Here is a diagram I found on what a normal ear looks & one that is affected by Meniere’s. Many people, including myself take a perscription water pill to help control the extra fuild that might be building. Between low salt, caffiene diet, the water pill & the tube in my ear drum, the severe attacks stay away. But just with any illness each person may have other triggers. There are some that fall which are call Drop Attacks.
No matter what, don’t stop fighting. I have Meniere’s but it doesn’t have me.
Living With Meniere's Disease Blog 
Amazing diagram. Thank you for posting it and for the information. I always suspected that my inner ear was deformed or not perfect so the increased fluid was unable to drain fast enough.
Your welcome. I almost didn’t post it because I couldn’t find the original source to credit. Don’t want to get in trouble with anyone 😊.
I was told in the beginning that the actual fluid sac in the inner ear has a tiny blood vessel or membrane going through the middle. When someone like us maybe has too much fluid either from infections or over producing it, the membrane will stretch till at one point it will break & that’s when the vertigo attacks happen. Have you ever had sinuses issues such as a devaited septum or airborne allergies? Sinus issues are notorious for blocking areas so fluid can’t drain. I never really thought about how far fluid can get backed up when your sinus cavities are not working right. It could be because if the infection or what ever, it will also make our body over produce fluid. Maybe in a normal environment it helps to flush the toxins our of the inner ear.
In February of 2017, inspired by YouTube videos of Neti Pots clearing out ungodly amounts of mucus, I attempted a sinus rinse while I was sick and very congested. It took a moment for the fluid to push through the mucus and exit the opposite side of my nose. I immediately felt like I had water in my ear. Changing the position of my head resulted in residual fluid draining out of my nose and down the back of my throat for 5-10 minutes afterwards. The sensation of water in my ear subsided later that day, but a constant feeling of fullness remains (over 1 year later). Do you think I managed to get fluid from the neti pot into my inner ear? From February-November 2017 I felt fullness, but in December I started to have episodes of vertigo that last for over 24hrs. The first episode was while I was sick and heavily congested. The most recent episode started as I was slowly scrolling through data while scanning/reading it.
In recap, I’ve had fullness/pressure in my ear for over a year, ~3-4 dizzy spells in the last 4 months, and it all started after I did a sinus rinse while sick and congested.
Do you think I managed to get fluid from the neti pot into my inner ear, having results like the diagram shows?
Sorry hear you’re not well, I believe when I feel in the Marina water 1998, which is very dirty due to fuel, chemicals, & improper toilet waste removal, I can out of the water & the fullness never went away. So based on my experience you could have got nasty water in your ear. Who’s to say you didn’t already have a tiny sinus in infection that you might have pushed some into the inner ear. Do you get vertigo when you move your head? If so you could have crystals loose in the inner ear. You also mentioned heavy congestion. Do you take allergy meds like Zrytec to help dry out excess fluid in the ear. Some people get dizzy from sinus issues. You have sinus cavities around you eyes & I sometimes have issues. I’ve has a deviated septum fixed & a few years after a sinus balloon procedure. If you sinuses are not draining correctly it can definitely affect your ears. You can also take meclizine 25mg pills to help with the vertigo & don’t lay flat. For me that makes everything worse.
Sorry for all the replies. I did try meclizine but I didn’t notice a difference. Would one dose normally help you?
No need to apologize. I want to help you in any way I can. Well, I remember the ENT telling to take 3 times a day. When I started having severe vertigo attacks for 14hrs every other day, I was taking more. But I found out when an attacks starts the medicine was too late. Take one at least regularly first thing in the morning. I found in about 30mins it starts working. Diet is a big factor too. During the severe attacks I went from low sodium & caffiene to not being able to have a drop of sodium, caffiene or beef. My husband had to cook everything from scratch. If I had even a drop, I would have an attack in about 10mins. I ended up loosing like 20lbs in 2 months. Now be honest, do you have coffee & other caffiene drinks? I can have this stuff now in moderation. For a long time though I was fighting with myself. I would get so mad & cry in a heartbeat when an attack would start. There were days when I would prop myself on the couch with pillows so I could not lay down. That made things 10 times worse. Doctor kept telling about the diet but it was struggle. But when I got so sick I finally realized too much sodium, caffiene, or beef was bad for Meniere’s. So while it hard to back off caffiene but it is easier than sodium because you just don’t it. With sodium you have to start reading all the labels on the food you buy. I was told to stick to 1000mg a day. Now the key to figuring out your vertigo trigger is to stop eating sodium, caffiene or beef for at least a week. If you can go longer on at least one of them that is even better. Once you start feeling better for a little bit, then slowly add back one of the items. This is how I learned what my limit is with the trigger food. You need you start keeping a log so that you can visually see the pattern. Now these are my triggers along with allergies. Some people might have different ones like vertigo could be set off my fluorescent lights or just turning them on suddenly & a room is completely dark. It could moving your head a certain way. But I have recommended the diet for my triggers to several people & it has helped them. One lady said her husband was a beef loving guy but had been suffering for 4yrs, but when I told her my suggestions he tired it & doesn’t eat beef anymore because he feels too good. I also take a duretic once a day to help with fuild retention.
