To be honest I was a little anxious about the 15 hour flight but figured I’d be ok nonetheless. 2015 was not a bad year but it had been kind of difficult. The highlight had been my trip to the England to finish the Southwest Coast Path followed by a couple of weeks in the Greek Islands. Aside of the trip to Europe I worked hard and at times probably pushed a little too much. As I boarded the plane I certainly felt as though it was time to get away again and figured I’d be fine once I got going.
It wasn’t that I was anxious about being on a plane for 15 hours. I’d done that before and really it doesn’t bother me. It was that over the past week my right ear started flaring up again. I’ve had problems with my ear for years but aside of varying tinnitus the issues have been very manageable and more of a periodic annoyance than anything. Well, in the spring of 2015 things took a turn for the worse.
Fullness in the ear, increased hearing loss, and worst of all vertigo had me not feeling like myself for much of 2015. The spring was quite bad. The flare up of symptoms lasted for a couple of months. I debated going on the planned summer trip to Europe but was feeling better at the time and went. Fortunately I continued to feel better while traveling and more or less returned to a relative norm. I was doing quite fine until November when everything began acting up again. By this January I was improving only to have things start to revert a little over a week ago. So it goes, the unpredictability of Meniere’s disease.
That’s the diagnosis as of now. Over the past few years a couple of doctors suspected that might be the issue but now my symptoms all add up to a text book description. Hearing tests, blood work, MRI etc. all appear to confirm. Meniere’s is more or less a catch all for a combination of symptoms. The specific cause is not really known but doctors have their suspicions. It more or less has to do with how the inner ear regulates fluid. Usually only one ear is affected so my left ear is fine. The Upside is that it’s not life threatening or anything like that. It’s more or less just something you have to manage. The downside is variable hearing loss that gradually becomes permanent to some degree with a possibility of going deaf in one ear.
There is no cure but different drugs can be prescribed to control symptoms. In extreme cases surgery may be involved. A lot of people manage it quite well through stress management, lifestyle changes and diet. The things doctors recommend to avoid the most are alcohol, caffeine, excess salt, and stress. It’s easy to cut out alcohol and caffeine but salt is in everything and stress can be a riddle. So far I have not tried any of the drugs due to a number of reasons.
The variable hearing loss and tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) is something I can deal with pretty well but the vertigo is what really throws me off. Out of nowhere I’ll start to feel like the world is spinning. All I can do at that point is stop immediately whatever I am doing and ride it out. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. It’s very unpredictable. I could have 3 spells of vertigo in a week and none for 3 months then a few for a couple of weeks and none for a while. Fortunately I seem to be getting better at managing the vertigo which may or may not accompany nausea. I actually had a mild spell of vertigo about 10 hours into the flight to New Zealand but just closed my eyes and rode it out without a problem.
The irony of Meniere’s is that over time symptoms tend to subside as the disease is said to burn itself out. Aside of hearing loss in one ear the doctor said in 10 years it’s possible I might not have any more symptoms. Another thing I haven’t mentioned is that there is a loss of balance accompanied with a damaged inner ear. The doctor says I’ve lost a lot of balance but unless I am having an acute vertigo attack my balance is perfectly fine as the brain naturally adjusts to compensate. Also, I can tell that my brain is adjusting to the hearing loss as well. It’s really strange how when I put on headphones it almost sounds like my hearing is equally good in both ears but if I remove the headphones on my left it’s obvious how much worse the hearing is on my right. If I am in conversation with someone on my left there is no problem. If they are standing on my right I might struggle a bit.
So, if you have wondered why my blog has been so quiet it’s because my mind have obviously been on other things. Managing Meniere’s and working a lot has had me very distracted to say the least.
Well, the 15 hour flight landed me in Auckland, New Zealand. The last time I was in New Zealand was in 1989 and I spent 2 months hitch hiking all over the country. It was a wonderful experience and I’ve always wanted to return. Aside of the mild spell of vertigo the flight went well. Normally flying with Meniere’s is not a problem. For this trip I really have no set plans whatsoever. I figured I’d best stay put in Auckland for 3 or 4 days just to relax and shake the jet lag before heading on my way. So far I've walked all around the city feeling pretty out of it and spent an afternoon kicked back reading a book. I’m not sure when the last time was that I spent most of an afternoon reading a book. I am reading, “The Girl With Seven Names”, about a woman’s firsthand account of who defecting from North Korea.
I’m checked into what is known as a “Backpackers”. In New Zealand a “Backpackers” is a hostel or simple hotel/guest house for budget travelers. They are all over the country and most are quite nice. The place I selected couldn’t be better. I have a single room on the third floor of a converted 100 year home with a verandah that overlooks downtown Auckland. Also, it borders on a wooded park. There’s a communal kitchen, laundry facilities, and a nice backyard for travelers to gather and meet.
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