The 10 commandments of Ménière’s 1. Thou shalt have others diversions before Ménière’s. Fill thy life with other activities, be they mundane, daring, altruistic, or merely amusing. To fill thy life with thy ailment is to surrender to it, be in charge of thy condition rather than a victim of it. 2. Thou shalt lead thy own recovery; and treat all others as consultants, learn the details of thy ailment, its diagnosis, its prognosis, and its treatments, conventional and alternative. 3. Thou shalt cooperate intelligently and knowledgeably with thy doctor, if he is not intelligent or knowledgeable, remember, don’t turn thy head too fast when thee get up to leave the room. 4. Thou shalt regard thy condition as a temporary imbalance in thy life, plan thy future, never confuse deaf for defeat, the only disability in life is a bad attitude and the human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it. 5. Thou shalt have enduring and unassailable faith, whether in a Supreme Being, in Medical Science, in Lysine, in thyself, or in the fact that the room is not really moving. Some days there won't be a song in thy heart. Sing anyway. 6. Thou shalt love thy neighbor tinnitus for it is a constant reminder that resilience is indeed a virtue. 7. Thou shalt express thy feelings candidly and openly to thy loved ones for they, too, are unsteady and need thy support. 8. Thou shalt be a comfort to thy fellow Ménièreins, providing knowledge, encouragement, understanding, love and a kick in the bum when they falter and forgo hope. 9. Thou shalt never relinquish hope, no matter how thou may feelest at that moment, for thou knowest, in the deep recesses of thy heart, that thy discouragement is but fleeting and that a better day awaits thee. 10. Thou shalt maintain, at all times and in all circumstances, thy sense of humor which is the pole that adds balance to thy steps as thee wobbles on the tightrope of life. Enjoy! Sirlanc with special thanks to Paul H. K.
