Topic: It's back :(

[MissCheeva]

I am so frustrated.  This morning I woke and everything was not staying where it should.  It wasn't a full blown attack, more of a taster of things to come.  I suppose I should be glad that I have managed a year and a half without an attack, but it still sucks.  I knew it was on the cards.  My hearing and tinnitus has slowly been getting worse.  Yesterday I had a tiny wobble.  The annoying thing was I did have an appointment with ENT on the 30th Aug, but they postponed it and to early Oct.  If I had seen my consultant then I would have asked him for another injection.  Now I have a month to get through not knowing when the vertigo is going to hit.  I just feel so annoyed and scared of what is to come.

I am so grateful that I have a lovely husband who went to work for a hour and then came home, ran around getting the kids to school for me this morning.  Thankfully I am working from home so I don't have that to worry about that either.  I really should look on the bright side and be glad for my situation.  It is just hard with a potential vertigo attack looming.  I feel it is going to be a biggie.

Oh for a magic wand to fix me eh!
MissCheeva

[MissCheeva]

I'm now feeling so wobbly that I have stopped driving and am back on the bike and begging lifts.  Ah well, at least I will get more excercise.  I have been online trying to find a solution to getting cold and wet when it rains.  I think I will get some waterproof trousers.  Thankfully I don't really care what I look like when I ride

[milady]

This is good
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/altura-womens-night-vision-waterproof-jacket/

It comes in luminous yellow or raspberry pink and has a fetching built in tail light! (though mine doesn't seem to work - not sure why)

[MissCheeva]

Ooo thank you.  I rather like the idea of my jacket having a tail light!

[milady]

I wore mine this morning as I had to go to the dentist and it was trying to rain. Discovered my light does work after all; I think you just have to be very firm with the push button switch.

[chrissieg]

I do feel for you, why can't we ever be confident and complacent, its a bummer. The anxiety is almost worse than the event. lets hope you get the attack and that does it for another 18 months.
After 7 years, i had an episode about 6 months ago, sudden huge rise in tinnitus and big drop in hearing and rather unbalanced. Kept waiting for the vertigo but it didn't happen, thankfully but spent weeks being wary of making any plans.
For the first time, my hearing hasn't bounced back at all in the Meniere's ear . I had a hearing appt this week and extensive testing. They said I was now severely deaf in that ear and any residual hearing was ineffective due to the tinnitus but an aid would help . Going to give that a go

Good luck

Chrissie

[ahammond]

I have not had a vertigo bout for nearly three years now. But every couple of months the tinnitus increases and this is invariably  followed by a couple of days of general not right, yucky fuzzy head feeling and a stiff neck and shoulders.

 I have had three hearing aids in the past. Two NHS digital aids and one that  I bought private for about two hundred pounds. All of them helped but tended to amplify noises that I can already hear as opposed to the higher pitched noises such as speech that I struggle with. All of the aids came to  a sticky end. One fell out of my pocket into a river, the other two got chewed by my dog when they fell onto the floor. I am now looking into investing in one of the Boots all singing all dancing aids which can amplify higher notes and not lower ones as well as producing white noise to drown out the tinnitus. Some of them can even be used as mobile phones

[Spinner]

I have not had a vertigo bout for nearly three years now. But every couple of months the tinnitus increases and this is invariably  followed by a couple of days of general not right, yucky fuzzy head feeling and a stiff neck and shoulders.

Stiff necks was always a trigger for me. Now I have inflammatory arthritis the stiff necks and inflammation are all there and the inflammation sneaks up to my ear and leaves me totally deaf in that ear until the next lot of steroids start working. Even the outside of the ear (cartilage) gets sore with inflammation now, which is not something I've heard of before.

[ladar]

I've been luck to be vertigo free for about a year but recently I had what I call a "mini" vertigo attack which lasted about 15 minutes but without turning into a full attack, thank goodness.  It is really difficult when this happens because it puts me on edge for a few days waiting for an attack to actually happen.  But I'm so thankful it didn't.   I gave up using a hearing aid a couple of years ago as it was difficult to tolerate it and the feeling of fullness in the ear.

Linda

[MissCheeva]

Well I saw the specialist last week and am now the proud owner of a shiney new grommet.  I also had another steroid injection.  So far I haven't had any more attacks I just feel a little off balance.  My hearing in the offending ear is pants though.  I am hoping that this is only temporary and that as the ear drum heals it will improve.  My balance is getting better day by day.  So hopefully I will be back to 'normal' soon.  The only problem is my other ear now has tinnitus too.  I might have to get another injection in that ear next time I visit in a couple of months time.

I am now looking into investing in one of the Boots all singing all dancing aids which can amplify higher notes and not lower ones as well as producing white noise to drown out the tinnitus.

If my hearing doesn't improve then I might be heading to Boots as it sounds like they have the kind of device I would need ahammond.  Update us on how it goes.

Man this illness is frustrating.

Diana

[ahammond]

After two appointments I go back again tomorow and collect my shiny new all singing all dancing hearing aid. The first appointment was cut short after half an hours worth of questionaire when the audioligist could not do the hearing test due to my ears needing a good dewaxing. That done via my GP and surgery nurse I went back for the hearing test proper. Having experienced many NHS hearing tests I would say that the Boots test was even more thorough.

As a result of that I was loaned a hearing aid of my choice  for an hour that was programmed to my specific hearing needs and told to wander around Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle to try it out in as many different situations as possible.  It was fantastic the difference it made. Even in very noisy situations I was able to hear my wife clearly. There was none of the amplified loud noises that tend to drown out speech with NHS aids and none of the " What did you say ". I opted for a proper plug for my ear instead of the plastic grommet type things that I have used with no great success in the past hence the third appointment. It is not cheap but there is a big choice at varying prices and if the trial was anything to go by it will be worth it. At least I have sixty days to try it out when I can retun it for a full refund.

[milady]

I'd be interested to know how you both get on with the hearing aids. I have moderate/severe hearing loss and have been wondering if it is worth 'going private'.

[MissCheeva]

Well it has been almost 6 months since it came back and I am still battelling with the vertigo.  I had another injection over the christmas break in my left ear.  That seems to have solved the issue in that ear and my hearing in that ear is fantastic.  My right ear, however, has gone down hill.  It had improved a bit, but now I am getting lots of small attacks each day.  I have an appointment next week with ENT so am going to ask for another injection.  I might see if I can get another one shortly after as it seems that just the one isn't enough.

This is driving me crazy.  I am cycling everywhere and although my fitness has improved I am just so fed up with not being as mobile as I was.  Thankfully my kids are OK to cycle to school and wherever else they need to get to.  I am just glad they are at an age when this is OK.

I'm not really wanting any advice I just wanted to have a little rant as I am feeling sorry for myself.

[milady]

A little rant does no harm. There are days when it's just what you need. I hope you get sorted out soon - it's no joke not being able to get about, especially when you have children to see to, even if they are able to do some of it themselves.

[MissCheeva]

So I had a second injection in my right ear a month ago and I am happy to say that my hearing has returned to normal (left ear great and right ear not quite 100%).  Hurrah.  I am going to start driving again in a couple of weeks if things stay as they are.  I am not getting any wobbles at all.  Hopefully this will last at least 18 months.

Yey for Steroids eh!