Meniere's Disease Support Group

Meniere's disease is a balance disorder of the inner ear. The symptoms of Meniere's are variable; not all sufferers experience the same symptoms. However, "classic Meniere's" is considered to comprise the following four symptoms: Periodic episodes of rotary vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a sensation of fullness or pressure in one or both ears.

536 Members

2,120 Posts

0 Online

Canuck99 07/29/2018

Hey All,

I was diagnosed with Meniere's about 20 years ago after several severe attacks. For the last - say - 19 years I was very much able to control it with diet. As long as I watched the salt, I was fine - I could even get away with a cheat day or two without suffering too much. I was generally fine and would get maybe 1 or 2 strong attacks per year that would be very predictable in their nature - tinitus - fullness in the ear - and then a good session of knock-me-out vertigo, nausea and vomiting etc. These would be 100% traceable to my getting lax on the diet and taking in too much salt.

Over the past 6 months or so I've noticed a real change in the disease. The tinitus and fullness in the ear is becoming much more regular and more difficult to manage - watching my diet no longer does the trick. I finally caved in and went to the doctor and was prescribed betahistine - which seemed to work for a day or two, but seems to have a reduced impact now.

I'm more or less constantly dealing with the ringing and fullness in my ears now and am struggling to manage symptoms at all.

Has anyone else noticed this kind of progression in the disease? If so - was it a permanent change, or did you revert to the older, more sporatic onset of symptoms?

I've never had a real issue with coffee or alcohol, but am going to drop those from the diet over the next week or so. (I'm going to need to wean myself of the caffeine slowly) Hoping that may work, but I'm a bit troubled that there seems to be this significant of a progression after managing ok for so long.

Hope a few people are around - I'm looking foward to comparing notes on this.

Seamus 07/29/2018

Hmmm, I'm glad I'm not as bad as you are, except for the tinnitus I do have it bad.

I pretty much eat what I want. But at the same time I don't eat out and I cook my own foods. Which are healthy. I also take herbs that work for me. But everyone's different.

katrina39 07/30/2018

After dealing with Menieres disease for many years, I have tried everything. Nothing worked for me until I found Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care. It has been amazing how it stopped the menieres in its tracks. Check out UpperCervicalCare.com and they should be able to tell you if there is an Upper Cervical Care doc. in your area. Please note, it MUST be an upper cervical care doc as they have much more intensive training than a regular chiropractor. Good luck, hope you find one.

Canuck99 07/30/2018

Thanks for the comments. I'll have a look into that!

dragonlover 07/31/2018

I've had Meniere's for close to 50 years now. Got it in the right ear in 1971 and the left in 1993. I've had the shunt surgery in both ears that so far has eliminated the severe vertigo. The left ear has always been more problematic than the right. After more than 20 years of only sporadic and reasonably mild attacks, and long complete remissions from the left ear I had the worst attack I have had in all that time. Not the severe vertigo but more of an unsteadiness kind of like being very drunk, and some nausea, along with the pressure, tinnitus, fluctuating hearing, etc. After 2 days of the unsteadiness, I went to the doctor was given a course of prednisone. That was about a week ago and the worst of it is hopefully over. I don't know if it was the prednisone that helped or if the attack just subsided on its own. I just hope it doesn't come back with a vengeance. Meanwhile my PCP referred me for a hearing test and a consult with an ENT which I will do as soon as an appointment becomes available.

I have never noticed any correlation whatsoever with symptoms in regards to diet in all the many years I have had this. Like anything else, dietary alterations probably do work for some but not all.

After having this for so long I have tried just about everything at some point, and I am very skeptical of the so-called "miraculous" cures like the UCC the one person here keeps pushing but will not answer any questions about...

I've lived long enough and had this long enough to know that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is... Whatever it might be, do your research and let the buyer beware...

Canuck99 07/31/2018

Thanks for the comments. To be honest - mine isn't bad enough - at least, yet - to have me consider surgery or shuts.

That being said, like I say, it is a bit disconcerting that it seems to be getting worse.

katrina39 08/01/2018

In regard to dragonlovers comment above, I would be glad to answer any questions about UCC that they would like to ask. All I know is I suffered terribly with Menieres for many years, tried everything to get relief, and when I found UCC it gave me my life back. After a few months of treatment, I have not had a vertigo or dizzy attack. Have they tried UCC? If not, perhaps you should give it a try before condeming a treatment you have not tried. UCC works with the notion that your brain stem has to be in allignment with your spine. If it is out of alignment, as mine was with Xrays, you will continue to have dizzy and vertigo until you get it realigned. Most UCC docs offer a free consultation, and mine will even give you a free x-ray to see how your brain stem is positioned, so you have nothing to lose by researching it. Most insurance will cover UCC.

JMacLachlan 09/20/2021

My menieres (left ear) got worse after having a head injury at work. I would like to say i had it under control before the head injury. It was not as bad. I could manage it. But after hitting my head in the frontal lobe area. (Cut my head open and had a mild concussion) it got much worse. Besides having to learn to speak again and try to regain my cognative functions including memory issues (which i haven't fully recovered from, the vertigo got worse, balance got worse, and much more frequent. Less than a year and a half from diagnoisis. Recently within the past 4 mths i noticed that horrible high pitch in my right ear and the silence that follows after (tho it doesn't last long) it seems at least from my perspective it seems to be accelorating quickly. I don't get a lot of help from my ENT or my Primary concerning it. I also have cervial spinal stenosis. Been going to physical therapy on it. But it doesn't seem to be helping either my neck or the menieres. My physical therapist thinks my nerves are being cut off and to speak to my primary. Two weeks later still waiting for a call back from her. I have often wondered if my menieres might have anything to do with the menieres. I use a neck stretcher and it seemed to help both. But recently it hasn't helped either.

hummergal 03/02/2023

Yes, my symptoms have changed, and some have worsened over time—such as tinnitus and aural fullness. I’m dizzier and off-balance more often but have fewer vertigo attacks. In fact, I went nearly 8 years without one, until I had a bout of shingles! What you’ve described is a natural progression of the disease. I maintain a very low sodium diet and long ago gave up alcohol and caffeine. I also suffer from migraine, which many Ménière’s patients do. I don’t enjoy social gatherings anymore, can't make definite plans, and I don’t travel. I cherish the good days I have. and make the most of them.

Join the Conversation