Posted , 9 users are following.
As I suffer with menieres disease over the years, I find that my anxiety has increased substantially. Whenever I feel ill, some symptoms cause me to feel that I going to have an a vertigo attack. I have not had an attack since my sac decompression 8 months ago. I was wondering whether anyone has increased anxiety and have seen a counselor and therapist to address it? If so, what specialty? Has it helped?
0 likes, 14 replies
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pat69697 Guest
Posted
hi i am now very anxious and am terrified of having an attack in public. i do think its a normal reaction to having such a terrible illness that most people dont understand. my Gp sent me to a counsellor but she kept saying things like IT IS WHAT IT IS and i kept thinking yes i damn well know that. she said whats stopping you going out alone in public and i said because i can fall down and vomit! The advice was what we already know but find hard to execute. i have just tried very hard to make the effort to take a deep breath and go out. i dont go too far though and always carry my emergency kit just in case. i go to restaurants and the theatre but make sure i know where the exit is but i wouldnt go on my own. the longer you go without the bad attacks the more confident you get.
what do they do for the sac decompression and does it work immediately. does it make hearing loss worse. i havent been offered anything other than betahistine and vestibular rehabilitation exercises.
Guest pat69697
Posted
Hi. Thank you for responding. I completely understand and am empathic to what you are saying. Operating with constant awareness about how you are feeling and your surroundings at all times is exhausting and stressful. I have gone through every possible treatment, maintain a low sodium diet, and could not bring the vertigo attacks under control. As a result, the sac decompression was performed. Yes, there is hearing loss. The vertigo attacks subsided one month after the surgery. However, It took months to address the residual issues from he surgery to get under control. My balance and gait were completely off. I had quite a bit of vestibular therapy. As you know, everyone is different. Many others have done well right away. For me, surgery was a last resort.
gerald164 pat69697
Posted
Dear pat69697, I know exactly how you feel about going out in public. You dread going out alone in case another attack of the dizzy occurs. You mention about your emergency kit. Does that include betahistine tablets or some kind of prn (as required) medication, first aid supplies in cases of injuries, mobile phone, meniere's identity patient card etc???? Please let me know what contingency plan you use. Thanks.
pat69697 gerald164
Posted
hi gerald164 my emergency kit comprises a pair of clean knickers, a pack of tissues and wetwipes a packet of stemetil to stop the vomiting and i take the betahistine 3 times a day anyway. usually i take a bottle of water and my mobile phone whenever i go out. my bag is full of plasters in case i hurt myself if i fall. Even taking all this out with me if i get a slight feeling i am going to start spinning I still panic. I don't know how to stop feeling the anxiety. I went to see Paul McCartney before Xmas who was performng in a huge arena and i had a glass of wine before going in so i could relax. it helped because I would never have got to the exit in time if i had started to get spinning. i was glad i went though.
gerard90471 Guest
Posted
Recurrence of my Meniere's symptoms is usually related to feeling of stress . I regularly see a therapist and take anti anxiety medication all of which has helped . I also watch what eat (low salt, caffeine, alcohol).
Guest gerard90471
Posted
Hi. Thank you. I am happy to hear that it has helped. I am in the process of looking for one but many of them are not familiar with this disease. Probably not necessary for them to be but may help. May I ask the name of you anxiety medication? Yes, I do maintain the same diet. I am also on a diuretic.
chris48595 Guest
Posted
Hi there, i just read a couple of your comments and wanted to add that diurectics can cause dizziness and be careful not to get dehydrated.
i take blood pressure medicine and can get dehydrated really easy which throws me into an attack of vertigo.
try finding a vertigo specialist , it helped me so much with exercises.
also, my biggest thing is if my blood pressure gets to high that starts vertigo too. i
Ive increased bp medicine to keep it down and havent had vertigo since JULY. thank God. GOOD LUCK, CHRIS
Guest chris48595
Posted
Hi. Thank you. I understand and agree with your comments. I watch my hydration very carefully. Also have to be careful not to go too low on the sodium level. So much balancing. I am under a wonderful Menieres Disease ENT specialist and a neurologist. We have to be so thankful for even the slightest relief. Best of luck with all.
tanney Guest
Posted
Hi Rubye. Almost every MD sufferer has anxiety over the exact same things you do. I refer to it as Anticipatory Anxiety (AA)....or anxiety brought on by anticipating having to go out or to socialize or to drive or to fly, etc. The anxiety is also often in the form of panic attacks and PTSD. Behaviors are the same. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for years about my anxiety. I've been on dozens of different anti anxiety meds. The two that have worked best for me are Paxil and BusPar (Buspirone Hcl). I eventually stopped the Paxil because of sexual side effects and now take the BusPar everyday. At 40mg/day this med has eliminated at least 60% of my Anticipatory Anxiety and my PTSD is much, much reduced, too.
