What is Meniere's Disease? Is it as hopeless as people think?

I have lived with Meniere's Disease since 1996, but since 2002 I've been symptom free. There are very good reasons for that. I hope if you are reading this and you either have Meniere's yourself or someone you care about has it, this will give you some hope and helpful information.

You can read my own story in full here:menieres-help.com

What helped me beat Meniere's Disease

Listen to how I was able to live symptom free after years of vertigo and dizziness. I was sceptical about this but it certainly worked for me....if you want to know more about the system of supplements I take, go to: Menieres-Help.Com/System.php

         What Is Meniere's Disease?

Firstly this condition is not technically a disease as such. It is what is known as an 'idiopathic' condition. A medical dictionary would define this as 'self originated' or of an 'unknown cause'. Basically they do not know what causes it. But it is a degenerative condition, meaning it gets worse with time.

It is a disorder of the inner ear, where it is believed that a build up of fluid puts pressure on the hearing and balance nerves. The fluid gathers in the 'endolymphatic sac' at the end of the labyrinth that is the inner ear. The sac balloons, which results in the pressure on the nerves. You may hear this referred to as 'endolymphatic hydrops'. Experts think that the sac ruptures, causing two inner ear fluids that should be kept separate to mix, causing the worst symptoms of Meniere's.

This is what they "believe" happens, but there is no way for sure to find out as this part of the ear is impossible to see.
The theories as to the cause of Meniere's and the focus of scientific investigation include possibilities such as noise pollution, viral infections, middle ear infections, head injuries, syphilis, bacterial infections, stress, fatigue, alcohol, smoking and allergies. None of these have been clinically proven yet.

There are many other possible 'triggers' that seem to have a common theme among sufferers. (see the 'Triggers and what to do about them' page)

What does all this mean for the actual sufferer? Well, this condition is not fatal, nor is it contagious. It is a chronic condition however. It seems to affect everyone slightly differently and can range from troublesome at best to totally debilitating and terrifying at worst. Some people only experience one or two symptoms; others the whole lot.
If there is such a thing, classic symptoms of Meniere's include: fullness in the ear, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, vertigo (shocking abnormal sense of movement, usually spinning uncontrollably) and hearing loss.

Meniere's sufferers will talk about brain fog, disorientation, confusion, inability to concentrate, sudden exhaustion, light sensitivity and noise sensitivity. It is a very lonely condition to have to live with and can lead to depression and a sense of hopelessness.

A bout of vertigo can lead to severe exhaustion and the sufferer can be incapacitated for the rest of the day afterwards, sometimes longer. This makes holding down a job very difficult and people often find themselves having to give up work altogether. Some are even afraid to go out of the house alone for fear of what may happen. Even the lights and aisles of the supermarket may spark attacks. It is a miserable existence.

Anybody can get Meniere's, male or female, young children to old age pensioners.

Existing treatments vary from drugs like antihistamines, anticholinergics, sedatives, anti-emetic agents, diazapam or diuretics, to surgery like endolymphatic shunt implants, vestibular nerve sections and various steroid injections into the ear. All of these are designed to relieve symptoms. They are not cures. They do not tackle the root cause.

For a more detailed description go to: menieres-help.com

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The beginning of my story of Meniere's Disease

5 years ago I was in a slight car accident. I was hit from behind. My neck snapped a little and I was feeling woozy. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital. As I was being driven there I became very nauseous and began throwing up. The EMT were baffled because that type of accident usually doesn't result in someone throwing up. This continued while I was at the hospital. I was released and sent home.

Two weeks later I was driving home in the evening as I turned into the driveway I became very dizzy and sick to my stomach. My wife worried that I was having a heart attack. I wasn't, I was having my first Meniere's attack.

I went to an ENT the following week and he tested my hearing and suggested what my problem might be. It was either vertigo or a rare disease called Meniere's. Which he described as a category that doctors put patients who have problems with their balance but don't have vertigo.

Well, I was tested for vertigo and I didn't have it.

So, my journey with Meniere's began.

Tried the low sodium diet, the diuretics and the balance exercises....

After the initial diagnosis of Meniere's disease I went on the low sodium diet which at first seemed to help but then stopped. I was also put on a diuretic, which makes you go to the bathroom many times a day. Didn't help. I was given exercises to help with my balance, like the sodium diet it seemed to help but in the end I was still getting sick.

Difficult times became worse

It seemed like every day I was having an attack. On the good days I would take my antivert and within an hour the spinning would go away. But on the bad days, the spinning would be intense, I would become nauseous and I would start to throw up.
The sweat would be pouring off me and i would usually end up on the floor. Unfortunately, most of the severe attacks happened at work. On 5 different occasions the EMTs would have to wheel me out of the place I work to an ambulance then to the emergency room. It was very embarassing.

Finally I went to my ENT and told him that I had to do something because this was making life unbearable especially for my six year old son who had to see his daddy this way.
He recommended a specialist who only dealt with inner ear problems.

Hoping the new treatment will work...

My new doctor was a well known inner ear specialist in Atlanta. From what I read about him he was on the leading edge of all things dealing with the inner ear, such as tinnitus and Meniere's disease.
At first he suggested the Meniett device, a relatively new device that blows pressure in your ear and supposedly lessens the chances of having an attack. Unfortunately the device is so new that the insurance companies don't cover it.
The next step was the gentamicin injections, a procedure that I describe later in this lens. I would get 4 injections total with the injections being spaced out every 2 weeks.
At this point I was ready for anything but the attacks were still coming.

The gentamicin injections

Gentamicin injections are given to Meniere's patients to kill the balance hairs in the inner ear; these hairs send signals to the brain about your balance. The injections are given in the ear that has the Meniere's disease. (Ask your doctor about how he determines which ear is bad. In my case the ear that I had the most hearing loss was treated)

I was given 4 injections over the course of eight weeks. Although my doctor told me there would be little pain, the procedure seemed very painful to me and I felt dizzy after each session.
When all the injections were given, I felt like I had made great progress. The dizzy spells were almost gone and I felt pretty good. But that didn't last long.

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