How to Recover From Meniere's Disease

Meniere's disease affects balance and hearing. It is an inner ear disorder occurring when the endolymphatic sac, which is part of the ear canal, swells. A main symptom of Meniere's disease is vertigo, which is abnormal sensations of movement, or sudden, complete disorientation which causes you to lose your balance and fall. Other symptoms include hearing loss, ringing in the ears, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, possibly heavy sweating, and uncontrollable eye movements. There is no cure and the exact cause is unknown, but development of Meniere's may be related to head injury, syphilis, or middle ear infection. Risk factors for developing the disease include smoking, alcohol use, respiratory infection, recent viral illness, allergies, stress and genetics.

Instructions

• 1

  See a doctor. It is important to get an accurate diagnosis of Meniere's in order to get proper treatment.

• 2

  Treat the vertigo. Your doctor can prescribe anti-nausea medicine such as prochlorperazine and motion sickness medicine such as antivert or valium. All these medicines will help control the nausea and vomiting which occurs during vertigo. The motion sickness medicines will help relieve the spinning sensation caused by vertigo.

• 3

  Use other medicines. Diuretics such as dyazide and maxzide can reduce fluid in your body. This will help regulate pressure and fluid volume in the inner ear.

• 4

  Change your diet. Try to eat and drink the same amount of food at each meal. This will help regulate bodily fluids. Limit your salt intake because salt can increase fluid retention. Avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate) because it also causes fluid retention.

• 5

  Try middle ear injections. Your doctor can inject medicines into your middle ear which are absorbed in the inner ear. This can help with vertigo symptoms. Medicines used for injections include gentamicin, an antibiotic, and steroids such as dexamethasone.

• 6

  Consider surgery. Severe attacks of vertigo can be debilitating, so when other treatments don't work, surgery might be the best option. Endolymphatic sac procedures are used to decrease fluid production by removing a small piece of bone from the sac. Some endolymphatic procedures involve inserting a tube to drain excess fluid out of the ear. A labyrinthectomy involves the removal of part or all of the inner ear. The affected ear will no longer have balance or hearing function. This procedure is for Meniere's patients who have lost most or all hearing in the affected ear. Another surgical procedure is vestibular nerve section which is used to treat vertigo and save hearing. In the procedure, a surgeon cuts the nerve connecting balance and movement sensors.

• 7

  Go to rehab. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy is used to help you process balance information properly.

• 8

  Get a hearing aid. Ask your doctor if you need to see an audiologist to discuss the possibility of improving hearing with a hearing aid.