tinnitus Tinnitus And Meniere's Disease

[68mustang]

I was rated at 10% for tinnitus last year by the VA. I went to my private doctor yesterday and I described to him the problems that I have been having with my sense of balance. Any sudden movement of my head or movement while sitting in my desk chair causes me to lose my balance and become nauseous. Also when seeing TV if there are certain scenes,such as movement across or up and down the screen my balance is affected. The doctor said that what is causing the problem is Meniere's Disease. Does any know if this could be secondary to tinnitus and if it would be rated separately from the tinnitus? If I am already rated at 10% for tinnitus and I could filed for Meniere's does any one know what it might be rated at? Thanks for your help. 68mustang

[Jim 501st]

Probably one of the hardest diseases possible to service connect.

I just had a c&p for tinnitus, hearing loss .vertigo, and meniere's disease.

I have documented in My final service exam. tinnitus and hearing loss. I also have records of in service dizziness. (and there is the key) according to the C&P examine its not in my service records of vomiting.

She said she had examined my SMR's and my C-FILE and found nothing related to Meniere's disease.

She admitted I had meniere's and in her summary said that it was severe enough that I needed assistance doing anything at home, and my Wife had to assist me in walking while at my appointment.

Funny thing is the audiologist that did my hearing test said she had examined the same records and my final exam showed hearing loss and tinnitus that was not there when I entered the service.

According to her C&P, the numbers from my hearing loss and speech discrimination = 30% and 10% tinnitus. She also made mention of severe vertigo in the history section.

I have only seen the C&P results from these two people to this point and am awaiting a decision.

Betty is right about this disease. You have to have it to Know how it affects every aspect of your life. Those who have it know, Those who don't will never fully understand it's crippling affect.

My advice is search your SMR's and document anything concerning tinnitus, hearing loss, and especially episodes of dizziness, and or vomiting. Again, dizziness associated with vomiting is the key they are looking for. Its really stupid because as serious as mine is, I have vomited only a few times through the years, but have spent uncountable hours on the pot.

If you don't have your SMR'S file a claim anyhow. get the clock started. You may be surprised what you will find.

I got out of the Military in 1964 and never requested a copy of mine until 2004. I had another claim pending for ptsd. Boy was I surprised at all the things I was treated for and forgotten about, as a matter of fact I still don't remember much of whats in them.

File a claim and good luck

Jim 501st

[68mustang]

Probably one of the hardest diseases possible to service connect.

I just had a c&p for tinnitus, hearing loss .vertigo, and meniere's disease.

I have documented in My final service exam. tinnitus and hearing loss. I also have records of in service dizziness. (and there is the key) according to the C&P examine its not in my service records of vomiting.

She said she had examined my SMR's and my C-FILE and found nothing related to Meniere's disease.

She admitted I had meniere's and in her summary said that it was severe enough that I needed assistance doing anything at home, and my Wife had to assist me in walking while at my appointment.

Funny thing is the audiologist that did my hearing test said she had examined the same records and my final exam showed hearing loss and tinnitus that was not there when I entered the service.

According to her C&P, the numbers from my hearing loss and speech discrimination = 30% and 10% tinnitus. She also made mention of severe vertigo in the history section.

I have only seen the C&P results from these two people to this point and am awaiting a decision.

Betty is right about this disease. You have to have it to Know how it affects every aspect of your life. Those who have it know, Those who don't will never fully understand it's crippling affect.

My advice is search your SMR's and document anything concerning tinnitus, hearing loss, and especially episodes of dizziness, and or vomiting. Again, dizziness associated with vomiting is the key they are looking for. Its really stupid because as serious as mine is, I have vomited only a few times through the years, but have spent uncountable hours on the pot.

If you don't have your SMR'S file a claim anyhow. get the clock started. You may be surprised what you will find.

I got out of the Military in 1964 and never requested a copy of mine until 2004. I had another claim pending for ptsd. Boy was I surprised at all the things I was treated for and forgotten about, as a matter of fact I still don't remember much of whats in them.

File a claim and good luck

Jim 501st

Thank you for your input and I will look into what I can do. 68mustang

[68mustang]

68mustang,

Go to your best "Otolaryngology Specialist" and have the needed test performed and your private insurance will pay the fee.

