False Diagnosis? Menieres at 21 - Only one incident of vertigo

Hi John. Welcome to the forums. Though I am sorry for the circumstances that bring you here.

There are definitely other things this could be and getting a second or even third opinion is well worth the effort. You are right, you don't fit the the profile of a typical MD patient... though it is one possibility. If the doctor pretty much diagnosed you with MD because of the vertigo and low frequency hearing loss, yes, this is often the case with MD but it can be related to fluid in the inner ear (called serous otitis media, see this link for more: Overview of Low-Frequency Hearing Loss.)

So I feel there is a good chance this could also have been related to an infection of some type of the inner or middle ear which you say you have a long history of. The infection theory would also be more supported by the week-long vertigo.

Now if it does turn out you have MD, the good news is that you are brand new to this game and like any disease, early diagnosis is the greatest factor in a successful outcome. It is very grim for a lot of people, yes. But then there are other people who go into remission and never have another vertigo attack again (or not for 20 years!)! Aim to be one of the latter.

The thing with MD is that nobody knows what causes it really. So whatever this is for you, I think you should adopt the mindset of seeking optimal health. For example, it's a good idea for everyone to watch their salt intake (by the way, it doesn't need to be zero - aim for about 1500-2000mg/day and make sure if you are having something that has more salt than you would like, to eat a banana with it or potato so you get lots of potassium to offset the sodium as they compete in your body). Or to ditch the unhealthy habits you mentioned.

But for the sake of reducing your allergies and ear infections as well as the symptoms MD if it is that, I strongly recommend you look into:

• Candida overgrowth in the gut (almost guaranteed with your history)
• Leaky gut syndrome (goes hand in hand with Candida overgrowth)

And if you can, get an ELISA or RAST food sensitivity test done to see what foods might be buggering up your immune system.

If it turns out you do have MD, come back on these forums and read about the John of Ohio regimen.

Many of us feel there is a link to MD and viruses (esp. the Herpes virus so if you get lots of cold sores this might be something!).

Anyway, all this to say that there is plenty of hope for you but it will take some effort to change your lifestyle and to address any underlying issues. But do that and your body will thank you! You're at an age where it can really bounce back!

Best of luck!

 

Welcome, and sorry for the circumstances that brought you here. Don't settle for the Meniere's dx just yet--get a second and maybe a third opinion--because it may be something else. Unfortunately, it is possible to have Meniere's at a very young age--I started having symptoms at 17 and was finally dx'd at 20.

 

MD is kind of a catch all phrase for what we all have as far as I'm concerned... but that is what it is. From all you have said I would be surprised if you don't have MD. I would stick with the low salt and continuously monitor the ear problem. If it starts getting bad go to diuretics and anything else that helps with ear congestion and dizziness.

 

I agree with all the comments above. I'm not good at the commenting. I usually just read what people say about this disease. I made comments years ago but never could find where they were later. Since I've had this disease I have trouble concentrating and multi-tasking. I was diagnosed with MD in 1998. An ER doctor suggested it back then first. I was in ER because of spinning and vomiting till I dehydrated. I had been telling my primary care doctor of having dizzy spells and ears ringing and he didn't think it was anything to worry about. But after my ER visit he referred me to a doctor in Little Rock AR that dealt with MD. And that's when I was diagnosed with it. He put me on diuretics and told me I was in the early stage of MD in my right ear. The diuretic worked for years with no more dizziness. I still had the ringing 24/7. Finally around 2012 me and my wife and a couple went to a pool party one night and I had drank a few beers. I was doing flips off the diving board and would get lost under water not knowing which way was up. I thought dang I didn't think I had drank that much. Well on the way home I was dizzy and vomiting and thought what is going on. I woke up the next morning still dizzy. I was dizzy for two months. In the meantime I went back to Little Rock, had to see a different doctor that worked with the original doctor that I had seen. He was too full with patients. I went deaf in my right ear and they said MD was in my left ear also. I would have vertigo spells off and on throughout the years. I had the steroid injections different times which didn't seem to help. I wound up having the Lymphatic Decompression Shunt surgery, I think it was called, in 2014. I went 5 years with no vertigo spells. Then in 2019 it all started again. I missed a lot of work off and on. My wife or daughter would have to come pick me up from either work or from the side of the road. I wound up in the ER a couple more times dehydrated from the vomiting. Now my doctor has taken me off work for now. It's been about 3 months having spells nearly every day. The longest I've went is two days without one. I had a brain MRI April 16 and now waiting on appointment with a Neoroligist because of the MRI results. Sorry for the long comment. Maybe someone has had similar results.

 

Flips off a diving board!!! Yea, that will do it. That's kind of scary about being lost under water. I can totally see how it could happen. Out of curiosity, does your ear have to be full (you know what I mean) to get the vertigo attacks? All my attacks were preceded by my ear getting full and going deaf. I'm dizzy most of the time but only have the full blown attacks when my ear is screwed up. I've been very fortunate for quite a while now with no attacks but fearing the summer as that is when my ear gets worse. (My ear doc had me see an allergist today as he believes (as do I) that one of my triggers could be allergies. )

 

Hey Biffer! I never was exactly sure what people mean by ear filling full. Mine have felt like they need unstopped or blown out like when flying in a plane or driving in the mountains. I used to hold my nose and try to blow through my nose to unstop them. And I could hear better then. Now I have the tubes in my ears from trying the Meniett device. I feel like allergies has something to do with this mess to but not sure. My head usually feels weird when a spell is coming on. But sometimes it just hits all of a sudden without warning. I have found that if I take a Larazepam and quickly get laid down on my side with head on a pillow and be perfectly still, I usually make it without vomiting. I usually fall asleep and wake up with it gone. Knock on wood, but that's how it's been for the last few months. If I go fishing I don't get too far from my truck which I keep a pillow in. Lol

 

I forgot to say since the tubes are there,my ears don't stop up. Sorry

 

That stopped up feeling is what I'm talking about. Before my attacks, it gets worse. I've often thought my Eustachian tube was clogged. Holding my nose and blowing (it's called the Valsalva Maneuver and we do it when scuba diving) can help get some of my hearing back for a short time but it doesn't last long. It's all part of the the result of an abnormal amount of fluid (endolymph) in the inner ear. Many believe that when that fluid builds up too much the walls of the sac that hold this fluid can tear letting the fluid run into the ajoining sac, causing vertigo. The inner ear is our gyro and when it gets screwed up like that, the world starts spinning.