Posted on 10/02/2007 5:57:39 PM PDT by Freedom'sWorthIt
I have a dear friend who is truly suffering from Meniere's disease related "attacks" to the point that she does not know what she will do re: her job, her life. She is a mother and grandmother, but still young - mid 50s. Would ask for prayer for her to find some kind of help for this horrible disease and its side effects, some of which are attacks of dizzyness, nausea, inability to walk without "falling down", mental "fog", physical weakness and exhaustion, racing heart, constant ringing in the ear, loss of hearing, and more.
I know this is not as drastic a disease as cancer or other maladies, but it is still a devastating illness for which there seems to be no known cure.
All prayer and suggestions and experiences from other Meniere's sufferers are welcome. Thank you in advance.
A ping to some of our prayer warriors with a request to ping others who pray. Thank you.
By the way this friend is a true stalwart conservative, who has raised two sons who hold the same “worldview” and she now is helping periodically with two grandchildren who hopefully will be raised thinking similarly......
For those of you who don't know what a pain in the ear this disease can be and become, look here--Meniere's Disease. I'll lift her up in prayer. I've been there.
Prayers for this lady’s health. I suffer from a variation on this condition called labyrinthitis with tinnitus and that laundry list of symptoms is what I’ve contended with on a daily basis for over 10 years (and I’m only 33). It’s nothing short of awful. :-(
My mother suffered from this disease for several years, taking valium to try to help with the vertigo. Of course, the valium was nearly as bad as the Meniere’s. Several years ago, she finally had surgery, cutting the balance nerve to her left ear. Afterwards she had to work to learn how to compensate for the loss in balance in walking, driving, even sitting up at first, but now she has few side effects (for instance, she can’t ride a bike).
Unfortunately, there is always the risk that it will affect her right ear at some point in the future, but for now she is happily living a normal life, working, traveling, and enjoying her own grandchildren.
If your friend has not visited a neurologist about this, she really needs to see one soon. No, it is not curable, but it is to some extent treatable.
Prayers up.
There are lifestyle changes that might help reduce the effects. ( http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/balance/meniere.cfm ) Proper diet, sleep, etc. Surgery is sometimes an option. And of course, prayer.
I looked at this thread specifically as I am a young buck [ette]:-) and had similar type dizziness spells for several years that, thank God, went completely away (for me I think it may have been a food reaction to sugarless sweeteners or something). However they not only put me down during the incredible dizzy spells that made me nauseous, but wiped me out long after, Sometimes into the next day and then there was the brain fog.
What I went through was teeny potatoes compared to full blown Meniere's sufferers!!! My heart and my prayers go out to her. God's blessings for you too--a loyal Godly supporter and friend. :-)
OH thank you for that information. I am so sorry your mother had to suffer from this disease. I have known personally only one other person who had it and it was also devastating for that person in so many ways.
Thanks for the suggestion to see a neurologist. She has not done that yet. I will make that suggestion. Yes, she and I have read about that surgery on that nerve and at that time she did not want to go in that direction. But she has GOT to have some relief somehow. And she goes periods of say 7 to 9 days with no attacks and then they come several days in a row and then several times a day....oh it is so horrible. I don’t know how I would live.
Thank you and God bless you.
OH that is good to know that yours is in remission! Yes she knows it can do that and during her times without attacks she keeps hoping that’s what is happening. Then, wham, the attacks start up again.
The only thing she takes that helps her is Bonine which stops the dizzyness from going into the total vomiting type of nausea. She takes that as soon as an attack is coming on and that helps greatly with that symptom.
But it does not stop the racing heart. She is wearing a heart monitor because her doctors want to see this heart activity when it happens. But last Saturday she said the heart racing hit big time but her monitor was NOT WORKING RIGHT so it didn’t record it so her doctors still have not seen what she is describing to them.
And I have not read about others with this disease with the “racing heart” - which frightens her the most because she just is afraid it will go into a heart attack.
