Yesterday was awful. I had that "heavy head" feeling. Somewhere in between vertigo and being dizzy. Every time I moved my head it felt like I was going to fall over...my head was SO heavy, it felt like a bowling ball was attached to whatever side I tipped it. Kinda like a quicksand feeling. Needless to stay I had to lay around a lot yesterday. It sucked. But today, so far is better (knock on wood). On my to do list: paint, clean, and make dinner. Anything and everything I can in the vertical position. You never know how long it will last.
Much Love,
Shanon
Showing posts with label symptoms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label symptoms. Show all posts
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Symptom Chart
I've referenced in other posts before that I like to keep a daily chart of my symptoms. I think this is important for anyone with a chronic health condition, not just meniere's disease. I know some people like to keep journals or a diary, but that never really worked for me. I had trouble keeping up with it every day, and I think I felt like I had to write out everything and not just leave simple notes. Plus, it was a pain to go back and quickly reference how I was doing over several days or months. With my charting system, I'm able to just mark my symptoms every day and I can see how I'm doing over a month time frame all at once. Here is a sample of the chart I've developed specifically for meniere's symptoms. I've filled it out to give you an idea on how I like to keep my daily notes, but it's just a sample. Luckily this is NOT how my August went. :)
Everything in red is an example of how I like to fill out my chart. Of course, the "name" and "month" are self explanatory. The "cycle #" is a place for women to chart their cycle day to see if any of their symptoms seem to correlate. The "symptoms" list is a sampling of several common meniere's symptoms. It may not be complete and everyone is different with different symptoms so there is plenty of space below to add your own symptoms.
Next, you will notice several random red boxes. Here is how they work: Every morning while I'm eating my breakfast I fill out my chart for the day before. For each symptom that I experienced I would fill in the box. I like to take it a step further and fill in each box with how severe the symptom was. I fill out a 1/4 of the box if the symptom was mild, 1/2 the box if it was moderate, 3/4 of the box if it was severe and the whole box if it was debilitating. So let's say I had a bad vertigo attack the day before with some nausea but my hearing and tinnitus were okay. I would probably fill in a whole box for the vertigo attack, 1/2 a box for the nausea, and 1/4 of the box for the hearing loss and tinnitus. After several days and months it's easy for me to look back and see what days were bad and I can start to notice trends. For example, since I've started charting I've noticed that my neck aches are usually a sign that I will be having a dizzy episode soon and if I ignore them I will eventually have a full blown vertigo attack and maybe even drop attacks. Once I realized this I started paying special attention to how my neck feels, especially while I'm on the computer or painting or doing some other immobile activity. I started doing daily yoga and stretching exercises for my neck several times a day. I don't spend several hours on the computer like I used to and I try to take breaks while I'm painting. It's all helped and it's all because I started charting my symptoms.
Finally, at the bottom of the chart you'll notice a medications box column. Here is a place to note specific medications taken on certain days. So in the example scenario given above I probably would have taken Diazepam for the vertigo and possible something for the nausea. I would then note in the box that I took medication that day and then fill out the medication list below it with what I took. The same goes for the Vitamins and Supplements list.
It's really easy to do, and like I said it really helps to get an overall look at how your condition is effecting you every day, and if there is anything you can do to make it better. I recommend you give it a try. Here is a blank chart for you to download and print for yourself. I'd appreciate any feedback you have and feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I hope it helps!
Much Love,
Shanon
Everything in red is an example of how I like to fill out my chart. Of course, the "name" and "month" are self explanatory. The "cycle #" is a place for women to chart their cycle day to see if any of their symptoms seem to correlate. The "symptoms" list is a sampling of several common meniere's symptoms. It may not be complete and everyone is different with different symptoms so there is plenty of space below to add your own symptoms.
Next, you will notice several random red boxes. Here is how they work: Every morning while I'm eating my breakfast I fill out my chart for the day before. For each symptom that I experienced I would fill in the box. I like to take it a step further and fill in each box with how severe the symptom was. I fill out a 1/4 of the box if the symptom was mild, 1/2 the box if it was moderate, 3/4 of the box if it was severe and the whole box if it was debilitating. So let's say I had a bad vertigo attack the day before with some nausea but my hearing and tinnitus were okay. I would probably fill in a whole box for the vertigo attack, 1/2 a box for the nausea, and 1/4 of the box for the hearing loss and tinnitus. After several days and months it's easy for me to look back and see what days were bad and I can start to notice trends. For example, since I've started charting I've noticed that my neck aches are usually a sign that I will be having a dizzy episode soon and if I ignore them I will eventually have a full blown vertigo attack and maybe even drop attacks. Once I realized this I started paying special attention to how my neck feels, especially while I'm on the computer or painting or doing some other immobile activity. I started doing daily yoga and stretching exercises for my neck several times a day. I don't spend several hours on the computer like I used to and I try to take breaks while I'm painting. It's all helped and it's all because I started charting my symptoms.
Finally, at the bottom of the chart you'll notice a medications box column. Here is a place to note specific medications taken on certain days. So in the example scenario given above I probably would have taken Diazepam for the vertigo and possible something for the nausea. I would then note in the box that I took medication that day and then fill out the medication list below it with what I took. The same goes for the Vitamins and Supplements list.
It's really easy to do, and like I said it really helps to get an overall look at how your condition is effecting you every day, and if there is anything you can do to make it better. I recommend you give it a try. Here is a blank chart for you to download and print for yourself. I'd appreciate any feedback you have and feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I hope it helps!
Much Love,
Shanon
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tinnitus!
Ugh! It can drive a person mad! Seriously, I feel like I'm going crazy.
