Greeting Everyone, I'm Will and I was told on Monday that my Doctor believes I have Meniere's. He's sending me to an ENT next week for confirmation. About a year ago, I started waking up with ringing in my right ear. It would last for 3 or 4 days and then go away, only when it went away, I'd get a bad cold. Back in July, while at work with my ear ringing, I suddenly had a real bad case of Vertigo. My wife came and got me, but she had to stop on the side of the road so I could empty my stomach. My Doctor thought I just had a sinus problem that was causing the pressure in my ear. Everything returned to normal, until a week ago Monday. The ringing in my ear returned and on Saturday, I had another Bad case of Vertigo while out shopping. I made it home somehow, and was sick all the way until Monday, when I saw my doctor. The ear pressure and ringing is still present right now, so I'm going to see if my doc can give me something to help me cope until I see the ENT. Questions: Does it sound to you like I have Meniere's? I really need something to stop the pressure and ringing. Are there meds that can help relieve the ringing and pressure? Please share your thoughts if you could... Thank you for having a place I can share and vent once in a while.... Will
Hi Will, Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you dropped by - there are lots of supportive and knowledgeable people here who can help while you go through this trying time. To say your symptoms sound like meniere's would be wrong because there are a number of different disorders (many more treatable than meniere's) that all share similar symptoms. You have not undergone enough testing for an accurate diagnosis yet. Meniere's is a diagnosis of exclusion (as there is no known cause) so first the ENT you are referred to should test to rule out other issues. Here's a link that describes the most common of them...(you'll probably want to turn down your speakers) http://www.menieres.org/jacki/jackis70.htm As for the pressure and ringing in your ear, yes there is definitely help with that. Most of us who have received the meniere's diagnosis are put onto a low sodium diet (1500mg/daily) and given a diuretic. This approach usually helps a whole lot with the pressure, and somewhat with the tinnitus (ringing in the ear). Others should be along shortly to offer sound advice. One bit I can offer (I'm rather new at all this myself) - the best thing you can do right now is prepare for your upcoming ENT appointment by writing down all your symptoms, details on when they seem to be aggravated (ie. vertigo or tinnitus after a stressful event, high sodium foods, caffeine, msg, etc.). That way you will be best prepared to give your doctor an accurate description. All the very best to you. Please stick around - and vent whenever needed! Amethyst
Hi Will and welcome - Amethyst did such a great job with her answer that I have little else to offer. You can also try Dramamine or Bonine (over the counter meds) for motion sickness. It might help until you get more info from your doc. Also, stress and fatigue can make things worse. So try to get sufficient sleep/rest and cope with/reduce stress as much as possible.
Welcome Will. Amethyst may be new at this but as Linda said she did a great job with her reply. I have found this place to be my salvation! You can get what you need from here. Support, a place to vent, friends, information and even laughs. Don't be afraid to ask questions or tell what you've learned. We are all trying to figure out what works best for each one of us. Meniere's is a strange disease and not everyone is the same. Good luck and keep us informed!
Yes, it hard to beat Amethyst's reply. I noticed that you said that you were getting symptoms of a bad cold 3 to 4 days after an attack. To illustrate Amethyst's comment that many things share the symptoms of Meniere's disease, I will point out that viruses and allergies, both of which can give cold like symptoms, are just two of the micmics of Meniere's disease. In order to help your doctor disentangle your situation, it is important that you take good notes on your symtpoms. Be a detective. Try to correlate your symptoms with foods eaten, head movements, times of day, etc. Good luck with your upcoming doctor's visit. Joe
Will, Welcome to the forum. Expanding on what Joe suggested. Start a symptom journal. Record: When you eat What you eat What meds you take When you take the meds Your MM symptoms and changes thru the day (times) Stress levels Food allergies are a fairly common trigger for MM especially glutton (wheat & other grains) and dairy. If your symptoms usually get worse after eating the same type of meal then you can try eliminating that food from your diet. If you eliminate an allergen it should give you some relief with in a week or two at the most. Common triggers: Sodium MSG Stress Fatigue Wheat Dairy Less common but reported triggers: Nicotine Seasonal allergies Hormones Alcohol Caffeine Other inhalant allergies Other food allergies Weather When you go to the doctor you can do a quick synopsis for him. Good luck, Tracy
