Her first symptoms of Ménière's Disease followed a cold with pleurisy in December 2000. "The doctor thought it was labyrinthitis, which causes similar symptoms to Ménière's and usually follows a cold or the flu," Trish remembers. "But when it didn't remit in six weeks, we knew it was something else." She had several tests performed and was diagnosed with Ménière's Disease in her right ear, though later tests confirmed she had bilateral Ménière's Disease (both ears).

Trish's symptoms included dizziness, fullness in both ears, a sharp pain primarily in her right ear, intermittent tinnitus, and a daily, constant unsteadiness that made her feel "as if Iwould just tip over if pushed one way or the other, or if I turned quickly to one side or the other," she recalls.

Ménière's Disease caused Trish's functionality and activity level to change dramatically. Before her disease, Trish led a very busy life with her husband, Darren, a sergeant with the local sheriff's office. She worked 60-70 hours per week, stayed up late baking for social occasions at work, walked her two dogs every day, and frequently had activities or errands to do after work. In addition, she and her husband enjoyed dining out regularly with Trish's parents, attending SPCA fundraising events for animal welfare programs, and often entertained at their home. Trish also ran a part-time personal shopping service for a small number of family and friends and went shopping on the weekends with her mother.

Yet with Ménière's Disease, "Enjoying pleasurable activities became unimportant," Trish relates. "Every day my success was measured by whether I could 'make it' through the workday without having to go home. This became how I defined my productivity at work and my satisfaction with my life in general."

Shopping and dining out became very frightening because Trish feared having an attack in public. She didn't feel good enough to walk the dogs with her husband, much less by herself. Baking for special occasions at work dwindled. "I was totally non-functional at night," she states. "I would have to come home from work and just lie flat on the sofa to ease the dizziness sensation." Driving was very difficult, too, and she could hardly enjoy the new car she had bought.

No matter what she did or how I felt. "I always had in the back of my mind the horrible thought of 'what if' I got dizzy, fell down, had to go to the ER, became disabled," she recalls. "It was horrifying to think of becoming disabled and not able to work at age 37—a time when I should be most productive—after going through years of school to complete a master's degree."

Trish tried numerous medical treatments, including diuretics, anti-vertigo and anti-anxiety drugs, antihistamines, prednisone, and others, as well as a low-sodium diet, vitamins, herbs, acupuncture, head exercises, and relaxation techniques. She tried so many, she says, "I began to track all of my symptoms and medications on a daily basis on a calendar." The low-salt diet she followed helped reduce some of the

ear pain and pressure she felt, though it didn't prevent her from having attacks. Other treatments seemed to help temporarily in the course of her disease, yet ultimately were unsuccessful.

Not one to give up easily, Trish bought a home computer in September 2001 to research her condition. Via the Internet, she learned about the Meniett^® Low-Pressure Pulse Generator, a new treatment for Ménière's Disease, and called Medtronic Xomed to find out how she could obtain the device. At that time, the Meniett device had not been launched to all U.S. doctors, so Trish obtained a referral from her primary care physician to see an out-of-state doctor who could prescribe the device. (The device is now available nationally.)

On November 30, 2001, Trish and her husband made the 10-hour drive to see a neurotologist in San Antonio, Texas. "The doctor did numerous tests and told me that he wanted to change my medications one more time before prescribing the Meniett device to me," Trish states. "He put me on spironolactone, a diuretic, and promethazine HCl for dizziness."

This regimen was somewhat helpful for a month, but at the beginning of January, her dizziness became a daily occurrence and she constantly felt like she was falling forward. "One day, I was in a patient's hospital room doing a routine social history, when I suddenly felt like I was pushed forward. I had to grab onto the end of the bed to keep from hitting the floor," recollects Trish. "Often when I was

sitting and typing on the computer at the nurses' station at the hospital, I suddenly felt like I was falling out of the chair and had to grab onto the desk. It was hard to sit still in the chair because, when I was still, I felt the spinning or falling sensation the most." She told her coworkers about her condition so they would know what was happening.

On January 8, 2002, Trish experienced her worst attack ever. All day at work she felt like she was spinning and falling forward, so she called her husband to pick her up at 5:00 instead of 5:30. The spinning continued to worsen, however, and by 4:30, Trish felt so badly that she went to the ER. Her husband arrived shortly thereafter. She told the ER staff she had Ménière's Disease and asked them "to call my doctor in Texas so he could tell them how to treat me," Trish says. The ER staff gave her promethazine HCl intravenously, but an hour later, she still could not stand or walk unassisted. She was given IV diphenhydramine HCl, which didn't help either, and the ER doctor wanted to admit her to the hospital due to the amount of medication she was given. "I was perfectly ok with this decision and just begged them to give me something that would 'knock me out,' since this seemed to be the only way to stop the spinning sensation," Trish recalls. "It wasn't until after IV diazepam was administered that the pace of the spinning finally started to slow down and I could stand up, although I was very wobbly. I was sent home and told to sleep." She had spent five hours in the ER.

In the aftermath of this attack, "days of horrible unsteadiness followed," Trish asserts. "I was sure I would end up on disability and never work again." Desperate for help, Trish had almost decided to have endolymphatic sac decompression surgery performed. She called her neurotologist in Texas, hoping that she could give the Meniett device a try and possibly avoid surgery. He agreed to prescribe the device, and placed a ventilation tube in both of her ears on January 21. Trish began using the Meniett device the very next day. "Five days later," she states, "I participated in the Krewe of Barkus, which is a two-mile walking dog parade held during Mardi Gras. With tons of stimulation, crowds, noise, and head movements, I pushed a grocery basket with throws for the crowds, held onto my dog…. and did fine."

Since her treatment with the device began, Trish declares she has had "only two separate occasions where I felt unsteady— not dizzy and not spinning, just unsteady. On these days, I increased the treatments to four times a day per ear." She brings the Meniett device with her to work, and continues to take a diuretic that helps her retain less fluid, as well as allergy medication and certain vitamins. "Some days
I feel so good, I only use the Meniett once. But I will never become so overconfident that I stop using it," Trish maintains.

She goes on to say, "I continue to be pleased with it and hope each day that I will continue feeling the way I do now. It's amazing to think that, had I not gotten this device, I was this close to having surgery that only has a 40% success rate. I believe it shows persistence pays off, since I did a great deal of research and legwork myself to find out how to obtain this treatment. And it was all worthwhile." 

Darren, Trish's husband, is just as pleased with her success using the Meniett device. "It has made a tremendous difference in her compared to how she was this time last year," he observes. As Trish's doctor told him, "You finally have your wife back now."

The Patient Testimonial you have just read is from a real patient with Menieres' disease. They have related their actual experiences with the disease and the Meniett device. This patients' story may or may not be representative of the total population using the Meniett device as results vary from patient to patient. Most Menieres' patients receive varying degrees of relief from their symptoms; however, there are some patients who have reported receiving no relief. Please see your health care provider to determine if the Meniett device is right for you.

Meniett and local pressure treatment is only to be used after doctor's prescription. If you wish to order a Meniett and have a doctor's prescription, click here.

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