Thank you!

@joyces You are amazing! Have done a bit of research and recruitment appears to be the answer. What's even more amazing is I did not mention my problem with "loud!" My husband, who has a normal hearing problem, turns the sound up fill blast! It hurts! Now, this appears to be a recognized problem, so where are all my ENT people, who seem to be unable to understand my problems? I'm betting recruitment is just one part of the puzzle. My "occlusion" problem actually is more like I've a bucket over my head, not quite what I read about, nor is hyperacusis You've solved one of my big problems, though, and that is listening to any device that transmits or broadcasts sound. For example, the sound of crowds cheering at a sporting event is painful; the same noise live is no problem. I can hear cellphone to cellphone, but not cellphone to landline. I can see it has to do with frequencies. Wonder if people who have a wider range of sound are actually changing frequencies?

Wish I had some suggestions for the other hearing problems you mentioned. I do hear a "whooshing" sound just like my back door opening, but so far, that's my only imaginary sound. I have physical problems with my ear, including discomfort, itching, and a feeling of water in my ear. Seems to me that although Menieres is an old syndrome, we are still a long way from solutions. It's worrisome about not having a hearing aid that will work- thought it was just a matter of finding one.

Again, thanks so much for all the information - very helpful!!

Although initially after having gone bilateral with Meniere's the problem was all hearing, Christmas Day I had the "gift" of the first true vomiting crisis. Oh joy! It was intermittent until mid-March, when crises really began to move in.

First, I was diagnosed initially by an ENT, which doesn't mean much because there's a diagnosis code for Meniere's that allows the ENT to get paid, whether or not it's actually what's wrong. Again, 80% of those diagnosed with Meniere's don't actually have it--and, further, it may not even be a single disease but a collection of similar diseases. I was formally diagnosed by a neurotologist, Dr. F. Owen Black, back during my mid 40s over 30 years ago. At the time, Dr. Black was the foremost diagnostician for inner ear disease, had all the "fun" rides in the vestibular lab in Portland, OR to diagnose as closely as possible. He also worked with NASA, testing all astronauts before and after they flew, looking for any changes in balance function following extended weightlessness.

Although the first thing you're told is to avoid salt, that may or may not help. Worse, if you live on a strict low-salt diet at some point you'll be exposed to "regular" food. If you are sensitive to salt, that will ensure that you'll have a crisis. It's better to live on a diet where salt is somewhat restricted but not nearly eliminated.

Most Meniere's sufferers have triggers. Keep a diary and note even tiny changes from whatever is normal for you, coloring each day to indicate the amount of Meniere's symptoms you had. This should help you learn what your trigger(s) is/are and figure out a way to deal with it. For me, it's definitely one single trigger: abnormally low hormones levels caused by bad genes and a ruptured appendix at age 8. Although I had had isolated crises earlier in my life (20s and 30s) when I wasn't taking birth control pills for a brief time, my problems became acute when I was told to stop taking the pill in my mid 40s. I went through four years of absolute hell, crises as often as three times a week, while my primary doc and I sought a form of HRT that would be both sufficient and safe for someone my age at the time. Once we found that, I had no more crises and began daily VRT to learn to move about comfortably, normally. The remission lasted until a year ago, and I was able to lead an unusually active life, even though I'm now 77.

Now, I'm finding it far more difficult to live with both the hearing loss on both sides as well as balance loss on both sides. I also went through some weeks of crises while trying to find a doc willing to prescribe adequate HRT. I'm now on the second of two "temporary" prescriptions, and will have to do some training of my new OB/Gyn, who not only knows nothing about Meniere's but zip about HRT! I'm not afraid of HRT because I researched the correct balance of estrogen vs. progesterone, which does not necessarily cause cancer. I definitely do not want to spend the last years of my life with a barf bag at my side at all times! I may be old, but I don't act like it! Two weeks ago, following some really bad crises, I determined that I can't drive a distance any where until I get this damned disease under control. Now that I'm on at least a temporary program of HRT, my immediate goal is to be well enough and confident enough to do my usual late May/early June placement of temperature monitors in a wild little river on the north coast two hours away. To reach the top two locations means hiking over three miles along a ruined RR track, wading across the river, and climbing up above a waterfall. So, this is a firm goal, something that I do every year: place monitors, check them during late summer, and remove them in early September.

I'm also interested in learning about anyone certified to teach VRT in the Portland, OR area.