Thank you for your post and your own triumph in this suffering and may God continue to bless you in remission of this debilitating disease!
I was originally diagnosed with labyrinthitis and it wasn't until I moved to South Korea for a year and had access to a top teaching university to get an accurate diagnosis. I think sometimes they diagnose you with labyrinthitis when they don't want to go deeper to make sure.
It hits me about every 6-9 months, so it’s not devistating. I talked to a gentleman whose wife had it similar to the original post. She had surgery, lost most of the hearing in one ear, but it pretty much stopped it.
Sometimes surgery is the only viable option.
I’ll keep prayers going.
OH my! Am sorry to know you have had to go through this suffering - for 10 years!!! Tinnitus - so you have the ringing in the ear(s)? Oh I get that from time to time and cannot imagine living with it daily. God bless you!!! How do you cope? Has anything helped reduce your symptoms?
I will add you to my prayers for my friend.
Thank you for your prayers and God keep you well and bring healing to you.
Cutting/eliminating caffeine and salt are known to decrease the symptoms. Maybe she’s already tried that.
Prayers sent.
I know that when I had an attack, the only thing which would keep the room from spinning, besides taking the Valium and the Dramamine combo my Korean doc prescribed, was staring at the toilet bowl full of water. The water didn't spin, when everything else did and I was able to keep my bearing while the Valium and Dramamine were kicking in.
OH thank you for that link - I have searched the internet for hours and printed out bookloads of information for her - and that page may be one I saw but it is concise about the surgery options - better than others I’ve read.
Yes she has made the lifestyle changes which have not been totally easy: Has to eat basically all fresh vegetables and meats - nothing prepared because so much prepared food has so much hidden salt in it. That’s a good way to eat healthy but it takes time, effort, money, and cooperation from family members.
I think she scaled down her coffee to either decaf or 1 cup per day - but she was drinking 4 or 5 cups per day.
No caffinated sodas or other drinks.
She has been on major diuretics and they helped a lot.
She was on some other medicine that helped a lot.
But in the end, these attacks just come back with a vengeance.....but she keeps practicing the lifestyle changes. I don’t think her physical activity has increased much except for her babysitting “exercise” - because so many days she is just physically exhausted and when she is able to go to work - (often working half days or none) - she comes home and falls into bed.
Sigh. It is just heartbreaking to see because she is the most caring, kind, loving, sweet, giving person in the world! And, IMHO, she has done remarkably well putting up with this illness which, I think, would have put me into some institution by now....Thanks again for the link and the prayers.
I was put through a battery of tests by the ENT (including a brain scan, to rule out any potential brain tumors). My former fiancee had said my numerous symptoms matched Meniere’s, but the doctors said it was Labyrinthtis. Little comfort, since the side-effects were virtually indistinguishable, and no cure, either. The ENT recommended “exercises” to alleviate the symptoms (which actually made the dizziness worse) and to alter diet with salts/sugars, but because of unrelated digestive problems, I need the calories from the drinks I consume, so cutting back on a lot of that is simply out of the question (plus, when I tried to, there was no difference in symptoms).
What was remarkable to the doctors was that I’m one of the rare few who didn’t have hearing loss (in fact, my hearing is above average, despite the tinnitus). I contracted this whole mess in the first place from a flu virus that attacked both my ears. One day I didn’t have ringing and nausea/disorientation, and the next day, I did, and for over a decade now, it’s never really stopped.
I pray that the Lord will heal this Mother and Grandmother of her affliction, and protect her life and the lives affected by her affliction through this healing. In Jesus name AMEN.
Thank you so much - really appreciate the prayers. Yes she has done the no salt and the reduced caffeine. And they have both helped. But she still has these attacks which hit unexpectedly of course so she has no way of knowing if it is safe to drive anywhere for fear an attack will hit while driving and she could have a wreck or just not be able to drive back home. Neighbors, family members, and even her boss have been very helpful in coming to get her and driving her home at different times and places. Thank GOD for their kindnesses.
Prayers for your dear friend.
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