This is not a moment to celebrate, but I was diagnosed with Meniere's five years ago. After struggling with its symptoms, of which vertigo was the worst, I am now healthy. What a simple but great thing to say!
With Meniere's, I guess one can never say he has overcome it completely. Even if you don't experience its symptoms for years, you wonder if the root-cause is still there, hiding in the tiny canals of your inner ear. Regardless of being sure or not, thank God I am now symptom-less!
Looking back I wonder now if I am happy that I lived what I lived! Frankly, I experienced more positives than negatives. Yes, the negatives were real bad. Being dizzy until vomiting then passing out to wake up with no appetite and power to stand up was hell. Living this intermittently, not knowing when you will get hit by the attack again was neurotic! Yet I still believe MY positives were more than MY negatives. For instance:
1) I now have a constant reminder that I have to take care of myself well. Otherwise, vertigo may show its ugly head anytime! Taking care of myself involves eating healthier foods and staying away from stressful situations and people as much as possible.
2) I now know that when things get worse in life, you can get stronger by managing shorter spans of life. If a week is hard to manage, you go for managing a day. When a day is hard to manage, you go for managing an hour. When an hour... You got the point :-)
3) I now know who and what matters to me more. I also know better than I AM the most important person to me! Not in a selfish way. I am my own doctor, care-giver and care-taker, so I should treat myself even better than my loved ones. In this regard, the Meniere's experience made me more independent, realistic and mature.
4) This one does not apply to all Meniere's patients but I hope one day it does. Due to Meniere's I designed my first website, learned (and still learning) how to promote it, reached and assisted many people who want to be healthier and helped few improve their eating habits. If I had not suffered from Meniere's, I believe I wouldn't have shared a health-conscious message with others at the current level.
In summary, my five year experience with Meniere's made me wonder if there is good illness. Well, my short answer is no, BUT it can be turned into a positive experience as much as possible. It depends on your approach to life. Let me conclude by repeating a cliche "often you can't control what life throws at you, but you can control your reaction to it".
To healthier lives and more positive attitudes! Cheers :-)
Umit
Monday, November 7, 2011
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10 comments:
Hi Umit,
Thank you for your encouraging words. I was diagnosed about 9 months ago after suffering the symptoms for about 2 years. People always ask me how I manage a low sodium diet: "It must be AWFUL!!" No, I say, it can be inconvenient, but it isn't awful. The only things I have had to give up, I shouldn't have been eating in the first place!
My symptoms are not gone, but they are improved. I keep hoping...
Thanks, Marcia
You are welcome Marcia. Hopefully your symptoms will reduce to zero soon. Frankly, I still have some hearing loss on my left ear, but that does not bother me.
As you said, low sodium dieting may be inconvenient but it is not awful at all. Its long term benefits surpass its negatives easily.
umit, found your site through the daily dish and wanted to let you know how happy i am that you've reigned in the beast known as menieres. here's to lower sodium and NO vertigo!
best,
natalie :)
Hi Umit I have just been diagnosed with MD and am in the early stages of coming to grips with my lot. Positive blogs like yours certainly have made me feel better. It is the unknown that is the scariest with this disease, and the fact that we may be able to get some control back by illiminating salt is so powerful. Have been blown away by the amount of salt I used to eat - and this was salt that I didn't add to my food but that was already there. Am researching now what I need to do to eliminate it hence me finding your blog!! The MRI I had as part of the diagnosis found a large eneurysm - so MD may have just saved my life! Very ironic I thought! All the best Jules
Jules, I guess sometimes what seems to be bad news is not that bad! I am happy to hear about the outcome of your doctor's recent diagnosis. I wish you a long, healthy life.
Umit
Hi Umit,
Thanks for the positivity. I feel so much better on the lo sodium diet. Like you i am using this a means to get healthier. Could have worse health conditions!DJ
Great! I enjoy reading your story. Its so inspiring and somehow change my perception in life. I am now more positive in my life. Thanks! African Mango
My MD manifested itself with hearing loss. It was more than a year after those symptoms that I had my first vertigo. Of course, it happened at work. Incapacitated me instantly.
The diet is not so hard when it's just my wife and I eating at home. She is very conscious about the Na in food now and we have gotten pretty sharp at making low Na choices at the regular grocery store. The problem is when we go out and socialize. No one else eats like this in their own homes, restaurants don't cook like this and it can make choices difficult. After two years, I have my disease under control and am tuned in to the signs my body tells me that I may have overdone it on sodium. I drink a little extra water to flush. When I was first adjusting my lifestyle, I would constantly tell myself, "at least, it's not cancer". It's a bother but it isn't going to kill me.
Alan, thank you for your comment. I also find the diet not that hard to follow as I had been eating at home long before I got diagnosed with Meniere`s. As you said, the difficulty is with dining out. At the times my body signalled me to be careful, I did not dine out at all. Over time you learn how to `listen` to your body better!
Hello, just found your site after telling my wife "I need to start a blog on low sodium lifestyle". Now I don't need to! I discovered I too have MD but I figured it out on my own, no doctor involved yet. Plugged right ear, loss of hearing, vertigo, all the basic symptoms. I have been ok for a few months and only suffered last episode when I got a little carried away with eating out. But I now work very hard to eat home cooked healthy foods that are sure to help me with other things like High BP. When I do eat out, I make good choices just like many you've mentioned on your blog. Great to know someone else out there is dealing with the same thing. Thanks!
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