Living with both Meniere’s Disease and IBS can be incredibly challenging. These two conditions are quite different from each other but can both have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life. If you are someone who has been diagnosed with both Meniere’s Disease and IBS, you are not alone.
We instructed the patients to control their condition by themselves by taking promethazine (8) orally as needed when they felt that symptoms were imminent or when an attack occurred. Our hospital, the Japan Community Health Care Organization, Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, is located in the center of Tokyo where patients can easily visit and has a close relationship between patients and doctors. Such an environment enabled us to perform this study over more than 10 years. Acquisition of baseline data was performed on Saturdays or Sundays at times between 9 a.m. To allow autonomic nerves time to stabilize, measurements were performed more than 2 h after a meal. The same dark room and chair were always used for measurements.
If the patient has only had one vertigo attack, it may be because of an inner-ear infection, and a diagnosis of Ménière’s disease should not be given unless multiple attacks have occurred. Although more invasive, endolymphatic sac decompression relieves vertigo in most patients, spares vestibular function, and poses minimal risk of hearing loss. Thus this procedure is still classified as a vestibular-sparing treatment.
Who here has both Meniere’s Disease and IBS?
In the Halmagyi maneuver, the examiner has the patient visually fixate on a target straight ahead (eg, the examiner’s nose). Then while observing the patient’s eyes, the examiner rapidly rotates the patient’s head 15 to 30° to one sides. Some people have a family history of Ménière’s disease, which means people may inherit the condition. If conservative treatments aren’t successful, your care provider might suggest more-intense treatments. Lab tests, imaging scans and other tests may be used to rule out conditions.
If you are dealing with both Meniere’s Disease and IBS, you may be looking for others who understand what you are going through. It can be comforting to connect with others who share similar struggles and experiences. You may be wondering how others manage these conditions or if there are any specific challenges that come with having both Meniere’s Disease and IBS.
Managing Meniere’s Disease and IBS
Symptoms of Meniere’s disease may be due to extra fluid in the inner ear called endolymph. But it isn’t clear what causes this fluid to build up in the inner ear. Hair cell bundles transduce the mechanical energy of acceleration or sound pressure into electrical energy in the form of ionic currents into the sensory hair cell31. The otolithic membrane connects to the tops of the hair bundles and provides mechanical coupling among them.
In the most debilitating of cases, surgical options such as endolymphatic sac surgery or selective vestibular nerve section may be considered. Healthcare providers know Ménière’s disease symptoms happen when endolymph, a fluid in your inner ear, builds up and disrupts the delicate process your body uses to manage balance and hearing. From the relationship between pernio and inflammation, coldness causes hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in increasing vascular permeability, edema, and perivascular inflammation of the fingertips. Under such conditions, monocytes, macrophages, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, which are involved in increasing oxidative stress and peripheral vascular inflammation, are likely to enhance subsequent progression of inflammation (43).
Why does irritative nystagmus occur during the acute phase, followed by paralytic nystagmus? Why do symptoms worsen and resolve rapidly by the minute or by the hour? Like all patients presenting with dizziness, a thorough history is vital. Eliciting the time course and relationship of symptoms to each other is especially important. Vertigo attacks tend to last between 20 minutes and 12 hours, and are classically accompanied by a triad of aural symptoms (hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness). It is typically unilateral and, although bilateral disease is reported, symptoms do not usually arise in both ears simultaneously.
Living with both Meniere’s Disease and IBS requires a multi-faceted approach to managing symptoms and improving quality of life. Some strategies that may help include:
- Following a low-sodium diet to help manage symptoms of Meniere’s Disease
- Keeping a food diary to identify trigger foods for IBS
- Practicing stress management techniques such as meditation or yoga
- Working closely with healthcare providers to develop a treatment plan that addresses both conditions
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions that people who have both Meniere’s Disease and IBS may have:
- Can Meniere’s Disease and IBS be linked in any way?
- Are there any medications that can help manage symptoms of both conditions?
- How can I explain my conditions to friends and family members?
- Are there any support groups or resources available for people with both Meniere’s Disease and IBS?
While living with both Meniere’s Disease and IBS may present unique challenges, it is possible to find ways to manage symptoms and improve your quality of life. Remember that you are not alone in this journey, and reaching out for support can make a big difference.
