Youngster looking for help from some veterans!

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by akem, Feb 13, 2009.

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  1. akem

    akem New Member

    Hello all! My name is Angie, I'm 22 and have been suffering from Meniere’s for about 4 years now. I have what you might consider "textbook" Meniere's (if there really is such a thing)- horrible tinnitus, sweating, debilitating vertigo, lots of vomiting- and all of course without any warning. Each attack lasts 2-4 hours and I feel “hung over” for another 4-6 hours after that.

    I was so happy to find this website because I have an important question that my doctors cannot answer. From the posts I’ve read it seems like there are some very experienced and kind people on here, so I hope some of you can offer some words of wisdom.

    Like I said, I am 22 and somehow actually made it through college despite the Meniere’s and got my degree! However, now I am faced with the daunting task of trying to find a job. I am a biologist- I do a lot of research and educational outreach stuff so it requires me to be outside and active all of the time. While I am so excited about finally joining the “real world” (ha ha, I did say I was young!), I am very scared that my Meniere’s is going to pose a big problem. My attacks are very unpredictable so is it even feasible for me to get a full-time job? Most people I’ve met don’t even believe that there is anything wrong because I “don’t look sick.” How do I deal with this? How do I do what needs to be done, to make a living, when all of a sudden I can’t move for the next 4-6 hours? I’m sure many of you are dealing with the exact same thing so please tell me how you do it! Thanks!!!
     
  2. vikx

    vikx New Member

    Hello and welcome akem, are you taking any meds, JOH, low salt diet, etc? Could allergies be involved? Some regimines and treatments will help the symptoms of MM and maybe allow you to get a warning...not guaranteed, but worth a try. I have to take low dose valium to function on bad days but it kept me working. I'm in a partial remission right now (still dizzy twinges) and don't take meds but they sure saved me.

    On the job thing, perhaps apply to the ones you would consider and then as the final interview approaches, discuss MM with the boss? Just a thought-not a lot of choices in these times. Sometimes the MM goes away for months or years and there are treatments to help. What are your docs doing for you right now? We're all here for you and I'm sure you will have lots of ideas after reading the posts.

    Congrats! on your degree! VK
     
  3. fcclimber

    fcclimber New Member

    Have you tried phenergan, an anti-emetic? It really helps control the nausea. The hard thing - if you're out in the real world and wanting to function - is finding the right dose. Until you're used to it, it can make you really sleepy. But it isn't addictive.

    You can also see about getting a medic alert bracelet. (When people see the bracelet they realize something is wrong, even if there's nothing else they can see.)

    I definitely wouldn't give up on working full-time until you try it. I was able to continue working full time for 10yrs? after college. Then I had to quit for a year; tried to come back full-time, but ended up doing part-time instead. Good luck!
     
  4. Bluesky

    Bluesky New Member

    Welcome my friend.

    You have already proved to yourself that Menieres is no barrier to you getting a degree.

    In this world of living, we all have to get by.

    I for one will not let MD destroy me..because the spirit in me is unbreakable!

    I carry Buccastem tablets with me, so if the beast decides to spring an attack, I can at least take a pill and rest somewhere.

    Life is a journey with many paths.

    You must follow your heart.

    And don't lose heart!

    We are Warriors!!

    Bluesky
     
  5. 7heaven

    7heaven New Member

    Hi, I'm not a veteran, but I can be supportive because I'm in the same position. I've had hearing loss apx. 7yrs., but vertigo about 1.5 years. The same attacks that you described, & worst of all, totally random without warning. I haven't been diagnosed. Most docs don't think I have "Meniere's", more like chronic labyrinthitis, but it's the dreaded vetigo that gets me down.

    I used to be a full-time nurse. I quit a few years ago to open a daycare in my home to be home with my children. My youngest just went to school in Sept., it was my plan to work in the school district to be on schedule with my children. My last vertigo was July 30, I had never gone more than 7 weeks without an attack. By November, I thought it was gone forever,I folded my daycare & I applied for sub-teacher position (I also have a BS). I went through whole application process, & was hired. The day before I was to start, Jan.8,Vertigo attack, 3 days later....another. I got a Docs. excuse, they're holding a position for me for 1 year. I haven't had another attack since January 11. Evidently I was in remission. Until then, I wasn't even aware these conditions went into remission.
    Now I'm out-of-a-job. I really need an income. I've applied for social security disability, but I was so excited about my new job, now soooo disappointed. Now I feel great physically, I'm so tempted to go, but it's for K-6, it horrifies me to think about an attack in a classroom.

