Hi my name is donna. I just found ot yesterday that I have menieres disease. Im so confused. How do I cook for my family n myself with the sodium requirement. I have read a few posts and see that some are taking valium for these oh so wonderful vertigo attacks of which I have only had 2. They were bad though and would really not like to have more. How much does low sodium no caffine really help? Should I ask the doctor for valuim? Should I get an over the counter diuretic? Please, any support would be appreciated. Thank you
At first, low sodium really helped me. I found a website published by a woman who has Ménière's and a family, dailydish.us, and got lots of info and recipes. I eventually bought her book. My family enjoys most of the recipes from the website/book. I also stopped drinking caffeine and that took care of my daily off balance feelings. Unfortunately after 6 months of being vertigo free, my attacks have come back with a vengeance, but everyone is different. I'm also taking a diuretic. Don't know if it's working because I have had 3 episodes since taking the diuretic.
Hi donnisue, Sorry to hear you have this disease. My advice: 1. try an antiviral, it has help the majority of us. I have been symptm free for over 2 years due to taking one. 2. check the database on these forums for threads about antivirals and a viral cause for MM 3. read thread in our database about MAV, many of us have MM and MAV, see if MAV , applies to you as well. 4. eat foods low in arginine and high in lysine. arginine promotes HSV lysing suppresses it. 5. keep a log of what you ate and drank the day of and a day or 2 before an attack. It will help you find your triggers. 6. Read through threads in the database it is full of extremely useful info. 7. weather, allergies, stress, and fatigue are common triggers for MM symptoms.
Do you have a trader joes market in your area? They have sodium free bread, chips, salsa, seasonings ect. Pineapple helps me out a lot too. You may want to inquire with your dentist or a specialist to evaluate your jaw or TMJ. TMJD can cause inner ear symptoms. If you effor get frustrated with convetional treatments some have found success with upper cervical chiro or NUCCA
If there isnt a Trader Joes as Mustank89 suggested, other high end grocery stores like Whole Foods and Fresh Market generally have a wide variety of low sodium snacks. Regular grocery stores usually have very little. Snacking was the hardest part. As far as the cooking, one interesting trick I found was to use the spice Old Bay instead of salt. It has about 1/4 the amount of sodium and you can get away using very little because it has such a strong flavor.