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Meniere's disease

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Is meniere’s disease and it’s impact not part of the discussion on this web site forum? This appears to be what I’m dealing with although I experienced “sudden hearing loss” a month ago and getting treatment which hasn’t helped. I’m not sure if I’m dealing w/ sudden loss or menieres or both.

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Hi Paul I have meniere’s but it took me many years before I was diagnosed. I had SSHL in 2005 where by I woke up and was completely deaf in my left ear it never returned and was put down to infection. In 2008 my right ear started playing up.

Meniere’s disease is also called meniere’s syndrome as it’s a collective of symptoms. If like me you had hearing loss whether stable or fluctuating/ tinnitus/ vertigo / pressure in the ears it’s likely you have meniere’s.

I think I’m experiencing the reverse. Menieirres and last month Sudden Loss. My right ear was gone and now my left is very marginal. Aids in yesterday and trusting that will allow me to continue to work and deal with life. I’m ok with it all. As they say, “it is what it is” :slight_smile:

Peace to you.

What I am getting is that you are suffering from a hearing problem. If you are the one who is suffering from any kind of hearing impairment, which is attributed to any of the several different reasons, then in that scenario I would suggest you to consult a physician for that.

At the encouragement of a nutritionist I cut out all dairy product, took B 12 complex, and started eating stinging nettle daily. After 3 days I could tell a difference and now 2 weeks later my hearing is back to normal and may be getting hearing back in my right ear which has been gone for years. The dairy contributes to fluid/congestion and that caused a 5 month long loss or distortion of all sound. All of you, try dropping dairy. It may make a difference for you and I pray it does.

Ménière’s condition can create at any age, but it is more likely to happen to grownups between 40 and 60 years of age. Some individuals will have single strikes of wooziness divided by a while. Others may experience many strikes nearer together over a length of time.

I was diagnosed with Meniere’s 4 years ago by my . I wasn’t satisified and found out thru a meniere’s message board about an inner ear specialist called a neurotologist (a more specialized ENT). I went and made an appt. He did an and balancing tests. Turned out I have an Acoustic Neuroma. Alway, always…ask for an MRI when you have hearing loss, dizziness, plugged up ears, etc.

If I had just let it go and not advocated for myself, it would still be growing.

I have a very similar story–woke up one morning in '05 with significant loss and tinnitus in the left ear (Is it almost always in the left? Sure seems like it based on everything I’ve read). The loss fluctuated, as did the level of tinnitus. I had an and half a dozen hearing tests done, but the best specialist in the state could only guess that I had auditory nerve damage due to a viral infection (I had just returned from Central America and came down with what seemed like the flu). I notice brief vertigo when pressure is applied to the affected ear, as when pushing a hearing aid receiver into the canal, or when blowing my nose. It’s kind of amazing how vague the professional take on this situation is; I feel like I’ve learned more on the internet than all of the doctor and audio consultations combined.

I’ve had Menieres for the last few years and my condolences to all you others in this sorry old boat. My right ear has gone through fits and starts, now nearly gone. I chased it with a hearing aid, but I’m doubtful I will ever have anything serviceable in that ear again. What I get now is mostly noise instead of sound, and, of course, the ever-present tinnitus.

Worse than that is the vertigo. I only get attacks every few months, but they completely debilitate me. I can’t stand up, much less get to the medicine cabinet for anti-nausea drugs. So I wait for the vomiting to come (now I keep a bucket next to the bed) and try to breath through it until I can sleep again. I’m terrified that the attacks will become more frequent. I don’t think I could keep my job if it got worse.

My big gripe (ok,after griping about the condition) is the doctors’ response to it. The had nothing to say, just handed me a brochure. My gp said there’s nothing but bonine for it and the low salt diet (so far, that hasn’t had an impact). Is their disinterest based on impotence? If anyone has suggestions on good ENTs in the SF area, I’m all ears (well, one ear anyway). Any good coping skills are also most welcome, especially what to do to minimize the severity of the attacks.

I had what was considered “normal” hearing loss and tinnitus (difficulty hearing, probably due to noise exposusre) for a number of years.

Then I experienced a sudden decrease in the ability to distinguish speeech in my left ear, accompanied by a feeling of pressure in the same ear that would not go away. My hearing flucuated widely. At times I could clearly distinguish speech, other days - or hours - everything I heard in that ear was static. I grew tired of telling me to “monitor” the situation and I finally found a doctor that specializes in hearing disorders and performs implant surgery. After a series of tests, including regular hearing tests using the exact same protocol in the same booth, with the same audiologist, we were able to document the widely fluctuating hearing. This was followed by a test that involved playing a series of beeps in my ears while monitoring the neurologic response (using sensors placed on my head). The diagnosis was Meniere’s.

The treatment has been a very strict low/sodium diet and taking acetazolemide to reduce the (as I understand it) the fluid pressure in the inner ear. I seem to have fewer
“brown outs” in my hearing (episodes of buzzing and static) when i follow the strict low
sodium diet and the proper intervals of medication. The goal is not a cure, but to stabilize the situation.

I do not foresee getting better, but not getting worse. I was only able to do this because I was persistant and did not accept the ENTs advice. My situation was NOT normal.
Good luck!

What I’ve found with most doctors is they are fast to prescribe drugs to “cure” whatever they are dealing with but very slow to try diet changes to solve the problem. A friend of mine who is a retired doctor told me once “very few doctors know very much about nutrition and fewer still eat a proper diet,” so you are probably lucky to have found someone that could help you.

I just finished five days of prednisone, and it seemed to help. It was an atypical episode, mild and lasting a week, rather than acute and brief. I always thought it was flu or food poisoning. :o Going to start taking meclizine 12 1/2 mg to see if it will reduce dizziness/nausea and prevent episodes.

Caffeine, nicotine, salt, glut and fast cycles, stress, anything can set it off.

You don’t want to stay on Prednisone to long as the side effects and addiction to it can be worse than the disease you are trying to cure. Look up what long term use of Prednisone can do to you.

Yeah-- it is not a pleasant feeling. The prednisone jitters. Five days is about all I can stand, if it breaks up the reaction. Hopefully I won’t have to take it often. And of course, the side effects are dizziness and nausea-- so you really can’t tell if it is working until you are done with it. Except I knew!! :smiley:

Hello…Here in the Netherlands there are 2 specialists/doktors who advice “utermolen” glasses (with prisma) for people with meniere.
There are a lot of people who have very positive experiences with those glasses…
Are these utermolen glasses known in US?

:confused::confused: I have an “eye muscle imbalance” and have prism correction in my glasses. It might help reduce the frequency of what I call “flickering” (caused by problems with sense of balance) but I never connected the two problems.

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