Hi laa laa, just found your post. I know 7 people with the illnesses mentioned in the title. They can't stay in stores with flors. for very long, and always avoid some particular stores. The wiki site on meniere's mentions fluors as a trigger. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9ni%C3%A8re's_disease Sure glad to hear that your meniere's retreated, at least for a while. It sounds like it got pretty ornery with you. Did you notice any other triggers such as diet? Here's a resource that has clear introductory info on meniere's disease, which most people have never heard of. Over 3 million people have it, and there are several triggers. http://www.meei.harvard.edu/patient/meniere.php Avoidance of the triggers salt [and sodiums, including MSG], alcohol, and caffeine, tobacco too, help. If you go over a VERY low salt intake- like under 200mg - in one meal, and your ear starts buzzing louder, sometimes a hershey bar or two, after that salt, can help. The big info site, that sells vitamins, menieresinfo.com, is honest and thorough. They care and have a lot of detailed info,and good vitamins, but if you contact them, you will get deluged with vitamin sales emails. Thats too bad, because vitamins seem to help, but quality in stores seems to have tumbled. Here's the link: http://www.menieresinfo.com/moretopics.html#travel Some sites have surprising tidbits of info. One medicine, can cause deafness, so you may want to make sure your pharmacist knows you have meniere's. http://books.google.com/books?id=ETMWzoDCqvUC&pg=PA385&lpg=PA385&dq=meniere's+erythromycin&source=web&ots=-PQ-GW3KO_&sig=2Xch1u3J6f9cbkJS_4VVgURAPyQ I think there are a couple of chat sites for inner ear probs. too. If anyone has more, detailed, info, it would be great to have.

