Hope you get better soon.
It is hard to say what happened. I learned recently that my bp had gone way up, so I think that might have something to do with it.
I don't smoke or drink, but my diet could use some improvements.
Thanks for the comment
David, try not to worry about having more attacks, especially as the character of them has changed. During the 3-4 years that I've had Meniere's I've had three distinct clusters of attacks, each with a different character.
The first cluster was of extremely violent attacks, where I would be vomiting for a couple of hours at the beginning and basically unable to move. I'd then have to sleep for about four hours as the vertigo subsided. These attacks came once every five weeks for about five times.
The second cluster came a few months later. This time I had an attack basically once a week for about seven weeks. Although more regular, the attacks weren't as violent and I was able to avoid vomiting (i.e., reduced nausea), but I had to sleep them off for 24 hours.
After a remission of eighteen months, my third cluster started at the beginning of May. This time, the attacks are much more mild and last anywhere between a few minutes (sudden rotary vertigo) and a couple of hours (no vertigo as such but some visual disturbance). Most of the time I can still move around, get myself a drink and even watch TV, but I wouldn't want to go out or of course drive. The issue is that this is happening every second day or so, sometimes in the middle of the night, with little warning. It's the fact that it's disruptive rather than severe that's the unpleasant part.
The point I really want to make here, though, is that I see the reduction in strength of the attacks and the increased frequency as related. For a long time I've felt that an attack is a release of tension, and so the releases are just smaller amounts of tension coming more frequently. This to me seems like a good thing; in some way I am becoming accustomed to the disease and I hope it continues to the point where the attacks barely register, even when I am in a cluster.
The slew of attacks I've had recently has also allowed me to observe what happens to me, and to try out a few different things (do I get better more quickly if I take a tablet, have something to eat and so on). It's allowed me to become more familiar with what will and won't likely happen, which in turn reduces the stress associated with an attack.
Of course I have bad days, especially after a couple of interrupted nights, but when I can step back and see my attacks as they are now in a long-term context it looks to me like a positive trend.
The other point is that my symptoms are fewer this time; things that used to happen that I thought were a definite indicator of an attack coming just aren't happening this time (e.g., stiff neck). This was pretty confusing at first but I guess it's all related to the severity of the attacks.
So I think the overall point I'm making is that you can feel you are having an attack even without certain symptoms - losing balance, or vomiting, or even having vertigo. Some of that maybe to do with treatments (e.g., anti-sickness medication), or just the way the condition is now. I guess even if medication is helping, it doesn't mean you're going to feel great all the time. The reduction in symptoms might be unsettling but we hope it's better than getting them all at once!
Actually I was diagnosed with it twelve years ago when for a total of three months I was violently dizzy. It was VICIOUS! I cud barely function. Recall at times having to crawl, support myself with stable objects or sleep on a pull-out sofa bed either with one foot on the floor and/or my head positioned over the side as though I was standing on my head. (That is the TRUTH).
Testing ruled out abnormalties of the brain (Cats Scan) however specialized Inner Ear Disorder testing confirmed, I had Meniere's in 'both' ears.
During the course of the twelve years, I have had intermittent attacks each varying in degree and in symptoms.
ie: For the past eight days they have been triggered when only lying down. I have determined the left ear is the culprit. :) Doing two, 20 minute BPPV EXERCISE sessions, twice a day is giving me some relief. (To learn to do them, you can search online.) During this present cycle; prescribed medication is 24 mgs of Serc taken once a day (with food), topped off with 10 mg of Oxepam. During the day I feel slightly 'off' which I refer to as 'a buzz'.....but at least I can stand /walk and function to a degree. (It is beginning to subside.)
In summary the upside is; my full-fledge attacks (lasting for days/intense symptoms) have been few 'n far between. The downside is, this pattern comes with a price tag which is a gradual but marked deterioration in hearing.....Meniere's DISEASE. I now wear Hearing Aids in both ears. There are many theories about the cause and treatment, but for myself I feel each patient must educate themselves.
In my case, I believe this condition may even date back to early childhood as I recall a ride on a Merry-go-round or just on a Swing made me dizzy/ill. Diet plays a major role (restriction of caffeine & sugar in particular) plus Acupuncture Treatment as a maintenance program works best for me.
My advice to anyone who suffers from this, educate yourself and remember you are not alone. TAKE CARE of yourself my Meniere Peeps!
When I was a kid I alway got car sick, so that might have been a sign of things to come.
I have also tried some BPPV exercises I believe that they do help, although most of things that I have read say that meniere's patients don't get any relief from BPPV treatment. But I know that I did!
Thanks for commenting
Regarding the Gent injections and whether you need "some balance." I have little to no balance after two extremely violent attacks of Labyrinthitis which destroyed the balance in my one ear and then (about 9 years later) destroyed the balance in my other ear. Your body eventually learns to compensate using your eyes and your body. I have fine balance now. I mean, I'm not tightrope walking, but I would say that it is basically the same as before my two attacks. Of course, those attacks occured when I was 21 and 28 -- so I was still pretty young. Compensation varies depending upon how young you are and how much you practice your vestibular exercises. It took me about 6 months on the latter attack to recover my balance. I can ride a bike. I haven't yet been on a rollercoaster but I do drive and stand on one leg sometimes when I do the Yoga that I can do.
Roger
I didn't realize that you could have your balance intact without the inner ear but I learn something new everyday with Meniere's.
Thanks for the comment!
David
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