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Patient
Testimonial
Rhoda
For most of her life, Rhoda has been an avid performer on the stage, television and in film. Her acting career began as a pre-teenager, and she was a professional working actress by the age of 20. Rhoda has performed in a variety of Broadway musicals and plays, including some at Lincoln Center. Eventually, she began working in television. She played Mrs. Rossini on Who's the Boss for nearly nine years, and was a recurring character on Just Shoot Me and many other well-known programs. What most of her fans don't know, though, is that Rhoda suffers from Ménière's disease. |
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She began having mild vertigo and bouts of tinnitus in her 20s, but didn't think much about it at the time. Her symptoms slowly progressed through the years until she started to experience drop attacks (sudden, severe vertigo) around age 50. After multiple tests to eliminate other causes, Rhoda was finally diagnosed with Ménière's disease. "People say it's like being seasick. But I can tell you—having experienced both—Ménière's disease is much worse," she relates. "I would count myself out of the picture for at least two days after an attack."
Initially, Rhoda's symptoms were treated with medication and a low-sodium diet. This helped somewhat, but her attacks eventually returned, became more frequent and grew increasingly debilitating. "When the attacks were ongoing," she states, "I was nauseous, confined to bed, and could not function."
| Rhoda also experienced the frustration many patients feel from the unpredictability of Ménière's disease, never knowing where or when the next severe attack will occur. Her worst episode of vertigo happened in an antique shop in Carmel, California. "I was there with my brother when I suddenly went down on the floor," Rhoda remembers. "Everyone thought I had a heart attack and started applying CPR. It was awful." |
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Despite the severity of her symptoms, Rhoda had always preferred to avoid surgery. By 2000, however, Rhoda felt she had no other options and that her acting career was in jeopardy. Though she tried to work around her disease as best she could, she experienced a full-blown attack in the middle of filming a television show. Production had to be stopped until she could resume. "That's when I knew I was in deep trouble. That's when I thought, 'I've really got to have surgery,'" Rhoda recalls.
Just when she was about to have endolymphatic sac surgery performed, Rhoda's brother discovered Meniett® therapy during an Internet search, soon after it had been approved for use in the US. In fact, Rhoda was one of the first American patients. She was very eager to try it, explaining, "I was hoping it would help me, because I didn't want to have surgery." Her otologist in Los Angeles wrote a prescription for the device, and Rhoda had the required ventilation tube placed in her affected ear. After beginning her Meniett treatment, she states, "I don't think it took more than a month or so for me to notice a tremendous difference." She was thrilled with the results.
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Now in her 60s, Rhoda is able to participate fully in the many activities she enjoyed before she had Ménière's disease. "The Meniett has turned my life around. I am no longer fearful that an attack can happen any minute," she says. "I now proceed with life as I once knew it. I do everything."
In addition to Meniett therapy, Rhoda continues to follow the dietary and medical regimen prescribed by her doctor. She feels fortunate that Meniett therapy was a treatment option and worked so well for her. "I was grateful for an alternative to surgery and remain grateful to this day."
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Rhoda lives with her husband in Studio City, where, when she isn't acting, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and extended family.
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