Ive been ill for the past 3 weeks with what is thought to be Meniere's Disease, an idiopathic condition of the inner ear. Vertigo, or the feeling of dizziness and spinning, hearing loss, nauceousness, vomitting are all symptoms. I am now going to a specialist who is sending me for
numerous blood tests and an MRI to discount other illnesses.
Has anyone else experienced this disabling disease? What did YOU do to get
well and move on?
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February 22, 2011 - 7:00pmThis Comment
Hi ellenruth - Here's a link to information on another way to treat Meniere's which you may find helpful. Pat
https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2010/04/14/dizziness-disorders-new-specialized-treatments-available
April 28, 2010 - 7:17pmThis Comment
Hey Ellenruth Sorry to hear about your experiences with Meniere's. As you can read above, I had a 30 day long bout of vertigo, vomiting, etc. and it was hell. I did not try the valium as I have to work every day and need to be able to function properly. Lucky for me, I have not had another episode for over a year now and am not on any meds. As Diane reported in her research, different things work for different people and I have discovered that same feeling in my research and talking to different people. I did, however, lose my hearing completely on my left side and am left with a high pitched buzz that has never let up from the onset. I have gotten used to that.
April 26, 2010 - 11:00amI am going to try to get authorized for a BAHA hearing device when my finances are in better shape--costs somewhere about $25,000-$35,000 and insurances do not cover hearing costs.Hope you are finally feeling better and please write if you need any further information. Lucille
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I have recently been diagnosed with Meniere's disease. Have had three attacks in 6 weeks. I have been to family doctors, two specialist, had an MRI - two sets of hearing tests, steroid theraphy, then recently injections of steroid in the eardrum I only got one day of relief from the internal steroid injections. Was told only thing to help the balance disorder was Meclazine or valium - but I get so tired by afternoon that I hate taking any medice. A person in my office says he takes Herpes medicine to control the Menieres called Valtrex--has anyone heard of this or know of any results using it? I went online to ask for other solutions and see Accupuncture so I am going to call and see what that might do for my balance issues and concentration...
April 17, 2010 - 3:11pmThis Comment
Hi, Ellenruth,
I have periodic bouts of vertigo that last two or three days at a time (though I have not been diagnosed with anything). I really feel for you. Vertigo is a horribly disruptive, bothersome and even scary symptom. I do take Meclazine when I'm having a round of vertigo -- if it makes you too sleepy, half a tablet might work for you.
Tell me about your concentration issues. How bad are they and have they been related to the Meniere's?
Do you happen to have bad allergies? Have they been bothering you lately?
Here is a link to the Meniere's Disease Information Center, and a lot of information on different treatments that have worked for different people.
http://www.menieresinfo.com/treatment.html
Here's what it says on this page about Valtrex and other anti-viral medications:
"We are hearing anecdotal reports from patients who are (perhaps by their own demand) being treated with antiviral drugs such as acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex) -- with mixed results. This apparently responds to a few studies finding a tenuous (in our view) connection between the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Meniere's Disease. (Read more at the herpes simplex virus section of our Cause Page.) No study in PubMed states for a fact that HSV is a cause of Meniere's Disease. There are almost no studies to be found at PubMed on the subject of treating Meniere's Disease with acyclovir or other antiviral drugs and none that finds that an antiviral drug is effective in treating vertigo caused by Meniere's Disease."
So I imagine that's discouraging, but it also says on the same page that different treatments work for different patients. One of the reasons I asked you about allergies was that both my mother's and my vertigo spells seem to coordinate with times when certain allergens are very high in the environments where we live. (Mold, especially.)
Will you come back and tell us about your experience with acupuncture?
April 26, 2010 - 10:01amThis Comment
hi susan
December 16, 2009 - 10:10pmThankfully I have not had any further bouts of Meniere's and my balance is mostly ok--fluctuates daily tho. I am working on getting a BAHA approved by my company insurance. An interesting note about that. In requesting approval, they approved $850!!!! That's it for the device and surgery because it is a "hearing aid". I was told by the cochlear company to re-apply for it under my prosthetic benefit as the government has reclassified the BAHA as a prosthetic device s opposed to a "hearing aid". So thats my current project.
Lucille
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Hi Brandelena
May 27, 2009 - 6:28pmI had my last occurrence of Meniere's Disease symptoms in 9/08. I just regained my balance about a month ago. I lost my hearing in my left lear permanently and totally so thats been quite a disability for me and Im very self conscious about it. A "regular" hearing aid doesnt help with this sort of one sided deafness. I am in the early stages of applying for a BAHA device, bone anchored hearing aid with is implanted in your skull behind the ear. Most insurance companies dont pay for hearing devices and this is very expensive, so I'm hoping for the best. Let me
know how you are doing and write back if you want to chat.
Lucille/Phoenix, AZ
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I just found out I have Meniere's Disease. I have had symptoms for the past 5 years, ended up in the ER twice. No one knew what was going on. I can handle the ringing in the ears thing, however the sick days with vertigo and throwing up I can't. I am also so scared to maybe loose my hearing. Is the hearing loss usually in one ear only do ya'll know? Can you get hearing aides? Also what is the best Vertigo medicine that you think works best for you? Thanks, Brandelena
May 27, 2009 - 5:37pmThis Comment
I’m sorry to hear you were diagnosed with Ménière's disease. While there is no cure yet, there are ways to control the symptoms such as:
Reducing the body’s retention of fluids through dietary changes including switching to a low-salt or salt-free diet, and cutting out caffeine and alcohol;
Changes in medication that help with allergies or improve blood circulation in the inner ear may help;
Reducing stress;
You may also try eliminating tobacco;
And according to the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders surgeries may help with vertigo including:
"Labyrinthectomy (removal of the inner ear sense organ) can effectively control vertigo, but sacrifices hearing and is reserved for patients with nonfunctional hearing in the affected ear.
Vestibular neurectomy, selectively severing a nerve from the affected inner ear organ, usually controls the vertigo while preserving hearing, but carries surgical risks.
Recently, the administration of the ototoxic antibiotic, gentamycin directly into the middle ear space has gained popularity worldwide for the control of the vertigo of Ménière's disease."
Did you doctor discuss any of these with you? What has worked for you so far?
October 1, 2008 - 11:43amThis Comment
Ada, how are u doing these days? I know last year you were having a terrible time with vetigo.
May 27, 2009 - 6:24pmLucille/Phoenix, AZ
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