Let me start off by saying how I came to have Meniere's.
It was 2013, I was 18 (turning 19) & my life was average. A little stressful (okay, a lot) due to being bullied and an abusive ex-partner, but otherwise, my life was normal. My hearing was great, well above average for someone of my age. So nothing out of the ordinary there. I went to bed that night feeling fine, & was suddenly awoken around 3am to hear a beeping noise in my right ear. It sounded like morse code. I couldn't fall back asleep & when morning finally arrived, the noise was still there. By the next day, I had cracked it & grabbed a q-tip & stuck it in my ear as far as it would go. Obviously not a smart choice but I was at my wit's end. It did, however, stop the beeping! I thought "okay, was probably a bug or something." But just a couple of days later, in the middle of the night, the beeping returned. & within just a few days, the beeping had developed into an extremely loud roaring in my head/both ears. The beeping remained as well.
I went to the doctor & while my doctor is brilliant, he's not exactly... knowledgeable in tinnitus. He referred me to an ENT who said it was one of three things. Brain tumour, MS, or Meniere's Disease. I was then sent to an audiologist who tested my hearing & said it was in wonderful condition, & that the tinnitus is coming from my brain. After going back to my doctor, he diagnosed me with Meniere's & sent me to another audiologist just to be sure, who also said it was Meniere's. I was put on serc which did NOTHING for the tinnitus.
But this is where I have questions. I have had episodes of vertigo/dizziness, but I also have another health condition which if not looked after, can cause those episodes. I don't believe they came from Meniere's. I have minor balance issues (standing on a chair to change a lightbulb isn't possible anymore) but it's nothing serious, as well as headaches here & there. At the same time I was diagnosed with MD, I was also due to have my wisdom teeth surgically removed as some are impacted in my jaw & cause a lot of pain (I've also become a teetb grinder!). All this time later, I still never had a head scan nor have I had my teeth removed. After two years, my hearing is still in excellent condition. The tinnitus is louder, but that's all I've noticed. I've never had serious vertigo attacks, never had a major balance issue. I just find it strange that a progressive condition hasn't progressed at all? I do have "attacks" where my ears feel stuffy & hearing is challenging, but even during that, there's no dizziness, nausea, headaches, etc. & it just leads me to wonder... is it possible I have been misdiagnosed? I thought I had learned to control all the symptoms but then realised... were they ever truly there to begin with, at least from this condition?
The problem is, I live in a state that's not very well, uh.... educated on tinnitus. I feel going for another opinion wouldn't do much for me. But if I could find someone who is trained, do you think it would be work checking out, or is it just wishful thinking on my behalf? But honestly, something just doesn't seem right here.
It was 2013, I was 18 (turning 19) & my life was average. A little stressful (okay, a lot) due to being bullied and an abusive ex-partner, but otherwise, my life was normal. My hearing was great, well above average for someone of my age. So nothing out of the ordinary there. I went to bed that night feeling fine, & was suddenly awoken around 3am to hear a beeping noise in my right ear. It sounded like morse code. I couldn't fall back asleep & when morning finally arrived, the noise was still there. By the next day, I had cracked it & grabbed a q-tip & stuck it in my ear as far as it would go. Obviously not a smart choice but I was at my wit's end. It did, however, stop the beeping! I thought "okay, was probably a bug or something." But just a couple of days later, in the middle of the night, the beeping returned. & within just a few days, the beeping had developed into an extremely loud roaring in my head/both ears. The beeping remained as well.
I went to the doctor & while my doctor is brilliant, he's not exactly... knowledgeable in tinnitus. He referred me to an ENT who said it was one of three things. Brain tumour, MS, or Meniere's Disease. I was then sent to an audiologist who tested my hearing & said it was in wonderful condition, & that the tinnitus is coming from my brain. After going back to my doctor, he diagnosed me with Meniere's & sent me to another audiologist just to be sure, who also said it was Meniere's. I was put on serc which did NOTHING for the tinnitus.
But this is where I have questions. I have had episodes of vertigo/dizziness, but I also have another health condition which if not looked after, can cause those episodes. I don't believe they came from Meniere's. I have minor balance issues (standing on a chair to change a lightbulb isn't possible anymore) but it's nothing serious, as well as headaches here & there. At the same time I was diagnosed with MD, I was also due to have my wisdom teeth surgically removed as some are impacted in my jaw & cause a lot of pain (I've also become a teetb grinder!). All this time later, I still never had a head scan nor have I had my teeth removed. After two years, my hearing is still in excellent condition. The tinnitus is louder, but that's all I've noticed. I've never had serious vertigo attacks, never had a major balance issue. I just find it strange that a progressive condition hasn't progressed at all? I do have "attacks" where my ears feel stuffy & hearing is challenging, but even during that, there's no dizziness, nausea, headaches, etc. & it just leads me to wonder... is it possible I have been misdiagnosed? I thought I had learned to control all the symptoms but then realised... were they ever truly there to begin with, at least from this condition?
The problem is, I live in a state that's not very well, uh.... educated on tinnitus. I feel going for another opinion wouldn't do much for me. But if I could find someone who is trained, do you think it would be work checking out, or is it just wishful thinking on my behalf? But honestly, something just doesn't seem right here.
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but I'm happy this doctor is taking me seriously!
