Meniere’s triad

The other day I saw something on the web that referred to the Meniere’s triad which basically says that the main symptoms of meniere’s are vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus. That is pretty much on the money however I wouldn’t say that it covers all the major symptoms.

In my own case the vertigo and the hearing loss are the definitely the worse symptoms. The tinnitus that I have isn’t as bad as what others have to deal with although as I get older the rustling sound seems to be getting a lot louder. But it doesn’t have the impact that the hearing loss and vertigo has for me.

Another classic symptom of meniere’s is aural fullness usually found in your bad ear. The feeling that your ears are filling up can drive you crazy and also make you wonder if an attack is around the corner. To me it sometimes feels as though I have a lot of ear wax build up, even though I don’t. In an earlier post I wrote about aural fullness and there was a pretty good response from it. There were a lot of comments regarding tubes and other devices that might help with the situation.

Although I don’t have any hearing problem in my right ear (at least that is what I have been told) the feeling of fullness also exists there from time to time and I’m not sure what causes that over than cold weather and possibly having a cold.

Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed

Thanks

Is Meniere’s making you look older?

Recently I had a few pictures taken with my son and I have copies made to send to my Mother. Of course you loved the photos of my 10 year son but she seemed surprised at how I looked. She wasn’t sure if I had just gained weight or what but I didn’t look the same as the last time I saw her. My weight has remained constant over the past few years so that wasn’t it (although I could certainly lose some weight!) so the only reason for my appearance change must be the Meniere’s disease.

I wasn’t convince that it was the meniere’s I thought that it was just me aging till I looked at a few pictures right before I started seeing the symptoms of meniere’s. In the seven years of meniere’s I really have aged a lot! Even my wife admits that dealing with all this can be seen in my appearance. And considering what you go through with this disorder it really shouldn’t be a surprise.

I remember a comment from Lauri about a week ago where she also said that meniere’s has been dragging her down as well..

“I'm SERIOUSLY glad that you guys aren't looking ill...I'm jealous, because frankly, I look like hell.”

Now, I certainly know where she is coming from.

Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed

Thanks

Meniere’s disease and dental amalgam

First of all I would like to thank everybody for their comments on the last post. It is good to hear about other folk’s experience and how they feel about Meniere’s disease.

The other day I received a comment about something called dental amalgam. At the time I couldn’t remember if I had heard anything about before so I looked it up. It has to do with the amount of mercury that is found in dental fillings and whether it has any effect on meniere’s.

From what I read this has been a controversial subject for quite a while. There have been many folks that say that mercury or silver fillings can be toxic, among other things. But that isn’t the opinion of the CDC that says it is very safe.

As far as the connection between it and Meniere’s disease, I really don’t know. I have read that mercury poisoning can have effects on our hearing and possibly tinnitus. There are also similar symptoms of mercury poisoning and Meniere’s disease. Does it all add up to say that mercury poisoning or dental amalgam can cause Meniere’s disease, I just don’t know about that. While I don’t always trust everything that the CDC or the government says there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidences to conclude that there is a connection.

Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed

Thanks

What is the biggest problem about Meniere’s disease?

Meniere’s disease presents so many possible problems that it is difficult at times to think of the one that really brings you down. And part of the mystery of Meniere’s disease is that it can be very different from one person to the next. You might have a lot of ringing in the ears (tinnitus) where as someone else might not. In my own case I have some buzzing sounds but not as much as others. The vertigo or dizziness is certainly different with some folks, your attacks might be longer and some might be more intense. So it is hard to pinpoint which is the biggest problem.

Personally I would have to say that not working and having a lot of stress about that is probably at the top of my list. Although the counseling sessions that I had certainly helped. (I would recommend counseling if meniere’s has really got you down) another stressor that we have talked a lot about is the worry of when an attack is going to happen. This can drive you drink (just kidding don’t drink it only makes it worse)

Of course the biggest problem for most people is dealing when an attack actually happens. It comes out of nowhere and it could happen at any time.  It is certainly tough to be prepared when an attack begins. Even when it is over you feel horrible and exhausted, the recovery, which could take days, is like getting over the flu.

So what is your biggest Meniere’s problem?

Let me know

Thanks

Meniere’s and acoustic neuroma

 In a past post I had written about conditions that are similar to Meniere’s disease. One of those conditions is acoustic neuroma. In the past week I received a comment asking about the condition.

According to the Library of Medicine acoustic neuroma is “a slow-growing tumor of the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. This nerve is called the vestibular cochlear nerve. It is behind the ear right under the brain. An acoustic neuroma is not cancerous (benign), which means it does not spread to other parts of the body. However, it can damage several important nerves as it grows.”

Common symptoms of acoustic neuroma are vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus which are all common with meniere’s too.  Fortunately surgery and radiation can remove the tumor that is causing the problem.

This is the comment from Maureen…

“I just experienced my first episode of vertigo yesterday. It was a drop attack as I've seen others describe it. Walking one minute, the next falling to the floor and hit my face on the wall while trying to stabilize myself. Very disconcerting, I have to say. I have been diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma in my right ear. The problem is that my left ear is giving me the trouble now. Aural fullness, very loud ringing and now vertigo. The neuroma has taken most of my hearing in my right ear, so I'm scared to lose more hearing on the left. Has anyone ever heard of suffering from both meniere's and an acoustic neuroma?”

Although the symptoms are similar I am not really sure if you can have them both at the same time. It is best to check with your ENT.

For more information go to the acoustic neuroma association.

Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed

Thanks