After the test are performed, have the specialist write you a letter connecting the two.

He will know exactly how to do this.

Betty

Thank you. I will go to my private doctor and request a referral to a specialist. 68mustang

[Josephine]

Thank you. I will go to my private doctor and request a referral to a specialist. 68mustang

You are certainly welcome,

Betty

[soldiermom]

I am no expert, but I do have a family member that has Meniere's Disease.

Unless someone knows otherwise, Meniere's can not be secondary to Tinnitus, actually Tinnitus would be secondary to Meniere's.

I posted the VA rating section for Meniere's here for you.

6205 Meniere's syndrome (endolymphatic hydrops):

Hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait

occurring more than once weekly, with or without tinnitus............................... 100

Hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait

occurring from one to four times a month, with or without tinnitus.................... 60

Hearing impairment with vertigo less than once a month, with or

without tinnitus........................................................................

............................ 30

Note: Evaluate Meniere's syndrome either under these criteria or by separately evaluating vertigo (as a peripheral vestibular disorder), hearing impairment, and tinnitus, whichever method results in a higher overall evaluation. But do not combine an evaluation for hearing impairment, tinnitus, or vertigo with an evaluation under diagnostic code 6205.

It is my understanding that Maniere's Disease in and of itself actually means "A disease of balance (vertigo) with possible hearing loss, and other ear related issues, with no other identifyable cause". It is usually diagnosed by ruling out other balance diseases that have specific symptoms and causes. I can't help you with a possible service connected cause.

I hope this helps some.

This really is what you need to know ...what Big Dog is what the VA goes by.

I have lived with MD for a little over 20 years and have just recently been made aware of my rights to SC compensation and am filing on Tuesday. I don't think I will have any problem with a SC qualification since I was diagnosed while on a tour of duty overseas in 1988 and I took no chances and kept copies of this from my medical files just in case they were "lost".

Anyway, there are a couple of things that really need to be clarified, and really do make a difference in both being diagnosed and how you go about filing your claim, etc. NEVER, and please understand I am trying to help here, but NEVER confuse the terms "dizziness" and "vertigo".

With Meniere's you have both, you may have both with other illnesses, but if you have vertigo, please do not refer to it as "dizzy". Vertigo is a "must have" symptom to be diagnosed with MD.

The difference? Dizzy can be simply light headed and cause you to stumble or fall.

Vertigo? Imagine your self on a merry go round spinning about 100mph and no one will stop it for several hours. Imagine an invisible force all of a sudden picking you up and SLAMMING you to the floor .....all of this all of a sudden and without warning most times.

The vertigo (true vertigo) is one of the main reasons MD will get you 100% (30% min) rating.

There are a lot of definitions and doctors own self described theories of MD out there, but the truth is the cause of MD is unknown, so if you know what causes it, then it can not be MD. While they have a good idea of what causes the "symptoms" of MD, (fluid retention in the vest sac, swelling of it, etc), They do not know what causes the MD...the disease that causes the fluid retention in the middle ear, etc.

Maybe a better ex: A person has ringing that is caused by high blood pressure...then the tinnitus is not MD...a person has vertigo due to a previous head injury, then they can not diagnose the person as having MD because they have MD.

so in basic terms, Meniere's can not be secondary to tinnitus. Meniere's can not be secondary to ANYTHING until they find out what causes Meniere's. (I hope that makes sense).

Jim, I feel bad for you. You were obviously in the service back when there was so little known about Menieres, which is probably why so many people who were in the service 20 years or so ago, have a difficult time make the SC. I was fortunate in that my first attack was while I was stationed in Europe and a Dutch Neurosurgeon that had been researching it diagnosed me, our base GD commander did his own evaluation and testing after I was released and concurred. I have copies of this signed by him. Within a year after I was discharched, I was diagnosed by an Otolaryngologist who found that I actually have it in both ears. When one would start to let up, the other would become active, then there are times they both were bad. Now, the ringing is constant, no longer fluctuating, still have vertigo and and 2 or 3 times a day on average I fall or stumble having to catch myself. Forget talking to anyone on the phone.

[soldiermom]

(correction: a person has vertigo due to a previous head injury, then they can not diagnose the person as having MD because they have MD should = vertigo.