    I've been reading this board alot lately. I see that some say valium will stop an attack. I just got a script for 2mg. I've had meclizine, it really didn't help alot for major attacks, just made me doppy. But from what I've read here about valium, and how it allows people to work, I'm going to give it a try. I'm even thinking about nursing part-time, although I really want the teaching job. But at least nursing might be a better environment in case of attack; not like being alone in a room with 25 young children. I just don't know what to do. I'm really trying not to get depressed. The longer I go without an attack (out of sight, out of mind), the more tempted I am to go teach. But then I think of last month, in the waiting room of the oral surgeon, while my oldest son was getting his wisdom teeth extracted. During the attack, I kept thinking, "Thank God I'm not in a class room". I just don't want this stupid condition to interfere with my life. I can work as many days as I'd like, but even one day a week is bad if that's the day I get an attack. But I do have to say, I've learned ALOT reading this board. Hope I never have vertigo again, but now I've learned of something that may help(valium). I've been to family doc., 2 ENTs, Audiologist, Vestibular specailist, none of them mentioned the use of valium.
     
  6. Seadog

    Seadog Ambidextrous dumb-ass with out coffee

    Live your life while you can.
     
  7. poppaharley

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

    <<<<got my degree! ..........find a job. I am a biologist- I do a lot of research and educational outreach stuff so it requires me to be outside and active all of the time. ........... I am very scared that my Meniere’s is going to pose a big problem. >>>>>>

    Angie

    Congrats on your degree and good luck in your career. You've already done a big job getting through college despite your Menieres. I always feel most sympathetic to the very young folks who have gotten hit with this mess. There us lucky ones who didn't get whacked until we're already old and useless anyway. ;)

    I would say that your desire and positive attitude is already a good indication that you can succeed. It is important that your boss and co-workers know about your condition so that in the event that you do have an attack, they don't just assume that your drunk or having a worse problem. The first couple of times vertigo attacks hit me were at work and I didn't know what was going on and my co-workers were ready to call paramedics, yadda, yadda. Now they know that there are times that I just need to close the door, turn off the phone and disappear for anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. The last time this happened, they just checked in from time to time to ask if I wanted help.

    The med-alert bracelet is probably a good idea and I've always thought about it but somehow getting around to doing it just kept slipping by. Carrying meds is a must. I'm not sure what you might already take, but for a lot of people here, low dose Valium, taken only when needed, is a must. It seems like if it is taken in a timely way, it can stop an attack or greatly reduce its impact. Some take meclizine, but many don't benefit much from it. There are other supplements that can help many people and they have seemed to help me, at least for the past 7-8 months, but I'll never know for absolute certainty for many more months if it's the supplements working or just dumb-luck remission. I hope for the former because it's nice to think that we could have some level of pro-active control over this condition. I'm sure John of Ohio will be posting something to you about his regimen.

    Managing your diet is a must, and maybe you already do that and maybe you already take a diuretic. If so and if you are going to be "out in the field" I'm sure you know that you'll need to manage your hydration, especially in hot environments.

    I don't know how much your career will allow you to work "back in the office" and if that is at all attractive to someone who probably would prefer to be out "where the action is", but that would make some of the risks easier to manage. It would probably be good when you are "out in the world" if there is also a "buddy/partner" with you in the event that you need help.

    Regardless of all this.....absolutely positively go for the full time job and shoot for whatever career you see out there for you. You're too young to start thinking about any sort of limitations. The absolute worst thing you can do is start thinking of this condition as an anchor around your neck. If you follow this site, you'll learn about people who literally travel the world and manage pretty damed well......perhaps sometimes with a barf bag handy at all times, but they don't let the demon-menieres get in their way.

    Best of all possible luck. I love to see young people giving it their all.

    Tony
     
  8. Michael

    Michael New Member

    Akem

    I started out as a biologist but wound up a safety engineer/inspector. I spend a lot of time on sites and for the most part don't have a lot of trouble with. I'd advise getting a lot of exercise and staying as active as you can.
     
  9. So Cal Cyclist

    So Cal Cyclist View Askew

    Good advice from everyone. I would also add that staying on a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, and exercise at the same time every day really helps. Sorry I don't have any advice about how to handle job interviews. People with Diabetes and other chronic conditions do it so there is no reason to think that you can't. Some other posts about employment questions have yielded responses from board members that they lost less days from work than their fellow "healthy" coworkers. BTW-MM is now covered under ADA if you live in the USA.
     
  10. poppaharley

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

    <<<Sorry I don't have any advice about how to handle job interviews.>>>

    This is a tough issue and could perhaps warrant it's own thread. As someone here once said, there are laws on the books that prevent firing for "disabilities", but it's very hard to prove "not hiring" someone bacause of a disability. Unless hiring is based on some sort of objective/quantitative test, it's too easy to juggle the results of an interview to make the person you "think you want" come out looking best. As my daddy once told me, you're usually much better off not volunteering answers to questions you aren't asked.

