Meniere's Disease

Have you ever wondered how some of those high-visibility drummers learn to spin their sticks to such great effect? Mike Wilcox has and every now and then works on his spinning technique to use during performances. I have a special ability though, that not many others have. I can sit on my throne and spin the entire venue. Yes, that's right, I can spin the entire venue, the band, the amps and PA system, the audience...everything. I have a chronic illness called Meniere's disease.

This disease is not easy to diagnose. It's more a function of conducting tests to rule out other diseases. When those test prove negative it is pronounced that Meniere's disease is present. What are the symptoms? There are quite a few and they vary in intensity a lot from person to person.

One of the main categories has to do with balance. They have narrowed it down to being a problem with the inner ear the inner ear is responsible for balance and audible processing to the brain. Of course, if your eyes send a message to the brain that you are standing upright and the inner ear sends a message that you're tilted 45 degrees to the right, the brain sees this as a conflict and tries to work it out using inputs from the other senses. This takes time. So, while it's working on that and all the other things going on, it kind of shuffles other less important things to the bottom of the list for processing. Things like tempo, and fills usually end up on the bottom of the list.

With that basic understanding here's a short list of symptoms. Tinnitus appears in one or both ears. For me, it's in both and constant. Tinnitus is that "ringing in your ears" most noticeable after a loud concert or sometimes when your blood pressure goes up for a short time. Next is what I call "brain fog". This is where you can't seem to focus on the task at hand, or when you're talking to someone and minutes later can't remember what you talked about. It's not a memory inability, it's that your brain is so busy doing other things to keep you upright that it kind of processes things in the background only when you're at rest. Keeping you upright is considered more important than understanding that you come in on three for this tune.

The next symptom is the intermittent dizziness or "whirlies" as we call them. These can upon you without notice any time of the day or night. Sometimes they are mild and kind of feel like an ocean wave has just picked you up and then let you down as it passes over you.

Next are "drop attacks". These also come whenever they feel like it. You'll be walking down the hall and next thing you know, you're on the floor. They come and go quickly but can come at the worst times. Example, after the gig you talk to the owner about pay for the night and Boom! You're down. I wonder what they think.

The next and worst is the full-blown vertigo attack. These are devastating and to be avoided at all costs. This is what I mean when I say that I can spin an entire venue. Of course, the venue doesn't spin at all, but for as far as I'm concerned it does. To get an idea of this, sit down in a swivel chair and have a friend spin you around for about 60 seconds. Open your eyes and look at the room. It'll be spinning. If you stand up, you may find it's difficult to remain in one place. This also looks a lot like being drunk. Forget about walking a straight line or standing on one foot. These are really scary when they happen while you're driving. I've had these vertigo attacks last up to 45 minutes at times. Let me tell you, it makes you sick. Vomit occurs. Many times. Once the attack is over, I find my self so exhausted that I sleep for anywhere from 20 to 36 hours. Not a good way to keep your job or friends. Like the other symptoms these come and go when they please. There is no warning that something is going to happen. Of course there are people who experience migraine headaches, and I've had a few. I guess I'm lucky because I don't get them often. The end effect of all of this is that I'm tired all the time. I'm tired because I hardly ever get a decent rest. It works like this: When I go to bed at night, I fall into an incredible deep sleep. When I wake up in the morning (usually 7 hours) I'm still tired. Why? Because the whole time I was sleeping, my brain was at work. It had no rest, as it worked all night long. My body parts are usually recovered from the beating I put them through during the day, but I'm so tired it takes a lot of determination to even get out of the bed.

I love music, drumming in particular. It is because of this love that I'm able to do anything. I have a family and kids that I love as well. I could just sit back and say "Poor Me" but I don't. I take care of responsibilities so I can play music.