Ménière's disease

[ZipadiSoozi]

I am waiting for a diagnosis, although I can't see how they can tell the noise in my ears/head I have had an MRI scan to rule out brain tumour regarding the dizziness, please anybody that has Ménière's how do you manage it and are there treatments that can manage it, it is driving me bonkers, constant ear cringe/ache and don't sleep well because of the tinnitus!

sorry but nothing worked for me - had it for 18 years but it does come and go .it hasnt been constant for this time,
stemetil helps a little when i get the spinning feeling

Thank you Wfrances didn't think there was anything, I try to keep busy just so tiring, would be lovely to sit relax and be quiet, obviously that's not ever going to be possible, I do have tablets for the spinning.

I have had it for about 9 years. I have quite severe deafness and mild tinnitus in the affected year, but otherwise I have had periods of several years with no symptoms at all. I had a relapse this time last year, completely out of the blue, which I found very depressing but the vertigo was nowhere near as bad as in previous episodes.

I have never had any medication but try to stick to a low salt diet. I have to admit that I stick religiously to it when I have any symptoms, but when things improve I get complacent. Couldn't honestly say whether it makes any difference anyway.

Sorry to hear you both have had it for so long, my tinnitus is worse than the dizziness, My hearing ok at the moment, I was asked to avoid salt and caffeine, I don't add salt to anything (my sin is cheese) and I don't drink coffee. My dizzy spells last a couple of weeks then I might not get another one for 3 months, palpitations appear at the same time, maybe just stress related. It is my tinnitus that drives me insane 24/7 - thought this day an age there may be something, do you have to declare it to the DVLA I am also a swimming instructor which doesn't help matters.

I have not declared it to the DVLA. When I first suffered from it it would have been dangerous for me to drive and there's no way I would have got behind the wheel. Now the vertigo is no longer an issue. But I have no idea whether I should have reported it. It actually never crossed my mind but was never mentioned by doctors either.

It is a very scary illness when you are first diagnosed and I was terrified of how it would progress but fingers crossed it doesn't really impact on my day to day life at the moment.

The specialist told me to look Ménière's up on the Internet, that's where I got the info from about informing the DVLA, anyhow it is what it is and I don't drive either when have dizzy spells, but I do still work which can be a hazard!

Me too. In remission at the moment but I dread it coming back. I would not swim with Meniere's. Tell the DVLA to cover yourself regarding insurance. I did and was told to stop driving while they wrote to my doctor. A few weeks later I was told it was OK to drive again. Obviously I don't drive if dizzy.

Contact Meniere's Society for suport and information, and don't dig too deep on the internet--there's a lot of misinformation out there.

I wonder how it shows itself in stages, then leaves you for months, I understood it is a fluid imbalance in the ear, so how can it disappear? Sorry still learning

The way my doctor explained it is that the ear is "damaged" by a Meniere's attack but the brain and the other ear learn how to adjust and compensate. Therefore your balance improves etc. Until the next time. The disease is often said to burn itself out, meaning the ear mechanism is permanently damaged but the brain learns to live with it and compensate. At least that's my layman understanding of it.

Thank you Westendgal that makes a lot of sense, I struggle with Tinnitus which is a constant pain aswell as interfering high pitch hiss! I seem to manage the dizziness/spinning episodes better.

It's horrible, I agree. Tinnitus not too bad for me but I have permanent hearing loss on one side which is difficult. I wear a hearing aid because of it and I believe that can help with tinnitus too. Maybe worth investigating.

Sorry you're suffering.

I don't suffer hearing loss but it's good to know if a hearing aid can help Tinnitus, thank you I will look into that, I also have Misophonia, so a lot of noises like dentist drills/treatment are not possible because of the pitch. Haha I could do with ear defenders and a phychiatrist!