Question for those of you who have had surgery (of any kind)

House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles. Dr Jennifer Derebery. If you decide to have surgery, she might refer you to another dr at the clinic. Hous pioneered many of the most sophisticated ear surgeries including skull based surgeries and cochlear implants. They are among the best in the world. You can make an apt without referral. I did. It was the path to my recovery.

 

I believe among other things she can help you sort out your options and decide if surgery is your best bet at this time or if you want to try something else first.

 

Find a good surgeon, not just anyone willing to operate. It makes a difference.

 

when life gets to the point of it not being worth living and you are stuck at home full of anxiety, depression ect.......its time to take back your life. I am a fan of the labyrinthectomy. (laby)

I had one many years ago and it gave me back my life. I am as normal as any other 46 year old man walking this earth except i am deaf in one ear. If i ever go bilateral i will get another one and just use a cochlear implant to hear. I will not live my live with vertigo...IMO life with vertigo is not worth living and is not a life.

If i end up having to use a cane or wheelchair in my later and elderly years then so be it. I have a life to live and enjoy and kids i want to see grow up and play sports and take on vacation ect......

there is a reason why people who have had surgeries have left this forum and it is because they are out living life.

God Bless and you will be in my prayers.

 

Bulldogs,
I agree with you 100%. I am atypical so do not experience vertigo and hopefully never will. I will not hesitate to get surgery but are there doctors that will perform surgery if you are bilateral ? Thanks

 

Hey Scott,

I have bilateral Menieres and I also had Perilymphatic fistulas (PLFs) in my right ear. My ENT thinks I probably had PLFs in my left ear too because that ear completely crashed over a three year period. I underwent a right middle ear exploration and they found three PLFs and patched them. I felt an immediate profound improvement in the way I felt and the severe daily vertigo (three hours a day lying on the floor at work) immediately stopped. I was vertigo free for about three months and then the severe vertigo returned. They re-explored the right ear and found that one of the patches had blown. They repaired it and I have been vertigo free since (mid 1980s). Unfortunately the hearing loss continued and I finally qualified for a cochlear implant in 2005. I now have bilateral cochlear implants. They have restored my hearing from over 120 dB down to 20 dB down in both ears (considered to be low normal hearing range). The cochlear implants also fixed the distortion, recruitment and hyperacusis. Would I do the PLF surgeries and cochlear implant surgeries over again? Absolutely in a heart beat!

Best regards,

Jim

 

To anyone here who is with a narrow minded doctor or thinks they can't afford any kind of procedure. Go to the House Clinic in LA and have a gentamicin injection. It's $700. You'll probably need 2, one month apart. Not cheap, but not crazy expensive either. Don't let some restrictive medical plan or hick doctor dictate your life.

 

"To anyone here who is with a narrow minded doctor or thinks they can't afford any kind of procedure. Go to the House Clinic in LA and have a gentamicin injection. It's $700. You'll probably need 2, one month apart. Not cheap, but not crazy expensive either. Don't let some restrictive medical plan or hick doctor dictate your life."

Thats my feeling on it. Whats $1400 in the grand scheme of things when it has a high chance at returning you back to being a functional person. Lucky at the moment that my medicine and supplements are seemingly working, but I have multiple ENT doctors and a surgeon on standby if my life spirals (literally...) out of control.

 

There is a lot to be said for a second opinion. You might get a new perspective, another option, or at least confirmation of what your doctor is saying. If you seek a second opinion, go outside the practice, otherwise ir is not a second opinion. It is surprising how different doctor's approaches can be.

 

My MD made my life as miserable as others and I was ready for a surgery almost form day one. However my doctor was not. First he tried everything to decide I could go ahead with one. BTW I myself tried everything ! JOH, antivirals, low salt diet and Lauricidin which greatly reduced the frequency of attacks.I had 2 steroid injections as well. I asked for laby but he refused since my hearing was very good. I had my EDB done in October 2016 and I have not had any vertigo since. I have had 3 "rocky " days and I believe those would have been my attacks. During those days I acted as normal but I felt a bit under the weather. Nothing major. I got my life back and now I appreciate it as never before. If anything ever goes wrong I will be asking for laby again but I hope it stays as it is. It will be 4 months tomorrow of my new improved life! Good luck with finding the right doctor.

 

Try Dr. Alan Langman in Seattle WA

 

Take all your test results and go see dr derebery at house ear in los angeles. See what she recommends. If this is destroying your life, you need and deserve a doctor who will help you sort out the options and you do have options.

 

Man, if you're having drop attacks every week, you need to get yourself fixed ASAP.

 

I find the Chicago Dizziness and Hearing website to be very informative. They're affiliated with Northwestern University. One can spend days reading up on nearly everything about the dizziness, treatments, etc.

Here is the link. Scroll down a bit and click on Meniere's (if Meniere's is your problem):

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/outline.htm

Good luck. I feel for you.