Is It Meniere's Disease or Something Else? 

Thank you so much! I will have the 3T MRI next month. I have the desiquilibrum part. High chances of the ablation. You explained everything in details.

I've had symptoms for 3 years. Only a few episodes lasted more than 5 minutes, but those few were miserable. Finally, 2 weeks ago, a 2 hour episode left me severely hearing impared in my left ear. SUX.

Two things: First, doctors should never cause harm. Two, I've been researching Meniere's and so far no one has ever mentioned with severe attacks like I get I have to empty my bowels while vomiting while the room is spinning. I'm 70 years old. Where are you located?

You are spot on and you are also the first and only Dr. who has made the point that the symptoms are not the same with everyone. This has been the issue for me. My VA Dr ruled on Maniers disease and did surgery on my deviated septum. I do not get full vertigo. I did get a spell of Vertigo a few years ago when this first started. It has progressed into fullness in my left ear but my head or brain it seems has a fullness but sometimes it feels like a balloon inside my head but always the ear feels like it's stopped up but I can never drain it. It's manipulating. But every Dr thinks that vertigo is the primary symtom. This caused me to be misdiagnosed for almost 4 years now. I still haven't had a Dr. diagnose me as having Maniers. The VA referred me to a civilian Neurologist who is now referring me to a ENT/Neurologist who specializes in Maniers. I just want to confirm that I have maniers so that I can move forward with keeping it at a minimum. I've eaten salty foods on purpose to see if it would get worse and it absolutely did get worse. Same for coffee. Salt is much worse than caffeine for me but both are not good. This was the best Dr and video I have seen yet. Thank you so much.

Thanks for your comprehensive outline on Meniere's. Here's a few of my experiences with this debilitating syndrome. An injection of gentamicin into the inner ear will make you completely deaf in that ear and virtually destroy the balance system on that side. It's a procedure of last resort. Taking diuretics to limit inner ear pressure will have you visiting the toilet so frequently that might as well just stay there for most of the day. Salt, sugar, stress and processed foods especially should be avoided, by this I mean foods laced with chemicals. Fresh foods, fruit and vegetables should be the focus for regular nutrition. Coffee, 3 to 4 cups a day has no adverse affects on me. I prefer black coffee. Too much milk may affect your symptoms. If at a restaurant specify low to no sodium in your meal and if they can't oblige (most will accomodate your requirements) don't eat there. Discipline and self management is a key issue to controlling Meniere's Syndrome. Salt (sodium) intake should be limited to 1500 mg or no more than a teaspoon a day. Read the labels on any processed foods, you will be surprised how much sodium is contained. It all adds up. Try and be aware of the effects different foods have on your body. If you are sensitive to your body's response you can remove these foods from your diet. Some prescribed medications have very negative side effects. Diuretic drugs gave me the sensation of insects buzzing in my head...not my inner ear. The one size fits all type of medication is a fallacy. I'm 70 years of age and take no medication for meniere's syndrome but do pay strict attention to the foods I eat. I am virtually totally deaf in my right ear. Hearing loss in that ear has been progressive for years. When I had my first severe meniere's attack (vertigo, vomiting resulting in unconsciousness for 3 to 4 hrs) my wife thought I was having a heart attack. I was unconscious on our kitchen floor after eating pistachios. These nuts were heavily laced with salt. Lesson learned! An ambulance was called. I was carried out and taken to a general hospital and placed on a bed in an observation cubical. Over a 12 -15 hour period I was observed by several doctors. None had a clue as to what caused my seizure. I was discharged after the stay and caught a taxi home none the wiser. Interestingly my wife (a teacher) had worked with a colleague who suffered from meniere's syndrome all her life and on occasion they would discuss the condition. This was a recollection from 32 years prior. On the basis of my wife's remembrance of her friend's symptoms she did some basic research and was able validate the symtoms I was experiencing. This was later confirmed by an ENT specialist. The local GPs at our medical clinic had no idea. To finish, I was initially affected for a period of 3 months. During this time I was virtually unable to digest and hold down any food. I lost 10 kgs in weight. Physically I became quite skeletal. I could easily count my ribs. Tried a series of medications. All a complete fail. Clean, fresh food, regular low impact exercise, (walk to a cafe and back 1 hour) coupled with regular sleep and the avoidance of a stress inducing lifestyle has been the key component to restoring my health and wellbeing. I was also provided with a referral by my ENT specialist for a brain scan to discount cancer. Fortunately that was clear and not associated with my symptoms of hearing loss and vertigo. I hope this assists those suffering from this debilitating syndrome. Beware the cocktail of drugs and side affects the pharmaceutical industry will have you on. Do your own research.

Thank you Dr Gates I live in the UK and the information from NHS is very poor. So blessed to have found you're channel 🙏🏼

Great information. Particularly interested in the MRI without contrast.

