MenieresInfo.com Blog

Adding to the many difficulties endured by those with Meniere’s Disease is the problem of people not believing us because we don’t “look” disabled. Oftentimes they say just that: “You don’t look disabled.” Translated: “Hell, you don’t look disabled to me, you lazy, faking, no-good, bloodsucking, thief-of-my-tax-money!” Read about this phenomenon in this article written by Hank Atkins, who suffers from frequent random attacks of vertigo and who is struggling with diagnosis and disability issues.

A reader asks:

I am trying desperately to become pregnant.  I am older and I feel like I am running out of time.  Due to difficulties getting pregnant, I am taking Clomid.  More expensive procedures, such as in vitro fertilization, are not within my reach.  However, when I take Clomid, I get terrible Meniere’s attacks.  Of course, the Meniere’s attacks affect my ability to be intimate with my husband in order to get pregnant.  My obstetrician doesn’t seem to understand how Meniere’s Disease works.  I can’t get in to see my Meniere’s Disease doctor for another month.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Is there any solution?

You are looking for people to share personal experiences, which is fine except that this blog is not a good forum for people looking to share experiences.  Try forums that are specifically aimed at coping and support.  Click here.

Many patients ask whether X or Y could trigger vertigo attacks, including drop attacks.

The answer is that virtually anything can be a trigger for any one individual patient.  If it’s a trigger for you, then it’s a trigger for you, no matter what “it” is.  There is a discussion of triggers, including common triggers, in the trigger section of the MenieresInfo.com Treatment Page.  But even the so-called common triggers are not triggers for everyone.  For example, consumption of sodium in the form of salt bothers many patients, but it also does not bother many patients.  Simarly, consumption of alcohol bothers many patients, but it also does not bother many patients.  The treatment objective is to identify the things that are triggers for you, regardless of whether they are triggers for anyone else, and to avoid them.

Originally posted January 31, 2006.
Comment added February 21, 2006.

A reader asks:

About 15 minutes before an attack of vertigo or dizziness, I get a sudden increase in the volume level of my tinnitis. When this happens, I drop everything and either go home if I am close or else have someone come and take me home — usually before an attack occurs in public. Do all Meniere’s Disease patients get such warning symptoms before an attack?

We didn’t find any studies at PubMed that establish a basis for warning symptoms preceding an attack of vertigo. (We reviewed the abstracts; it is possible that there may be more relevant information in the full texts.) However, we have seen many anecdotal reports of some patients who do get such warning symptoms every time, some patients who get such warning symptoms some of the time, and some patients who never get warning symptoms. In addition to increased tinnitus, patients report that increased fullness and sudden hearing drops can be warning symptoms of an impending attack of vertigo. Once again, we find that Meniere’s Disease affects each of us somewhat differently.

Added February 21, 2006.

A reader comments:

I have found that when the ringing in my ear becomes louder and more persistant along with an increase in the “fullness factor” and loss of hearing, I’m in for a spin.  I was in an extremely bad state before I had intratympanic gentamicin treatments two years ago.  It took almost a year before I actually saw a reduction in the number and severity of vertigo episodes.  Then I was essentially vertigo free for a year, although I occasionally had that “bouncy” feeling.  The vertigo has recently returned (always accompanied by the loud ringing), but not as severe as before.

This patient gets a “warning” before vertigo attacks, as do some other patients — but some patients get no warning at all.  On the gentamicin treatments — we are not doctors, but we don’t see any connection between gentamicin treatments at Point A and improved symptoms at Point B one year later.  We’d say that it is more likely that the gentamicin treatments failed to produce improvement and then the patient experienced a fluctuation or typical temporary remission a year later, followed by another fluctuation or typical relapse a year after that.

Originally posted February 7, 2006.
Comment added February 16, 2006. 

A reader asks:

When working for long periods on computers, I get more frequent attacks than I do otherwise.  I am using a CRT monitor.  Do you think it would be better for me to use an LCD monitor?  Do you have any evidence that the old CRT monitors can bring on attacks?

 A “CRT” monitor is a cathode ray tube monitor — in effect, a television set.  (Perhaps today we should say “an old style television set.”)  An “LCD” monitor displays using “liquid crystal diodes.”  Click here for an explanation of the differences.

Like all things Meniere’s, some of us are bothered by CRT monitors and some of us aren’t.  We don’t have an authoritative source one way or the other — but would it make a difference?  Forgive us for stating the obvious, but if a CRT monitor bothers you, it makes sense to try using an LCD monitor, and the results for you are the results for you, no matter what any study might show for anyone else.

Comment added February 16, 2006.

A reader comments:

This is a comment to the reader about CRT versus LCD monitors.I know that i had one of my WORST attacks ever after using CRT monitor for less than 5 minutes. Ever since then I will not even look at one. It was my son’s computer and i needed to access it since mine was down. My monitor by the way is a LCD — the flat screen kind. So, yes, like was said, do whatever works for you. I also know that i can only watch TV for very short lengths of time for this very same reason. Like so much about this disease, it is a process of elimination, trial and error, etc.