Diagnosed with Meniere's Disease...

About a month and a half ago, I woke up with my left ear clogged....basically like I had an earplug or cotton ball in my ear. This literally occurred overnight. I didn't worry too much about and figured it would go away on it's own, but then I had a vertigo attack. In the last month, I've had a few of these attacks which include severe dizziness as well as lots of vomiting. It's a terrible feeling and an attack can strike at any moment. I had one at work, and the worst one was a couple weeks ago when it woke me out of my sleep. I couldn't hardly stand, had to almost crawl to the bathroom. After about an hour, I stabilized and later that day, I felt perfectly fine.

I went to the local ENT doctor and was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease and I shudder to think that this could be my life now. The doctor didn't even run any tests, I was diagnosed on the spot after explaining to him what I was feeling. I'm 27 and I understand that Meniere's typically affects mostly older people. I'm always a nervous wreck wondering when the next attack might take place. The hearing in my left ear fluctuates somewhat....sometimes it's cloggy with a high-pitched shrill noise. Other times it'll open up considerably then close again. I also feel somewhat off-balance and 'out-of-it', I haven't felt completely normal since I woke up that morning. Has anybody else been through something similar? I'd like to be positive, but knowing this could be permanent is terrifying to me.

I must say, the last few days I've felt slightly better. I have a high pitched-ring in my left ear and feel a little lightheaded but I haven't had an attack in 5 days. My ear has been more 'open' and the hearing is decent, but not as good as my left ear. I've been experimenting with food and see no pattern. My last attack was on a day I ate nothing at all, a few days later I ha Burger King (bad idea I know), and I was fine. I'd go as far as to say I felt better afterward. What the heck? The randomness of it all is bizarre. I remain hopeful that perhaps this may come to pass. I woke up overnight with this after never having any issues of this nature.....might it vanish overnight as well?

 

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk .
I have Menieres and had it 10-12 years now and totally understand what you are going through .
I will support you all I can .
We have a Menieres thread too and might be a few pages back under the Support forum.
Try keep to a low salt diet as the first line of defence and medication to help like Betahistine or Buccastem or Proclorperazine.
Lots of love glynis

 

Thanks glynis. I read some of your older posts, and several times you've mentioned that Meniere's creeps up over time and itls kind of a gradual thing. For me, this is an overnight occurrence which leaves me a little confused on whether the diagnosis is correct.

 

They can do tests.
Mine came on fast but took a year to diagnose it with 4 month ENT visits.
I had vertigo badly and lots of attacks but the tinnitus came after and not long before both ears were affected.
It was hard in the first years spending lots of time in bed or on the sofa with vertigo,bouncy vission,being sick and motion sickness and pressure in my ears and hearing loss and the runs,hot swets and brain fog and spaced out....lots of love glynis x