Is anyone else extremely off balance and dizzy ALL OF THE TIME. It never goes away. It's there day and night. It's like I'm on a rollercoaster and I can't get off the ride no matter how hard I try. It's not just minutes. Or a few hours. Or a couple of days? It's neverending. I've had this for 9 months. I'm 41yo and I have to take a walking stick with me when I go out. It's ruined my life.

Im 55yo and have all the symptoms. I started with tinnitus 2.5 years ago then got the full feeling ear, heavy sweating, dizzy and vomiting 6 months ago. I now also have pain in my neck. I dont smoke, drink alcohol, caffeine etc and pretty much stick to fruit, veg and water as I also have high cholesterol and minor arthritis in fingers after sleeping. I havent been diagnosed yet with menieres, ENT consulting appt end of March due to waiting list. How soon will it take for diagnosis? Im finding that I start to feel attack coming on late afternoon so lie down for an hour or two to prevent vomiting, but is a random as has come on whilst sleeping once and also whilst cycling. This is debilitating and depressing as Im a active person that doesnt want to venture far from home now and even stopped driving. Thankd

Thankyou Dr Gates. I was diagnosed with Meniers and also have Hashimoto's. The ENT doctor put me on a low salt and it helped. If I eat something sugary like cotton candy( I dont eat this anymore) it would make my dizziness come back. Also, high stress makes the dizziness come back. I found out that my NDT changed and the fillers of dairy and corn effected me. NDT made me have a chronic sinus infection. When I switched to a compounded T3 only for my thyroid,the stuffiness in my nose and ear and infection went away. Thankyou for your information. It's worth more to me than gold. Can I be your patient if I live in another state?

Great video….. so my wife was diagnosed with the Ménière’s disease roughly 9 years ago. She started hearing what she described as wind in her ear. So she went to a doctor who did a pretty basic ear exam. Just asking questions about different symptoms and looking inside the ear. So my question is, could she had been misdiagnosed?….She has never had any other symptoms other than what she describes as a wind noise. Over the past four or five years it has gotten significantly better, but she just had an implant extraction surgery done and the sound has started to flare up again. So we are on a journey to figure out if something else is causing this…..Thanks for the great video.

I’ve been diagnosed with BVH and recurring BPPV. So I’m giddy all the time, no hearing loss but also tinnitus and ocular migraines. Several causes of BVH, mine is congenital which I was unaware of but now older much worse and am disabled but living comfortable with many aids. So interesting about gluten etc, all of which I suffer from. Thank you.

Thank you! These videos have been very helpful!

I've been feeling that my the ground is tilted constantly is that veritgo? I don't feel it's moving I just feel it's tilted constantly since past 4-5 days i only feel the tilt and I've been feeling fullness in ear since past few hours

Hi, about 9 weeks ago I was diagonised with Vestibular neuritis and despite the exercises I am not feeling any better. The last week I have started having mild ringing in my ears too which is frustrating. My symptoms are mainly extreme dizziness and I seem to be effected by patterns for example if I pass this long wall that has bare brick patterns. This affects me immensely as my brain gets confused and my legs feel really weak and I feel unsteady. I also suffer from fatigue and a bit of confusion although that was worse in the first few weeks. Please assist as I am not sure what is going on.

Dr I need your help. I’ve been experiencing dizziness since a trip to Thailand and it’s ruining my life. I’ve seen several doctors and have done a ton of tests with no actual diagnosis. I just don’t think these doctors are versed on this issue like you.

May I know if sinusitis infection has something to do with Menier's disease?

Is it possible to prevent permanent ear damage from meniere's disease?

Wow, this is so helpful, thank you! I have been told by two ENTs that I probably have Menieres, but I haven't thought so because I don't have vertigo but I DO have disequilibrium/off kilter sensation. I have had progressive hearing loss over the last 15 years that occurs in episodes in response mostly to dietary triggers or very loud noises. One other question for you, though is that my hearing loss started in the high frequencies and then progressed to the middle frequencies and now the low frequencies. Have you seen this reverse hearing loss pattern with Meniere's before? And should I ask my doctor for imaging of the saccule specifically to check for hydrops? Thank you! I've never found anything so close to capturing my experience until this video.

