Suicide and Ménière’s

Brian,

You are describing hyperacusis. I have it once in a while and for the first three days of MD 20 years ago.
I ran to the Dr. after day three, because I WAS about to put a gun in my mouth if it didn't stop.
It was horrible. It rarely happens now.
20+ years later I am still vertical.


Jim

 

I recommend you see you GP and discuss your depression. There are some meds that may help. In my past, i have been on Zoloft twice. Not for MD, but for other issues. Sounds like you may meed help getting over a hump in the road of life. If you have not yet seen a nruro/oto specialist, i also recommend that.

 

Brian, I guess that's why we are all here on this forum.... to share our pain but to also share out hope as well as our successes be they ever so minor. I think the first thing we have to accept is that this is the deck we have been served and to go from there. I am a classical pianist and believe me, the tinnitus is so bad sometimes I just can't really hear what I'm playing. I am a professional artist and make (made) my living doing outdoor art shows. Now I'm afraid to travel because I may get an attack while going to or at a show. I have a part time job teaching shotgun at LLBean and last year got put on suspension for weeks because of my vertigo attacks. It SUCKS! But I still say.... ANYTHING is better than a vertigo attack and I have been attack free for over a year now and I am happy as I can be for that..Give me tinnitis, give me dizziness, screw with my hearing but don't put me on the floor unable to move. So I guess my message is... we have to try and find the positive because this is the life we have been handed. It sucks sometimes but it can always be worse. We (you) will get through this.

 

I was in 2 years with vertigo attacks that hit me at home, on the road and at work. I wont bore you with how many hours i have on the floor under my desk spinning and puking. It was the neuro that found my MAV issue and made my vertigo go away. I still live with a dead ear and a constant howl. The hyperacusis still hits from time to time depening on how well i manage my diet. I need to stay away from amplified sound when the big H strikes.

Is the weaning causing a depression flare-up? You may not be ready to wean.

you’re definitely not alone in this. Dont expect non MD sufferers to understand. They have no clue and most are basically selfish. I find most family want you to just suck it up, shake it off and act normal. That ain’t gonna happen.

 

OK, I hear you. I'm no shrink but all I can think of is that you need to get your focus elsewhere. I know, easier said than done but I bet you can do it. For all I know yours may be a ton worse than mine (I can hear mine while mowing) but it has been so much a part of my life for so long now I just don't let it get to me. Yes, there are times where I could let it drive me batty (right now I'm typing in a "quite" room and that roar is all I can hear) but, again, I've grown so used to it that it's almost "normal". I just actually, honestly, forget about it. I bet, I hope, you will too in time. Have faith my friend. (Also, if you haven't already, look into mindfullness meditation as well as some alternative, holistic medicines. It may help. It helped me. I even did some acupuncture. )

 

But, I'm 66 and have had this for 20 years. I've had a lot of time to get used to it. So I'm not saying it will happen over night. You are still a young man and have not had this very long. All I'm saying is have some hope. It won't ever go away but in time you will learn to live with it and just make it a part of your "normal" life. To put it in context... my Mother is 93 and has ALS. She can't talk or walk but still lives in her house in NY and goes on with her life. She has had it for ten years and still smiles and rules the house like a queen. I can't imagine living that way but she has just accepted it as her "normal" life now. She has adapted and I think so can we. (I would take my problems any day over hers).

 

For sure... And she can still be a real pain in the ass.. And your GP is full of BS. ANYTHING like that can bring on depression if we focus on it enough.

 

You need a new GP. Fire his/her ass.

 

I have one last thought for you... I mentioned I saw an accupuncturest. I can't honestly say it really helped my vertigo all that much (I was doing so many different medicines at the time who knows what was helping) but one thing I really did like about it was the acupuncturist. She was so positive and so encouraging and just caring. It was like having a guru to go to every week that would really listen. You might look into that. Not only mght it help your tinnitis but it might give you someone outside of the usual medical field that would really listen to you, understand and try to help. Just a thought.

 

Antivirals are the only thing that has helped with my tinnitus and hyperacusis. It’s not a quick fix, though, and can take up to 4-6 weeks to see improvement, and may get worse before it gets better, but if the cause is viral, that’s the path I take.