Has anyone had very bad trouble coping with this to disease to the point of having suicidal ideation, attempting or succeeding at suicide. This disease can be extremely debilitating.
It is a tough disease but there are solutions! Much success has been had with AVs, JOH, Vitamins. And if that doesn't work there is very good surgery where they snip the nerve from the ear - no more vertigo. Bulldogs is a happy fellow whose wife is a doctor and he had surgery. P.S. I don't think you will hear from too many who succeeded at suicide, and that is the problem with that solution!! If you could hear from them, I expect they would say "bad idea"
I just read your intro. With your active lifestyle and obvious grittiness, you will be fine, I'd bet on it. I think most of us have shed some tears over this at one time or another, I know I have. Just my casual observation but this disease does seem to affect more musicians than would be statistically probable. I am not a musician but I did listen to White Rabbit at incredible volumes
When I had my first attacks with the worst hangover (every day severe headaches and dizziness losing my balance) I thought about committing suicide after more than two months without any improvement. I did not do it because a series that a character was watching gave another starving character food, he rejected it out of pride and the character told him: If you don't eat you will die, but if you eat you will live to see a new day and you will never know what surprises it will bring . Applied to my Meniere, it can be shit many times, but if I kill myself now and in five or ten years someone finds a cure What? As the other user told you: try antivirals, vitamins, betahistine, JOH, etc. and if nothing works, gentamicin or surgery. There is always time to commit suicide.
Hi Brian I am sure there are many who have thought about it in the thrones of Vertigo. I would include myself in that category. Please know there are options to slay this beast forever. I had a labyrinthectomy to slay the beast 11 years ago and I am as normal as any other 51 year old man walking the earth except I am deaf in my right w we at due to the surgery. please know there are many on this forum who have had surgeries to reclaim their lives. There are also many on this forum with no balance function in both wars and use cochlear implant to hear and they have great lives. Some are even doctors and presidents of banks. winning the mental aspect is very important but please know you don’t have to live with vertigo and dizziness. I don’t know where you live but my advice would be to go to a Otolaryngologist at a big teaching hospital. I highly recommend Dr Rauch at Meei/Harvard Dr. Mattox at Emory Dr. Della Santina at John Hopkins there are lots of tools in the tool shed so to speak to stop the vertigo and restore hearing. God Bless PM me if you want to talk Joe/Bulldogs
For me it is the constant tinnitus that is hurting me the most. The vertigo and ear fullness are a walk in the park because they aren’t 24/7 365.
If you have experienced the devastation suicide inflicts on families and friends, it would not be a consideration. MD is a nasty beast. However, at 63 i can say I’ve dealt wit more devastating issues. As a beleiver, i hang on to my Rock to get me thru the difficult times.
I once read that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. today is not forever my friends…
I know when I was on the floor vomiting unable to move it crossed my mind that I could not live like this. But, as George Harrison said..."All things must pass"... and there came a time where I could once again walk and talk. But I can certainly see a time if things were in a bad way AND getting constant vertigo attacks one could contemplate "moving on".
Brian, it's interesting that for you it's the tinnitis that hurts you the most and not the vertigo and ear fullness. It's the opposite for me. I live with roaring tinnitis but gladly accept that over vertigo and ear fullness. I can at least function with tinnitis. I cannot get off the floor with vertigo much less go to work. And ear fullness, at least for me, is usually an indicator of a possible future vertigo attack. I also live with almost permanent dizziness in various degrees, but again, gladly accept that over full blown vertigo.
For some reason my tinnitus reacts to the white noise and any droning noise. So I end up listening to it all night and it drives me mad.
My tinnitus was so bad between my shunt surgery and my vestibular nerve resection one year later, that I completely understand why someone would want to do anything to make it stop. It was a cacaphony of 18 wheelers driving past at close range while a marching band horn section blasted in directly into my ear plus whistles, low and high pitched hums, and random electronic buzzes and beeps. There were so many conflicting and discordant sounds and all at full volume 24/7 - I just wanted it to stop at any cost. Once I had the resection, the noise was immediately less discordant and is limited to three or four distinct sound elements, which became more or less tolerable after a few years. This disease can be so debilitating and isolating that when I read of the folks who took their life to end the tinnitus, I get it. I really don't think it is the solution and I wish with all my heart that no one else takes that route. But, I do get it. I'm so glad there is a community like this because no one really understands this struggle like others who are in the same fight. You are not alone.
Your life is different now than it was before. It will never be like it was before. THose are harsh words, but true words. The reality of those words must be accepted before you can move on. Personally, it took me a long time to reach that point being a musician and all. But get to that point you must if you want any kind of a life outside of feeling sorry for yourself. I have no degree in psychiatry or psychology, I simply have lived this and wish you he best.