My first ENT thought mine could have come from a virus that went into my inner ear. I was a first and second grade teacher and one year I had a terrible cold for about 3 months. I probably waited too long to get medication which included an inhaler because my throat would close when I had coughing attacks. That is one of the reasons I now take l-lysine to help fight against going bilateral. Anyway, my first bout with vertigo happened the following summer. The research says that it could also be hereditary (not for me). I know there are other thoughts out there. I think if they knew the answer to your question, they might be able to fight against the disease better....

Meniere's is actually a syndrome not a disease. In a syndrome there is symptoms but the cause is not definitive. There seems to be several courses that the condition follows, and it is not the same with everyone as RachelT indicates with her condition. This is why it is important to become educated on the subject and be willing to try different things that may or may not help. Some doctors or researchers are sold on what causes the condition, however their results seldom hold weight in the long course. The Australians and the German medical community seem to be a leg up on us, here in states as far as dealing with MD and research.

What are your thoughts Diane? What happened to Steve to bring this condition on? Do you have any thoughts on this or do you see patterns in his attacks? What treatments has he had, if you do not mind sharing. This group is very different as to experiences and are willing to share.

God bless!

Rich

Meniere's is generally considered to by an autoimmune disease; if that's true, then something goes haywire with the immune system and it attacks your body as though it was a foreign substance that shouldn't be there. I personally believe it probably IS autoimmune because I have two other autoimmune diseases, as well: rheumatoid arthritis that inflames the lining of the joints, and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which attacks your thyroid. Makes sense that if the immune system isn't working properly, then it might attack benign areas of the body. For the record, though, I have had problems with one ear since I was an infant--beginning with an abscess on my eardrum at less than one year old. I'd love to hear others' take on this subject.

thanks for the responses. As for Steve:
1. His basil arteries are immature...forcing the blood to take some of it through other arteries in the head.
2. when Steve was a boy he was riding a bicycle racing and the chain broke and the bike abruptly stopped and threw him forward onto the road. Basically snapping his head back hard. This has caused several neck problems
3. He was drinking four to six cans of diet Mt. Dew (aspartame) while working. Aspartame articles are mentioning MD.
4. We moved from Maine to North Carolina in April 2004...by August 2005 Steve was feeling the first effects of MD. Testing done in Oct thru Dec and January 2006 he was diagnosed with MD in the ear that wasn't bothering him. Made no sense. By December 2009 almost 4 yrs. later he was diagnosed with bi-lateral MD. He has had the bone carved out behind each ear to allow the sac to have more room. It stopped the horrible vertigo. Hanging onto the side of the bed with the world spinning, sweating, hot, nauseated, vomiting. HORRIBLE. You know what I am talking about. Then ENT said that he thought there was something more going on. Intracranial Hypertension (IH) YEP. A shunt was put in his lower back to help reduced. It helped for a while and then failed. And the pressure went back up. Then he had the VP shunt put in his head in May 2012. Mid Oct to Mid Feb his head pressure and MD were tolerable. Then like the previous seven years before, March came and BAM the MD hit and this year it is causing him to wobble so much he has to use a cane.
This year he is also having severe reactions to being out in the HEAT, or more so when in a store where the AC isn't working. And he gets bad really quick. Pressure shoots up, gets extremely weak, eyes blurry, sees spots - yesterday he saw a black band across his eyes, and he just couldn't think clearly. I had to take charge and get him out of the store and into the car which I had fortunately parked in a shady spot, but still H.O.T!

Diane

Thank you for your response. I am glad that Steve has had what appears to be excellent care over the years. Unfortunately you are dealing with two conditions, not just one and each has its own triggers. Not being a doctor but the heat maybe a trigger for both conditions, the body works extra hard when it gets hot, this also trigger MD in many folks, with all the rain this year and low barometric pressure again another MD trigger. This year is unprecedented as far as weather, in nearby Knoxville they are over 50 inches rain average for the year, and we got 6 months to go. I know NC is much the same. What you will probably have to do is keep monitoring Steve, dose he take Valium for vertigo? This helps calm down things. MD can get worse as time goes on, continue to educate yourself and talk with his doctors.

God bless!

Rich

I have no idea of the cause of mine. What Rich said about it being a syndrome is consistant with what my ENT said. My history is an entire stressed out childhood from birth due to my mothers illness and their horrible divorce. A family history of serious gyn issues. A family history of thyroid disease which I have. A heredatary depressive and anxiety disorder which can revert inward to cause physical problems and scoliosis which affects my right side primarily which is my MD side. Add to that 20 years of working non-stop in a high stress job and raising two kids with a husband on the road. So my guess is that it is physical stress to the body which manifests itself into MD. I have not slept more that 4-5 hours a night since my kids were born so I am pretty sure sleep deprivation plays a part too. I tend to agree with the syndrome theory. I can see where I contributed to my own problems but it is not fair when people get this who do not abuse their bodies and are level headed and calm.
Kerry