I do take Flonase as well. 2 sprays in each nostril a day. Now there are other sprays you can use, Flonase seems to work best for me. From what your doctor said, has he checked your sinus cavities to see if they are draining properly. I had a head CT Scan & I was a mess. For years my ENT & were so focused on the ear that we didn’t think about thr sinuses. One day I had enough of getting infections like every 6 weeks & antibiotics/steroids. That was when the doctor said the left nostril was almost completely closed off. Looking from the outside my nose looked normal. Man the sinus surgery to correct the deviated septum made a huge difference with draining. But living in Florida allergies are terrible when you’re allergic to 2 grasses & other stuff. I still trying to do allergy shot treatments but I have do it veru slow or I will have Meniere’s issues. You should also see if your sinuses ate really swollen that the sinus balloon procedure that is done in office might work for you. If you have been suffering for a long time & everything is swollen for so long sometimes I think the area needs extra help to get back to normal. If you look at a diagram of you sinuses, you will see how the ear is connected to them. If it blocked or too swollen, the drainage I believe keeps building in the inner ear which can lead to vertigo attack. You have a tiny fluid sac in the inner ear. It can only take so much & I read there is like a tiny vessel the keeps apart 2 chambers. If the vessel stretchs too far & breaks the fuild mixes together causing the vertigo. Either you ear will calm down or it gets better when the vessel goes back in place. Well at least that is my theory.
When I get dizzy the only relief I get is laying down.
I had heavy congestion at the time when I was sick, and thats when I tried the neti pot. I’m wondering if the congestion/mucus could have forced some of the saline into the Eustachian tube.
The vertigo comes and goes, and its hard to pinpoint a trigger. I was sick the first time it happened, with a lot of congestion so my ears were feeling worse than usual. Last week a 2 day dizzy episode started after I was attempting to read/quickly scan through some data on my computer screen while slowly scrolling through it.
I tried Flonase because one doctor thought my sinuses looked like “the sinuses of someone with allergies”. I didn’t notice a difference but I didn’t try it for more than a few days. Same with Sudafed D. I thave Zyrtec D I think I’ll try it out. How long might it take before a change is noticed?
Thanks for all of the info. I don’t drink coffee but I occasionally drink Coke. I cannot even begin to estimate how much salt is in my diet. Does that have to do with fluid retention?
As for allergies, I believe I could have an issue with the air quality at work. The building is full of overhead conveyor belts and I sometimes can feel pressure build in my sinuses as soon as I walk inside. There is a think layer of cardboard dust/machinery filth on undisturbed surfaces.
Sodium does cause fluid retention. I found out both my dad & grandmother have problems with it.
I recommend you do the sinus CT Scan & do an allergy test to see exactly what it open & what you are allergic too. I had to add an air purifier at my desk & work. So I think when you body is flooded with one trigger that even a little of the others might cause a problem. Now remember, if you drink tea that has caffiene. If you take certain OTC pain meds for maybe PMS or headaches, caffiene is added into the pill. Try eating less sodium & changing to Mrs. Dash seasoning, or salt substitute. I use the brand “No Salt”. You get the flavor without the sodium issues. If you start feeling better after cutting sodium back, then that is the problem. But I recommend trying to stop all 3 triggers for at least week. It should give your body enough time to flush stuff out. Then trying one thing at a time.