innereardisorder

I had a terrible cold for over a week that just would NOT go away smh. It kept getting worse and worse until I finally decided to drive myself to the urgent care. I did the little online check in before leaving home (as I've been there many times before and know how long the wait can be). So I get there check in at the kiosk and take a seat, about 10mins goes by and the lady at the front desk calls me up to ask which type of insurance I have, I let her know it's still the same and she tells me they no longer accept my insurance there 🙄🤬 talk about pissed! So I go out and drive myself to the hospital so I can be seen at the ER. By this time the sun has gone down and I'm coughing like crazy but my luck changed because when I get to the ER it happens to be a shift change and there's literally no one in the waiting room! They got me checked in and to the back in less than 10mins. Now I had never been to this particular hospital so of course I had to give the usual medical history rundown and long list of medications I take. But finally I get seen and told that it's not the flu, it's bronchitis, at this point I'm just thankful it's not pneumonia. Having asthma can be a pain especially during flu season because getting respiratory infections, laryngitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia and just about any "lung" related illness you can think of sometimes becomes the norm unfortunately. And to add to that the exacerbation of one chronic illness then usually leads to the exacerbation of another, so my Ménière's has been flaring like crazy and I can't hear shit besides my horrible tinnitus and I've been as dizzy as a baby deer stumbling around. I'm hoping I'm better soon.. I've been stuck in bed for days and everytime I think I'm feeling better I end up over exerting myself and end up right back in bed. Not to mention stressing myself out about an upcoming neurology appointment that already had to be pushed back once and a number of other "life" things I'm dealing with currently. I feel like crap and I'm just ready to be "better" again. 😫😫 #justventing #Anxiety #stressed #fluseason #Bronchitis #chronicasthma #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #ChronicPain #ChronicFatigue #HearingLoss #HardOfHearing #HOH #Tinnitus #Vertigo #dizzy #nausea #imbalance

So prior to my ENT appointment this morning I had been really anxious for some reason. I get there today and it's pretty routine.. the usual dialogue between myself and the nurses, as well as, my Dr. Of course he wanted to know what has happened, changed, etc since my last visit. I currently have a regimen of the "usual" Ménière's treatment of low sodium diet, no caffeine, diuretics, anti nausea meds, vitamins.... long story short, although helpful I still am experiencing debilitating symptoms, especially with my hearing loss and vertigo. My Dr requested I start my symptom journal again to determine which ear is the "PRIMARY" culprit (since I have bilateral Ménière's) ..he thinks surgery may be the next step for me but wants to be positive my migraine symptoms aren't overlapping (my neurologist just put me on Aimovig after a terrible experience with Botox). Needless to say that wasn't what I was expecting to hear.. so in 3 months we'll followup and see if he needs to refer me to his team of surgeons. The only surgery I've ever had is oral surgery, when I had my wisdom teeth pulled and the longest hospital stay I've ever had was when my daughter was born almost 14 years ago. I'm terrified to go under the knife but if it can be beneficial to my health then I'll just have to suck it up and deal. Any info on you guys' personal experiences would be helpful and hopefully somewhat comforting 😬 #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #ChronicPain #ChronicFatigue #HearingLoss #HardOfHearing #HOH #Vertigo #nausea #dizzy #Tinnitus #imbalance #Anxiety

I'm not at all ashamed of using a mobility aid however, I think people do make assumptions when they see me. I have a job interview tomorrow.. I know it will be hard on my health but I've been out of work for a year now waiting on my disability case putting a big strain on me and my family financially. Long story short, I went on an interview awhile back (clearly I didn't get hired lol) but it was really uncomfortable because when the woman came out to get me the first thing her eyes went to was my cane.. then the three women conducting the interview kept staring at my cane throughout the whole thing. I'm almost sure one of them wanted to ask me about it (she was staring the most out of them) but of course legally she couldn't just come right out and say anything. I was more than qualified for the position and the interaction between myself and the recruiter changed drastically once it was known I use a mobility aid. Now it could have very well been that they found someone more qualified, but I couldn't help but think my cane had something to do with their decision. Maybe they thought I wouldn't be able to handle a "fast paced" environment. I'll never know, but I can't help having that thought in the back of my mind that it was because they think I wouldn't be capable. Now I'm getting all anxious about this interview tomorrow and I'm about to drive myself crazy. #ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness #Anxiety #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #HearingLoss #HardOfHearing #HOH #Tinnitus #Vertigo #imbalance #dizzy #Mobilityaid #Cane

