Health Update - Meniere's Disease?

Dear Friends,

I know I am way behind in my blog and will be updating it when I have a good opportunity. My email box is filling up with messages wondering where I've been and I want to thank everyone for their kind words and concern. I am truly blessed to have friends like you, many of whom I haven't met in person yet. I just responded Ethan's mom (see earlier post when I visited with her and E-boy) and thought I would just copy and paste my response here, too.

I have not felt well since I returned home from my trip to Ohio in late September. I had a very bad cold/sinus infection in October and it took me a long time to get over it. At the beginning of November, I went on a 10-day mission trip to Latvia with my husband and a group from our church, the Faithful Men singing group. While we were there I had two very bad vertigo attacks and was completely immobilized in bed in our hotel room for two days. I could not move, open my eyes or do anything without vomiting or having the room spinning on me. At first I thought it was food poisoning but no one else got sick like I did. A friend of mine had some phenergan with her so I was able to take that and survive the long 20-hour trip home.

To make a long story short, after seeing two doctors and going to a therapist, Dr. Merwin, my ENT/CI doctor, has pre-diagnosed me with Meniere’s disease, which is an inner ear disorder that controls balance. If that is the case, it will just be one more obstacle in my life that I will have to deal with. And I'm okay with that.

Meniere's Disease is manageable with a low salt/high protein diet and medicine. I am currently taking a water pill to see if that will drain the extra fluid around my ears. There is no cure for it. I will have two more tests done in the coming weeks to confirm Dr. Merwin's diagnosis (I can't have an MRI because of my cochlear implants so he is using other options). I am starting to have more good days than difficult ones. And will have final results in mid-January.

One of the side effects of Meniere's Disease is hearing loss. Luckily, this has not affected my hearing because of my implants. However, I've gone in the other direction and am EXTREMELY sensitive to sound. I have the sensitivity and volume levels turned way down and it is still too loud at times! Sometimes I just take them off for awhile and work in silence.

So, when I do have my good days, I try not to overdo it and just do the daily tasks that need to be done. With the holidays and year-end business accounting for our business, I have more than I can handle! But, all I can do is just take one day at a time. I used to say that God doesn't give us more than we can handle but over the last few years I've changed my view about that statement. I do think He gives us more than we can handle so we can call out His Name, talk with Him daily and walk with Him. He will be our guide during difficult and stressful times. He is here.

Hope you and your family and friends are enjoying the holidays with anticipation and HOPE. May you have a blessed holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or other tradition!