QUESTION: If I have Meniere's in only ONE ear, am I destined to apply for disability or be required to stop working?
(the assumption here is that Meniere's is the only reason you are considering disability)
The ANSWER: NO, not necessarily. You have choices to consider.
I want to make clear, I am NOT judging other folks decisions to apply for disability if they are unilateral. I'm just trying to explain one set of options available to consider.
When it comes to working, if you have Meniere's in only one ear, there ARE very aggressive options available to "turn that ear down" or even off. After those treatments you can retrain your body to only listen to your good ear and really reduce how much work you miss due to vertigo attacks. These can be considered when less invasive and more traditional treatments (like lifestyle changes) aren't working.
HOWEVER, if you have Meniere's in both ears (you are bilateral) the equation changes and it is harder to avoid disability (but not necessarily impossible, it depends on many factors).
Choosing to do destructive treatments to your "bad" ear when you are unilateral (having Meniere's in only ear) is a big decision. There are some risks, especially to remaining hearing to consider. The equation is all about your quality of life vs the risks involved.
I work full time and only miss maybe 2 or 3 days a year due to Meniere's symptoms. However, I ALSO only have like 4% usable balance function in my Meniere's ear. In other words I still have attacks, I just can't feel them anymore and they don't interrupt my life like they used to.
Here is a DIRECT LINK to how I got to this state and a description of the decisions I made. I have had Meniere's for 14 years and used to have very violent vertigo.
The first one of the "destructive treatments" most folks consider after other more traditional treatments have failed (things like lifestyle changes, diuretics, steroids, allergy shots, etc..) is gentamicin injections. I have had one of these injections and wish I had done them much earlier.
These injections gradually (over a series of injections) "turn down" your bad ear so it does not function as well and thus your attacks are not as severe. This is usually paired with vestibular rehabilitation therapy so you can push your brain to learn to listen to only your "good ear". The therapy is difficult but it REALLY helps.
You may need to take a leave of absence during this time as you doing the therapy. Although I never did. However, I've also always had sedentary computer based jobs and very understanding bosses and a very supportive spouse. Not everyone is so lucky. I understand that, I really do!
AGAIN, I am NOT judging other folks decisions to apply for disability if they are unilateral. You must do what is right for YOU.
Here is much more on gent injections plus other options. See also the "ladder of treatment" picture included on this blog post:
http://menieresandme.blogspot.com/2014/11/about-gentamicin-injections-and-why.html
