Signs & Symptoms of Meniere's Disease

Unlike many other disorders, Meniere's Disease doesn't really have a "cause". At least, no one has discovered one yet. 

Therefore you wouldn't try to eliminate the cause in order to get relief: you would work on the symptoms that give you the most trouble. In this case, for Meniere's people it usually is the vertigo, (loss of balance) tinnitus, (ringing or a roaring sound in the ear), and a degrees of hearing loss.

One of these unpleasant experiences of Meniere's is called an "attack".

Typically, an attack is characterized by a combination of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss and lasts several hours. But people experience these discomforts at varying frequency, duration, and intensity. 

Some people feel nauseated and vomit during an attack (because of the spinning feeling). Some people also notice some hearing loss, especially with sounds that have a low tone.

Some may feel slight vertigo (loss of balance) a few times a year. Others may be occasionally disturbed by intense, uncontrollable tinnitus, (ringing in the ear) while sleeping. 

Other Meniere's disease sufferers may notice a fluctuating hearing loss and feel unsteady all day long for prolonged periods. 

Many of these attacks have a sudden onset with no warning. So it's difficult to be prepared. It's also very scary for anyone around the sufferer.

The vertigo and dizziness are described as a spinning or whirling feeling and may cause problems with balance (feeling unstable while walking). Dizziness is not quite the same as vertigo. Dizziness is more like lightheadedness. It's not nearly as severe in its balance problems as is vertigo.

Vertigo, often the most debilitating symptom of Meniere's disease, forces the sufferer to lie down. Vertigo attacks can lead to severe nausea, vomiting, and sweating and again, come with little or no warning. 

Tinnitus, (ringing or a roaring sound in the ear), causes great frustration. The person can't hear above the internal noise: there fore gets left out of conversations and activities. Moreover the noise itself is very irritating. That causes stress. Tinnitus can be a very difficult problem to treat in many individuals and can be quite disrupting to their lifestyle.

Loss of hearing causes many of the same problems as the tinnitus plus it adds its own. The first stage of hearing loss affects the ability to hear low voices and tones. As it progresses, less and less is heard. Again this leads to depression and a feeling of abandonment. The family must be extra aware of all of these side issues. Not only is the person himself feeling emotional and physical pain, but they are also placing extra burden on the family. And they are aware of this. That all leads to more depression.

A person's hearing tends to recover between attacks but over time the symptoms become worse. People also mention feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear. (Or popping, buzzing, or clicking). 

As well the following symptoms are mentioned, but not as often as the top three. Again, our bodies are all different: so the reactions would naturally be different.

Other occasional symptoms of Meniere's disease include headaches, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea.

People talk about feeling extreme fatigue and exhaustion, nausea, & vomiting, the inability to concentrate, distraction, poor memory, confusion, and disorientation. We hear about extreme sensitivity to noise, light sensitivity, headaches, and night blindness. There are complaints of muscle and joint pain, and malaise due to atmospheric pressure changes. Because of these uncontrollable and depressing attacks, some people experience panic attacks.

Nystagmus or uncontrollable eye movements refers to rapid involuntary movements of the eyes that may be from side to side (horizontal nystagmus), up and down (vertical nystagmus) or rotary.