Hello everyone, I’m grateful to have found you all and this timely resource. I’m so new to all of this I’m honestly overwhelmed. I come to posting here after seeing my ENT a few days ago and being handed a brochure about Meniere’s Disease. Here’s my short story: Back in March, 2020 I almost certainly had covid (not tested), but I was really sick for many weeks. As I got better by summer, my jaw started not working smoothly…crunchy grinding noises, and pops, and at times even difficult to open all the way while eating. I have a night guard so I started wearing it again, but my jaw is still not as it was before. By November, 2020, the sound in my right ear was clearly less volume and not of the same quality as my left ear. Also, both my ears felt stuffed up. I went to my current ENT, and he diagnosed it as Eustacian Tube Dysfunction. He suggested a surgery where they go in through your nose and dilate the openings to your Eustachian tubes. An experimental surgery my insurance would not cover. So, I found a new ENT for a second opinion, and he ordered Brain and Inner Ear Canal MRIs, and a hearing test. I have hearing loss in my right ear as I suspected and the MRIs showed a couple of mini strokes, but no acute infarction and no tumor. Thankfully, I have never had dizziness or a vertigo attack yet, but my ears are fully stuffed up and the tinnitus started off and on a few months ago as well. My ENT said, “You have 2 out of 3 symptoms for MD and we’ve tried to alleviate the pressure in your ears with antibiotics & prednisone.” Not sure what to do next to be sure of this diagnosis? Also, not sure what I should consider to get my ears to feel less pressure? Are these “long hauler” symptoms from covid and does that matter? So many questions and I feel the need to do something. Thanks for taking the time to read and any suggestions are so appreciated.
Hi Robert, welcome to the forum. Based on your post, my thoughts are as follows. Any covid connection is unknown and coincidental in my opinion. However, the jaw issue can certainly be a trigger as tmj is a known to have adverse affects on the vestibular and cochlear nerves. If in your shoes, i would pursue my jaw issue. BOL to you and again, welcome.
I agree with Onedayatatime. Pursue the jaw issue as you will not find one ENT to connect the jaw to the ear/Meniere's issue. I have both. Find an EXPERIENCED dental provider for the TMJ. I have $8,000 in interlocking mouth appliances from one who came highly recommended, that only aggrevated my TMJ, now back to my original single night guard to save my teeth! Not much can be done with the Meniere's....as I was told....learn to live with it, although I have had a series of steroid injections, a prescription for betathistine, the diet controls. Thankfully you do not have vertigo... best wishes as you work through your process...
I too am relatively new to this site and am coming up on a year of dealing with Meniere's. I am under the care of an excellent ENT in the Tampa area and have made progress. I can't tie my turnaround to one thing but I went on acyclovir at the same time I learned about vitiamins B5 and B6 on this site. Ever since I have done much better. I am also on Dyazide as well.
Thank you all for responding and for the suggestions. I do believe there is a direct connection from the TMJ issues last year and what is unfolding in my life now. I very much appreciate your support.
Just remember, there is no real cure for this. What works for some may not work for others. Many have said on this forum how important it is to journal your experience with the disease. Try to figure out your triggers.