November Birthdays 
Hopefully, this post will help anybody on this forum, who faces Menier's disease, or Cochlear Hydrops, severe hearing issues, which are often difficult to diagnose.
I'm not a big fan of his music, but 80's pop-rock star, Huey Lewis, is in the news lately, experiencing huge problems with Meniere's disease, forcing his retirement from music. His description of the affliction is nearly identical to what I have experienced, intermittently, over the last decade. I have a good idea of what he's going through, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. That said, I'm not looking for sympathy here, just to help anybody who might face this condition.
The video, below, documents Huey Lewis' ordeal.
As some of you know, over the last decade or so, I've had some serious intermittent hearing issues. I've fortunately been OK for a while, now. (Knock on wood.) I've had a few minor episodes, but nothing debilitating, lately. One year, it was so bad that I couldn't listen to, or play, loud music for 4-5 months, and I had to miss the SG101 Convention, that year. It was painful to hear loud sounds, and beyond frustrating to hear everything as badly distorted and often atonal. Beyond that, the constant sensation of pressure in my ear(s) was crazy-making. Vertigo problems weren't bad for me, but would happen occasionally. It took a long time, and a lot of testing, for the doctors to come up with a diagnosis. The doctors aren't 100% sure, but they think I have Cochlear Hydrops, thought to be a close relative, or early form of Meniere's disease. They don't know what causes it, and treatment is an inexact science of low salt diet, diuretics, vaso-dilators, and motion sickness medications. More than any treatment, it just randomly seems to come and go. I hope that nobody here is faced with this condition.
—Bob
