How Meniere's Disease Has Impacted My Life

Meniere's Disease



As far as anyone has been able to determine, it is an affliction of the inner ear. First discovered in 1861, science has not yet been able to ascertain the actual cause of the problem, except that it is suspected to be related to fluid in the ear.



Meniere's Disease affects different people differently in severity. For some the symptoms may be barely noticeable and in others they can become completely debilitating. There are a whole host of symptoms related to this affliction, and because of that it is commonly misdiagnosed.



Symptoms can include:


ringing in the ears

unsteady balance while standing or walking

otolitic crisis of Tumarkin (falling for no apparent reason)

vertigo

feelings of pressure inside the ear

nausea & vomiting

headaches



Additionally, Meniere's typically affects one ear, but those who suffer may develop symptoms in both ears. It affects men and women equally, and typically does not present itself until after the age of 50, unless there has been previous damage to the ear(s).



Meniere's episodes (attacks) are not a constant. That is to say that they vary in severity and frequency. Some experience them in clusters, for short periods, and some experience attacks that can last for days, weeks, or months at a time. Moreover, some may go through several years without symptoms, but eventually, they return. Some experience mild unsteadiness, while others must take to their beds to find some relief.



Because of the vertigo and otolic crisis of Tumarkin, Meniere's Disease can be quite dangerous.



Otolic Crisis of Tumarking: Sudden falling


Someone who experiences this particular symptom could be seriously injured. The person is standing straight, but feels as though they are falling and as a result they do in fact fall.



Statistics show that only about .02% of the population suffers from Meniere's, but those numbers are not solid considering that this disease is more often than not misdiagnosed.



As of this writing, there is little that can be done for a Meniere's sufferer. Surgery is a last resort, as it entails permanent hearing loss in the affected ear. There are some drugs available to alleviate symptoms, but there is no cure. The effectiveness of treatment methods are debatable at this time.



Hearing loss in the affected ear is inevitable. When complete hearing loss has occurred, the symptoms may disappear completely.

Pardon my English, but it sucks to have fucked up ears.

I suffer from Meniere's Disease. My symptoms are almost constant, in that I suffer from tremendous vertigo and ringing in my ears daily. I have experienced Otolic Crisis of Tumarkin, and it is not fun. I have fallen three times and once my fall resulted in an almost broken ankle. It is pretty unnerving to be standing still one minute and find yourself on the ground the next. The action of falling, for me at least, feels as though I'm in slow motion, when in reality everything is occurring in normal time.



When I am walking down the sidewalk, I can appear to be walking normally one minute, and the next I appear as though I am a staggering drunk. ( I do not drink alcohol.) I often have my son walk with me so that I can use him as a guide to avoid veering off course. The hardest thing for me to cope with in these falling and tripping episodes is the fact that I have lost control of my body. No matter how hard I try, I cannot stop the crooked steps, tripping, and falling. I can be walking down the street and all of a sudden, my right foot will cross my left and I will have tripped myself. My eyes see it happening, but my brain can't stop it.



I avoid ladders and high places, I must be careful when going up or down stairs, and I must take care to turn my head slowly, and I avoid looking up. When I tilt my head back, it is as if the whole world shifts and I lose my balance.



I have been affected by Meniere's for at least two years now and although I am under the age of 50, I did have my eardrum rupture 18 years ago.



I have measurable hearing loss in one ear, although both of my ears seem to be affected. (They both ring.) The attacks I have last for days at a time, and come on very suddenly and without warning.



I walk with my eyes directed on the ground in front of me, to avoid stepping in depressions in the landscape. To step in a small dip in the ground, can lead to a fall and/or injury. When walking on uneven ground, like when hiking, I use a walking stick.



Since realizing my new limitations, I think I've done a pretty good job of adjusting my lifestyle and habits to keep safe. However, I have noticed that while enduring a head cold, I must be ever more aware of my surroundings. Head congestion seems to make the vertigo much worse. Allergies suck!



I have not had the nerve to see if I can still ride a bicycle without falling, but I am fairly confident that I can. I really don't have too much trouble doing things while sitting, like driving a car. I only have trouble when I am standing on my feet. Dancing is difficult, but if no one is around to poke fun at me, I still do it, I have to hold onto something solid though.



Meniere's has definitely has an effect on my life, but it is manageable. I haven't stopped doing the things I enjoy, I have pretty much just learned to work around it so that I can continue to hike with my guys, for one thing.

The other day, I went for a hike with my husband. He took me to see the beaver ponds, which is a downhill hike from where we left the truck. I left my walking stick at home and boy, was that a bummer. I managed to get through the hike without incident or injury, but it wasn't easy. Truthfully, there were certain times when I was scared out of my mind, but I didn't let it show. (I know that if I get hurt, he'll never take me out hiking again; I can't have that!)
I grabbed onto trees all the way down. I must have looked messed up because I kept leaning forward toward the ground. Going back up the hillside was more like crawling up a ladder. It was easier, but still not much fun.
The views made it worth it though.
I must remember to never forget my stick again.

My Diagnosis



I went to the doctor to find out the cause of my symptoms. I told him every last one, so he ordered tests. I had blood work done, and when that showed nothing, I went in for an MRI.



The MRI was done to make sure that I was not demonstrating MS, because it does run in my family and to look for tumors or nerve damage. The result only showed the doctor that I do not have MS, but that I had sustained a head injury in the past. No tumors no answer to the question, "What's wrong with me?" I explained to the doctor that the head injury was the result of a car accident in 1998, but that I did not hit my head hard enough to lose consciousness. So, that was not part of this equation.



The doctor was stumped. I left his office feeling quite frustrated.



While talking about my symptoms with a friend, she told me that my problem sounds exactly like her mother's. Then she asked me if I'd ever heard of Meniere's disease. I'd never heard of it and had no idea how to even spell it, but it made me curious. I went home to look it up in my medical encyclopedia; yes an actual book.



I turned to the index and scanned all of the Ms and found it! Meniere's Disease.When I finished reading the page, I sat there dumfounded; it described me to a T.



I went back to the doctor and told him of my discovery, and he concurred with my self-diagnosis, and lamented all the money he spent on medical school.



With his agreement with my assessment, I went to Google to find out all I could about it. Had I not done so much research I think that I would not be able to work around it as well as I have been able to.