My Meniere’s Diagnosis

The beast still comes to visit | Meniere’s symptoms acting up

June 2, 2009 7:54 pm admin symptoms

(Updated June 5th – see the bottom of the post.)

I see that the last of my scheduled posts about my initial diagnosis have now finished posting. That February trip I was talking about in the last post that I had my first need to get the prednisone filled was February/March 2008 and really the rest of 2008 was on the whole MUCH better than 2007 had been. The symptoms still acted up from time to time, a little roaring/stuffiness in the ear occasionally. Nothing really severe enough the rest of 2008 to require prednisone, but several days that tipped the spins enough to require the xanax to take the edge off. I’ve been getting the allergy shot every other week (Still – backing off to less frequently caused the symptoms to be a bit more active). I’ve even taken to using a rainbow (water based) vacuum at the house in the hopes that the dust will not be blown back out into the room in vacuuming. (The water is essentially the “bag” of the vacuum with the rainbows. The water get’s changed out after each vacuum and we dry it outside so there’s little chance of it becoming a mold risk for us. And no, the carpet doesn’t get wet….)

This February/March I had a similar spell to the one last February. It wasn’t as sudden, my ear was pressurized and roaring for a few days. (I was about 4 days late getting my allergy shot.) Then the moderate to heavy dizzies set in. (Again not full blown vertigo.) At that point I went for a refill on the prednisone. Which did seem to knock the symptoms flat (as well as the fatigue that usually follows. Since then I’ve had bronchitis (I think caused from dust from working on a computer hardware replacement.) I’ve had more colds and other bugs the last 6 months than I ever remember getting. I’m starting to think my immune system is just too busy trying to overcome the allergies with my every other week shot routine.

Well, fast forward to Memorial day weekend, I had been on an every other Monday routine at the allergy shot clinic and of course the “on” Monday fell on Memorial day, they were closed. I had already a bit of light roaring and pressure in the right ear the day or two leading up to it (which is a bit unusual.) (I suspect all the rain we had in May (set a record for May of 9+ inches at the Asheville airport!) may have had something to do with it, better conditions for dust mites and molds….) Anyway, I got my shot on Tuesday and things went downhill from there. By the following Sunday it was a deafening roar, sounds were distorted and made my eyes water, I was a little tipsy walking around and really should have know that “the beast” was approaching. Late Monday afternoon (yesterday) the roaring went away and I came….. “unstuck” you might say…. my balance slipped anchor and I was adrift. bobbing around, I took the aprazolam (xanax) after dinner, but was still spiraling worse. In fact, this one I think I’ll call a mild vertigo experience. There was mild rotation, it was more severe than I remember the other recent attacks being, but full short of the rapid spiraling I’ve had before (the spiraling vortex of death….)

After dinner I went out to make a bit of a walk (stagger) around the yard. I’ve used a walking stick for years. We live in the mountains and a stick can be handy for snakes, spider webs, roaming dogs, but of course, recently it’s had a more immediate purpose. Well, I only fell once walking around the yard. (I think that’s when I realized how bad this spell was, I had been in a bit of denial up until then. I was walking up the hill in front of our house and hear something down the road, turned my head to look and the next thing I knew I was laying on the hill in front of our house. (Self, meet ground…. ground, meet myself…) (sigh).

Well, today I called in for another prednisone prescription and have already started it (I should have called yesterday while the roaring was still there, I really should have seen it coming. I’ve been through this enough times that it really should have been expected. Of course, I was hoping that maybe this time would be different….)

Anyway, I’ve felt lousy today. I’m absolutely wiped out fatigued I’ve slept off and on most of the day, had to call and cancel/reschedule my afternoon appointments. I spend most of my days working at the computer, even when I’m sick (cold/stomach bug/bronchitis), but not for most of today.

Not to self…. learn how to spell prednisone or prednasone or whatever it’s called.

Update 6-3-09 – Balance seems to be better this morning, unfortunately I can tell there’s a drop in right ear hearing. The prednisone seems to be doing something though as I’m starting to experience the usual side effects (I feel like I gain 10 pounds everytime I’m on the stuff…)

Update 6-5-09 – Sure enough that drop in right ear hearing and the roaring returned and last night (the 4th) had another culmination of the attack with a slightly more severe spell than earlier in the week. Was fine (tired/slightly depressed over the roaring in my ear) until the last part of the drive home. By the time I parked in the drive my head was still moving…. waited and tried getting out of the car, fell…. laid on the ground for a while, tried getting up, couldn’t… waited a bit longer and finally was able to get up. Later in the evening started rotational spinning and I think I fought it off (I think). I’m at least going to believe I fought it off…. if only once. Slept 10+ hours…. Canceled everything scheduled for today – feel like I’ve run a marathon, moving slow as I’m still relying heavily on what I see for balance. Headache/fatigue seem to follow these attacks for me. At least I’m able to work/read at the computer today (I couldn’t do much last night it was too hard to focus on (and move my eyes to follow) the words for a while.

I haven’t had two attacks in a week before. My hearing seems somewhat back to normal today. Hopefully that will continue because as long as the pressure and roaring is at bay, then hopefully the rest of the symptoms will be too. (It seems as though the dizziness/vertigo always seem to come as some sort of culmination of several days of pressure/roaring in the ears.)