1. Get our daily digest email where we email the latest new topics from our Strictly Health forum to keep up with the latest developments! Click here to subscribe.

Pilot with Menieres

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by Shayne Wolfe, Feb 27, 2021.

  1. Paris 48

    Paris 48 New Member

    25
    3
    3
    Sep 4, 2015
    Sorry to hear you having to deal with this.MM sucks in so many ways,I feel esp. bad for young people who have this.Mine hit in older age,thank God because husband was in the military,flew Apaches.I hope things work out for you and best wishes.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  2. IvanNew

    IvanNew Active Member

    221
    67
    28
    Jan 18, 2021
    In fact, there are studies that warn that Meniere has gone from being a disease that manifested itself especially from 50 or 60 years onwards. To be a disease that appears at an earlier age, over 20 or 30.

    They do not know why, but they consider that there must be "something" that has changed in people's ordinary lives, such as habits or consumption, that could be the key. Some say that sodium and caffeine consumption is much higher now than it was a few decades ago, but there is no study to prove it and the truth is, I think much more caffeine and sodium were consumed earlier than now because doritos, the free coffee for making anything, frozen food, etc. They already existed, but there was no medical notice that they were bad for my health, since I was a child I have been warned that you have to eat fruit and vegetables and little pastries and junk food, just like smoking is bad, etc. .

    In general I think that the society of 1950-1989 lived with much more unhealthy habits (if even the doctors recommended smoking or having a shot of alcohol for some ailments). Since 1990 there has been a constant bombardment about which things are good and which are bad and in general I have followed them all: I have never taken drugs of any kind or smoked, I drank alcohol once every several months, I drink 3 liters of water per day, before Meneire I no longer used salt or sugar for many of my meals and drinks, etc. My only sin was drinking 2-3 full cups of coffee a day, eating little and being quite sedentary. And here I am with this disease: D

    In any case, I think that what is accelerating the appearance of Meniere in the new generations is none of the above but stress. People aged 40 and under live with unprecedented social stress, we are expected to follow in the footsteps of our parents (get a job with which to buy a house or flat, a car and raise children) and most of us go from We are 30 and we have to share a flat with four people to make ends meet or go home to our unemployed parents or accepting jobs that border on slavery.

    My 7 years before my Meniere were without a doubt the most stressful of my life and I am sure that studying to pilot involves years of stress as well.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Todd

    Todd New Member

    23
    2
    3
    Nov 16, 2020
    Hi Shayne,

    I’m sorry to hear about your situation. I got diagnosed at 26 with very active Meniere’s and had vestibular nerve section surgery at 28. I’m an extreme case and now heading for a layrinthectomy.

    Those surgeries are considered among the most aggressive treatments but can remove vertigo. They come with long term health implications but they are trade-offs I was more than happy to make. Advocate respectfully for the treatment you need. You have options even if they are extreme.

    Best,
    Todd
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  4. Rubygirl

    Rubygirl Member

    91
    27
    18
    Oct 4, 2020
    I am sorry to hear about your situation. My thoughts are to go with Option #2.

    Option #3 does seem like a last resort.

    Option #1 may be the truth, but let's not jump there until you have tried everything and exhausted all options as well.

    Option #2 seems like the most reasonable and prudent approach. Even if you just take a year off. As above, some of the regimens (like JOH) can take several months to see if it helps.

    I would recommend to you that you change your diet to be less restrictive in fact. Yes, reduce the salt but we need salt to live too. Aim for about 1500 mg per day. Too little salt can cause issues too, and if your blood pressure is low (one side effect of too little salt) that can certainly contribute to dizziness.

    Then you are low carb. Being too severe in this respect is also not healthy. It's one thing for an obese person to be trying to lose weight but for the average individual, your body needs carbohydrates. Your brain functions solely on sugars for example and if you are forcing your body to convert proteins and fats to sugars - that's a lot of unnecessary stress you are putting on your body. Add in complex carbs back into your meals. Since many people find wheat and gluten to be an issue, experiment with other grains like millet, quinoa, etc. that are gluten free and super healthy.

    Basically as far as your diet goes - be kind to yourself! Moderation is the way to go. Some protein, some fat and some complex carbs at every meal. And a little salt.

    I know your symptoms started well before you made these extreme changes but I'm just saying that going to the extreme is not going to help and in fact may slow down your recovery.

    Also are you eating lots of nuts and seeds? Or drinking protein shakes/powders? Because these are all high in arginine, which helps to food viruses (and many of us feel viral inflammation is at play here). Foods you eat should be low in arginine or have a good/even ratio of lysine to arginine (lysine counteracts arginine). So a quick internet search will give you that info.

    Also, get a really good multivitamin. One that has a high amount of B vitamins (like 50mgs roughly each) and contains selenium, iodine, manganese, zinc, copper and other things like that. You don't want to be deficient in anything. And omega-3 fish oil for anti-inflammatory properties.

    If you have had much exposure to antibiotics in the past you may want to read up on Candida overgrowth.

    I assume the doctors that you have seen have checked hormone levels too, especially thyroid and that's all normal?

    You also may want to look into having an IgG allergy test done for food sensitivities. Can't hurt and may help identify things that could be causing inflammation in your body.

    Good luck!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Tomaso

    Tomaso New Member

    12
    1
    3
    Jul 3, 2019
    I wish I could find a Dr willing to give me Gentamicin injections immediately or one at all for that matter. Instead I wasted two years seeing an ENT that did nothing for me at all. I often wonder what would have happened if something had been done immediately with anti-virals.

    The only relief I have had from debilitating vertigo was through anti-virals.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. teesdale

    teesdale Active Member

    291
    30
    28
    Oct 24, 2014
    Shayne, so sorry that you are dealing with this.

    This is a sh!t disease and all cases are unique, but in my humble opinion, a life as a pilot is simply not possible for anyone with classic Menieres disease. My disease started at 30 and I am now 62. There is no way I could have had a career as a pilot. Many of the episodes came without warning and were completely dibilitating. Drop attacks can also be part of the equation and those are super dangerous even on solid ground.

    Not sure if anyone has mentioned the potential of MAV (Migrain Associated Vertigo) and, of course, there are several other possible diagnoses. Since you have invested so much into becoming a pilot, you may want to contact some of the experts mentioned above as soon as possible. It has been my experience that if you explain your specific circumstances the medical professionals will bend over backwards to get you an appointment.

    I wish you the best.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  7. Biffer

    Biffer Member

    82
    9
    8
    Aug 6, 2020
    I'm a private pilot and after my vertigo attacks last summer I've been told I'm done. I won't be able to get my medical renewed. Frankly after the last attacks I had I'm not sure I would ever want to be in a situation where I'm alone flying. If I got hit while flying like I did last summer that plane would go down and not the way I would want it to. I'm totally bummed as I worked hard for that licence and loved flying but... it's just one more sucky thing about this miserable illness.
     
    • Like Like x 1

Share This Page