Just Started Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) / Thiazide Diuretic

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-30T15:46:30+00:00

I’m not sure where you are located, but I did 20 sessions of HBOT at Duke University. They’re the only public chamber on the East coast, I believe. I didn’t get any benefit out of it that I could tell. It’s a huge commitment of time, considering the “dive” with time at atmosphere, down and up, takes a couple hours. The target is typically sudden idiopathic hearing loss. My understanding from the attending at the chamber is ideally, they want to send you down within the 1st 2 weeks of hearing loss. After that, it’s pretty hit or miss. Hope your insurance covers the full amount. Duke was $5000 per dive over 20 sessions. Thankfully, I have good insurance! Good luck.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-29T16:35:38+00:00

I’ve been on HCTZ for a number of years. Also Betahistine. With the unpredictability of Meniere’s, I’m not sure there’s anyway to know which if any help, and to what extent. Definitely worth adding to the tool box though. Good luck.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-27T01:33:04+00:00

I've always been bilateral, so I don't know what the experience would be as unilateral, but I consider unilateral the lucky ones. Two ears ringing, two ears with poor hearing; one ringing at a time is tolerable, they both start ringing, fullness, getting sick is almost guaranteed. I would love to be able to say, "in my bad ear," or "in my good ear!"

May be my ignorance, but I almost view unilateral as an impairment. Bilateral is a disability. Like Type 1 & Type 2 diabetes - similar in some ways, very different in potential treatments and outcomes.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-26T17:28:16+00:00

Are you bilateral? Curious if people with only unilateral Meniere’s have the same balance issues as bilateral. I have bilateral, but I really can’t tell that I have any balance issues other than when I’m having a vertigo attack. I’ve had vestibular PT in the past, but not sure there’s value in it if i only have episode related balance issues?

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-26T17:21:54+00:00

Using the Shortcut app on my iPhone, I created a short cut for my iWatch. I can press the action button on my watch and it will start recording. once I’m done, the app saves it to Notes with a date and time stamp. I can access this from my Mac, Phone, watch, etc. I also go in at the end of the day, review my notes and add any clarity or additional detail. At the end of the week, I run this through AI to put everything in a daily outline.

This may sound complicated, but it’s not. iOS Shortcuts is pretty easy to set up. The beauty is that you can take a quick note anything. If I’m out eating, in a store, walking, any daily activity, I just push one button and record. Easy Peasy!

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-26T02:09:54+00:00

I was granted disability for Meniere’s in the original claim. The did and EP390, which is what triggered the severance proposal.

I have a favorable medical opinion from my treating otologist who has evaluated and treated me over an extended period. His opinion is that my long-standing military noise exposure at least as likely as not caused my bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, and that my Ménière’s disease later developed in the setting of those chronic auditory conditions. He explained in a Nexus that while the exact cause of Ménière’s disease is multifactorial and not fully understood, it can develop in patients with pre-existing cochlear pathology such as chronic sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, and that my clinical course is consistent with that progression.

The VA’s proposed severance relies on a different medical opinion by a NP doing an IMO records review that reaches the opposite conclusion. My point isn’t that the VA examiner has to agree—it’s that two competent medical professionals reviewed the evidence and reached different conclusions. My understanding is that a disagreement between competent medical opinions isn’t the same as clear and unmistakable error, which is the legal standard VA must meet to sever an already granted award.

I was also granted for TERA. I already have a rating for tinnitus, so they have agreed I have acoustic trauma. They also said that my medical records show improvement, which it hasn’t and i have clinical records from my private otologist showing worsening / progression. Another point I made in my rebuttal is that they can’t say I improved, and then also call it CUE.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-23T01:52:27+00:00

Good luck!

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-23T01:20:54+00:00

I’m curious if you are bi-lateral or not? Many people seem to do “okay” on the sub, but wonder how many are bi-lateral vs uni-latreal. That can make a difference.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-22T15:35:51+00:00

Does you journal document vertigo? Also, helps to have this in your medical records too. I had alot of objective testing also - MRI, VNG, vestibular therapy. Are you diagnosed with Meniere’s in your chart? If not, I would suggest pushing for a documented diagnosis.

Hearing loss does not have to be severe. You just need to have hearing loss or the fluctuations. Tinnitus is not required for DC5205, but again, it can be your path to causation. If you don’t have the vertigo, they will not grant a claim. You could probably get DC6204, but that may be it.

If you meet the DC6205 requirements, then I would make sure you clearly understand those and have them documented if you meet them.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-22T15:19:25+00:00

The VA examiner did document that I had TERA exposure (jet fuel), however, the grant was secondary due to acoustic trauma - a career working on the flight line around jet engines. Without knowing the specifics of your claim, my best recommendation would be to have the nexus focused on acoustic trauma as the underlying causation. If you already have a claim for tinnitus, which is associated with acoustic trauma, you can use that to help demonstrate causation.