For those of you who don't know, tinnitus is ringing or noise in the ears. Many Meniere's patients describe the noise as ringing, humming, buzzing, roaring, crickets, fax machines, etc. And sometimes it's a combination of the noises. Unfortunately, it's a constant 24/7 complaint.
For me, it's in both ears and it's there all the time but it fluctuates in it's intensity. Most days I can surprisingly forget about it or even "tune it out". But when it gets SUPER loud it's all I can hear and feels like a death sentence. Currently I'm on day 3 of the SUPER loud tinnitus. At this point I'm ready to dig my eardrums out with spoons! Of course I'm only joking...kinda! :)
Some people say that famous artist Vincent Van Gogh suffered from Meniere's disease and that it's the reason he cut off his ear.
Well, I don't think I will go to such extremes, but I'd really appreciate it if the tinnitus could just give it a rest for a bit. Or forever really! :)
Much Love,
Shanon
For those of you who don't know, tinnitus is ringing or noise in the ears. Many Meniere's patients describe the noise as ringing, humming, buzzing, roaring, crickets, fax machines, etc. And sometimes it's a combination of the noises. Unfortunately, it's a constant 24/7 complaint.
For me, it's in both ears and it's there all the time but it fluctuates in it's intensity. Most days I can surprisingly forget about it or even "tune it out". But when it gets SUPER loud it's all I can hear and feels like a death sentence. Currently I'm on day 3 of the SUPER loud tinnitus. At this point I'm ready to dig my eardrums out with spoons! Of course I'm only joking...kinda! :)
Some people say that famous artist Vincent Van Gogh suffered from Meniere's disease and that it's the reason he cut off his ear.
Well, I don't think I will go to such extremes, but I'd really appreciate it if the tinnitus could just give it a rest for a bit. Or forever really! :)
Much Love,
Shanon
Thursday, May 26, 2011
So, what IS Meniere's disease?
Some of you may be wondering what IS Meniere's disease anyways? Maybe you know someone who has it but you don't really understand it. Or maybe you yourself were recently diagnosed but are trying to get more information. Well, it's a tough one to explain, but here goes...
The medical field will explain it as a vestibular inner ear disorder that causes hearing loss and disrupts balance. A patient with Meniere's disease however, will explain it as hell.
Symptoms include a fullness feeling in the ear(s), tinnitus (ringing, humming, buzzing and/or roaring sound), hearing loss (usually low tones) and vertigo (spinning sensation or dizziness). These vertigo episodes, sometimes referred to as attacks, can occur without warning and can be debilitating. Along with the spinning sensation a person may develop a headache and will likely develop nausea to the extent of possibly vomiting. An episode can last anywhere from a few minutes, to several hours, to even days. And even once it's over your body feels like it's been hit by a truck probably because of all the stress and muscle tension developed to try and keep your world from spinning. Unfortunately, days later once you've FINALLY recovered there is possibly another attack just around the corner. Waiting, to go through the entire process all over again. Because these episodes usually have no warning many patients develop anxiety and fear of when the next attack will hit. Living in fear...day after day. As you may have guessed, depression often times sets in as well.
To top it all off there is no cure for the disease. Doctor's recommend a low salt diet, and to avoid alcohol and caffeine to help control the symptoms. But for some it works and for others it doesn't. Treatments can include steroids, water pills or diuretics but sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Various prescription medications can be used such as Valium or Antivert to take during a vertigo attacks, or Promethazine to help control the nausea. But again they work for some but not for others. Sometimes you just have to wait it out. Every Meniere's patient is different and every episode can be different. The one thing that's for sure is that it can be hell.
But as a person living with Meniere's disease...who's been through hell and back with every episode, I can say there's a way to deal with it. Every day is different. Some are good and some are bad but it's all about taking one day at a time. For me, the last five days were bad. But today is a good day. And that's all that matters right now.
I hope you're having a good day!
Much Love,
Shanon
The medical field will explain it as a vestibular inner ear disorder that causes hearing loss and disrupts balance. A patient with Meniere's disease however, will explain it as hell.
Symptoms include a fullness feeling in the ear(s), tinnitus (ringing, humming, buzzing and/or roaring sound), hearing loss (usually low tones) and vertigo (spinning sensation or dizziness). These vertigo episodes, sometimes referred to as attacks, can occur without warning and can be debilitating. Along with the spinning sensation a person may develop a headache and will likely develop nausea to the extent of possibly vomiting. An episode can last anywhere from a few minutes, to several hours, to even days. And even once it's over your body feels like it's been hit by a truck probably because of all the stress and muscle tension developed to try and keep your world from spinning. Unfortunately, days later once you've FINALLY recovered there is possibly another attack just around the corner. Waiting, to go through the entire process all over again. Because these episodes usually have no warning many patients develop anxiety and fear of when the next attack will hit. Living in fear...day after day. As you may have guessed, depression often times sets in as well.
To top it all off there is no cure for the disease. Doctor's recommend a low salt diet, and to avoid alcohol and caffeine to help control the symptoms. But for some it works and for others it doesn't. Treatments can include steroids, water pills or diuretics but sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Various prescription medications can be used such as Valium or Antivert to take during a vertigo attacks, or Promethazine to help control the nausea. But again they work for some but not for others. Sometimes you just have to wait it out. Every Meniere's patient is different and every episode can be different. The one thing that's for sure is that it can be hell.
But as a person living with Meniere's disease...who's been through hell and back with every episode, I can say there's a way to deal with it. Every day is different. Some are good and some are bad but it's all about taking one day at a time. For me, the last five days were bad. But today is a good day. And that's all that matters right now.
I hope you're having a good day!
Much Love,
Shanon
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