DH Meniere's disease flare up, any advice?

[WishIcouldhelphim]

DH's ear went fuzzy then the vertigo hit and he is being sick literally non stop. Have called 111 who are sending an ambulance. I can't touch him as it makes him sick, he is currently clinging to the loo unable to move. This is the 3rd time it's happened to him and he has been told it's Meniere's disease.

I keep checking out the windows for the ambulance, but it's a Saturday night so of course it's their busiest time and they've advised it may be a wait.

Has anyone had treatment for this, such an an operation that I have read about? I'm hoping to hear of some experiences or advice as I feel so helpless I can't do anything. Thank you

Meniere’s disease takes a lot of investigative work and time to diagnose, and is often mistaken for other things with similar / identical symptoms .
Who diagnosed / told him?

It could be that but I would also investigate labyrinthitis. That’s more likely (and passes, unlike Meniere’s) .

I had these exact symptoms quite a few times. My first attack happened at work so I was clinging onto the toilet there being sick for 2 hours. Thankfully I was at home for the next few. (And once on Weymouth beach- thankfully I had the DCs buckets 🤢)

I wouldn’t call an ambulance. Is thAt what 111 recommended? It’s horrific but it passes. I’m not sure what a and e could do tbh. It will pass and then he should go and see his GP when it passes and ask for a referral to ENT.

Also it’s worth investigating ear crystals. That would be your ideal as it’s the most easily remedied.

A former colleague has it, and AFAIK, it's controlled with medication - he never mentioned flare-ups like this, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen, just thst i don't know.

Hope the ambulance arrived okay and all is being sorted.

I’m not sure what a and e could do tbh.

Rehydrate him. Run tests.

@EBearhug

It depends on whether he has officially been diagnosed with merniere’s or whether someone has just suggested it. That wouldn’t be tested for in A and E.

If it’s not already been diagnosed then the best place for him (only anecdotal evidence from my own and others experiences) is to wait for the vomiting to stop, drink plenty of fluids with rehydration tablets if necessary and get some rest. Then make a Gp appointment to start the investigations.

Its horrific at the time. I had this periodically over 4/5 years but I don’t think that an ambulance or a wait in A and E would have been pleasant or necessary on any of the occasions.

OP it’s awful but it’s not life threatening and he’ll want to be in his own bed when it passes which it does. It just takes a while for an attack to pass sometimes. I hope it does for him soon.

If he experiences sudden severe drop in hearing you have a max of 72 hours to get the right treatment (steroids and injections into the inner ear) or he will likely have permanent hearing loss

In the absence of sudden hearing loss it could be labyrinthitis and the crystals in the vestibular canals have dislodged which can remedy itself or you can go and see and ent consultant privately for board treatment

It’s not an ambulance situation. It is not a life or death situation, unpleasant but unless he physically cannot move / crawl to the car an ambulance is a waste of resources

When was the first time it happened to him?

I too would consider labrinthitis as a GP told me he has seen 3 cases close together and hadn’t seen a single case in the previous 20 years.

I don’t agree and he sounds extremely unwell, she can’t just leave him suffer and it needs investigation.

My parent had Menieres. Your DH should be on a low sodium diet. No added salt at all. It's about fluid balance in the ear. Medication is Betahistine Dihydrochloride and Bendroflumethiazide. They also had an operation to fit a shunt to one ear.

I remember the vertigo attacks, awful to witness. They were unlucky in having repeated attacks in both ears, but fortunate to have a world renowned specialist looking after them. Never have their ears cleaned using irrigation, always microsuction.

How long do the attacks last?
My Ménière’s went into remission and thankfully hasn’t fully reared its head again.

Im so sorry you’re going through this. My husband was initially diagnosed with Menieres and it was hellish. The vertigo was severe and at one point we were looking at him needing to retire on medical grounds, give up his driving licence etc.We had a young family and it was a very scary time.

Does your husband have any other symptoms? Mine was in and out of the doctor for years and was even laughed at for the various seemingly minor ailments that were making his life unpleasant - fatigue, dry eye, cold hands and feet, dry mouth, poor sleep, unexplained joint pain - the list went on. Not all at once but always something. I also noticed that when an attack was imminent his temper became very difficult (when he’s well he is the loveliest man). He also got heightened colour in his cheeks at that time.

After years he was finally diagnosed with Sjogren’s - an auto immune condition. Treatment helped a lot. Worth looking into in case any of this resonates with you. My heart does go out to you both. It’s a lot to deal with. Not life threatening (nor is Menieres)) but plays havoc with quality of life. However there is treatment out there to help, you just have to keep pushing.

My parent also had Meniere's. As the previous poster said, a low sodium diet from now on is essential. My father completely cut all salt out and it made a massive difference to the frequency and severity of his attacks.

My dad has it. At first they thought he had a stroke and it turned out not to be that so they released him from hospital awaiting an outpatient ENT appt. I did a lot of research and got him into a physiotherapist who taught him the Epley manoeuvre, sent him a private ENT who diagnosed and got him on the right meds, recommended he drastically reduce caffeine and salt.He hasn't had a flare up in over a year. He was all sorted by the time his NHS appointment came through 6 months later. Dad can now do the epley maneuvere on himself when he thinks an episode might be coming.

Hope he feels better.

Hi everyone, thank you all so much for your advice.

For those that said A&E and calling an ambulance was not necessary, it was 111 that sent the ambulance due to his medical history and that he was deathly pale.

He was given an anti sickness injection and had his blood pressure and ECG done, they decided to admit him to hospital as they weren't happy with his results, so it's a good job 111 did send an ambulance.

We have to wait to see an ENT specialist and they've advised there are injections he can have or an operation on his inner ear. It is utterly debilitating so I really feel for him.

I will take on board the advice from you kind posters and investigate it further.

Thank you for your kindness xx

I'm glad things are moving along OP, how horrible for you both.

Another poster referred to this: vestibular rehab. Involves specialist manoeuvres by a trained professional (Epley manoeuvre? Don't quote me on that). I don't know whether this is appropriate for your DH but worth googling or mentioning.

I hope he feels better soon.

DH's is managed very well through amitriptyline, hearing aid and dietary exclusions (had to spend a lot of time working out the triggers). Is Meuniere's officially diagnosed by an ENT consultant? It takes a long time and - i don't want to alarm you - but usually they want to rule out other more urgent causes for vertigo like brain tumours for example. I am glad you called the ambulance. We have sometimes needed to. It is a terrifying condition sometimes.