How Long for Low-Sodium Diet to Work? (Or Does It?)

Hi all,
I've mostly given up on getting rid of "the ring," but am desperately trying to manage the pressure/fullness from what the doc believes to be cochlear or endolymphatic hydrops. Background: I had a stapedectomy a year ago and it relieved me of many other horrible issues, but the awful (ungodly) fullness and pressure is chronic. I'm on a diuretic now, as well as Florical, and have knocked my sodium intake way, way, way down from what was, admittedly, probably a very high amount. Has anyone had success with a diuretic and low-salt diet -- and how long did it take to see results?

 

Hi vegasjon, I don't have an answer for your post, but I was going to post something similar a little while back about the success rate with a low sodium diet. I too have eaten too much salty foods as I admit I love salt. I also have a lot of problems with fullness and pressure in my ears also and it has escalated to getting pretty bad with moderate to near severe pain at different times. Dizziness to boot. I hope some people answer your post with some positive results. I'll be checking to see also. Please hang in there my friend, you're not alone. God Bless...... Rich

 

I'm tempered to start drinking cucumber/celery juice as I read somewhere is a good natural diuretic.
Maybe that would help with the pressure I also have.
Sorry I have no experience with low sodium diet, you will probably have to be persistent for few months at least to see if it helps.
I'm using Celtic salt in cooking, for years now, its suppose to be a healthy salt but I'm not sure how it compares to usual supermarket salt in terms of sodium content.

 

Salt is evil for me. If I eat salt laden food Im done the t and H go up to 8-9. You cant eat salt or you will get a spike that lasts for the day. Potassium based food will help ease the spike.

 

I have a low salt diet due to Menieres but diuretics set my asthma off so carn't take it.
My son had the same opp as you but is ok but had a second opp a few years later to remove a mass growing in his middle ear....hope your ear settles down for you soon...lots of love glynis

 

Thanks to all. I'm trying to limit my sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day (closer to 1,000, when possible). When I actually assessed what I was eating, I estimate my daily intake was probably 3,000 on a "low salt" day and 4,000 or more on a "high" one. It was never an issue (so I thought) because I don't have high blood pressure. So -- now -- I'm sacrificing right and left, counting every grain of salt and looking up sodium levels on everything (literally). It's an understatement to say this is both a challenge and, frankly, depressing. If it works, then great! But I have this fear that it's going to change absolutely nothing and now, in addition to all that I'm being robbed of by whatever it is I have (Meniere's, secondary hydrops, otosclerosis, etc.), I also get to miss out on normal food. Yipee. I'm sticking with it for now, but was hoping for some first-hand recollections in regard to how it all worked out... and how long it took to feel a difference.

 

Hi Vegasjon,

I see that your question from November 2015 was never answered "how long does it take to notice an improvement in the symptoms of cholear hydrops with the use of a low sodium diet?"

I was diagnosed with cholear hydrops in late October 2017 and it was recommended that I go on a diet that contained less than 1500 mg/day sodium. Since the diagnosis, I have been able to maintain a diet that never exceeds 1500 mg/day, is typically significantly under 1000 mg/day, and may on rare occasions go as high a 1200 mg/day.

In the three weeks that I have been on this regime, my impression is that I have had mild to no improvement. I still get fluctuating hearing loss, fullness, low tone tinnitus and high tone tinnitus. Sometimes the low tone tinnitus can be a "roar". Thought I feel the frequency and duration of the "roar" may have decreased.

My impression is that I should have had a more rapid improvement. I have been unable to find a source of what to expect. My ENT/Audionuerologist wanted me to follow-up in 2 months--mid January 2018. So maybe that is how long it takes.

Since you opened this thread are you still on a low sodium diet. Have you had any improvement?

Don

 

Hi VegasJon,

Hope that you are still reading this thread. At about the 4 week point in using a low sodium diet as described above I am beginning to see a significant improvement. For the past 6 days the symptoms of fullness and tinnitus have been dramatically reduced to almost being non-existent. I am still getting some minor morning tinnitus and feeling of fullness. However, a couple of hours after rising these symptoms are generally gone.

The above said, I am still have low frequency hearing loss in my right ear and sounds are distorted. I look forward to my mid-January 2018 visit to my physician to get an objective result with an audiogram on hearing loss.

Don Barar