My Testimony
I was initially very hesitant to
discuss my tinnitus because this is the first time I am doing this but I
just hope it can still help someone. Before I start dolling out advice like I'm
some kind of expert( I'm not). I just want you to trust I know what you are
going through, I know what it's like to spend hours in the shower to make the
sound stop just for a while. I know what it's like to contemplate suicide. I
know what it's like to look at my home surroundings that used to be so
comfortable to me as a mockery of the happy life I used to have. I missed
silence more than I ever imagined. My sense of loss was constant and profound.
I still remember the
desperation, I would have done anything to stop the noise in my head. Including
such brilliant methods of roughly banging my head of the wall (to jostle the
brain a little), standing right in front of the loud speaker at a music show,
and placing my ears directly under the high powered shower stream. Mine was
Tinnitus with Meniere’s disease
In April of 2009 I started to experience a building “fullness” and low frequency hearing loss in my left ear. Having had numerous ear infections in that ear throughout my life and a perforated ear drum on that side, I passed this off as an ‘atypical’ infection. My doctor phoned me a script for antibiotics, which had no effect. After two weeks of these building symptoms I grew frustrated. One night at dinner I heard a screeching sound in my left ear and felt the pressure subside. I thought “great, my ear popped… weird, but back to normal!”. Five minutes later I was on floor with insane vertigo that seriously cannot be described. After hours of vomiting, my symptoms subsided and the ER suggested I visit an ENT. A few weeks later the pressure began building again and what my doctor had suspected was confirmed… a diagnosis of Meniere’s disease.
This cycle became a
part of my life, starting over every 4-6 weeks. My ENT sent me to a
neurotologist who told me that I would likely be deaf in the infected ear
within 3 years and my only options were radical surgeries or steroid injections
into the inner ear, both of which would not cure my condition and would have
serious risks involved, including accelerated and permanent hearing loss. As a
musician and audio engineer, my hearing could not be risked, so these
treatments were not options. At that moment I absolutely refused to buy into
the doomsday prognosis. I felt as though there was something in my ear that my
system was trying to flush out. I tried many treatments, some had short-termed
relief but nothing kept the intruder at bay. I remained as positive as I
possibly could. I did tons of research on Meniere’s and Tinnitus, which can be
a frightening internet adventure in itself. I managed to focus on the very few
success stories I could find while staying away from my doctors. I visited
several naturopaths & chiropractors who taught me much about general
health, though none could help my symptoms. I tried many supplement regimens,
again getting some short termed relief, but nothing sustained. In 2010 I tried
an anti-viral approach of natural supplements regimen. I went almost 5 months
without symptoms, only to have them inexplicably return, and with a vengeance.
I stayed on it hoping for relief, but after another 6 months, I “gave up” on
the regimen, though remained intrigued with the viral approach. I never
accepted the words “chronic”, “idiopathic” or “deafness”. I took this battle as
a challenge, one of life’s many …. A chance for me to tune in to my body and
find out what it’s trying to tell me. The turning point in the process of
growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives
all hurt.
And I'm here to tell you, anecdotally, that JODANE
cure me permanently and made me what I am today, completely of Meniere diseases
and Tinnitus. The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may
also be only the beginning. So please, know these dark early days will
pass. I know it's painful, it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do since I
was not used to herbs, but you can get your life back, and your tinnitus can be
cure. Look back and see what you have made it through, then you will know
that you ARE going to make it through these hard times.
--- Karl Günter, Feb, 2014
