I'm not sure if this is the right place, so bear with me.
My journey started back around 1996 with a slight ringing in my right ear. It wasn't even loud enough to warrant a dedicated appointment, but I mentioned it to my doctor during a routine check-up. He examined my ear for common infections and, as I recall him joking, spiders. He found nothing and told me to check back if it didn't go away, but it didn't, and gradually, it got worse.
Over the next few years, I began experiencing dizziness, falling down, and even passing out without warning, also known as drop attacks. After seeing all the local ENTs, I finally made my way to Duke University. Following a day of testing, they concluded I had Ménière's disease. I joined the Meniett study (the placebo didn't help, and neither did the real device), then tried the endolymphatic sac procedure, a Gentamicin injection, and eventually, the dreaded labyrinthectomy in 2003.
Twenty years later, after learning to cope with tinnitus, it suddenly worsened this past May. While it fluctuates, the last two weeks have been debilitating. Currently, I take Valium, Prednisone, Triamterene, and use a nasal rinse.
I'm scheduled to return to Duke in January for an evaluation for a single-sided cochlear implant. I use hearing aids with a CROS, which helps in small settings. I have tinnitus in both ears, with 68 percent word recognition in my good ear on good days and total deafness in the other ear.
My journey started back around 1996 with a slight ringing in my right ear. It wasn't even loud enough to warrant a dedicated appointment, but I mentioned it to my doctor during a routine check-up. He examined my ear for common infections and, as I recall him joking, spiders. He found nothing and told me to check back if it didn't go away, but it didn't, and gradually, it got worse.
Over the next few years, I began experiencing dizziness, falling down, and even passing out without warning, also known as drop attacks. After seeing all the local ENTs, I finally made my way to Duke University. Following a day of testing, they concluded I had Ménière's disease. I joined the Meniett study (the placebo didn't help, and neither did the real device), then tried the endolymphatic sac procedure, a Gentamicin injection, and eventually, the dreaded labyrinthectomy in 2003.
Twenty years later, after learning to cope with tinnitus, it suddenly worsened this past May. While it fluctuates, the last two weeks have been debilitating. Currently, I take Valium, Prednisone, Triamterene, and use a nasal rinse.
I'm scheduled to return to Duke in January for an evaluation for a single-sided cochlear implant. I use hearing aids with a CROS, which helps in small settings. I have tinnitus in both ears, with 68 percent word recognition in my good ear on good days and total deafness in the other ear.
