What is your guesstimate on what brought on your Meniere’s?

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by Carmen121, Jun 30, 2009.

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  1. Carmen121

    Carmen121 God grant me the serenitity...to accept.....

    I believe this topic has been discussed before, but it would be worth noting for our newer members (including me). I’m curious to see what we have and haven’t got in common – I know there are as many reasons for developing this disease as they are colors and sometimes we really do not know at all???....Thought it would be interesting to re-visit, here were my factors: allergies, severe sinus infections, menopausal, a deafening loud noise and heredity (mom has it too) :eek:. How about you? ???
     
  2. June-

    June- New Member

    Candidates in order of importance imo

    1) severe viral infection (mono) 9 months earlier that went on for months
    2) I had gnat bites directly below the affected ear the week of the onset of symptoms
    3) quit smoking 10 days earlier that upset the apple cart in some way
    4) major construction a my house when this happened including all kinds of noise, material exposure, carbon monoxide detectors going off ...

    All the doctors' (except my primary) guess an immune reaction resulting from surgery on the other ear 10 years earlier.
     
  3. poppaharley

    poppaharley Meniere's: God's answer to a free merry-go-round

    The only reason that I can think of for having meniere's is that I'm alive and one of the unlucky ones that got hit with the "tag you got it" stick.

    Seriously, I cannot point a finger to any single thing or even a series of things where I can say, "that's it". I tend to believe that it can be caused by a virus, but I wasn't sick any time immediately pededing the start of my symptoms. I've carried the HSV-1 (cold sore) virus virtually all my life and I had the chicken pox (herpes zoster) when I was a kid. But why did I not develop symptoms until I was nearly 63?

    The year I started was one of the worst Spring's around here for allergies, but I never had problems with allergies for 63 years of my life. I'll admit I should probably have that explored, but I do not notice any change in symptoms whether or not I'm indoors, outdoors, winter, summer, etc.

    There is some coincidental evidence that stress and rising blood pressure could play a part since I seem to feel better during and for several weeks after a really good vacation. But then, I endured a high stress job for years and didn't start with Meniere's symptoms till about 4 months after I retired. Go figure.

    I think I'm developing arthritus in my hands (an autoimmune condition). I can't say whether that started before the Meniere's or after. Is it in any way related? Neither of my doctors think so.

    I was a salt-a-haulic all my life and now I'm lo-so. It seems to have helped in reducing the frequency of vertigo attacks from 4 a month to 4 a year. However, that could change again and it hasn't done anything to stop the cyclic fullness, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Did my body finally overdose on salt and manifest it in my ear? If so, it took over 6 decades.

    So, Carmen, I don't know how long you've been on this slippery slope, but if you can come up with the magic correlation that points to the definitive cause, then you shall indeed be a candidate for the Nobel Prize in medicine.

    Tony
     
  4. Wobbles

    Wobbles Storm (April 15, 1992 - November 17, 2006)

    When I had had my first vertigo attack and went to see doctor, he ordered a blood test that showed me to have hyperthyroidism. This was eventually diagnosed as Graves Disease, an autoimmune disease. Years later I was diagnosed with a blood disorder that is notorious for immune system dysfunction. So I suspect that my ear problems are probably immune system related. It could be that I had a virus that set things off. I do not know.

    Like you say, I think there are many routes into the MM syndrome. I think this helps explain the widely different levels of severity that can be experienced. In my case I seemed to have more problems with balance/dizziness and fewer problems with hearing loss.


    Joe
     
  5. gardenfish

    gardenfish New Member

    I can only imagine I was someone's worst enemy at some time years ago and they and a wish...
     
  6. AKJim

    AKJim Giant's Causeway Northern Ireland

    Probable viral illness with dizziness 1967 then Meniere's left ear 1970. Viral illness with dizziness 1981. Atypical Meniere's right ear 1983. Also a lot of exposure to noise and barotrauma from flying and altitude chamber rides. Also atypical Migraines since early 60s.

    Jim
     
  7. jim1884again

    jim1884again advocating baldness be recognized as a disability

    alien abduction is my theory,
    but the medical community would likely say autoimmune issues, allergy (and the two are related), a remote chance something viral, and the big "who knows for sure?"
     
  8. carolyn33

    carolyn33 New Member

    I had alot of ear aches when I was a child... My uncle had this and so did my grandmother although there was no name for it back then.
    Nothing 'triggered' it ...........It is what it is..........
     
  9. yanksgirl

    yanksgirl New Member

    I don't know but auto-immune system going 'amuk' seems to be the most logical reason. I do think it runs in families. My Mother had it. I also think a virus can trigger it---even the auto immune system thing. I developed primary Raynaud's a few years ago. Then in 2006 had bad shingles on the right side of my face (the left ear is where the hearing loss and symtoms all occur for me). However, having had the Raynaud's (auto immune caused) and the viral caused shingles, it makes me lean in the direction of an auto-immune system malfunction. A question no one seems to have the answer for.
     
  10. wlyeager

    wlyeager Fly fishing is good for the soul

    Bad karma....................
     
  11. carolyn33

    carolyn33 New Member

    Texansrme- wow lot of us have bad karma then.....whewwwww!
     
  12. survivedit

    survivedit New Member

    I think it was stress kicking the herpes simplex 1 virus into 'active' mode.

    Bob
     
  13. Linda1002

    Linda1002 New Member

    Don't know...doesn't matter.
     
  14. Bastet

    Bastet New Member

    Ear infection in college. Suffered with tinnitus with no other symptoms for 10 years. I was told I wouls just have to *live with it*. Then the dizzyness started, followed by vertigo.
     
  15. Bluesky

    Bluesky New Member

    Family history of sneezing fits...allergic to the world LOL!!!

    Positve for dust-mites and early pollens.

    MM hit right ear 1999..no cold...nothing..vertigo with sudden hearing loss.Tinnitus

    MM hit left ear 2001..nasty cold, stressed..BANG..horrible vertigo and sudden hearing loss. Tinnitus.
     
  16. AmyNMikeS

    AmyNMikeS One of the many things I can no longer do

    What caused it...who knows. What triggered the very first attack...riding a roller coaster at Cedar Point the second time around. Blacked out at top of first drop....not good. No more roller coasters for me (other than the one they call Meniere's Disease)
     
  17. cdedie

    cdedie Designed by DizzyNBlue

    Don't know for sure but Hubbie and I think that a vestibular virus way back in 1979/80 never went away, would kick up every so often (once went 5 years without vertigo!!) and finally settled into Meniere's.

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
     
  18. Omegaman

    Omegaman New Member

    Re: What is your guesstimate on what brought on your Meniere’s?

    This is a subject that has driven me crazy for three years now...

    Was it the abuse my ears took when I played in bands?

    Was it all the loud music I listened to over the years?

    Was it the iPod I bought 3 months before this started?

    Is it autoimmune, like my Crohn's Disease, even though the blood test supposedly showed it not to be autoimmune?

    Is it genetic, like my dad's ear problem and my brother's ear problem?

    Was it something I ate or breathed or drank?

    Was it the noise from shooting even though I always wear ear protection?

    Was it that CAT that followed my son home before this started?

    WAS it karma?????

    I guess if I knew it wouldn't make any difference, but still...
     
  19. peggoins

    peggoins Stop the world from spinning!!

    I believe mine came about after a bout where i had an ear infection.. Peg
     
  20. Jenny

    Jenny Nystagmus sucks. A lot.

    I just know a few people in my family who have it, though none of them as bad as me. Whatever it is, I think that for some people it can be passed along geneticly.


    Or somewhere along the lines I came across a very angry wizard....
     

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