Meniere's Disease Support Group

hey guys, i was diagnosed with menieres about 3 weeks ago and i've only just turned 17. I have menieres in my left ear and i often have ringing and pain in that ear. I have had many vertigo attacks which leave me unable to walk and feel sick, whch last a few hours. The doctor put me on pills, 3 times a day and although they seems to stop the sudden attacks being so frequent, i now can feel constantly dizzy for weeks at a time. I also am pretty much deaf in my left ear.

I have been told to stop smoking,drinking,eating chocolate and high salt foods,caffine and driving (which did suck as i got a car for my birthday) all of these things i tried to give up but it doesn't help, and i'd rather not give them up.

im constantly tired and i can't keep up with work at school so i dropped a subject, and im missing so much school because they send me straight home if i have an attack.

Is there anyone else who has experienced the disease at my age and knows how to help it so that i can continue school normally?

any help would be appreciated.

Hi Vicki ,my name is Gail. I also had my first M attack at seventeen. It went away and only came back last year. That was forty six years. I had a major attack and did not have another for about nine months. Then I had a bunch. I was feeling horrible so I started talking to peple that had seen specialists n Atlanta and in Dallas. Both said it is imperative that you go on a very low sodium diet and give up caffeine and alcohol. I also am taking lipo-flavonoid Plus pills. Get them at Walmart or drugstore. I do think they help. Do that until you get things under control then cheat a little on weekends. That is what I am doing. Mine is also in just my left ear and I have lost alot of hearing in that ear. Try that and let me know how it works. Read labels and try and stick to things with no more than 2% sodium.

Gail

Hey Gail, thanks for the advice. Well at the moment im having them about once a week but the intensity varies. In going to finish my medication ( which ends in 2 weeks) when start a low sodium diet to see if that helps, although i've been looking at foods already and they all seem to contain so much sodium! I will let you know if that makes any differnce for me. And i have never heard of the lipo-flavonoid pills but i am giong to my specialist next week so i will ask him about it.

Thanks x

The lipo flavanoids have niacin and some Bvitamins. Your Dr probably will say that won't help but it certainly can't hurt

my doctor has put me back on betahestimine, some water retention tablet thingy and wants to test injecting steroids into my ear

except too much niacin can hurt your liver?

what about the diuretic, valium for when you are starting to spin, and try and get serc from canada. a good ent is key. where are you?

vicki,

did you do the shot in ear? i have heard mix things about it....

You need to stay under 2000 mg of salt each day. And don't do very low salt for one or two meals and then think you can load up w/ 2000 at one meal. That's the first thing you need to do. Second is talk to your doctor about diuretics. They will keep your body from retaining water and will lower pressure on your inner ear. But make sure you drink plenty of fluids so you do't get dehyraded. You may need to experiment w/ the diuretics and move up to a higher dose if a lower dose does not reduce symptoms. These two measures are generally the first and foremost things to move forward with. Getting lots of sleep and reducing things like caffeine and alcohol may help too. If All this fails, then you can consider some of the surgeries that are available.