My Meniere’s Diagnosis

Aftermath of an Attack Lingers

It’s frustrating to find the words to describe what I feel lake in the days and weeks after the last attacks. I had two attacks in one week, which is a first… that was, I think, three weeks ago… I say, I think because it’s all running together. I slept the better part of the weekend following those episodes. I’ve been tired and a little lightheaded most every day since. I’ve also been on the watch for any sign that the scales may be tipping towards another episode and trying to head it off if at all possible. Which led to a big mistake last Thursday…

I have been taking zyrtec once aday to try to keep the allergy symptoms at bay. As I’ve detailed, allergies seem to be the trigger that sets things spinning. If I let my allergy symptoms rage for too long, then I get the pressure in the ear that leads down to the spiral vortex… Anyway, I had asked my wife to pick up more benedryl while she was out as I’ve been using the quick dissolve tabs on demand when I’ve had an allergic reaction to something. (My shots are still progressing and in some ways it’s progress that I actually can tell when I have a reaction to something specific as opposed to being somewhat constantly “gooped up” in the sinus passages.) Anyway, she had got a container of caplets (which is much better than the quick dissolve – since there are only 10 of those strips per package at a decent price)… Reading on the bottle I saw that it was possible to take 50mg for a strong reaction which was twice what I had been getting in the dissolve strips.

Well, I had forgotten about the 24 hour zyrtec the night before. I had just had a pretty intense sneezing/allergic fit over something not long before she arrived back with them and, well I decided I’d take the 50mg dosage. I had already been a bit more muddled in the head and was feeling a bit less steady than before the allergic reaction and thought that might knock the symptoms flat. I proceeded to eat lunch and an hour later was feeling very strange.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think about having taken the medicine…. and has been typical when I think I’m getting closer to a spin I’ll take the alprazolam (xanax) I was prescribed to make the attack less severe. 5 minutes after I took it I realized that I had already taken the benedryl and then recalled the zyrtec…..

Well, I had to cancel everything for the afternoon and I slept for 4 hours. I think I’m only running on 60% of my brainpower still after the last round of attacks and I’ll chalk this experience up to that. If I could count up how much sleep I’ve had in the last 3 weeks… I’d bet my average per night is 2-4 hours more than “usual”.

I started a new vial of the allergy serum Monday and as you might predict by last night (Tuesday) my ear was starting to stuff up. I took a 25mg benedryl when I got home and then 50mg around midnight (I’ve not been taking the zyrtec since Thursday – it only seemed to be marginally beneficial.) I slept fairly well and woke up feeling somewhat better than I have in a bit and the pressure/stuffiness in my ear had gone away.

Since it was a new vial, they cut the dosage back a bit and my next visit I’ll get a full shot (I may make it next Monday.) I feel like this last attack has made me a bit paranoid and “trigger happy” at taking things to try and ward off the next one though.

I should also mention that the weeks leading up to the last attacks (or maybe it was just one that “crested” twice…) I was walking about 2 miles a day 4 days a week and in the three weeks since I just haven’t felt the motivation to be able to do that. I forced myself one day into about a 1 mile walk and felt lousy afterwards. Maybe yet this week I can start forcing myself back into that routine so I can lose the weight I gained on the prednisone… (can’t win…)