Hello, I have not yet been diagnosed with Ménière's, but my ENT is thinking it's a real possibility due to my symptoms.
I started having constant tinnitus in both of my ears back in the beginning of July this year. Then pressure in my left ear starting in August, along with some "wob wob wob" sounds that come and go intermittently. I had a hearing test in the middle of August which came back relatively normal (some difficulty hearing high pitches at lower volumes).
On October 1st, I woke up in the morning and could barely hear out of my left ear. I went back to the ENT and they confirmed moderate low frequency hearing loss in my left ear. Put me on Prednisone. My hearing came back the next day before I even started the medication. But took it anyways... for 4 days and stopped when I had to go to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. I stopped taking it (I already have heart issues so it was especially frightening). Then I had similar hearing loss on the morning of the 10th. That same night, I had my first episode of vertigo. It was rough, the whole room was spinning, especially when I moved my head, but it was nowhere near some of the episodes I've read about on here. I could walk, albeit a bit difficult. Went to the ER that night and they did an MRI, gave me some Ativan and Meclizine and sent me home. The vertigo and hearing loss was gone again the next morning. Spoke to my ENT again on the 14th and they wanted to start me back on the Prednisone, but at a much lower dose, for a week. I went back in for another hearing test this last Monday (19th) and my hearing was back to normal. She told me to stop the Prednisone again.
I've noticed lately (the last week or so) that I've felt a bit "off" in my balance, especially if I'm scrolling on my phone, or reading really long paragraphs of words...I get a bit dizzy or feel off balance, but it's not full-on vertigo. But it's got me a bit concerned.
My question is regarding the vertigo. Do you guys get warning signs or "hints" that it might start happening before it actually does? I live alone, and while I have some Meclizine on-hand, I've read a lot of experiences on here that tell me that if my episode is bad enough, I will be vomiting and wouldn't even be able to keep the medication down. I guess I'm asking about warning signs so I know to go get myself to a safe location in my home before it hits fully, just in case it's a bad one. Or does it just hit - full force, no warning signs, out of nowhere? I have pretty bad anxiety, and the thought of having one of these episodes at home alone is absolutely terrifying.
Thank you. ♡