I have atypical Meniere's Dx. Meaning, I have tinnitus, fullness, hyperacusis and autophony ( hearing myself speak). I DO NOT HAVE vertigo. Duration of the this problem almost one year. MRI, blood work are all normal. I have seen 2 ENT and 2 Neurotologist. I have tried -Zyrtec - neomycin ear drops, - amoxicillin - Ginkgo biloba -sudafate -Vit E - Warm compression on the ear, - Lipo Flavonoid Plus - acyclovir -prednisone twice -diuretic for over 7 months. I am still getting attacks. I went to my fourth ENT doctor. She is telling me that I don't have Meniere's Dx. It is either: 1- Eustachian tube Dysfunction which ear tube would solve the problem 75% of the time. 2-Otic Migraine: is also know as Vestibular migraine. According to the Johns' Hopkins Medicine guide "Vestibular Migraine," conditions which may be confused with otic migraines include a series of small strokes, Meniere's Disease. The triggers for the otic migraine are largely food related. Red wine and dried fruit with sulfites are major migraine triggers. Foods with large amounts of caffeine such as coffee and soda must be avoided, as well as monosodium glutamate (MSG), a common component in Chinese food. Otic migraines can also be caused by too much salt in the diet, low blood sugar or a lack of sleep I am now on a Migraine diet to avoid trigger that cause my attack 3-TMJ ( temporomandibular joint syndrome) I will need to get a face massage done. I got the tympanostomy done and it was hell. The results were disastrous. I immediately had a major reduction in my ability to hear. Bass sounds were gone and low level ambient sounds were also gone. In fact my ears felt more plugged than ever and everything sounded like I was under water. Having conversations was a chore as people had to repeat themselves to me. My own voice sounded like I was hearing myself with a bad cold and not like it was coming in through the air. .Sounds like I'm underwater. When I speak, I can only hear my voice in my head, as it does when you put your fingers in both ears to speak. I cannot hear my voice 'from the outside'. Feels like my right ear is completely plugged! Everything was muffled IS THIS MY NEW REALTY? I am at the end of my ropes. Somedays I do want to kill myself. I don't know if i can deal with this for the rest of my life. I want to be normal again. Please God help me or someone. I am having an attack right now while I am writing this.
How long did you take acyclovir and what dosage? I don't know what you have, of course, but if you're going to try antivirals, then you need to also consider valacyclovir and famvir. Also, take 3000 mg of lysine TID on an empty stomach.
^^ what scott tom said. I had similar symptoms and they were AWFUL. Antivirals did a lot for,the distortion, tinnitus, and the most dreaded autophony aspects but it is not an on off switch, it took months of a high dosage. It got better a little bit at a time, two steps forward and one back. Allergy shots did a lot for the hearing and the degree to which eustachian tubes were involved but that takes years. Now for all intents and purposes, i have normal hearing (for a person with one ear). The one thing i could control myself was caffeine, eliminating that helped a little. Talk details about the antiviral dosage, maybe someone can get you info that will help. Believe me, i know what the autophony and tinnitus and other weirdo distortion and hearing symptoms are like. Even the ent's do not really get it. But there is hope. Keep working on it.
Oh btw, all drop things seemed to make my hearing symptoms worse. And if you have to fly and have problems with the etubes, use the old House ear clinic recommendation of diluted neosynephrine before flight and landing. In fact, get on a plane and go see dr derebery at House ear clinic. She is the one that got me straightened out.
I'm so sorry you're going through this. It's awful. I've been there when I wasn't sure I could live with it, but I got past that, and now when there are times when it gets bad, I really do trust that I will get back to where it's better. (And those times really don't last that long!) Know that you are going to learn things that will help it get better and liveable. It's not an easy road, but there is movement forward. You have come to a great place (this web site) to help you find out what you need to know. One thing that is confusing is that you can have multiple of these things at once. I have Menieres, MAV (Migraine Associated Vertigo), TMJ, and I feel like I'm forgetting something! Ah. I've had BPPV, too. They each have their own solutions and I've come to recognize them, and know what I can do to help.
NYCDoctor. If you look at what I have been going through since November 2016 (read my posts Jimmy Alvin), then you will see your symptoms are just like mine, and your diagnosis is similar. The last information I have on my condition is Menieres but I have had other diagnoses, and I also rarely suffer from full blown vertigo (only three times in six months). I have short bursts of vertigo when I turn my head fast, walk up stairs or walk in the dark...and sometimes when I least expect it doing the weirdest crap. It is very hard to take, but I am trying to be as positive as possible--not easy. I have also thought about ending this life, but you and I have so much to live for, and perhaps there is someway you can find something good. I no longer have the serious brain fog events like I was having two months ago. I just sat and starred into space and cried....I am trying to live...please try to live with all of us here. I know what you are going through. If I could relate to someone, just one person, exactly what I feel like, the roaring, hearing distortions, dizziness, lack of hearing and tiredness. I have been able to do that here....I can't listen to music now, but I look at beautiful pictures...Please try with me to find goodness and beauty in this life. I can't hear bass either, but I wear hearing aids to help.