Newbie Here

Hi! I'm new to forums and somewhat new to Meniere's. I was diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago. Strange how it happened. I was 53 at the time and had been exercising like crazy. I was in the best shape of my life (other than in my 20s). I was doing pushups and felt a pull in my neck and a pop. No biggie but about a month later I had my first vertigo attack. Luckily I was at home. I went to the ER and was hospitalized a couple days as they thought I had a stroke. I didn't. I was in great health. After trips to an ENT and neurologist I was diagnosed with MD. I never heard of it and was at a total loss. I had a couple vertigo attacks after the initial one, and my ENT just told me to watch my salt intake and don't eat can goods. I felt he washed his hands of me. I felt terrible for weeks and finally took my niece's recommendation to see a chiropractor. My neck was a mess. I've been going about once a month to the chiropractor and have felt better. I also drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. My chiropractor is the only doctor who has given me exercises to do and information. No other doctor did this for me. After a couple months after my diagnoses, I went back to exercising (but not as much). I did this for several months but then this past April the place I was exercising closed, and I figured I would stop for the summer and start up again in Sept. This never happened. In May/June my allergies started up and I started feeling the fullness in my right ear. This lasted several weeks. Then in the summer I was fine, but Sept./Oct. timeframe the fullness began again (ragweed and mold season). I started seeing my chiropractor more and more, but the fullness wouldn't go away. Then once we had some good frosts I felt better. I saw a different ENT on 11/11 and he did not put me on anything. He told me to come back in 3-4 months. He was better than the first ENT, but much harder to get to him as I have to take a train and taxi. Then on 11/13 I ended up in the ER because of stress (my husband was leaving for a week and I was afraid to be alone with MD). My BP was extremely high and I started getting dizzy. I did not get vertigo though. A few days later I saw my PCM and she put me on an anti-anxiety and a 1 1/2 weeks later I took myself off and asked her to please check my thyroid for hyperthyroidism. (I had thyroid cancer almost 7 years ago). Turns out I was hyperthyroid and had to get my thyroid med dosage changed. This past week I have had fullness in my right ear again and very loud ringing. I feel my balance is off most of the time now. I know barometric pressure may be the cause this time. It can't be salt intake as I'm barely eating anything with salt. I've lost 9 pounds in a couple weeks due to the hyperthyroidism and lack of eating. In the past during allergy season I used essential oils to alleviate the fullness, but this time nothing is working. I read a lot about the different drugs MD patients are on and procedures that have been done, and I wonder why I'm not on anything. I did feel better when I worked out, but now I'm too afraid to go anywhere new or alone in case I have a vertigo attack. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't know anyone who has this disease and it seems no one I know really understands.

 

I do go to a chiropractor already. He's very helpful. I was thinking of checking out acupuncture too.