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...

I got sick five years ago and was fortunate enough to have a mother who's an interpreter and knows a thing or do about everything ear-related. I also had a good doctor and did my own research about Meniere's disease online. However, back then it never occurred to me to look for support in social media. I never read blogs about Meniere's disease or searched for any groups or networks. I was pretty much alone with my disease, but I usually prefer it that way. I'm weird and isolated like that. I know that doesn't work for most people. Here are some things you can do if you've recently been diagnosed with Meniere's disease, or if it's something that you might have and you just haven't been diagnosed yet. Do your research. Meniere's disease symptoms also fit some other conditions, so make sure you know what is happening in your body. This way you can provide your doctor valuable information that can help him help you. If/when you get your di...

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...

I have recently realized that I don't deal so well with major changes in my life. If I'm already stressed, even small changes give me major anxiety. For example, our family had three cars break down during one week in December. I did not take it too well :D My mom always tells me I have a tendency to see the worst in every situation. I'm working on that... Being negative and anxious takes everything out of me. I get exhausted in a matter of minutes, because of how consuming it is to be angry or sad about something I simply have no control over. Not being able to do anything about whatever it is that's bothering me just makes me more anxious. So what's the point? I don't want you to think of me as someone who's just plain telling you to stop feeling sad or anxious and start feeling happy. I have absolutely no credentials to do anything of the sort, and I think we all know that anyone who's saying they just stopped being negative and started being posi...

My hearing has deteriorated so slowly that I never even realized it was happening. I knew it was happening, but as far as I'm concerned I hear just as well as I did five years ago. But... I really don't. I mean, I really  don't. Here's a picture of my very first audiogram back in 2012 when I'd never heard of Meniere's disease compared to an audiogram from July of 2016: The truth is, even after the latest audiogram I didn't feel as hard of hearing as I am on paper. My right ear being healthy naturally has a lot to do with why I feel that way, but still. I never noticed how bad my left ear had gotten. Every now and then I would pay attention to it and take advantage of certain aspects of my hearing loss, but I never thought about it any further. You know what I mean? I'm getting a hearing aid for my left ear sometime this spring, which ought to make things a bit easier for me, since I don't do so well in crowds, classrooms, and other noisy e...

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Menieresstrong! If you clicked here from my personal blog , then you probably already know what this new blog is about. If you just randomly happened to stumble upon here, let me bring you up to date! I have had Menieres's disease since 2012. I follow many Meniere's associated sites and groups online and although it makes me happy whenever I find a new site (I feel there really aren't that many!), most of the time I end up disappointed a little because of all the negativity. The thing about Meniere's is that it's never the same between two individuals. I'm currently doing really well with my own condition, but I realize there are a lot of people out there who suffer from this disease and its symptoms on a daily basis and never get a chance to breathe in between. However, I think people should hear the positive side of life with Meniere's as well. I would never judge anyone by what they're telling about their condition, a...