Stage 1 (early menieres )

I had my first vertigo attack in 2009 and second one in 2011. I didn't have another attack until last summer starting in July until mid October I had 10 . Have lost a hearing in both ears. I'm pretty sure the episodes last summer are associated with development of seasonal allergies. I'm not sure how long it takes for the disease to progress. I expect it depends on the person, the cause, and the treatment. There is a lot of good information on this site. One common thread that I see is the importance of avoiding inflammation. I wish you well.

 

You may never have the classic vertigo. There really is no predictable progression. I started with distortion and hearing loss along with the beginning of balance issues in 2007. In 2008 i began treatment with antivirals and allergy shots. I regained most of my hearing loss, distortion and lost thr tinnitus and had no further balance problems. Antivirals help a lot of people not only to recover hearing but also to stop progression.

 

I am not sure about stages either. I think the disease is so different for each person. For me, I had it for three months in 99, six months in 2005 and now two years since 2014. The anti virals I am.now.is.doing a pretty good job so far with some hiccups along the way.

 

Do whatever you can to diminish the episodes to delay progression, so i was told by a specialist.
For me salt made no difference but caffeine made a big difference.

 

I'm also curious how meniere's progressed for everyone.

 

I had one episode in 2013 of hearing loss, aural fullness and raging tinnitus then remission for two and half years. Then in August of 2015 started again with hearing loss, aural fullness and I had 6 episodes over 4 months lasting anywhere form 2 days to a week. Then I started an antihistamine and it seemed like it was in remission but it started again this week after five months. Low frequency hearing loss and aural fullness and loud tinnitus going on three days now. I started allergy shots five weeks ago and I have a script for Acyclovir which I may start tomorrow if the doctor says I can take the antiviral and antihistamine together. I wish I knew what I could control - I have been religiously low salt and no caffeine and thought I was controlling it with the antihistamine but now feel discouraged. So hard to predict. Thank you all to sharing on this forum.

 

Be patient. Both things take a long time but they worked for me. Good luck!

 

It's true, after reading about this for 5 years now online, Meniere's symptoms and progression seems to be very unique to each person.

Mine started in 2011 (5 years ago this week, actually) with sudden onset of symptoms in one ear -- aural fullness, tinnitus (sporadic at first, later became permanent), low tone hearing loss, and about 5 attacks of severe vertigo that first year. Then the vertigo quieted down and since that year, I've only had a few (knock wood) real vertigo attacks. Meanwhile, the other symptoms gradually worsened and my balance also became affected. I tried JOH and antivirals with no luck. At this point, things seem to have stabilized in that the vertigo is very infrequent (I think my last attack was 5-6 months ago). I've had some success with Betahistine (24mg 3x/day) and my oto doubled up my diuretic (generic Diamox). I'm holding steady for now with the fullness usually not getting THAT insane (with the exception of when big storm fronts come through) and the other symptoms still there but tolerable. Unfortunately my good ear is now showing mild signs as well, though no hearing loss there as of my last appointment.

 

Sorry to be pedantic, but before I can answer the question I need to know what you define as stage 1. And also what is the first sign of stage 2? And as a matter of interest how many stages are there?

 

These are the stages as stated by the Menieres Society, but as we know, things are not necessarily as clear cut as this!

Stage one (early): unpredictable attacks of vertigo

The main feature is intermittent attacks of vertigo which can last from a few minutes to hours. During the attack there is a variable amount of hearing loss along with a sensation of fullness in the affected ear.

Some people may experience tinnitus or an increase in tinnitus in the affected ear. The fullness in the ear and tinnitus may precede the attacks of vertigo, but they will often occur without warning. In between the attacks the hearing and sensation in the ear return to normal. There are periods of remission between the attack, which vary in each person making Ménière’s disease an unpredictable and distressing illness.

Stage two (intermediate): attacks of vertigo; tinnitus; hearing loss

The attacks of vertigo continue with variable remissions however may be less severe. After or perhaps before the attack the person may experience a period of imbalance and movement induced giddiness. Permanent hearing loss develops and continues to fluctuate with the vertigo attacks. Tinnitus becomes more prominent often fluctuating or increasing with the attacks.

Stage three (late): hearing loss; balance difficulties; tinnitus

In the later stages the hearing loss increases and often the attacks of vertigo diminish or stop. Hearing loss can be severe and distortion, loudness discomfort and recruitment can be a problem. There is permanent damage to the balance organ in the ear and significant general balance problems are common, especially in the dark.

 

Based on that I don’t have a clue how long stage 1 lasts. When Meniere’s is so variable, spectral, idiopathic and idiosyncratic I don’t think that anyone can say. If you believe that intervention like JOH, AVs, surgery, other treatments actually work, then the answer would be dependent upon how soon they are started. There is certainly a compelling argument for getting on top of things early.

However, unfortunately there are no clear cut answers with this condition IMHO.

 

I'm with you on that yellow. Everything in the kitchen cupboard has been thrown into a pot, and they call it a stew. I hate stew.

 

Are there cases where a person may stay at stage 1 or 2 their lives and never progress to 3?

 

I was able to control my symptoms for about 10 - 12 years before all hell broke loose, which I guess was stage 3? Who knows. I went for a very long time in between attacks, sometimes months. Then I started with consistent vertigo, weeks at a time. My hearing was shot, I had brain fog that would last for weeks. I had no energy, it was awful. The last 2 years before I had surgery were the worst days of my life. I hope you never reach this stage whatever it is. And yes, I do believe some people live with menieres and never have to deal with it to the degree that some of us have. Hope your are one of them!