Mine started out with severe vertigo to the point where the whole world blurred & spun around me in both sensation & visually! It was terrifying & so out of the blue. My balance was just gone. I started in a desk chair &, without moving my head one iota, it suddenly felt like I was being thrown around in a blender. I slammed into the wall & fell to the ground (I didn't feel like I was going downward, I just ended up on the floor). My ears would take turns as to which felt full (often painfully), but it was in my right side the most often. I didn't get the tinnitus barely at all. Things did change after about 2 years. It's different now as well. My eyes still jitter sometimes, but I don't get nearly the visual effects. I get vertigo more often throughout a day, but not as intense anymore. Still feel a lot of motion sickness when it's going on though. I DO get a lot more high tones (tinnitus) that last for a very long time now. One thing is that it feels really full (sometimes quite painful) in my right ear all the time. I can't hear nearly so well as I used to, especially low tones including low voices. My son's voice really dropped and I can barely hear him at all most of the time. I take the tests in the perfectly quiet room with the sounds piped right into my ears by the headphones & they tell me I only have a tiny bit of hearing loss, still just barely within normal hearing. This taught me something very important. DO NOT GUESS!! I have gotten really good at guessing the words based on what little I do hear. DON'T guess! Just say, "I'm not sure," if they say something you are supposed to repeat back, but didn't hear ALL of the word to be SURE exactly what they said or ignore the word entirely. I scored 100% on that particular test and 3 of my answers were complete guesses based on the techs mouth movements and the vowels I could make out. Apparently, Bu, Wu, & P are pretty much gone for me, BUT who ever heard of a wasepall? Obviously, it was baseball (best example). So, yes, be sure you do not show your awesome deciphering skills, DON'T GUESS! I also heard a high tone ringing in my ears at the end of the beep test, but the tech shrugged it off without reporting it. It'll be ok though. I'm going in for a new round of tests soon. Like you said up there, Gates, Some doctors aren't even sure of the diagnosis. And yeah! Caffeine & sugar make it MUCH worse for me too :( Et tu, Dr. Pepper? I really wish I could get someone who would help my thyroid work better. I do have gluten issues, really sucks. I'll try to get that imaging done! That's a great way to be positive about the diagnosis. Great info! Thanks!

Sir thanks for sharing such important information regarding a disease like menieres...But could you clarify weather menieres disease can be permanently cured by medicines plus salt restricted diet....As I had a big research regarding menieres but in the end it seems like you can't control the frequency of episodes... You can just take medicines after every episode of menieres.. So kindly i would like to listen from you regarding this

Thanks a lot. I had a flu just before having almost same symptoms apart from aural fullness, ENT diagnosed Accute labyrinthitis ....what is your opinion please...

Can I please have more information on the diagnosis steps, like the 3Telsa imaging. My wife was diagnosed with MD and the Vestibular Migraine 3 weeks later, then MD another Dr. I want to encourage her to keep searching.

I get rotational vertigo episodes that I get rid of by doing the Epley maneuver at home. The ENT doctor prescribed meclizine because I can't get rid of lightheadedness. Another ENT prescribed acetazolamide to get rid of excess fluid in my inner ear. Would the Epley maneuver get rid of the rotational vertigo if this in fact is menieres? I'm thinking it it is more like BPPV. Thanks.

I have a question about cochlear hydrops. How can you differentiate between the symptoms of those versus symptoms from a muscle twitch (tensor tympani)?

How do people find doctors who actually do tests and are helpful? I can't seem to find them. It's been 4 years now and no one really listens to me. I've had 4 vertigo attacks in November alone. Mine all started in Jul 2019 after I had an ear infection. After my 4th or 5th visit to the walk in clinic the doctor said we can't help you but this is sounding like the beginning of Meniere's. I was only 2-3 weeks out from the initial infection. PCP was pointless and the well known ENT lied about my medical history to try to get allergy shots and sinus surgery covered. I don't feel comfortable going back there. ( I don't have allergies nor did I have childhood asthma or ear infections unlike what he put in my record). I have POTS too, so have always been told to eat tons of salt. I'm going to stop that and see if I feel better. My 1st cousin also has Meniere's so I guess it runs in my family.

Could it be possible that you are constantly nauseous, along with pressure in your ear, ringing, and my side of my face in front of my ear has been swollen for over 2 years?

Can you recommend an expert in CEH in Austin, Texas area?

My VNG/ VEMP showed impairment in right inner ear otolith next to utricle. Interesting this may be a allergy/ sensitivity and blood circulation you mentioned in other video. I have noticed since having this there are foods that trigger me more than others. I definitely can’t eat the same for sure. Also my stomach has not acted right since this came about.

Hello Doctor, what's the dffrence in characteristic between Menieres diseases and Endolymphatic sac tumour?

this was excellent doctor I've had many years for many many years from I was younger and it has gotten 100% worse now because I had covid 9 months ago now I lost a lot of hair in because from what they said to me that covid affected it now my hearing is all over the place I will have to get hearing aids I'm only 56 years old and it's like suffering in silence it's never quiet for me anymore never even when I'm sleeping it's a horrible disease but you hit it on the nail with everything you covered everything thoroughly thank you so much I am definitely changing my diet again no salt and also I just want to tell the public that sweets sweets will definitely set you off also so watch your sugar thank you so much have a blessed day watching this from Maryland.

