I am 23 years old and I have been diagnosed with meneirs disease. I was first diagnosed at 20. Over the years it has steadily gotten worse. I have it both ears which makes it very hard not to get dizzy on a regular basis. I am going once a week to my doctor to get a shot in my ear to try and drain the fluid for three weeks straight. If this doesn't work (which its not) they may have to do surgery. I am scared because I can hardly hear anything in my left ear and some days nothing. My right ear is the one I use to talk on the phone. Is there anyone who has the same problems or can give me some advice? I don't want to go deaf by 25.

Hi Katie -- Boy, do I understand where you are! I am older than you (46), but still, don't want to lose my hearing! I heard a month ago that I may have meniere's and went through a whole battery of testing last week. Well, the good news is they ruled out meniere's. The bad news is they diagnosed me with autoimmune inner ear diseas (AIED). Everything I have read says I will be losing my hearing within weeks or months. I am still in shock. I have no hearing loss now but evidently that doesn't mean a thing.

What kind of surgery are they going to do? I know someone who has meniere's disease and they put a shunt in. He said the recovery was painful but he would do it a thousand times again as he has been symptom free since then!

Good Luck!
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