meniere's disese ???

[leothedog]

What the heck? A low pressure system moved past last night and by the time I woke up it was clear with a nice high pressure. I slept hard - good sleep. While brushing my teeth I looked down at the sink I thought the house had tilted down by a 45 degrees. I thought there had been an earth quake or a land slide! About three seconds later things evened out and my freaked out wife who had been brushing her teeth in the next sink over asked, "what the heck?". I had spread my legs and had a death grip on the counter. The rest of the day I have been a little unsteady on my feet. I can't say I was, "dizzy".

And now a day later I feel like I have a three beer buzz going on since waking up.

I asked around and a friend said he had a buddy that has Meniere's disease. I read about meniere's on Wiki and it sounds kinda like my episode.

I have never had anything like this happen. Very much OUT OF THE BLUE!

Will this happen again? How often? How will it effect being PIC of an aircraft? Any help on this will be appreciated.

:confused::confused::confused:

[27mm]

Might be Menieres, or perhaps Labyrhinthitis, but either way, get it checked out ASAP

[Uncle Wiggily]

Leonard the Dog: I am sorry to hear this! Get it checked out ASAP. This is a medical emergency. The doctor will most likely prescribe a drug called Betaserc. This will help. You may also get a few steroid shots which also help. The quicker you start treatment the more of a chance you have for recovery. I also had a friend with Meneire's disease and he believed swimming really helped him out.

I thought I had this disease when in fact I had something called SSHL (sudden hearing loss). I was hospitalized for 2 weeks and it took me about 4 months to recover. I still have a little bit of Tinnitus, but I can pass the Class 1 medical without worries. I am lucky. Many do not make a full recovery. When I had this occur, the doctor said my recovery was due to the fact that I sought treatment and received steroid shots with in 24 hours of my deafness. After 24 hours, the chances of a full recovery drop exponentially.

Don't expect to get your medical back right after you recover. You can do it, but it will take time and patience.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Don't frighten the guy by saying it's a medical emergency, but obviously best to see the doc. First time I had labyrinthitis I was terrified and went to the doc. She listened to my symptoms and said, "You'll be OK. It's inner ear infection which will probably go quite quickly". It did - coupla days and I was fine.

I have since had it about a half-dozen times in 40 years, often associated with a cold or sore throat. Never taken medication.

Hope it clears up soon....

[captainsmiffy]

Alan Shepherd got his medical back and got the command of Apollo 14 following menieres disease...

[Head spinner]

Leo, did you feel yourself move or did remain stationary and your surroundings move around you? I was told that if you moved its likely to be a ear problem, if your surroundings moved and you remained stationary then its likely to be a neurological or Neuro-otological problem.

In my own case it has happened for many years but fairly irregularly. If you do report it as long as you are symptom free you should just get a multi crew restriction once you have been symptom free for 2 or 3 months.

If it keeps happening it may be worth seeking a docs opinion as initially some of the potential things I was investigated for as a cause of my vertigo I was glad I didn't have!!!!

It sounds likely though that it was associated with the movement of your head. It could be just an ear infection or something called BPPV. This normally happens after raising your head and looking down. If it is something like this it really could just be a one off. Unless it keeps happening and as your symptoms were very short I wouldn't panic. Chat to your GP though.

[gingernut]

Could be a number of things, most of what I'm thinking of are benign and short lived.

Hopefully it'll resolve as quickly as it came, and I'd be a little cautious about asking for a "label" at this stage, however, a decent GP should be able to sift through your symptoms reliably and quickly.

I suspect visual illusions would ground a pilot pretty smartish though.

[leothedog]

Thank all of you for your replies. Other than feeling mentally challenged for the day everything seems normal. On reaching altitude and throttling back it seems a little bit weird like floating for a few seconds. Could be that I'm hyper sensitive to all inputs?

I do not think its a visual thing as I really thought for about three seconds the house had tilted down to the right by about 45 degrees. Talked off the record to a Doc I know. He asked a string a questions about balance, hearing and eye sight and said if it happened again to come in. Officially he said that I should be seen. That just the prostrate massaging sod that he is.:mad:

[pilotwood]

I just found this website and hope I can find some help. I have been diagnosed with Meniere's. Do you know what it takes to get my medical back? Presently on short term disability and out of the flight deck. After having several severe episodes, I have voluntarily removed myself from the flight deck. Anyone know what it may take to get my medical back. Also, if I can't fly, what does it take to qualify for Long term Disability. Thx.

[stilton]

Pilotwood and all others.


I have been on disability and out of the cockpit for three years with an imbalance / vertigo/ dizziness issue.



The problem seems to be an overly sensitive left inner ear.



