While this theory is not yet tested/confirmed and therefore no real answers for help just yet - here is another article that at least shows that Meniere's is on someone's radar! http://www.news-medical.net/news/20131207/Researchers-may-have-figured-out-ways-to-attack-Menieres-disease.aspx
Thanks nicmger, we had a lengthy discussion about this study back in 2013 http://www.menieres.org/forum/index.php/topic,37427.0.html some of us wrote to Dr. Carol Foster and she flat out says MM does not have a viral cause, she totally discounts it, well its been 2 years and I have not heard a word about any findings she and her research team have come up with from her study. Would be nice if she posted an updated about their findings.
I had an appointment with Dr. Foster back in April. She's in Denver and I live in Colorado Springs. I canceled it before I could go because I was already starting to get better on the anti-virals. Ironic. lol
I would assume her study either did not amount to much or the study is ongoing since it has been over 2 years and no results published. This is her latest publications on pubmed from Feb 2015 which just states how they treat MM in her practice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25750534 Optimal management of Ménière's disease. Foster CA1. Author information Abstract Confusion in the nomenclature of Ménière's disease and lack of a standard definition of the disorder until 1995 has hampered accurate assessment of treatment efficacy since the presently defined disorder was first described in 1938. The lack of a widely accepted mechanism of the disease has also delayed the development of rational treatments. Past treatments have focused on relieving elevated pressures in the hydropic ear and more recently on treatment of underlying migraine. Present dietary methods of control include sodium restriction and migraine trigger elimination. Pharmacologic treatments include diuretics, migraine prophylactic medications, histamine analogs, and oral steroids. Surgical procedures include intratympanic steroid perfusion, shunts, and ablative procedures when conservative treatments fail. External pressure devices are also used. Evidence of efficacy is lacking for most interventions other than ablation. At our institution, Ménière's disease is treated as a cerebrovascular disorder. Control of risk factors for cerebrovascular ischemia is combined with treatment of pressure dysfunction in the hydropic ear. Screening for risk factors is performed at presentation. Migraine, dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and atherosclerosis are among the major factors that often require medical management. Migraine prophylactic medications, magnesium supplementation, sodium restriction, migraine trigger elimination, diuretics, anticoagulants, and antihypertensives are among the treatments used initially. Steroids administered orally or intratympanically are used if control is not achieved medically, and ablation remains the definitive treatment in unilateral cases experiencing treatment failure. I do agree with that vascular issues and MM are related that is why about 50% of people with MM also have MAV but we cant discount, as least I can't, how antivirals help so many of us a lot more than 50%. Dr Gacek and others have a 90% or better success rate with av's.
And that, IMO, is the central issue that keeps people like us suffering. Surgery costs a lot more than an appointment or two a year with a blood test for the doc to oversee a course of anti-virals. Love of money and all that.... When you look at what this disease costs us physically and emotionally, it's just evil. Pure evil.
First of all, I made it to my daughter's (I'm there now) after being so sick for a few days. Tired but feeling a lot better. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and concerns. I saw Dr Foster in March of this year. I was interested because she has Ménière's herself. (She had surgery for it several years ago).. She convinced me to go off the antivirals as she does not believe in the virus theory. I tried going off them and within four days I was sick in bed again. Needless to say I won't do that again. The only thing she advised as replacement was 400 mg of magnesium a day and when I couldn't take it any longer get a Gent shot. She wrote a summary to my Dr saying she found no evidence of MAV as I don't have headaches. Also believes I may be in early stage mm since I have not lost my hearing. (I've been having attacks for 30 years, although it is much worse now). I found her to be a very nice person to talk to and her staff were all great, but I wouldn't spend the money to travel to Denver to see her again.
I looked everywhere to see if I could find followup from Dr Foster on the study that I posted earlier and was not successful. The most recent post was the one Vicki shared. Seems very sad to me that after having suffered the disease herself that she would have such a closed mind. Also sad that now in researching more it seems (to me, my personal judgement only) that she is wanting to set herself up as the only expert on the disease and all of her studies/opinions over the last few years continue to change. It gets me so worked up when a doctor has nothing else to offer to help or control our attacks - and YET still automatically refuses to even consider anti-virals. What is the harm in at least trying? Frustrates me - not saying that a/v work for everyone but with this thing other than surgery nothing works the same for everyone. And for this dr to discount MAV - everything that I have read says that headache does not have to incorporate migraine. It is just like the numerous drs that ruled out sinus infections for me because it doesn't hurt when then tap my cheek bones..and yet when CT scan to rule out other things with my meniere's was done there are the scan were three different long term infections found for my sinus. Crazy.
Im so glad you are feeling better Sharon. and I have no faith in Foster she may have MM but she seems to not know much about it or MAV for that matter. I agree with nicmger she sounds like she's in it for herself for fame and notoriety rather than finding a real cause/cure
Hey guys! i wanted to ad something to this topic. my symptoms started after a few months of dealing with sleep apnea. ive always been very healthy and im still young. but after gaining a few pound i started to have sleep apnea. then this symptoms started. when i come across this research i began to believe that my SA caused this endolymphatic problem. i also talked to Dr Carol. a few weeks ago she also stated that there hasnt been futher studies.. i wanna give anti virals a try but.. mmm what if my problem comes from a vascular problem related with sleep apnea??? or could it be that when you have a problem like sleep apnea you are more prone to have virus and other illness. what you guys think??
I think this "or could it be that when you have a problem like sleep apnea you are more prone to have virus and other illness." It takes a perfect storm.