After the diagnosis of Ménière’s disease in 2015, I changed my eating habits, took meds as directed, did everything to try and have good days without attacks of ringing ears, nausea, sporadic diarrhea and the vertigo oh the vertigo was horrific. I did literally feel like I was dying.
January 2016, I returned to my ENT doctor for more tests. The results had come back and I was diagnosed with bilateral Menieres. The Doctor said Menieres had progressed rapidly and was now in my left ear as well as the right. ENT doctor then referred me to a ear specialist in Birmingham. My Doc said he was the best in the southeastern region.
March 2016 I went to for my appt in Birmingham. The specialist tried different head/body maneuvers known as The Epley Maneuvers. This was to settle the crystals around my ears that had become detached that was to be believed what causes the Menieres. Yes! basically I have rocks floating around my head. There was no success in that treatment as well. My Ear specialist then discussed steroid injections in the left ear, the “new ear”. For the next six months I would have a hole in my ear drum.
I believe it was about April 2016 I would start the injections in the doctor office as a outpatient. The treatments would take a couple of hours. First visit, Doctor cut a hole in my left ear drum and shot it full of steroids injections. I would have to lie on my side with little to no movement for a hour or so. I imagine as if you were going for cancer treatments. Thank goodness I never had to deal with cancer and I applaud all cancer patients.
Shortly after that first treatment, I became so sick I would be unable to perform my job that I had done for many years. I came out on short term disability from work as I went thru the treatments. I wound up being out of work 4 months during the other treatments. The steroids were to progressively hit the left ear in hopes to settle the crystals back to my ears and settle the violent vertigo attacks down to a minimum
Mid August 2016, I returned to my job. I was still having some vertigo attacks but thought I could manage. I did for the most part. I was working but struggling outside of work. Basically just working to go home and go to bed when I got home after struggling thru the day.
At this point, I’m somehow juggling work, life and don’t forget a father I worried so about still dealing with the loss of my mother and my son ,my heart, was battling so much of his own. I would have good days and then very bad days of non stop nausea vertigo and the ringing of the ears was ever so maddening. There again I knew I had some force within driving me as I was the one that was trying to handle it all. My daddy and my son were struggling with the loss of my mother as I was. Mother had a way of keeping us all in line. Now I felt that it had fell on me trying to manage all while I was struggling to even manage myself.
2 Hell n Back: Conquering The Beast that lives within 