I have dizziness when walking and balance issues and some nights i wake up with intense vertigo lasting 3-5 min. then feel off for days and some days i feel okay-ish. When you say menieres is 2-4 hrs of vertigo does that mean the actual bad vertigo or does feeling off and unbalanced constantly as vertigo?

Sir, DNS also have some link with ringing in ear and something like fullness feelings in ear ??

My Meniers flare ups seem to be food related. If I eat to much sodium and or carbs or sugar. My ears will start ringing and the my hearing gets distorted and loss of hearing. Fullness and hearing sensitivity. Then it's a full on 🤢 session for a few hours. It wears me out. This week I've had two episodes and I'm fasting only drinking water and no sodium chicken broth.

Is injecting GBCA into the middle ear painful?

I never hear anyone mention an ear popping sound. Its what i get. I learned what brings it on. When i do that im in a state of vertigo for about 5 days and it comes with ear popping.

I keep seeing the estusia thing you use to try to unblock eustachian tubes is this ok to try with Meniere's?

What a fantastic and helpful presentation. Based upon what you have said here, I have all of the symptoms of Meniere's, but I'll leave it to a proper diagnosis by an ENT. One thing that helps - talking to the body, as in, having a dialogue with it. The body is intelligent and "hears" what you are saying through intent. If you talk to it and ask it what it needs, it will tell you if you listen carefully.

I don't hear ringing, but I can hear my own heartbeat in my ears. Is mine also a symptom of Meniere's Disease?

Hi, if someone hears external sounds like people sounds ect. very loud, what problem could it imply?

Has anyone done a test for connecting possible viruses or bacteria from the teeth ???

Thanks so much for this info. I think I finally better understand the condition and how the swelling causes damaged that leads to progression. My doctors have told me much of this, but you explain it clearer and just better. 💡 My doctors say I've always had it; however, I didn't realize it until I had a series of really extreme (so undeniable and un-ignorable) episodes where my hearing got so bad everyone sounded robotic. These episodes lasted for hours and sometimes almost daily for a week or two. After determining it wasn't a tumor, my ENT immediately suspected it was menieres so sent me to an otologist/neurologist and an allergist, and combined they did a bunch of tests and scans and diagnosed me. I eliminated a lot of foods and lowered my sodium intake and also started allergy shots, which definitely helped. Then covid came and I stopped the allergy treatments, but nearly two years later and I still seem to be pretty stable. But I do still have fluctuating hearing loss just to a much lesser degree. I've always assumed that was normal for me because I've always had problems hearing, but my hearing was being tested every three months prior to covid, and sometimes (rarely) my hearing was perfect in both ears. So I'm wondering now if this means my hearing is supposed to be perfect except I still have swelling so ongoing damage that can eventually make my condition worse. I'm going to restart my allergy treatments now because I obviously don't want it to get worse. Certainly there are worse things to have, but I don't like looking into the future and seeing myself struggling in old age. I don't have vertigo but I do have dizziness sometimes that I've always attributed to allergies. Honestly I wasn't all that concerned about vertigo because I was focused on the hearing issues (because it was so shocking and alarming to have episodes where everyone would sound like robots because I lost the ability to hear higher frequencies in my right ear--so I was hearing two versions of their voice at the same time, making everyone sound like robots), but I can definitely see how having vertigo can be incapacitating. I don't want to progress to that. I hope it's not inevitable. It is nice to know that there are still some options then even if they are extreme. Hopefully there will be better solutions in the future. Thanks.

I'd like to hear from a Dr. that actually has had my symptoms and then talk about it. I've been told so much bullshit to this point since I only have years of temple pains when I hold heat against it eleviates it/ Now after years of inner ear pain, roots in my mouth hurt at times/ Now after all of that now I get vertigo in the evening where I hear shooshing in my right ear and laying down on right side I have to close my eyes cause it makes you real nausus I don't throw up I will do any thing not too/. I will sit in a ice bucket before I throw up (it's a violent act on oneself I can't deal with vomit) just now my vision gets weird and I have to put a hat on in the house to rid myself of inner ear pain/ oh I have taken antibiotics I don't think they do anything but make me sicker/ my dentist left me to deal with a poison fake tooth he put in for over nine months during covid( he just wrote scripts)He wonders why I changed dentists?? Could that have started all this? Dr. Dr. wish I had one... all this free Canadian health care is killing me/too much truth ~ all respect ~

After all the years of having Menieres diseases and constant ear ringing , it is nice to sit in a quiet restaurant without anything bothering me. Even the fullness in the bad ear is hardly noticeable. And the constant ear ringing is gone.Took 4weeks ?thanks Dr Liam Ogbebor centre RU-vid channel for the tinnitus program and herbal ear drop treatment and I hope it stops for everyone else sooner.😊

The vertigo lasted 12 hours for me.

😊