Diagnosed with Meniere's Disease Three Months After Tinnitus: Need Help!

I was diagnosed with Meniere’s recently after three months of tinnitus, full feeling in my right ear that is very uncomfortable! I have not had vertigo but have 50% hearing loss in my affected ear.

This came out of the blue and it is so distressing. It never stops and I long for silence. It wakes me up at night and I cannot go back to sleep. I have always been a happy optimistic person and this has hit me so hard.

Does it ever get easier? Do you ever get used to it? Please give me some ideas to cope. Thank you.

 

Check out the John of Ohio regimen for Meniere's Disease. It's pretty inexpensive, all can be ordered through the mail without a prescription, and many people report great results.

http://www.zoominternet.net/~kcshop/JOH.PDF

 

Thank you so much! I will read it.

 

I do wonder how your doctor came to a diagnosis of Meniere's if you don't have any vestibular symptoms.
What kind of tests have you undergone and what were the results? (if you feel comfortable, you can post some results here and redact any personal info out)

 

He based it on my one sided hearing loss of 50%, audiology test, fullness in my ear like a great deal of fluid, and tinnitus. I am 69 years old and this came out of nowhere three months ago. My ears was examined with no visible fluid.
Does that not seem correct?

 

I'm not a doctor, so I won't give medical advice. Instead I'll give you an informative page to read about Meniere's:
http://www.earcentergreensboro.com/medical-education/menieres_disease.php

A notable excerpt:

The disease is characterized by sudden, often unpredictable, spells of rotational dizziness called "vertigo" that is usually the most bothersome symptom along with hearing loss. Episodes of true vertigo classically last from 20 minutes to 24 hours, occur unpredictably, and are usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, intense sweating, inability to walk, and general incapacitation.​

Since you explicitly said you didn't have vertigo, I got curious. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.

What has the doctor recommended for you?

 

Thank you!

 

My doctor has me on a water pill. That’s all, at the moment. I go back and see him on the 17th. I’ll have another hearing test.
This is all very frustrating. thank you for your response.

 

Upper cervical chiro can help with Menieres

 

Thank you! Does it help the tinnitus or just the vertigo?

 

I feel for you. I am 33 years old and I have the same issue. This disorder has completely destroyed my life. I have no idea how anyone gets used to this noise. Mine is so loud I cannot mask it. I lost my job and have been hospitalized several times due to nervous breakdowns. I have no idea how to continue with my life. It was absolutely great before this bullshit

 

I also lost 50% of my hearing that was perfect before. I thought a possible noise exposure was the problem but it ended up being hydrops.

 

Do you also have tinnitus? What are you doing for it?

 

Cinnarizine 15mg x 2, four times a day, can help tinnitus from Meniere's Disease.
Ask your doctor to try you on it.

love Glynis

 

Thank you, Glynis! I will ask my doctor. It helps to know there are fellow sufferers out there who can offer encouragement!
Take care.
Roberta

 

Menierre's without vertigo... Second opinion might be a good idea. I have had high-pitched whining tinnitus since 2001, developed a damaged vestibule (right ear) in 2018 resulting in severe, debilitating, hospitalized vertigo for about 3 months. Since then a new additional tinnitus in right ear only - in the evenings when the whining gets a little quieter, it sounds like the ocean.

For the vertigo - 6 doctors, 2 physical therapists, and extensive international research later, I found that neurotologists are the most definitive, ENTs are the least. To the majority of experts in this field, Menierre's simply means that you have vertigo for no discernible reason. If they determine the cause of your vertigo, then you have a condition to treat, and it is not called Menierre's. Mine turned out to be a pinched nerve in my C1 causing the trigeminal nerve to malfunction, resulting in the damaged vestibule (a very long but convincing story). Pinched nerve is still there, but when vertigo symptoms start up, neck-stretching exercises stop it (no, not the Epley Maneuver).

Tinnitus - yes, significant haring loss, continuing, but there are more important things in my life that make it all bearable, and I keep those things in front of me at all times - wife, kids, personal health, things I enjoy doing.

I wish you good luck and good health.

Gregv

 

Hi Rob,

Sorry I missed your response. Yes I have horrendous tinnitus. It's a 750 Hertz roar @ 75 decibels constantly. When this first started I would mask the noise with the loudest white noise possible. I would set it @70 decibels so I could hear the noise but not much. As my hearing continues to decline the noise continues to change but it has constantly been piercing loud. Honestly if I find no relief by the end of the year I will follow through and commit suicide. I was an engineer which is now gone. Hard to calculate something important with a noise so loud in your head. I'm also told because of my age @ 33 years old and lack of vertigo I do not qualify for SSI. So from $90k a year to zero and nothing I can do. I'm basically fucked either way. I I truly hope you find relief. Mine unfortunately will most likely only come by a cochlear implant if I qualify or death.

 

@Samantha R see above.

 

Just keep taking it one day at a time! I’d advocate for yourself for a Cochlear Implant to your doctor if they say no. And get many second opinions. Especially if hearing aids aren’t helping. You might find this article interesting:

https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/time-to-rethink-cochlear-implantation-for-adults/

 

Hi,
I’ve tagged you in another thread.
What treatments are you being given for the hydrops?
If you are not on a diuretic - get on one. This will help drain the fluid, and given you have not had hydrops for long, once the fluid is drained, you stand a very good chance of recovering your hearing.
I’ve mentioned the John of Ohio regimen and looking into autoimmune causes in my other reply.
Find a Neurologist or Otoneurologist who specialises in Meniere’s. The treatments are the same for cochlear hydrops.
There is hope, this condition can be managed with the right treatment and you can preserve your hearing.
I lost about 40% of my hearing at 500 and 750khz in June.
Completely recovered it after taking a diuretic and my ear fullness and pressure completely went.
So did the horrific tinnitus, hyperacusis and diplacusis.
My ears are completely normal.
There is every chance your initial acoustic trauma triggered the hydrops, so protecting your ears going forward is essential.
Feel free to reach out if you need more support or advice.

 

Hi @Samantha R,

Just wanted to chat to you about this awful sound I have in my right ear. The one where it sounds like there is a car engine idling outside. You had this, didn’t you? Anything you can recommend?

Lucy

 

I am sorry you are having this problem. My tinnitus started out of the blue in April. My right ear had an uncomfortable fullness and I had constant ringing in my right ear occasionally going to both. I finally went to an ENT doctor and I had 50% hearing loss. He said it was Menieres although I had no vertigo. He put me on Prednisone and a water pill. After a month, my hearing got much improved but the ringing has never stopped. It’s very noticeable when the house is quiet but it’s always there. It is hard and I long for quiet but it never comes. I have tried to just push it to the back and enjoy life. I keep telling myself it could be worse. It is not fatal.
I hope this helps.