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Report of a Patient with Tinnitus and Morbus Ménière

 

Ellens report: Dizziness and tinnitus

When I was a child I couldn't bare the noise at fairs. I tried the carousels only once, but I quit as it always made me feel dizzy and miserable. At that time I didn't know the reason, though. Later at work I would often feel dizzy. I always had to sit down and close my eyes for a minute to feel better.
My physician didn't find a diagnosis but said: "You're just working too much. You'll have to delegate some of your work to other family-members."
Steadily but barely noticeable my hearing became worse. As soon as I entered silence, I would hear a whistle-tone that became worse within the course of the years. I had never heard of tinnitus and considered the dizziness as a side-effect of low blood-pressure.

My most important question

Everyone knows the saying "I have upset my stomach". That's what I thought when I had to vomit, accompanied by dizziness.
What did I eat, what makes me feel that miserable?" That made me come up with the next question: "Am I feeling dizzy because I'm puking or the other way round?" I would often ask my P.D. that question.
I never got an answer. I didn't think of finding the solution myself by reading it up in books on that topic.
I never had much time for myself. Today you call it stress - and that stress definitely made my symptoms become worse. Slowly but steadily my health was deteriorating and I was hoping it would become better as soon as I had less stress.

My first dizzy attack

As soon as I was a pensioner and had more time for relaxation, I was struck by the next severe attack.
From one second to the other the ground was taken away under my feet. I was unable to stand straight, to move my head and to keep my eyes open. At the same time I needed to go to the bathroom and find something to puke into. I thought I was about to die. My P.D. gave me an injection and told me to go to the respiratory tract doctor and have a computer tomography done.
Luckily enough, a tumor could be excluded. I walked around with a permanent sense of dizziness, but the illness had no name. I didn't know the reason and thus didn't know what to do about it.

Living with dizzy attacks

Tablets, tablets, tablets - I had to cut down on them as side-effects made me all more ill.
"If you can't take the tablets, then you'll have to live with the dizzy attacks" is what the doctor said.
"See me again in one year's time for a hearing-test." That made me feel helpless and upset, but looking back I'll have to be grateful.
That way, I didn't have to take part in all the infusions, oxygen-tents and psychiatrists that numerous of my co-sufferers had to go through.
And all that doesn't even help. I'm still upset as to the questions left unanswered as I know there are many people who are suffering as much as I did.

Morbus Ménière

Let's get back to the dizzy attacks. From October 2001 to May 2006 the attacks came back more often. In the worst of times they came back within a week's time. My life-quality was about zero.
Due to the permanent sense of dizziness and being afraid of the next attack I was almost unable to leave my house. I couldn't take it any longer and sought help. Luckily, we got an access to the internet in January 2006. I entered "dizziness" which was a huge effort to me as I was feeling miserable.
I read that dizziness could have manifold reasons. I read on and got stuck with the term "Morbus Ménière". The symptoms described there resembled mine exactly. Furthermore I found information on the low level laser therapy offered by Dr. Wilden. Via www.dr-wilden.de I found thorough information. Was that the help I had been looking for so long?

Light is a healer

On May 19th I was attacked by severe dizziness again. Barely able to travel I went to see Dr. Wilden on May 22nd, 2006.
Completely broken I arrived at Dr. Wilden. He took his time and I felt free to tell him how much I was suffering. He explained the laser light therapy and its effect to me. My equilibrium was exhausted biologically and showed that by dizziness. The laser light makes each cell produce more cellular energy, as Dr. Wilden explained to me.
The light activates cellular self-recovery process. As soon as the recovery process is induced, hearing and equilibrium can help themselves out of their weakness.
Dr. Wildens words sounded fascinating and persuasive to me and made me take part in the treatment.

A real success

First treatment equity was ten hours that can be divided up on 2 to 4 weeks. Treatment is really pleasant and does a great deal for the well-being and it has no side-effects.
From the very first day on I felt that my health status was getting better steadily. I felt more secure when walking and it was no longer unpleasant to wear glasses and read a book.
And as unbelievable as it may seem: Ever after I have been free from dizzy attacks!!!!
In September 2006 and May and September 2007 I had further treatment - and felt better really soon: My tinnitus started to alternate and became calmer. Today it is by 10% of what it was in the beginning.
My hearing improved as well. My hearing has improved by 15 to 25 % as the hearing-curve proves.
Even in huge groups of people am I able to take part in conversations without any effort. That way I don't even need a hearing-aid.

I'm not the only one

I need to make it clear that I'm not the only one to suffer from that illness.
I got to know many people who regained their level of life-quality by the help of that laser therapy. Some of them are completely free of symptoms.
What you need indeed is a bit of patience as the healing process takes time.

Who is the one to pay?

Unsfortunately health insurances don't pay for the low level laser therapy as there is not enough scientific evidence, as they put it. Funnily enough that scientific evidence is being prevented by economical and political forces.
It is a tragedy how patients have to suffer from that.

Ear protection is a must

After all that I've learned about the inner ear and how it works, I'm thinking that my equilibrium organ has always been a bit weak.
Never should I have used my vacuum cleaner, ... or visit a concert without wearing ear protection.
And above all I should never have worked close to a printing machine for 30 years - without wearing ear protection.
Now I do know how important it is to always protect your ears. But there's not enough awareness. I've become much more sensitive to noise and wearing ear plugs most of the time. That is about the only thing a patient can actually do for his inner ear.

Contact information

Even though my report contains quiet a lot of information, you might want to contact Dr. Wilden.
Read more under http://www.dr-wilden.de

Feel free to ask me in case you have any questions - I'll be happy to answer them.

Just send me an e-mail: ellen-manfred@gmx.de

 
I wish you the very best

 
Ellen Hartmann

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