Hi, thanks for visiting our page, here's my story....

In 2014 I was officially diagnosed with Ménière’s Disease.

For those of you that don’t know Ménière’s disease is a vestibular disorder. It’s a long term, progressive condition affecting the balance and hearing parts of the inner ear. Symptoms are acute attacks of vertigo (severe dizziness), fluctuating tinnitus, increasing deafness, and a feeling of pressure in the ear. There is permanent damage to the balance organ and significant balance problems are common. Usually only one ear is affected, but up to 50% of sufferers may develop the condition in both ears.

Just over 2.5 years ago I started suffering with regular vertigo attacks, if you’ve never experienced one imagine that feeling of when you’ve had a few too many on a night out, the room starts spinning, you can’t move your head, you’re physically sick and your body feels like a dead weight. Add to that the feeling that you’ve been hit in the back of your head with a heavy object and you’re getting there….unfortunately this was my world for quite a while. 

The attacks are totally unpredictable and debilitating, they affected my work life, social life, home life…..basically my whole life! Not only is there the uncertainty of not knowing when an attack is going to occur, there is also the worry of whether you are going to be on your own and / or in a public place when an attack comes on. Then there is the recovery period to worry about which can wipe out sufferers out for anything from a few hours to days, my most severe attacks would put me out of action for over a week at a time.

Thankfully due to a mixture of inner ear steroid injections, dietary & lifestyle changes, daily medication and lots of hospital check up’s it’s now nearly 18 months since my last severe attack and once again I feel in control of my life. I’m now in what they call stage 3 of the disease which means I have constant tinnitus, ongoing balance problems and increased hearing loss in my affected ear, as a result of this I will shortly be fitted for a hearing aid and have been told that eventually the hearing in my affected ear will go completely.  

I’m genuinely grateful that I'm now lucky enough to be in a situation where I can manage my Ménière’s and it not be the other way round, that’s why I really want to raise awareness for The Meniere’s Society. This charity is crucial for all vestibular sufferers that have to live with this illness on daily basis and whilst there is currently no cure for Ménière’s they help to find new medication helping sufferers like myself to lead a normal life. 

I want to say a BIG thank you to my amazing running buddies Reb, Lisa, Janine and Hakan  who have not only kept me motivated but have also agreed to run the Birmingham Half Marathon  with me on Sunday 16th October!  

I know that there are many, many worthwhile charities out there who are doing amazing things every day for people that are far worse off than I am but any support and awareness that can be raised for this relatively unknown charity would mean the world to me! It will go towards making a difference for individuals like myself who have really benefited from the advice and support it can offer. 

Thank you in advance for your support and wish us luck kids…we’re going to need it! :)

Lara x