New to the forum.

Welcome, Dave. MM can be a debilitating, embarrassing and frustrating disease. On this board not only are you not alone, but there is a wealth of info and super knowledgeable people here. We have all had at least one of those attacks where you are totally out of place and helpless. One of my first big ones was at work when I was at Best Buy, I was in the middle of selling a big camera setup when it hit, I just said "I'm sorry" to the customer, turned and basically crawled to the bathroom where I vomited until the ambulance showed up.

Years later, I've started antiviral meds, been to the chiropractor for atlas adjustments and am taking supplements, all of which are seeming to help me. Take a look around, ask questions and good luck!

 

Welcome. After the workup to eliminate other possibilities, try antivirals. You will read a lot about them here. That is because they have helped a lot of people and the doctors, many of them, are still not up to speed on the connection to menieres. Good luck, i think you will find an answer that works for you.

 

I'm sorry you went through that MBG. What a terrible scenario! LOL!

 

It was just one of those things, man. I knew once it hit That it was all over and trying to explain would just expedite the inevitable.

BTW, looks like you have achieved “Hero Status” here on the board!

 

Welcome Dave,
Good luck.
I was diagnosed with Meniere's in Feb 2017 when my symptoms had gotten worse after many years. At that time I started on antivirals and a low sodium diet which has me feeling 95%.

 

MM tends to be multi-factoral, and you may have more than just a virus. It may be a combination of viral, fungal, and bacterial infections that combine to overwhelm the immune system.

There is plenty of info here on antivirals, but also check out the anti-fungal angle. Nystatin is a safe anti-fungal to start out with. This link has info on anti-fungal meds: http://menieres.org/talk/index.php?topic=264.msg41424#msg41424

Recently, I've begun to think that stealth dental infections might play a role.

Please check out this thread and see if any of it sounds like it applies to you: http://menieres.org/talk/index.php?topic=2830.0

Good Luck!

 

I've gotten spaced put not only in malls but in stores for many years; I've quit alcohol, processed foods and rarely go out to eat. For the past year I've improved my nutrition and want to continue to eat mostly vegetables with some fruit, whole grains and fish. I've eaten way to may sweets for a month and find it hard to stop but I've done the sugar binge thing many times and thankfully been able to get back to better nutrition.
My best to everyone.

 

If someone hasnt already said this, look into migraine associated vertigo too before you do any surgeries etc.

 

As an RN, i know you know menieres is a diagnosis by exclusion and as such, doesnt pin the origin down for us. That is why the recommendation of try this and try that. Even the doctors will just be trying steroids, trying diuretics, trying low sodium, trying shunt surgery ... but antivirals and MAV seem to have the best success just according to the people i have been reading on this board the last ten years. I was an av success.

 

Welcome to the site. The vast majority of people find partial or full relief through various methods and are able to live quite normal lives. This forum has the really hard cases, as most people move on after they get relief. Don't assume that you'll be one of the tough cases. The odds are greatly in your favor. So don't be discouraged. Try everything.

There are several things that can cause Menieres-like symptoms. You can find an exhaustive list here:

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/index.html

You should first have yourself checked for all the possibilities by various specialists. Be sure to get the full workup. For example, without an MRI, you cannot rule out tumors. Without a high-resolution scan, you cannot rule out SCD. There are a a lot of different tests for different things.

Get a second and third opinion. A lot of doctors spend less than 10 minutes looking at your file and then make a diagnosis. A lot of folks here have been diagnosed with one thing (e.g. Menieres), only to find out years later they had something else (e.g. MAV). The treatments for these two illnesses are vastly different!

Check your diet. MAV can often be controlled with diet. Viral-related Menieres requires that you control your Arginine-Lysine ratio in foods.

A lot of folks have found relief from antivirals. Obviously, this doesn't work for everyone, but for those of us who are viral-related, it works about 90% of the time (this number is based on published data by Dr. Gacek in peer-reviewed journals). This is a good place to start reading about antivirals

http://www.mm3admin.co.za/documents/docmanager/6e64f7e1-715e-4fd6-8315-424683839664/00056616.pdf

https://fhs.mcmaster.ca/otolaryngology/documents/recoveryofhearinginMeniresusingantiviraltreatment.pdf

Many people have found relief from various supplements. The most famous one on this board is JOH. You can find his regimen here:

http://www.zoominternet.net/~kcshop/JOH.PDF

If you think you might have MAV, read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498501145&sr=8-1&keywords=heal+your+headache

There are many other regimens that have worked for others, so be sure to read all the threads on this site. There is a wealth of information here that has been built up over 20 years of experience.

Even if nothing works, don't panic, because you can always get a labyrinthectomy, which almost certainly will end your vertigo problems. Just make sure you know which ear is bad and that you're not bilateral (even then, you can laby both ears in a last resort scenario).

Lastly, while it's good to listen to your doctor, also listen to your body. You are your best advocate. If you think your doctor isn't giving you the best treatment, get another opinion. Keep searching. Most people who found this site eventually left because they got better. Many of the remaining folks are the really tough cases, so don't panic and assume that you'll be one. Think positive and get started on your journey with both eyes and ears open.

Good luck. We're here to help.

 

To be clear, it's not a diagnosis by exclusion. It's just exclusion. I prefer to call MM a syndrome and not a disease because modern medicine doesn't know what causes it nor how to cure it.

You folks on here who are taking the antivirals, the antifungals and looking at the possible dental issues already know more than the average modern doc.