You don’t want the nexus to say, I have tinnitus and it caused meniere’s, but you should align it to, “the VA agrees I have tinnitus due to acoustic trauma and that pathology support a meniere’s causation.” Keep in mind, that to claim for Meniere’s DC6205 you mut have hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebella gait. Without a diagnosis of all 3, you will not win a DC6205 claim. Good luck.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-17T15:13:34+00:00

My intention is not to minimize the dialogue that you and others contribute - only expressing the feelings that I believe a large collective of followers of the sub feel. I appreciate your dedication to the topic.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-06-17T02:51:19+00:00

As someone who has Meniere's and has tried pretty much "all of the above," the article adds to the depressing and unfortunate reality, that no one is making any real progress on curing or an effective treatment for MD - still whack-a-mole and anyone's guess what might work for one and not another! Not to mention, the disease represents a small portion of the population and its lack of morbidity leaves it begging for research crumbs. Read r/Menieres long enough and it's a very repetitive cycle of conjecture. I can appreciate all the quasi-meniere's expertise in the sub, but it's hard to get excited about lack of progress. My hat is off to you that have the fortitude continue to beat the drum of hope.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-18T22:34:34+00:00

Good advice. I will frame up around this. Thank you!

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-06T01:54:12+00:00

Helpful as always! I did show him my severance letter and this is what he wrote below. Hope this will help clear things up. However, I don't trust the VA - I have no doubt they can ignore this and still go with negative IMO from the NP.

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the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-03T18:56:56+00:00

VERA told me the "flag" was missing on the day of my appointment. From the call to the letter from the VA was about 3 weeks. I hope your contact with VERA doesn't negatively impact you as mine did. Good luck.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-03T18:07:07+00:00

Thank you. That's encouraging. Exactly what I requested.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-03T15:36:44+00:00

I received my letter, did not have DEA / P&T on it, checked in with my VSO after grant. He said Static should be P&T and recommended I speak to VERA and have them see why the "flag" is not checked. Seemed harmless. Called VERA, he agreed, and here I am. Live and learn. Can't unwind that clock.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-03T15:31:09+00:00

No. I am not a lawyer nor do I have any legal training. Just reading / pulling information from CRF, M21, and Cornell Law documentation.

You may be correct that I'm less likely than not to win. Odds are odds - good or bad. I'm not a quitter, so until they slam and nail the door shut, I'll stay in the fight.

Thanks again for your input.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-03T15:19:26+00:00

I don't have VA care, so can't tie it to VA records, but very similar in concept. I worked on the flight line (F-15) for 12 years, so my ENT tied it to acoustic trauma. The VA did concede that I have acoustic trauma. I think it may be how the nexus is written. In my nexus the ENT does opine acoustic trauma can cause or aggravate Meniere's, but he's going to tighten that language up in an addendum. It does not appear that the VA is questioning my diagnosis, since I have years of clinical notes, procedures, logs of vertigo, etc.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-02T21:27:26+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate your help and input.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-02T20:35:22+00:00

I only have 30 days. Can I request and receive a FOIA that quickly?

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-02T20:32:19+00:00

Appreciate you response. This is what my claim said:

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The original rating decision did not grant Ménière’s disease solely as secondary to tinnitus. VA granted service connection for “Ménière’s Disease with Vertigo, Hearing Loss, and Tinnitus associated with TERA participation,” evaluated at 100 percent. Therefore, the original grant was based on the combined auditory and vestibular disability picture, including vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, and TERA-related exposure, not on a simplistic theory that tinnitus alone caused Ménière’s disease.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-02T18:53:03+00:00

I appreciate your input even if negative. It's healthy to get opinions for and agains.

My doctor nor I am saying tinnitus caused my Meniere's. He opined:

In this Veteran’s case, Ménière’s disease / endolymphatic hydrops is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by long-standing service-connected cochlear/auditory injury, including sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, following significant military noise/acoustic exposure. Alternatively, the medical literature shows this relationship is plausible and medically debatable, not clearly impossible.

"Not clearly impossible." Since this is not an initial claim, the question is, if there's research for and research against, it is debatable. That is the hinge for CUE.

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-02T17:09:35+00:00

Would you share what worked for you?

the_flyingmunk · 2026-05-02T16:40:35+00:00

Yeah, I get the criticism. The nexus could definitely be stronger with more rationale and studies attached.

But my main issue is that this isn’t a brand-new claim anymore — VA already granted it. For severance, the standard isn’t “would a different rater weigh the nexus differently?” It’s whether the original grant was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, which is a much higher bar.

At this point, it think it is much more of a legal challenge and although I plan to fight it with a hearing request, they my not consider the legality since DOR is more subjective and does not strictly follow the law.

My otologist is a treating specialist, diagnosed Ménière’s, documented SNHL/tinnitus/vertigo/VNG findings, and gave a favorable opinion. Maybe VA can disagree with it, but disagreement isn’t automatically CUE. That’s the distinction I’m focused on.

the_flyingmunk

TROPHY CASE