menieresstrong

So, I got inked. And I love it! I don't take tattoos lightly. When I was a teenager, I was sure I would get my first tattoo the second I turned eighteen. Good thing that didn't happen... Tattoos are, as you know, permanent. Before I stumbled upon sign language tattoos I had never found anything that I would permanently want inked on my skin. And when I found this design, I wanted to think it through. Would I regret it? Is it a bad idea?  I'm not opposed to beautiful tattoos that people get just because. To each their own. However, I decided early on that if I was ever going to get a tattoo, it would have to mean something, and it would have to be a personal decision, and there for myself, not for anyone else. It would have to be in a place where I can show it, but a place I can also cover up if needed. No way was I going to get a tattoo that would insult somebody in any way.  So, why this tattoo? I'm a very different person from who I was a year ago. Wi...

Hey guys! Guess what?! I FINISHED MY THESIS! The official return date is Tuesday the 16th, and I have a few corrections to make before that, but basically I'm done! I'M SO DONE! I feel so incredibly good right now. You wouldn't believe the permanent smile on my face today when I typed the last words... Oh my goodness, what a load off! Needless to say, my life will calm down remarkably now that I'm done with my thesis. I have some plans for future posts and will hopefully finally sit down and film a video for you guys, too. I will be going on a three-week trip starting on June 25, and I want to get things done before that. I'm sorry for having been MIA for so long. Is anyone there still reading this blog? :D I really want to get back to regular posting, and soon you can expect the following: Dealing with tinnitus Something super exciting (for me at least) that I will share with you hopefully next week! Hearing aid update My Story with Meniere's Diseas...

Over the years I've come to some realisations about things I'm no longer able to do due to having Meniere's disease. Before you read any further, please remind yourself that this disease is different with everyone, and what's not working for me might be working for someone else. This post is also not me complaining about things I've had to give up. I'm just presenting some facts here :) Rollercoasters. Ah, I used to love going to amusement parks and riding rollercoasters and other rides. I LOVE amusement parks. Now, unfortunately, my balance goes way off if I get on a ride, so I no longer have to spend crazy amounts of money on those wrist bands... Walk down the stairs without holding onto the banister. I still have good days when I can just run down the stairs with no problems, but most of the time I need to hold onto something. If it's dark, I definitely have to be careful on the stairs. Function well without proper sleep. I need my sleep, I reall...

Let me just say this: Meniere's disease sucks . It really does, but there's nothing I can do about the fact that I have it. I can't make it go away, although I can manage it. There's no known cause for it, so I can't tell you what to do so you won't get it. In some cases it's hereditary, and in some cases a person's just shit out of luck. That's the wording my co-worker once used. She asked me, "So does it run in your family or were you just shit out of luck?" I was just shit out of luck. But... if I can't make it go away, why wouldn't I just try to live with it with the best of my ability? Meniere's disease has made my life better in many ways. I could live without the dizziness and especially the vertigo (which I don't get a lot anymore, thank goodness), and I hate it when I get pressure in my ear. But when it comes to my hearing loss, I find it the least of my worries. I got used to the idea of a hearing aid before I go...

Hey guys! Sorry for not posting for a while. Everything else kinda got in the way... so, I wanted to take this chance to update you on what's been going on lately :) I've now been living with my hearing aid for about two weeks. The more days pass the more perks I'm noticing, so there's no way I would give it up anymore. However, I have been experiencing ear pain (most likely not because of the hearing aid), and it's stressing me out. My ears are so messed up, I feel like there's always something wrong with them. I have an appointment to see my audiologist in a couple of weeks, but I'll call her this week to see if I need to get another appointment with a doctor, too. I'll let you know what happens. School is also taking up a lot of my energy right now. My thesis alone gives me a headache. I'm getting more and more excited about graduation! I should graduate in May or June, depending on when I can hand in my thesis. The writing process is slo...

Last summer I went to get my hearing checked after a couple of years, and it turned out my left ear had gone worse. It had happened so gradually I hadn't even noticed. I had my doubts, but never really believed it until I saw my audiogram on paper. I've now lost the high pitched noises, like bird singing, and struggle to hear people in crowds. After the results last summer I went to see an ENT, and told him I need a hearing aid. He, at first, said I was a borderline case, and doubted whether I needed a hearing aid since my right ear was perfectly fine. But then he took a look at my previous audiograms and figured if my hearing continued to deteriorate at this speed, it's better to get a hearing aid sooner rather than later, and so he put me down for one. Since I wasn't an acute case, I needed to wait about six months to get to my actual hearing aid appointment. That appointment was on the last day of January. Since I still had an infection in both of my ears, we were ...

I consider myself to be very fortunate with my own condition at the moment. I rarely get vertigo attacks, I'd say once a year. I definitely don't take this for granted, and credit medication (Betaserc) and certain lifestyle changes for doing well. However, I do have triggers that make me feel worse. Please note, that by saying these factors trigger my Meniere's, I mean they temporarily make my symptoms worse, they do not necessarily cause an attack. Alcohol Consuming large amounts of alcohol is simply not an option for me anymore. I learned my lesson from my very first vertigo attack ever, which, to this day, is the worst I've ever felt in my entire life, and was caused by alcohol. After realizing that alcohol was a trigger for me, I gave it up for a whole year. I've never been a big drinker anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. After that year I started testing my limits, allowing myself a glass of wine every now and then. I now drink less than I did before I got...

Launching a new blog is always exciting. I love blogging, and have been doing it since late 2010. If you want to check out my lifestyle/travel blog, click here . I have shared thoughts about my Meniere's disease over there, too, but decided creating a new blog dedicated to the subject made more sense, because I have a lot of thoughts and things to say. I'm excited about this blog, and looking forward to really getting it started. So, naturally, I want you guys to get to know me. My name is Iira, and I'm a 27-year-old business student from Finland. I'm on my last year of studies, and to be honest, I have no idea what I will do after graduation. I'm pretty good at winging it... eyeliner, and life. I currently work as a personal assistant and hope to move abroad at some point. I love traveling and writing. Simple things make me happy. Besides my business studies I've taken on Finnish sign language classes, and I love it! I'm also independently studying Am...