If not viral, when what else????

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by msprygada, Apr 12, 2014.

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  1. msprygada

    msprygada New Member

    I have been taking Valtrex and JOH for over 9 weeks now and have noticed no change in my cochlear hydrops whatsoever so my CH must not be viral based. If it is not viral based, what else could be causing it and what other things can I try to combat this?

    I have had zero vertigo, just fullness, mild tinnitus, hyperacusis, low freq hearing loose, and sound distortion.

    Thanks,
     
  2. Intrepid

    Intrepid New Member

    Allergies?
     
  3. msprygada

    msprygada New Member

    what would be the process to chase that down? Would they change over time like hay fever and such does? My symptoms have been pretty consistent since this all started in Novenber. I remember when this happened I thought I had some drainage but my family doctor and the ENT both dismissed it.
     
  4. rondrums

    rondrums Bilateral

    I have decided that Stephen Spring has it right: Meniere's is not a "disease"; it's an outcome. The causality in the majority of cases is an infection, whether viral, bacterial, or fungal. Malfunctioning cells in the immune system (both serum and MALT) are unable to fight it off. Most likely, in the case of Meniere's, the infection entered the mucosal tissue in the sinus and worked its way into the inner ear.

    Treatments aimed at inner ear relief may or may not help, but regardless, they do not address the root cause of malfunctioning immunity. Stephen's vaccine is a broad spectrum treatment that corrects the function of T cells in the immune system. Therefore, over time, the immune system will "re boot" and take care of the infection.

    The unfortunate thing is that Stephen's findings will have to go through the interminable process of clinical trials, FDA approval, getting insurance to pay for it, etc. That is going to take many, many years.

    My ENT doctor is smart. When I gave him the material about Stephen's treatment, he immediately responded positively, saying that he has been researching the immune theory for a couple of years.

    It's a damn shame that these medical breakthroughs take so many years to get into the mainstream. Of course, Stephen's treatment is available now, but without insurance approval, it's frigging expensive.
     
  5. Intrepid

    Intrepid New Member

    Airborne allergies are notorious for causing MM-type symptoms in many people. I've had all the allergy testing done and really nothing spectacular ever shows up. What saved me was using a prescription nasal spray called Dymista. The heavy head, feeling of falling when I turned or bent down, sick when going in certain stores or places, went away.

    I still get dizzy from other things (the weather, hormones, etc.) but the allergy factor was huge. Try Dymista. It's a bit expensive but your PCP can give you some samples. The only thing is that you must use it every day or it quits working. Use it for a month and see if it helps you. No other spray has worked for me besides this one.

    Later you can tackle the food aspect if you need to. I will help you figure that one out :)

    Try the simple, more obvious remedies before you jump into the outrageously expensive ones.
     
  6. bubbagump

    bubbagump New Member

    hey Interpid, I too have been using dymista....I've used it pre-Meniere's to great success for my nasal allergies/blockage, but it hasn't helped me that much with Meniere's symptoms.

    i am trying another spray called afrin that's supposed to be a powerful decongestant.
     
  7. John of Ohio

    John of Ohio New Member

    Nine weeks is often not long enough for either antiherpetic drugs (acyclovir, etc,) or lysine to suppress herpes virus activity.

    If you are using lysine, be sure to use enough of it, a minimum of 3000 mg per day; 4500 mg may be required, as detailed here: http://www.zoominternet.net/~kcshop/JOH.pdf

    --John of Ohio
     
  8. bubbagump

    bubbagump New Member

    Hi john, I am curious, how come for other viral infections (shingles, pox, zosters, etc, basically all the stuff you get on your skin) it only take a week or two of acyclovir to control the outbreak, but for Meniere's it's so much longer?
     
  9. msprygada

    msprygada New Member

    And since MD can and does go into remission, if after taking either an AV or Lysine for months that one knows that the AV or Lysine knocked down the virus or that your MD didn't just go into remission?
     
  10. Intrepid

    Intrepid New Member

    JOH says he has been symptom free for many, many years now. That's an awfully long time to be in remission so maybe his regimen has really worked for him.

    I remember him saying that he once tried to taper his supps or stop them and his symptoms returned so he stays faithful to his plan.

    It could be remission or long term suppression. It's really hard to tell with any of these treatments really. You just have to find what works for you for as long as possible.
     
  11. dizzybee

    dizzybee New Member

    Intrepid, I was put on Dymista as well, twice daily, about a month ago. How long have you been using it? Will you use it for the rest of your life? And yeah, it's not cheap ;)
     
  12. Intrepid

    Intrepid New Member

    I used to use it sporadically at first because of the cost and because I didn't want to be dependent on any medication. It didn't work that way. In order for this product to work, you have to use it every day. That's what I've been doing for the past six months and it has helped a lot. I became more efficient at running thanks to Dymista because running outdoors quit being such a problem and a trigger for my MM/MAV symptoms. Every little bit of control helps so I'll keep using it until it quits working :)

    Eventually I'd like to get on allergy shots. Those aren't cheap either but may be a better solution.
     
  13. John of Ohio

    John of Ohio New Member

    "Hi john, I am curious, how come for other viral infections (shingles, pox, zosters, etc, basically all the stuff you get on your skin) it only take a week or two of acyclovir to control the outbreak, but for Meniere's it's so much longer? "

    All of the mentioned infections occur in surface tissues and nerves, with ample circulation. The inner ear and its associated nerves, do have blood vessels, but they are smaller than those in skin tissues. And once Meniere's causes inflamation of the inner ear and hydrops sets in, circulation is further restricted.

    This could be the reason control of inner ear tisues with antiherpetics and lysine can take so long --- very little of the drug gets to the infection because of poor circulation.

    --John of Ohio
     
  14. nicmger

    nicmger New Member

    bubbagump - check out the Afrin warnings, for some reason I recall that spray is only supposed to be used for 3-4 days straight not ongoing. Could be wrong but wanted to point it out. For what it's worth, I find the Zicam Extreme Sinus spray to work really well for a quick short term assistant!
     
  15. bubbagump

    bubbagump New Member

    Yes, thanks, I am aware of that. Can only use it for no more than 3 days.
     
  16. MelODY756

    MelODY756 New Member

    This is all very interesting....I have been on my AV's since the end of January, with no changes in my hearing loss....still very full feeling and tinnitus is very much present all the time. In reading JOH's response about the inner ear tissues, staying on for a while longer seems to make more sense. Thank you. I will check into allergy testing too. Seems the route to go i suppose. Skin testing for allergies? or is there another way?
     
  17. rondrums

    rondrums Bilateral

    The classic allergy test is skin pricks on your arms or back for a whole lot of known allergens. The other method is a blood draw which shows antigens in your blood for various allergens.

    My doc insists that the blood draw is not accurate and shows a lot of false positives. Other doctors say the blood draw is better. Go figure.

    Bless all,
    Ron
     

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