I went from driving EVERYWHERE to barely being able to make it down the street to the pharmacy. If someone told me a year ago that I'd be as "dependent" as I am now I wouldn't believe them. In literally just over a year I've had to make so many changes due to my multiple chronic illnesses. I have increasing difficulty doing some of the simplest things like showering, getting dressed, cooking meals... (the list goes on) but I never expected or even thought about not being able to drive myself. Due to the unpredictable attacks associated with my Ménière's it's not safe for me to drive.. but even riding in a car is difficult because I now get car sick so easily and if it's a long ride I suffer due to my chronic pain. Who else has had to give up driving? #ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #HardOfHearing #HOH #Tinnitus #Vertigo #nausea #carsickness #Migraine #aura #visualdisturbances 🚘🚫

Before I stopped working it had become increasingly difficult for me... having attacks at work, missing work because I couldn't get out of bed, having to take medical leave. If any of you know firsthand, the process of applying for disability is long and drawn out. So I'm at the point where its it's either find a different career path that I am able to do or wait out my disability case, either way I need something to happen soon because believe it or not, I need money to survive and take care of my family. So I have an upcoming job interview for a bank (I have experience in the finance industry) and I am terrified. If I do get the job we all know there's that 90 day wait for health benefits.. and you have to wait a year for FMLA.. idk what I'll do in the meantime if I have any health issues. We all know how unpredictable chronic illnesses are. A lot of people keep telling me to look into work from home jobs but a lot of those are call center type positions (which I also have experience in) but may prove difficult with my hearing loss (and fluctuating hearing). I just feel so overwhelmed.. my migraines, Ménière's, chronic pain, and anxiety are farrrrr from under control but I don't have many options at this point. What do you guys do? #InvisibleIllness #Disability #Anxiety #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #Migraine #HearingLoss #HardOfHearing #Vertigo #imbalance #dizzy #Tinnitus #nausea

#MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #HardOfHearing #HOH #InvisibleIllness #Tinnitus #HearingLoss 🔉🔇

Being the overly anxious person that I am I wasn't looking forward to physical therapy today (new hospital, new therapist 😣😰). I was already drained from other earlier appointments, pt was the last one of the day and this would be my first session with her for my chronic pain management.. to my surprise I found out she's very familiar with Ménière's and can gladly handle my vestibular rehabilitation therapy as well! She took the time to talk to me and actually LISTEN to what I had to say which really helped with putting me at ease. Surprisingly, I'm excited to be working with her. 😊 #Anxiety #ChronicPain #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #PhysicalTherapy #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #vestibularrehabilitation #imbalance

Even though I couldn't do EVERYTHING everyone else did I am happy I took a chance & went to the mountains with my family, I even went on the great Smoky Mountain ferris wheel! Besides getting a little nauseous I enjoyed looking out over the mountains & all the sights. So what I've spent the last couple of days recovering, that weekend was well worth it. :) #Spoonie #chronicillnesswarrior #Anxiety #Migraine #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #ChronicPain #ChronicFatigue #HearingLoss #HardOfHearing #HOH #Vertigo #nausea #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder

Sooooo I haven't worked in close to a year because my health took a very ugly turn late last year with my migraines (that I've struggled with since 13yrs old) at the forefront of a long list of other ailments (which on the upside, led to my Ménière's diagnosis). Shortly before that though, I applied for disability because I had become unable to work, unable to get out of bed most days, visit upon visit to ER's & urgent cares, paramedics being called..... so fast forward to now, as some of you know the disability waiting game can be looooong & drawn out, but losing a source of income due to your diminishing health can add even more stress & anxiety to the mix. My boyfriend became the sole source of income & my caretaker in what seemed like overnight. I've mourned the "old me" lol and decided to push forward with the wobbly, hard of hearing, chronic pain, always fatigued me I am now. Sorry I'm babbling at this point 😅 but back to my original question, for those of you that are able to work, do you? Has the type of work you do changed due to your disability/disabilities? If you're receiving disability or waiting for your case to be approved, how are you coping/how has your life changed? Just curious about my fellow spoonies day to day lives 🥰 #Anxiety #Trichotillomania #MenieresDisease #bilateralmenieresdisease #Migraine #HearingLoss #HardOfHearing #HOH #Vertigo #Tinnitus #vestibulardisorder #innereardisorder #ChronicPain #ChronicFatigue #Cane #MobilityAids