Hi all, I was recently diagnosed with probable Menieres. I had an 18 hour dizzy spell while on vacation, and very loud tinnitus in my right ear since (had some before that, but it got much worse). Went to an ENT, who determined I had hearing loss in that ear, & had MRI to rule out other causes. ENT put me on prednisone for 10 days but it didn't help with the ear. He recommended cutting down sodium, caffeine, alcohol. I haven't used caffeine regularly in 30 years and only have a couple of drinks per week. But the days before the dizzy spell I was on vacation in New Orleans, eating lots of different than normal food and drinking more than normal for me (still not heavily) and had some caffeine. I have not had any dizzy spells since then. My questions are about sodium. I have extremely low blood pressure normally, so I'd never watched my sodium before. I didn't think my sodium intake was high, but now that I am looking at labels it's amazing how much is in food. I'm finding it really hard to keep to 2000 mg per day. I've basically cut it down to almost nothing at lunch, figuring I can have more at dinner. So, do you find that it really helps to do the low sodium diet? I'm also wondering if you are low sodium most of the time, will a large amount suddenly make it worse? Since I don't do caffeine, I am extremely sensitive to it, and now just one diet soda will keep me from sleeping if I have it past 7 pm. so if I cut down my sodium to 2000 mg, will a vacation meal affect me more then than it would if I was not watching my sodium? Since I have the low blood pressure, could cutting down my sodium be bad? I know it is possible to have too little sodium. I would rather not have to go low sodium, but I'm scared of having another dizzy spell.
I notice my dizziness right away with sodium levels. Even things like potato chips trigger my dizziness.
Ceecee, sodium is a trigger for a lot of folks, so is sugar, dairy, yeast and wine, chocolate, when you eliminate all this it doesnt leave you much. Sodium isnt a big deal for me, but i choose a low sodium diet as it is just healthy. And any processed foods are full of it. I think when you are going thru episodes it is better to eat the most densest nutritional food you can just for the help it gives your body to fight it, and lotsof water.
Neither Sodium or Caffeine are triggers for me (I eliminated at the beginning). I reduced my sodium and my blood pressure which was already low dropped too low so ENT told me to go back to normal intake. Some people have found connection with many foods, and msg. My major triggers are stress and fatigue. If possible try to get your dr to start you on antivirals. Also full VNG testing to help rule out other causes as well.
this is taken from http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/menieres/hydrops.html since you have extremely low blood pressure then you should consult your doctor before making any major changes The goal of treatment is to provide stable body fluid/blood levels so that secondary fluctuations in the inner ear fluid can be avoided. Distribute your food and fluid intake evenly throughout the day and from day to day. Eat approximately the same amount of food at each meal and do not skip meals. If yo u eat snacks, have them at regular times. Avoid eating foods or fluids which have a high salt content. High salt intake results in fluctuations in the inner ear fluid pressure and may increase your symptoms. Aim for a diet high in fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and low in canned, frozen or processed foods. A 2-gram sodium intake diet is usually what we recommend. One teaspoon of table salt has about 2 grams of sodium. Note that sodium (one of the two elements in table salt) is not exactly the same as sodium chloride (salt). A 2 gram "salt" diet is not what is intended. This web site: http://www.myfitnesspal.com, has a diet diary program that can be configured to track sodium. Drink adequate amounts of fluid daily. This should include water, milk and low-sugar fruit juices (for example, cranberry or cranapple). Try to anticipate fluid loss which will occur with exercise or heat, and replace these fluids before they are lost. Be cautious about the milk intake -- some individuals have food allergy and get symptoms from milk products. Avoid caffeine-containing fluids and foods (such as coffee, tea and chocolate). Caffeine has stimulant properties that may make your symptoms worse. Caffeine also may make tinnitus louder. Large amounts of caffeine may trigger migraine (migraine can be difficult diagnostically to separate from Meniere's disease). Chocolate is also a migraine trigger. Limit your alcohol intake to one glass of beer or wine each day. Alcohol may trigger migraine associated vertigo. Avoid foods containing MSG (monosodium glutamate). This is often present in pre-packaged food products and in Chinese food. It may increase symptoms in some patients, possibly because of the link to migraine associated vertigo, and also because it contains sodium.
I believe that there are so many options for you in trying to reduce your symptoms. Like antivirals, elimination diets, serc/betahistine , valtrex or valium, checking neck and posture and treating it as MAV. If I was new to menieres like yourself I would firstly see another specialist because the suggestions that have been made by your doctor are pretty standard and will perhaps help but to me smack of resignation and that you will just have to accept your plight. I believe that it is you who has to take control particularly because with each vertigo attack that you have potential deafness is closer. Once your hearing has gone there's no getting it back. My recommendation would be to concentrate on the antivirals to try and preserve your hearing and gain control of your hearing and look at the other options if that doesn't work.
It seems a good idea to have a sensible salt intake for general health and wellbeing. Further reductions help some but not all Meniere’s participants. If you have low or high blood pressure then you need medical advice, but presumably your ENT was aware of this when he suggested dietary changes? Since salt is rife in processed foods, the avoidance of salt generally leads to a more healthy diet, which boosts the immune system which in turn helps Meniere’s control IMHO. My understanding as that salt intake should be regular throughout the day and that binges and spikes should be avoided. So nothing at lunch in order to have more at dinner is probably not a good idea. In a cycling book I have Graham Obree cites more than 2 or 3g/day salt can be considered as mild poisoning! I try to stay within the RDA of 6g/day. 2g/day is just too much of an ask for my liking. Just to be clear all the above references are to salt intake not sodium intake. The ratio is 2.5 so a diet with 2g/day of sodium to which you refer, is 5g/day of salt.
Thanks for all the advice! It's interesting to hear that many of you don't have a problem with sodium. I do eat healthy, and don't do a lot of processed foods. I eat a lot of fresh vegetables. I was just shocked how much sodium is in such foods as a piece of bread. Unfortunately, with my work schedule it is impossible to eat the same size meal at lunch as at dinner, as I don't really get a lunch hour. However, that's been my schedule for 30 years so nothing new there that is impacting me. I already drink a lot of milk and cranberry juice (and I do not have any problems with dairy). I can increase my water intake--that is not something the doctor recommended, but your comments make me think it would be helpful. Most importantly, I am going to take Jaypr's recommendation and find a Dr. who specializes in Meneires. Mine didn't even mention any medications I could take for this. If you folks don't mind, I'm going to start a new thread for recommendations.
For me to much or to little does make a difference with dizzy and vertigos. Stress seems to be my biggest factor for true vertigo, or maybe just flat out getting real mad at someone or something. It seems to be different for each of us. Wish I could help more, but trying to keep my sodium at an even level throughout the day seems to works best.
I have problems with both sodium and caffeine. And I do miss my coffe! I take a water pill. I drink lots of water and I try to keep sodium intake to 1200mg a day. French fries with malt vinegar and salt. I miss that the most. In my opinion you should try for Antivirals first. Ask for Valcyclovir with Northstar as the manufacturer. What's great about the antiviral treatment if it works is you preserve more hearing. You need a knowledgeable Dr who respects your requests. Go see Dr, Downey. It's well worth it.
Thanks, BumbleBea! I checked and Dr. Downey is in my insurance network (yay!) so I'm going to call next week for an appointment.