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Menieres diseaseDeafness & hearing loss guideMenieres disease affects the inner ear and no one knows the exact cause of the disease but it does affect the fluid in the canals of the inner ear. Menieres disease is termed a chromic illness which means that it will last a long time and the symptoms can be very unpleasant. Symptoms of the disease don't occur all the time they come more as attacks or waves and the frequency of these attacks varies greatly from a few minutes to hours, with a particular attack lasting anything from 10 minutes to 2 hours at any one time. Symptoms of Menieres disease Some of the most commonly reported symptoms of the disease are: * Dizziness and loss of balance. * A feeling of fullness in the ears. * Tinnitus. * A whirling or falling feeling. * Being unsteady when walking. * Vomiting or nausea. * Hearing loss especially with quieter noises. How is Menieres disease diagnosed? Diet is thought to play a part in Menieres disease and as such your doctor may suggest a change to your diet as a way to help keep the attacks under control, lowering the amount of salt in your diet in particular is thought to help as the problem occurs because of fluid in the ear canals. By controlling the amount of salt that you have in your diet this indirectly helps to control the amount of fluid in the ear canals. Your doctor may also prescribe medication such as a diuretic and you should also reduce the amount of caffeine and alcohol you drink and quit smoking if you smoke. If the symptoms of dizziness and nausea are a problem then your doctor can prescribe medication to counter balance this but very often the medication can make you feel drowsy. Only very occasionally when all other treatments fail and the disease is particularly troublesome will surgery be offered. Coping with Menieres disease You should lie down if possible during an attack and keep your eyes fixed on one point to help control the dizziness, when the attack is quieting down don't get up too fast and keep away from food and water for awhile, otherwise they could make you vomit. The disease is a very distressing one but if you follow your doctors advice and help yourself by changing your diet then the attacks could come less frequently. Stress and anxiety have been linked to Menieres disease and you should try to cut out as much stress as possible from your life, this can be done by taking up forms of relaxation such as meditation. |
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