30 Years MD off and on

Hello, just thought I would share my story,so thanks for listening.

I was diagnosed with Menieres in 1990. Lucky to find an ENT at that time who knew anything about it. Started a year after I left the military and my first symptom was Tinnitus in my right ear. Within a short period I experienced aural fullness as well. I went to the ENT and he initially put me on several different treatments/meds at the same time. My understanding then was there were several other conditions that could produce these symptoms, i.e. Acoustic Neuroma, and that the shotgun treatment of different meds would treat for all of them.

Shortly after that I had my first bout with severe vertigo and vomiting(V/V). When my ENT found out he stopped the shotgun of meds he prescribed, diagnosed it as Menieres and prescribed Maxzide for daily use and Promethazine for episodes. The Tinnitus would get loud, aural fullness start, then the episode of V/V for 8-10 hours and then nothing. No noise, no fullness, till it built again as days passed. I had a test called a Baer ENG looking for hearing loss, but at that time didn't show any significant results.

From 90-93 I worked in a loan office, under high stress, smoking a pack a day, and generally dealing with MD episodes pretty frequently. The Maxzide didn't seem to do anything to alleviate my symptoms, but in all honesty, I am sure my lifestyle contributed heavily to my condition. In 1993, I moved to Tucson AZ and experienced dry heat for the first time. I started work for the Postal Service and spent all year outside driving in vehicles, or working in trucks with no A/C.

I began to get relief, and often wondered if it was a combination of having my body in constant state of needing hydration, and the physical exercise itself that helped the problem stay below whatever threshold it needs to reach to create the symptoms. I came to believe there was another root cause which contributed to my condition.

I was raised in a home where children were seen not heard and, as my sisters so often say, the only emotion allowed was the one which my father was expressing. I learned to bottle in all the feelings and if my body wanted to weep or scream, I suppressed it. Every time I did I could feel the pressure in my head from clamping down. I mention this because in 1993 I began to allow myself to express my feelings and they would come upon me at strange times. Never thought I might find myself weeping at dolphins in a documentary.

By 1995 I had acclimated to the climate, physical exercise, and drinking gallons of water a day. I quit smoking after 20 years and my emotional well-being was healthier and I became symptom free for the first time in 5 years. This lasted about 7 years (2003) and came to end when I decided to take a promotion and work inside, at a desk, under high stress again.

Well, didn't take it long to come back but not in the same degree as before. I did have a bouts of V/V etc. but they were infrequent. Most of the time I had Tinnitus but I started to meditate and be healthier in my food choices and when I opened my own business in 2005 and left the USPS, I was on an even keel.

I left Tucson in 2011 and moved to the East Coast. Since then I have had constant Tinnitus, occasional small bouts of fuzziness, queasiness, aural fullness but no full blown episodes. It seemed after so many years it was like a worn gasket, and had small leaks instead of big blowouts.

I am an Electrical Distribution Designer by trade and sheltering/working in my home now for 3 mos due to the Covid outbreak. I think spending 8-9 hrs a day under deadline may not be my best choice for dealing with MD. Last week, I had a relapse of sorts. I had a 2 hour period of full blown vertigo but luckily not with it's horrible friend. I don't know if anyone's experience was helped by climate like I feel mine was, but I am considering moving back to the West.

I consider myself fortunate that I have been able to live/work with this condition and have even had times when I was asymptomatic. I have have known and spoken with those who are/have been significantly debilitated by MD and I feel for each one of you challenged by this experience. Thank you for listening and God Bless.