The longer you suffer with AA, the more entrenced it will be as part of your normal behavior, and thus the more difficult it will be to overcome. I highly and sincerely recommend that you see a psychiatrist soon. If that is not an option for you then please see a psychologist that specializes in behavior modification and anxiety issues. If this also is not an option then at least request from your regular doctor a prescription for either Paxil or Buspirone. You will need to start on a low dose and work up to a maintenance dose that is effective for you.
Good luck and please let us know how you are doing.
Guest tanney
Posted
Hi. Thank you. Your comment is very helpful. I have access to both of those professionals. I have get busy finding a match. I have never heard of AA. It's very interesting and sounds spot on. I appreciate your suggestion on the medications. Best to you also.
pauline_74653 Guest
Posted
Hi Rubye. Over the last few months I've been making a big effort to try and get fully well by using the Big 5 (as I call them): diet; exercise; adequate, quality sleep; looking after my gut health; looking after my mental health. I feel it's not enough for me to only concentrate on trying to fix my menieres, because everything is interconnected. So if something isn't tip top in one area, it has an impact on the rest of me. My new approach has been to try and get fully well in the round. I also believe that mental and emotional health is absolutely crucial to overall health and wellbeing. I believe stress is injurious to our health. Acute stress, which is the stuff of everyday life, is bad. But I believe chronic stress is off the scale when it comes to it's impact on our health. For the most part, we aren't even conscious that we have it. It doesn't operate at the conscious level, but is held in the body, right down to the level of our cells. And it's usually connected with 'undealt-with' issues, or suppressed issues, often linked right back to childhood. This is the sort of stress that is most harmful.
I've been taking counselling because I don't want my menieres to take from my life more than it already has. So I need to get fully well, and will try and do whatever it takes, and hopefully this will help me to take control of the condition.
Unfortunately, I had a vertigo attack on Sunday...and I was very disappointed because I had been doing so well. But I've had nothing since then, so I'm hoping that's it...fingers crossed. I'm not setting out to cure my menieres, but to become well. And I'm hoping they'll become the same thing at some point.
This mightn't be the sort of contribution you were looking for. But you might find that talk therapy may be useful for you. If you were to talk to a therapist about your anxiety, you might perhaps receive coping strategies for dealing with it. If you do go for it, be sure you have a good rapport with the therapist, and if you don't, find another one. It's crucial to have a good connection with the person you are confiding in.
I wish you the very best.
Guest pauline_74653
Posted
Hi there. Thank you for the wonderful and inspiring comment. You are correct. I remember your Big 5 from another chat. I am trying to move forward in these areas. Walking more these days are vestibular therapy helped to to regain better balance. I do feel the danger of falling down as much. I eat well for this disease and diabetes (not on medication). Sleep is not always great.
Yes, how we handle daily stress is very important. We cope with it very differently. There's also contributing life changes such family/friends illnesses and deaths. They impact on all of us. Since I have access to a professionals, I thought it worthwhile to hear from others in my situation. Thank you so much for sharing yours. Best to you...
chipp Guest
Posted
Hello my name is chipp an I suffer with anxiety very badly I feel bad most of the time my balance is bad my family doctor give me 2 anxiety pills to take I thought I was going crazy I couldn't think straight I was losing stuff an couldn't go back an find it if someone blows there horn I get up set this Md is terrible I was diagnosed with it in 2008 hope you get to feeling better
Guest chipp
Posted
Hi. Thank you. I am sorry to hear just how awful it is for you. Dealing with this condition is a huge challenge. I have gone though quite a bit since my diagnosis in 2014 in trying to bring debilitating vertigo attacks under control. Medically it has been quite a challenge however, over time I have achieved some appreciated stability.The anxiety causes me to feel very unsure about it. I start to feel increased anxiety when other conditions occur involving the head. I don't get headaches in general but pressures on occasion such as with changes in barometric pressure. This causes me to think that I going to have a vertigo attack and bring on panic. I will be seeking professional assistance for helping me to cope better. Best to you...