I have a severe anxiety disorder, made worse by having a young daughter who had a brain tumour. Thankfully the tumour was successfully removed, but she still needs a scan every 6 months and leading up to the scan I am plagued by unrelenting stress. Daisy's last scan was yesterday and I found out this morning that it's all clear. But leading up to discovering the good news, my tinnitus has been roaring, my ear feeling absolutely full, and I have been having vertigo and dizzy spells. Last night one of these spells woke me in the night. I tried to do an Epley manouver on myself and it made me want to throw up. Today, I had an MRI myself and the results were all clear. That news, combined with the great news about Daisy meant that I felt better almost instantly. Anyway, my ENT believes my MD is anxiety induced (I hadn't had an attack in 15 years, but my anxiety has manifested physically in different ways, such as TLE seizures). My question is: Does anyone else on the forum have anxiety induced menieres?
Stress is a trigger for about all MM sufferers. Your not alone. That’s why a lot of take us anti anxiety meds.
Hi Lacebug, Congrats your daughter getting the all clear. I’ve had MM for over 20 years. Stress/anxiety didn’t cause it in the first place but my experience is that stress/anxiety can certainly exacerbate it and cause symptoms to flare. It took me a long time to realize that. I hope you’re feeling better.
I know I have anxiety, but I never needed medication for it. Can't tell my ENT though. I've talked to my doc about discontinuing valium. I've given up. I just don't take as much as the doc prescribes. My doc says even if I'm not anxious I should take the valium because it relaxes your ear's stress response, in a manner of speaking. When I am under more stress than usual, however, my Meniere's symptoms really kick it up a notch, and my balance becomes worse throughout the day much faster. I'm referring to stress from those times when I think, "oh, crap, I now realize it's 3pm, and I haven't eaten anything today, couldn't sleep last night, haven't had five minutes to myself because I've been busy doing x, y, z(everything but meeting my own basic needs)." Self-care is very important, and I think even more so for us. Meniere's is stressful by itself. Add in challenges of family, financial stress, etc., it's a recipe for disaster if we don't take care of ourselves. You have to find what works for you. Talking to a therapist, reading, and meditation help me the most. Obviously, I come to this forum. Glad you and Daisy received the all clear, Lacebug!
For me, stress has never triggered a vertigo attack but it does affect my tinnitus, especially work related stress.
Hey, Lacebug, welcome to the forum. This is wonderful news. I'm so happy for you & your daughter. Have you undergone electroencephalogram monitoring so to establish whether you suffer from epilepsy, as opposed to psychogenic nonepileptic seizures?