When the problem first started I literally had to hold on to my seat to keep from 'falling off' and had a very hard time walking.



I still have regular attacks while walking, with a 'falling over' sensation, pain and Tinnitus in my left ear.



I have been to the 'best' medical institutions in the US in an attempt to find a cure for this (Two different Mayo Clinics and the House Clinic) with no cause found and my only unusual test being my left ear.




In my opinion the Docs diagnose you with 'Menieres' when they don't know what else to say is wrong with you. It doesn't really define or mean anything.
Sort of like saying you are Caucasian..



This problem can be incredibly frustrating and depressing. I have had as many 'diagnoses' and opinions as I have seen Doctors, ranging from 'it's an inner ear virus' (for which I took anti-virals over a two year period with no result) to ' its a neck injury' to my favourite 'it's all in your head'



Having said that, I am considering surgery for which this particular Doctor (A Neurotologist) claims a 50 / 50 chance of improvement.



This surgery is the 'endolymphatic shunt'



It is similar to what Alan Shepard, the Astronaut had done and involves inserting a tube into the endolymphatic sac of the inner ear to control abnormal fluid pressure and help drain excess endolymph.




I consider surgery to be a last resort. I was hoping, over the course of time that nature's own healing and adaptation would fix the problem.



But after 3 years off work the hoped for improvement has not occurred.



Before surgery I am going to try a course of anti-depressants as a few of these are now approved by the FAA.



Supposedly, one of the side effects of these is an increase in one's Serotonin levels which, in turn helps with the balance function.



If that doesn't work, I will try the surgery.



If anyone has questions feel free to PM me, I can relate to you my experience if that would be of any help.

[pilotwood]

Been an ATP for 31 yrs and flying professionally all that time. I just voluntarily removed myself from the flight deck due to diagnosis of Meniere's disease. Anyone have experience of what the FAA review process is with Meniere's? Been on Short Term and now applying for Long Term Disability with Ins co. Anyone have experience in this area of what and what not to say? would appreciate it.

[pilotwood]

Your situation sounds familiar to mine. I have been a professional pilot for 35 yrs and just had to voluntarily remove myself from the flight deck.

I have considered the shunt at the House Clinic in LA, butr spoke to someone who had it. It worked initially, but she has occasional mild cases of vertigo. She has some hearing loss, sounds like she is in a tunnel all the time, as the "new" normal. i am trying everything before doing the shunt or the ear injection. Had to give up flying, which is tough in this economy. My ENT prescirbed Betahistine Hydrochloride (Severt or Serc). 16mg 3 times/day. I buy it online from Canada. Not avialable in US. Seems to help by lowering the intensity of the episodes.

[stilton]

Pilotwood, check your pm's

[pilotwood]

Greetings, I definitely have Meniere's. there are lots of medical terms for basically the same thing: an inner ear problem causing spontaneous vertigo. I have been researching solutions for 2 yrs. in the meantime, i have lost my job/career over it. i can answer any questions and suggest some do's and don'ts. Pilotwood

[pilotwood]

Greetings, i have done extensive research on vertigo. I do not care for the surgeries (endolymphatic shunt, or injections) since they don't cure the problem. those who have had it, have found temporary relief, but not long term relief. Even Alan Shepard's vertigo returned.
I am having some good results on diet control.
I also have some do's and don't regarding the FAA and Insurance Companies.
Let me know if you want to hear more.

[pilotwood]

We spoke about 2 months ago, and I have good news on my new treatment. The meds did not work. I was reluctant to have anyone drill or inject anything into my head. I did an extensive blood test and discovered that I was reacting to yeast, tomatoes, and mushrooms in my diet. I completely eliminated them for the last two months. I am excited to say that my episodes are very infrequent, maybe a mild one once a month. I used to have severe episodes of vertigo once or twice a week. I plan to continue on this diet, perhaps introducing some bread (yeast) and some tomatoes back into my diet to see how I react. The mushrooms are definitely out.

The Insurance Co did qualify me with Long Term Disability. I believe the FAA wants 6 months to a year of no meds and no episodes to get back onto the flight deck.

[vikusik2011]

Can somebody please tell do Qatar airways check mastopathy on their own medical examination or medical examination for goverment in Qatar? how it can affect on their decision if I have it?

[Loose rivets]

Please keep the thread going.

One of my kids is having a tough time with many of the symptoms described here. He is seeing another specialist this coming week but the whole family has to make a long trip and stay in hotels etc., just for one visit. Really a huge burden to them all. As a dad, it weighs heavy.

He was seeming a lot brighter, back at work and driving again, but yesterday took a turn for the worse. Very depressing all round.