Mary Jadrich

Never give up your efforts to be Healthy - find your Happiness and to be Terrific!

Age: 83

Diagnosis: Ménière’s Disease

My journey with vertigo problems started with an ear infection. I had to have a second prescription to finally cure the ear. A short time later my left ear started to ring loudly, first indication something was wrong and I knew immediately that it was the result of the left ear infection. When I had my doctor re-examine my ear he told me everything was clear and did not know why my ear was ringing, so he sent me to an ENT. I had several hearing tests weeks apart, he prescribed Vitamin B-12, he told me to handle my stress factors. I told him I divorced my stress problems 10 years ago and the vitamins were a bogus treatment. I returned to my family doctor after years of seizures, and pushed him for a better solution because everything was getting worst. He left the examining room and went to his office and looked up a specialist. He sent me to the University of Chicago, the doctor was a Professor in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the year was March 11, 1997.

The doctor knew immediately what my problem was and put me on a salt free diet. It took three months for the diet to finally kick in. My seizures were lessened. He followed my case for one year – many hearing tests, exercises done at the hospital following more hearing tests. Always looking for the seizures and the ringing to stop. He finally suggested after a year of study that I needed to have an ear injection of gentimyacin. Even that did not work for the first time, so another injection two weeks later finally worked. However, it never stopped the ear ringing, but it did end the dizziness, vomiting, inability to work in my beauty salon, never knowing when I would have to crawl to the bathroom because I couldn’t walk. My husband was trained when I had these seizures how to handle me. I would be weak after a seizure for 3-5 days. The inability to comprehend information, make decisions, even decide what I would like for dinner was too difficult for me to handle. I have been seizure free since the injections. As much joy that I found being seizure free, I paid a very high price because I lost over 80% of hearing
in my left ear. But – I got my life back.

I now work out of my home, I created a quiet environment. I still cannot go grocery shopping if it is over 20 minutes, same with the big stores. Symptoms remaining are: Sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises/loud music. Must watch the diet – salt is the biggest culprit for me. Odors-can’t do permanent waves. To do color tints I have to wear a very large mask. Insomnia – use sleep aids when needed. I take lots of vitamins. Still have ringing in ear.

WHAT I CAN DO – Ballroom Dancing with my wonderful husband, I line dance all by myself, I can drive, work part-time in my salon, can garden and clean my own home with hubby’s help. I love to cook and collect recipes. I am a Master Braider and teach hundreds of Cosmetologists every year at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.
I thank the Lord and the good Doctors, for all their help. I AM HEALTHY, HAPPPY AND TERRIFIC.