Hi, I've been waiting to post for a few days so I could give a fair assessment of exactly 'how I am responding' to treatment. I can now say, with absolute clarity and conviction so that no one is confused here, that I do have episodic migraines 2~4 times a month. I can usually head those off at the pass with Imitrex shots or pills; I switch up depending on how soon I can get to the headache. A pill if I'm not nauseous or vomiting. A shot if I am over the edge. THAT being said, I want to tell you where I am with treatment right now. For migraines: 1) The neurologist told me that the 50 mg of Imitrex tablets that I was using was probably not strong enough and told me to use 100 mg tablets or double the 50 mgs. I couldn't believe it, but I've already had an opportunity to use this new dosage and I had less side effects from taking this amount -Vs- taking the lower amount! No kidding. (2) He also put me on Topamax as a prophylactic. It's too early for me to tell how this will work. So far, no side effects that I can tell. It's quite involved to start taking this medication as they increase the dosage, so it takes a series of increasing dosages over three weeks to get to a target amount to start. I'm still in those parameters. For this current chronic headache: Having been in a constant headache state such that I have been since March, I could not eve differentiate with clarity the pain levels. I felt so inadequate and sickened trying to explain the pain levels without sounding so ridiculous, exaggerating, or needy... to a doctor, when you can see that there are other people with more serious medical needs than mine in the waiting room. Anyway, when they ask, "What is your current pain level?" I answer something RIDICULOUSLY conservative like, "6 or 7," out of a 10 point scale, with 10 being the worse. NOW that I have had some success with this pain, I can tell you I was like a damn 30 and I am NOW a 6 or 7 on the pain scale as I type right now.~~ !!!! So, how have I improved this much? Well, I had the occipital nerve block last week. I believe you'd call mine the 'greater nerve block' -Vs- the alternative 'lesser' nerve block. If you Goggle it, you will see what I mean. Before I continue, I have to tell you, this is a treatment that I believe every single doctor and NP in America should know how to do. It is that amazing. But please, pay attention closely to my description of my experience. I say this because with some of my key words you **might** find some phrases or explanations in medical journals online, but it's not easily out there to tell you from a lay-person's perspective, how this feels and how it has affected me. Also, without going into boring details, I have to say that here in Jacksonville, FL, I could only find ONE neurologist to do this occipital nerve block and he was is associated with Shands Hospital. Even the neurologist that referred me to him did not do them. Now I know he's not the only game in town, but doctors just don't do these things like I think they should! SO MANY people could find relief, I am sure. OK, here's what happened. The doctor comes in after getting approved (by insurance) for the procedure (2 day, 2 hr. wait), and explains that he is going to put in 8~10 shots in my neck and upper shoulders. He WARNED ME that if he did "not hear certain sounds", that he would "stop the procedure" because "this is like a truth serum; I can tell if you are really in pain or not... nerves speak and they can tell me exactly what kind of pain that you are in." The needles were not inserted into my brain or spinal column. I sat in a chair, leaning my head on a pillow on a table in front of me. The doctor felt for the base of my skull and within 6 ~ 8 minutes had injected all shots. Two or three down the left side of my neck, then two or three down the right, and four places across the top of my back shoulders, with two being to the left of my spine and two on the right, rather evenly spaced. What was AMAZING was when he put in the first needle on my right side of the neck upper at the base of my skull. As he inserted the needle, it sounded like it was going into Styrofoam. The sounds that came out of that nerve as the needle and medicine went in would have made you think I was possessed and demons were crunching their way out of my body. It hurt like a blank-blank because he rubbed each shot sight's medication in with his thumb after shooting in the meds. All I could say the entire time is, "OMG. Lord Jesus, come," over and over. My nerves made audible sounds like chewing Cap'N Crunch cereal, and lesser sounds like Rice Crispy's in the beginning. Let me clarify this for you: the nerves made a **CRUNCHING SOUND** AND **SNAP, CRACKLE, POPPING SOUNDS**. The doctor said that these were "some of the worst/best sounds he has ever heard come out of a patient...up there in the top three." He also assured me I would feel 100% better when I left; clarifying that I would not feel 100%, just 100% better. Boy, do I know what he means. The occipital nerve block was quick easy and AMAZING. It was painful, but after what I've gone through the past few months, it was tolerable and worth it. I'm going to have another one in 11 weeks. He also said that some Migraneurs find relief from this, too, even though I'm doing this for my head injury swelling and trying to stop the pain cycle. Also, I left the office after about 10~15 minutes and of having the ONB and have had no real side effects that I can tell other than soreness and a slight bruising in one area. What did it do for me? My chronic headache throbbing stopped within five minutes of the ONB (Occipital Nerve Block). Now, my head still feels like I've been battered and hit hard, very, very tender, but at least the headache is gone. I had a slight thumbprint size bruising in one area on my neck from the shots. Other than that, all has been good. Two days after I had this done, I awoke with a migraine, not sure what kind of a headache it was, I took the Imitrex 100 mg dose and in 30~40 mins. it was gone. So, I talked to my FP doctor who followed up after the block. I explained the still extreme tenderness when I showered and walked and wind in my hair, but the throbbing WAS GONE. But now, I just felt 'damaged'. I also explained I was still had the issue of not being able to sleep and was still nauseated. He understood. He gave me a 'cocktail prescription' of Benadryl, Reglan, and 20 mg. of Prednizone to take three times a day for swelling and nausea. I have never, ever been able to take Benadryl because it will knock me for a loop. But, honestly, I've taken all five days and I actually slept every night except for last night, which I was up about five times. The meds have not made me sleep during the day at all either. So, I'm waiting right now for another Prednizone prescription for maybe another 10 days. We'll see. Thank you all so much for your suggestions and sharing your sites. I am going to keep all info and I have read some of the sites already. I pretty much follow the low tyramine diet as is and miss chicken livers. Here is a link that might be useful: Occipital Nerve Block

Well, that explains it! We are currently doing a home remodel and my normal desk setup is gone so I grabbed a lamp that was in my DD's room. It has the swirly bulb in it (my husband recently bought a 6 pack of them). I haven't had a migraine for about a year and a half. It's been heaven. I used to get them so bad I saw auras, the room spun, flashes of light, nausea, the whole nine yards. I was given Maxalt and magic, no migraine. I had to take a Maxalt last Sunday because of a migraine. We also have the swirly lights in the dining room (when we *had* a dining room) and the living room. There just may be something to the swirly bulb theory. Jodi-

redcurls, It wasn't my dr, but that of a friend, who mentioned the connection. I'm sorry you had to go off that med, also. My mom has your problem, & I know it hurts! Mallory, I've had it before, with and without the fluid. When I was an infant, mom would have to give me meds to keep me from getting sick to drive 15 minutes to get groceries! I get motion sick very easily. Patti, they gave me a script for Antivert. It helped a lot! But, by the time I went to the dr. it had already been almost 2 weeks. I didn't have to take it long before it finally went away. Moni, I will check out that link! Jannie, I already take Verapamil for my blood pressure. I've taken it for years. Darn. Wish it would do double duty for me! It's gone now, but I have started with an ear ache in the left ear. May decide to go to the dr. tomorrow. It's only in the evening, tho, so I am wondering if it isn't from the air pressure changing. Tami