Serious injury from drop attack

Clare · Apr 18, 2018

Travis, what a rough road you've been on. I've been trying to research the options for severe Meniere's and found Dr. Hain has a flow chart that his clinic uses to develop treatment plans for severe Meniere's here:

https://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/menieres/menieres%20last%20resort.html.

Best of luck to you on Friday.

tdoak · Apr 18, 2018

Thanks Clare,

I have battled this disease for almost 10 years, with the last 3 being very tough. I cost me my marriage as well. I have tried just about every treatment and very familiar with Dr. Hain. I have tried over 100 treatments and spent well over 10K out of pocket. I have tracked everything I have tried I live in Canada and most of my drugs are free. Anti virals, dueritics, Nucca, injections, Bowen therapy, ear pressure pump, urine therapy, supplements from all over the world, including from Russia, China, etc, etc, etc. I have seen the top specialists in Canada. I have accepted that surgery is my only choice, and I am ok with my choice.

Mac · Apr 18, 2018

Wishing you luck...you deserve a break.

Man I hope this works...

quick question...why no shunt (I have a shunt)? is the that the more popular method in Canada?

PleaseNoDizzy · Apr 18, 2018

^ I was going to ask the same as Mac.

Best of wishes to you.

Clare · Apr 18, 2018

I was just looking at MedScape and came across this discussion which mentions the benefit of a shunt is unclear:

Ménière disease initially is treated with sodium restriction and possibly diuresis. Vestibular suppressants are useful during episodes. A combination of a diuretic and a vestibular suppressant controls episodes of vertigo in 60-80% of patients. Patients whose symptoms fail to respond to conservative treatment and who continue to have episodes of vertigo may benefit from a variety of treatments.

Transtympanic gentamicin can be used to perform a chemical labyrinthectomy to exploit the ototoxicity of this aminoglycoside. [2]
Endolymphatic sac decompression (ESD) can be performed. This outpatient procedure is the most commonly performed surgery for Ménière disease. Through the mastoid, the endolymphatic sac is exposed and freed of surrounding bone. Some surgeons insert a shunt to drain endolymph from the sac, though the benefit of this maneuver compared with simple decompression of the sac is not clear. With ESD, the rate of substantial control of symptoms is approximately 80% while it spares the patient's hearing.
Sectioning of the vestibular nerve. This procedure is performed through a posterior or middle fossa craniotomy. The vestibular division of cranial nerve VIII is cut, sparing the auditory division. The benefit of the operation is preservation of hearing in all but a few patients, with a >90% success rate in terminating episodes of vertigo.
Labyrinthectomy can be performed in patients with unilateral symptoms who have poor hearing that cannot be improved by a hearing aid. This procedure remains the criterion standard in the treatment of unilateral Ménière disease and the highest success rate in terminating episodes of vertigo. However, all of the remaining hearing in the treated ear is lost.
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tdoak · Apr 18, 2018

My surgeon believes adding the shunt can cause future problems, with the shunt becoming clogged.

Clare · Apr 20, 2018

Good luck, Travis!

Mac · Apr 20, 2018

Good luck today!!

tdoak · Apr 21, 2018

Hi everyone,

I had my Endolymphatic Sac Decompression surgery yesterday. No complications and I was able to go home at the end of the day. The pain and discomfort is pretty much what I anticipated. I still have the full head wrap on, but plan on taking that off later tonight. The surgeon was aggressive and removed every piece of bone around the sac that he could. I have had no dizziness issues or heavy nausea. I have not taken any of the pain meds they prescribed yet ( waiting to see if I can go without them), but am on antibiotics.

Travis

mbgphoto79 · Apr 21, 2018

tdoak said:

Hi everyone,

I had my Endolymphatic Sac Decompression surgery yesterday. No complications and I was able to go home at the end of the day. The pain and discomfort is pretty much what I anticipated. I still have the full head wrap on, but plan on taking that off later tonight. The surgeon was aggressive and removed every piece of bone around the sac that he could. I have had no dizziness issues or heavy nausea. I have not taken any of the pain meds they prescribed yet ( waiting to see if I can go without them), but am on antibiotics.

Travis
Click to expand...

Great to hear everything went well. Speedy recovery and good luck to you!

mbgphoto79 · Apr 21, 2018

Also, is this surgery done under general anesthesia or conscious sedation? I'm going to see a new doc in a month and I'm thinking it's time to either do this or steroid shots.

Clare · Apr 21, 2018

Good to hear you're doing well! May your recovery be swift and smooth and spin-free.

tdoak · Apr 21, 2018

You are completely out for this surgery, they remove a piece of your skull. I have 18 staples.

I will see if I can add a photo.

tdoak · Apr 21, 2018

Cannot seem to load photos.

mbgphoto79 · Apr 22, 2018

tdoak said:

You are completely out for this surgery, they remove a piece of your skull. I have 18 staples.

I will see if I can add a photo.
Click to expand...

That’s what I hoped. I suppose it’s through the mastoid. Don’t worry about phots, that’s what google is for

Qntario · Apr 22, 2018

Hey, I'm from Ontario as well! Hamilton more specifically. Good luck with your recovery. I had the gent injections last year, and was planning to do a labby if my symptoms return. My doc said they don't do labbys anymore though, and would only do a VNS. Its crazy how every doctor seems to have a different stance on the disease and the treatments. Hope you're doing well.

tdoak · Apr 22, 2018

Once you start having true drop attacks (no actual vertigo involved), they will consider offering the labby. Drop attacks are a game changer.

To an earlier post, they go through the mastoid bone for Sac Decompression. It leaves you with a permanent hole in the skull. If I have to have labby in the future they will gain access to the balance nerve through the same hole.

tdoak · May 9, 2018

Update:

It has been 2.5 weeks since my surgery. I had my check up with my surgeon and had my 18 staples removed. I am not feeling better, in fact feel worse than before the surgery. And the hearing I lost with the surgery has not come back yet. The surgeon agrees the hearing loss really should be happening at this point so he gave me 2 steroid injections to the inner ear, and a prescription course of oral steroids for 2 weeks. I am still hopeful the surgery is going to help. I have not had full rotational vertigo attacks since the surgery.

Clare · May 10, 2018

It's good to hear you have some respite from the full spins. You are still early in your recovery, though I get that patience is hard when hopes are high. You can give it some time, knowing you have already thought through a Plan B for laby, and have planned this surgery as a step toward that if necessary. You've thought this through and made good choices along the way. And you have lots of us sending you good vibes.

Mac · May 10, 2018

Todak,

It took me weeks to recover from that surgery. I was 36 and in perfect health (outside of MM) when I had it. When I read online that you can go back to work in a few days I laugh. As you know...they drilled a hole in our skulls. It takes the brain a long time to figure out what the heck just happened.

Hang in there. Stay positive and know that your not alone...Its a tough recovery. But hopefully you find relief in a few weeks.

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