menieres decease, i have trouble coping with the decease. Is there any hope for me?

Answer 1

Yes, there is hope, although organized western medicine presents only drugs or surgery as a treatment, and these with a relatively low success rate. Meniere's is an incurable disorder that the patient will have to learn to manage.

How? I could write a book. Don't want to overwhelm you, but if you're interested please keep asking questions, I'll try to answer.

First approach is diet. Your ENT doctor has probably told you to eliminate salt. This is essential. (Eventually, after many years, I was able to add a bit of salt now and then as a special treat - but it's sea salt from Brittany mixed with powdered dried kelp to supply iodine.)

Other standard advice is to eliminate caffeine. This did not make much difference for me.

Another broad general remark: Meniere's is often isolating. Patient has a permanently impaired sense of balance, often feels frightened about those sudden attacks of severe disabling vertigo.

Please don't become isolated. A comforting thought is that Meniere's will never kill you ! Other patients suffer from cancer, AMD, other fatal diseases. Meniere's is a horribly unpleasant ailment but it cannot kill you. The long-term prognosis is even rather good in that, once near-total deafness in afflicted ear has been reached, the violent attacks of vertigo tend to disappear. The patient can manage (almost) perfectly well with remaining hearing in one ear, although there are some weird effects.

About not remaining isolated: try to offset the impaired sense of balance due to inner ear damage from Meniere's - try to offset this with tai chi, with walking a great deal, with skiing, with exercises that will strengthen quad muscles in thighs ... I've done this successfully and although I've had Meniere's for 36 years my sense of balance is much better than normal for my age because leg muscles are strong & footing is secure.

There are specific meds that can help. Your doctor has probably prescribed Serq. A significant minority of patients cannot take this drug as it exacerbates their symptoms - triggers & increases nausea, vertigo & headache instead of the reverse. Other patients are helped.

Other meds: Gravol, of course. There is a homeopathic remedy called Tabacum usually given for motion/car sickness. I find it helpful, carry it with me along with Gravol although haven't used either much for more than a year.

Prescription diuretics: this is an older approach used by western-trained doctors. I find these meds very helpful during times when severe vertigo attacks may be present. (Hint: diuretics are usually prescribed for high blood pressure, there are significant side effects such as disturbance of electrolyte balance, loss of potassium, please don't think of taking them regularly as a preventative.)

There are many other suggestions. For example, I've tried reflexology treatments from a skilled practitioner (they work on soles of the feet only, I was thinking Balance, thinking Footwork) and I do believe it was helpful. Certainly cannot hurt at all.

There is a little-known medication called vinpocetine derived from the vinca minor plant. You'd have to google this & look up more information in internet. Preparation does increase circulation in brain, is being mostly studied for use in Alzheimer's. It was developed by researchers in eastern Europe, as I recall when I researched it a few years ago.

You could give vinpocetine a try if you are presently greatly distressed by many severe vertigo attacks. Reason I haven't tried it myself - although it's in my house - is that I haven't experienced severe attacks in several years, one should not take any preparation unless there is good reason.

About ginkgo - tried this several times many years ago but found that it increased symptoms, especially ringing in the afflicted ear. I believe because it probably increased circulation but did not relieve those non-draining semi-circular canals which are the cause of the problem.

Another approach is through traditional Chinese medicine. It's most interesting to read & study introductory books. Will really open your eyes. And ears. In TCM, the ears are connected to the kidneys, it's the water element. This governs circulation, blood pressure, elimination. For us westerners, remember that the root problem in Meniere's is swollen semi-circular canals in the inner that do not drain properly. This is circulation. This is why diuretics have been prescribed for decades in western medicine ...

I'm sorry about your disorder. It's frightening, unpleasant & isolating. Yet I do know, from decades of managing this disease, that one can live a totally normal life and no other person will ever even guess that anything is wrong.

Wishing you the very best.

Answer 2

Meniere's disease is a hard condition to treat. Try a good multiple vitamin-mineral, a B100 vitamin complex pill daily, and Gingko biloba tablets or capsules (ginkoba is a good brand) 2 pills 3 times daily. If you get no results after 30-60 days it probably isn't going to work. But this regimen has helped some people.
Good luck.

Answer 3

My mother died in 1995 (aged 93), and now I have only happy memories and a happy Mother's Day because I know she's eternally connected to me, and that eternity is all the same moment, with no time as we know it, so that I will be with her in an instant in eternity. It was hard at first, the first 2 years, because I wanted her back with me, and I had memories of hugging her and seeing her smile. It helped to have her photos up in the kitchen, and little notes she wrote long ago, up where I could see them if I want to--I look at them all the time, and know she's here. The movie below is about the mystery of death, and gives you some great images for understanding death and eternity---when I think of Mother, I envision scenes from this movie, and it helps me understand.

Answer 4

Yes. There is always hope.
Have you talked to your audiologist? It might be possible for you to speak with other people with the disease. There is also http://www.menieres.org/