    Most employers require a physical exam before hiring because it goes to the issue of medical insurance. Usually, medical records are not releasable without permission of the patient. The "catch 22" is that when taking a physical for a job, they usually ask you to sign some paper releasing the information to your perspective employer. Refusing to do that only puts an applicant in a "suspicious" position. I don't know if you could be forced in providing the name of your previous/regular doctor to the one doing the physical. For all he knows, you've never been to a doctor before in your life.

    The medical history questionnaires I've seen are usually a mile long and list a ton of "did you have this or that" questions. Frankly, I've never seen "Meniere's" cited specifically in the list. There's usually a catch-all question that says something like "is there any condition that would prevent or limit your ability to perform the job". This is where it becomes a judgement call. As far as I'm concerned, unless I was an airline pilot or a bus driver or a surgeon, I would say there is nothing about my menieres that hampers me from doing my job. I might lose a couple of hours here and there or a day here and there, but I could make it up and get the job done. THAT's where the "5th ammendment" approach comes in. And......I figure if the CEO of a peanut processing plant that knowingly releaed product that sickened and killed people all over the country can "take the fifth", so can I.

    Tony
     
  11. tucker

    tucker The Meniere's DVD Guy!

    Just wanted to say welcome!

    Tuck aka Danny
     
  12. Momby

    Momby New Member

    Congrats Angie! and welcome to a great site. You will find many people with many different ideas from all walks of life,

    "You can also see about getting a medic alert bracelet. (When people see the bracelet they realize something is wrong, even if there's nothing else they can see.)" fcclimber

    Great suggestion. I don't know how many times I have heard "But you don't LOOK sick" (tell that to me when I'm hugging the porceline god).

    "As my daddy once told me, you're usually much better off not volunteering answers to questions you aren't asked." Poppaharley

    And another great suggestion. It has been my experience that job referal MDs (when a company requires a physical before hiring) don't even know what MM is. I agree that you need to play it by ear (no pun intended :).For what it's worth, I have been in the same job for 23 years and have demonstrated my work and work ethic. I have found that my supervisors are willing to help me when I have an attack because they know I will take care of business.
     
  13. vikx

    vikx New Member

    Great advice above! 7Heaven, take the valium at the first twinge of the dizzies. Not just because you "might" be sick but because you are really feeling "something". I had very good luck with 2mg-no side effects and no addictive feelings. On the worst days, I had to take three valium over several hours, some days only one. I was so desparate to work and keep my medical-then they "laid me off" two months after the dizzies abated...VK
     
  14. June-

    June- New Member

    Welcome Angie. Congratulations on finishing school despite this Meniere's. My advice is to seek out the best doctors in the field that you can and go see them. There are different options in treating Meniere's and most dr's use only a few. Even most specialists don't know about many approaches. Where do you live? Can you travel to see a specialist? Consider this. It may make a difference in what exactly you have to live with or not.
     
  15. Genesis74

    Genesis74 New Member

    Welcome Angie. Everyone has made great suggestions. For me this site has offered a ton of information, answered questions, and has provided a lot support. Visit as often as you can.
     
  16. cobleki

    cobleki New Member

    I work full-time and haven't had any issues. I called in sick two days in the last year, but on one of those days I actually decided to come in later on (after the vertigo stopped - I didn't feel great, but I felt well enough).

    I would NOT bring up MM in the interview. As other posters have said, the employer may not hire you based on that, and then it's hard to prove that you were discriminated against.

    I haven't even told my own boss yet that I suffer from MM. I figure I will wait until it becomes apparent to them that I have an issue. I have not yet had an attack at work. Some coworkers know that I have had some issues with vertigo, but I haven't shared with management. Once I have an attack at work or miss more than one day a month, I decided that would be the time to say, "look, I have this issue, and I need these accommodations". I see no need to spin people up until it's an impact to them.

    I personally have to take a physical yearly for my job, and I continue to pass it (albeit with a waiver).

    Kirsten
     
  17. akem

    akem New Member

    Thank you to everyone who has replied! I feel much more confident hearing that so many have managed to deal with it at work. My dr never mentioned valium so I will have to ask about that the next time I go in (I have a fantastic specialist, unfortunately he is in Iraq until May, boo). I was really wondering about the interview and physical. I'm up for a job that requires a physical and I was worried that it might be an issue, but like someone said- I've never seen Meniere's on their list!
     

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