Admin Post From DizzJo on our old Meniere's forum database: Fatigue comes up frequently with people who have Meniere’s Disease. One of the suspected reasons for the fatigue is the continuous conflicting information the brain gets from the damaged balance organ in the inner ear/ears and the other parts of the balance system, the eyes and the muscles. In a sense both the brain and the muscles are constantly adjusting for the constantly conflicting information, which is what wears you out. The emotional aspect has, to some extent, to do with the constant fatigue. The fatigue makes sure that you need to rest a lot and as a result you don't accomplish nearly enough of what you want to, leaving you to feel guilty. Fatigue can also be a symptom of depression. After all there is a lot to make you feel depressed. If you aren’t getting the needed sleep, depression can also result. Needing to accept that you are a different person now; your capabilities have changed. Concerning fatigue, for me, it DOES make sense. There are some days, when I need more sleep than others and after an attack of vertigo, it may take several days, or longer to recover. You shouldn’t feel bad about the extra sleep needed. Acceptance of the changes taking place in your life is sometimes the hardest part of dealing with your disease.
I'm going to take a contrarian opinion on this one. There have been periods of months/years were my vertigo was in remission and I was steady as a rock. My opinion is that the fatigue and brain fog come from the immune system trying to fight inflammation that it can't properly fight. When the immune system calms down (low inflammation), my fatigue and brain fog are gone. When it's high, they're back. When it's really really high, I have to worry about vertigo.
I’m going to have to side with both of you! I have been bi-lateral for 33 years now. After 9 surgeries and enough time, both of my balance nerves were totally destroyed. I see and balance with my eyes. And since I’m now deaf if one ear and partially deaf in the other, my eyes have a third job—helping me to ‘hear’. Those 3 jobs for a 1 job organ (eyes) Plus my Auto-immune easily keep me fatigued. Remission? You need to Thank God my friend. I’ve never gone into remission or silence. However, I have had the vertigo to lessen through my ‘burn-out’ stage many moons ago. There’s no one indicator for our fatigue. It’s a combination of each persons’ various symptoms. Acceptance is hard and has to be renewed daily. Guilt has no place in our lives but it’s almost impossible to live without it. Prayer is the answer for me. Blessings.
Now that I am in stage 3 I do not feel the tiredness near as bad as I did when in stage 1 & 2. However, I have bilateral MD and I have a sensitivity so bad to loud noises that it is making my life miserable. The tinnitus is easier to deal with although it is a warning that I will have a bad day. Years ago when I would have the terrible vertigo attacks for days at a time...I would be exhausted afterwards. A tiredness like never before.
Anyone else care to share your thoughts or experience on fatigue. Cuz it's killing me. From 1PM to 6PM I'm so tired it's maddening.
It was explained to me that the brain has only so much bandwidth, and there is a hierarchy of messages that get through. The survival-related signals like pain and balance get through first, and logic/reasoning trails along. The brain gets exhausted having to keep tabs on balance while making sense of semi-audible conversations, which is fatiguing especially later in the day. At the same time, cognitive abilities are compromised, which is the "brain-fog" feeling. I found myself considerably less fatigued post-laby.
Hi I have the same problem but I did not know that there were different stages. My Drs have not given me any information on this so I am trying to find out everything I can on my own.
I can be OK one moment and then the next moment I am so tired that I can't keep my eyes open, it is really scary when I am driving and the fatigue comes over me.
New symptom is fatigue. Process of elimination leads me to believe it’s linked to tinnitus. Trying B12 to see if it helps.
I have the same exact issue. One minute I have energy and am doing something a few moments later , I'm nodding off. Just terrible fatigue, interlaced with spurts of energy.
Omg you are talking directly to me! I am now a stay at home dad! Wife had to go to work when I went on disability. This speaks volumes. I get the house work done but it seems like that’s is all I get done! I sleep the rest!
Good morning I have recently had two attacks of vertigo within a month of each other. I have never had it before but I have got damage to my inner ear caused by an operation when I was a toddler. These attacks came on at the end of the week after not sleeping well. I did notice that I had the best nights sleep until I tried to raise my head off the pillow !! Wow what an experience. My tinnitus is howling and I have the foggy head that other suffers are mentioning - do you think I have Menieres? I am waiting for hospital appointment but Covid is creating delays I have been prescribed betahistamine and would welcome any suggestions how to reduce the symtons
This morning I woke up at 6 as usual but instantly felt bad vertigo and the oncoming of nausea. I ended up staying in bed for 4 hours trying to stave off the nausea. One thing that was unusual (other than getting an attack so early) was the totally exhausted feeling. I had a good 8 hours of sleep and yet for those 4 hours felt so tired. And I'm always looking for triggers.... what could be the trigger for this one? Sleep?
Possibly. Do you experience fluctuating hearing loss, & aural fullness? Consider also, & possibly in addition to Ménière’s, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Instantly, as in as soon as you lifted your head from, or altered the position of your head while it remained on your pillow? If so, also consider BPPV.
On a side note, I think the reasons why I don't experience as much fatigue as others do is because I have an entire lifetime, which is to say 39 years worth of training & experience in managing the much greater amount of continuous conflicting information my brain receives from its very own thoughts.
I'm still learning about MD. Lost most hearing in right ear two years ago, lost the rest last year, and had first full blow attack last week. Puked non-stop, vertigo and was laid out for 12 hours til I got to ER. I now look back and want to try different things before, during, and after my next attack. During my attack I made some observations: Light hurt, world was spinning, could not focus sight on anything, too late to get anything in me once started puking, knew I needed fluids and potassium. Thinking back when young, I couldn't ride a merry go round because would get sick and puke. Could not do anything that went in circles. Same feeling when I tried to open eyes during attack. While I was laid out, as long as my eyes were closed I could tolerate my situation. Going to hospital I had eyes covered to the point all I could see between my fingers was a very very small pinpoint of light/sight to guide me as I moved. Again trying not to see anything, or subconconsiusly trying not to focus. When Dr finally got me to open my eyes they were rapidly shaking back and forth... and making me feel sick. I believe the issue is my brain can't keep up with what my eyes are seeing. Just like the merry go round.(lot's of background going by on the merry go round but brain not being able to focus.. which made me sick and puke.) Again my eyes are going left to right very rapid and my brain could not keep up/focus but tried... which made me sicker. Next attack, job one is put a sleep mask on first thing. Don't give my brain the chance to "try" and focus. It's a start... Gonna to be a long strange journey....
I have been blaming my fatigue on my hormone shots for prostrate cancer. Some days I can barely wipe my ass. Never dawned on me it could be Menieres. I have my vertigo under control with Betahistine. I got my last shot (hopefully) in November, will see if things improve.
Never connected the dots until being diagnosed with MD. But then that was diagnosed 2 days ago after 12 years of thinking I was going crazy. Always thought it was old age. I have found if I sit down around midday I fall asleep and the only way to stop it is to stay standing doing something. My biggest problem is brain fade and forgetfulness. Lost count of the countless cups of tea I have made and never drunk. I deal with the constant vertigo by moving the eyes and not the head when possible. Always use the mirrors in the car and only turn the head when absolutely required, then slowly. The tinitus I've gotten used to and the sharp neddle point pain I get from time to time in the inner ear really shatters my day. Taken to using walking stick as I tend to wonder across the pavement unless I walk fast. Shattered the heal a few years ago so limited to slowish walking now. Heel to toe and I'm on the ground after 2 or 3 steps. No boubt I'll deal with MD in my usual fashion with health problems. Just get on and live the life I can despite the health restrictions I put up with. I always thought there are people far worse off than me, now I find I have joined the ranks.