u/NewBirth2010

Hi everyone. I was recently diagnosed with Endolymphatic Hydrops / Ménière's Disease by my ENT due to pressure in my ear and hearing loss. My ENT prescribed Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) which is in the group Thiazide Diuretics, 50mg once daily to help reduce inner ear fluid pressure. Hydrochlorothiazide belongs to a class of medications called Thiazide Diuretics, commonly known as water pills.

I took my first dose today (starting on 25mg to ease in gradually) and wanted to share my experience for anyone going through something similar. I was quite anxious about starting a diuretic at work but honestly the fear of the unknown was worse than reality.

Also following a strict low sodium diet to enhance the effectiveness of Hydrochlorothiazide for inner ear fluid pressure.

I will be monitoring my progress closely and will come back to update this post with my experience.

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I have a unilateral inner ear condition consistent with Meniere's disease, ear fullness, pressure, and tinnitus that fluctuate with triggers, while vertigo is mild., My biggest concern is the deterioration and total loss of hearing below 250 Hz in my right ear. I hear no bass at all in my right ear, and this has completely destroyed the emotional impact of music for me, making everything sound thin, flat, and lifeless.

My hearing of low frequencies briefly returned for one day last month, allowing me to hear bass again and giving me a moment of real happiness, before it disappeared again.

My ENT declined intratympanic steroid treatment and instead prescribed diuretics (I haven’t started taking them yet).

I am not fully confident that my ENT chose the optimal treatment approach, and I am uncertain whether it was appropriate to decline intratympanic steroid treatment in my case.

I am really distressed and looking for advice or experiences.

Με κρατάει πείνα εδώ και λίγη ώρα, οπότε ρίχνω μια πίτσα από τα Lidl μέσα ( στο φούρνο ). Ντρέπομαι λίγο που το ομολογώ αλλά απο τα lidl είναι και πολύ φθηνιάρικη, €5 και έχει τέσσερις στο πακέτο, αλλά βγαίνει πάντα νοστιμότατη για κάποιο λόγο.

Γεια σας παίδες, κάτστε άνετα γιατί σήμερα έσπασα προσωπικό ρεκόρ ντροπής.

Δουλεύω εδώ και 5 μέρες ολομόναχος στο γραφείο. Κανείς. Μηδέν. Ούτε η καθαρίστρια (που την έχω βαφτίσει «κολυμπιθρόξυλο» από την τεμπελιά της) δεν έχει πατήσει. Ο προϊστάμενος μόνο τηλεφωνικά με τσίριζε κάθε πρωί: «Θέλω την εργασία στο desk μου τελειωμένη μέχρι τις 5, εντάξει;» και μετά κλείνει. Δεν έχει εμφανιστεί ούτε αυτός. Το γραφείο είχε γίνει ουσιαστικά το προσωπικό μου βασίλειο της μοναξιάς.

Χθες βράδυ είχα φάει μια τεράστια κατσαρόλα φασόλια (ναι, ξέρω, λάθος). Σήμερα το πρωί λοιπόν ένιωσα την πίεση να ανεβαίνει επικίνδυνα. Σκέφτηκα: «Ρε φίλε, εδώ δεν πατάει ψυχή. Θα την αμολήσω ελεύθερα μέχρι να αδειάσω». Και άρχισα.

Πρώτα μικρές δοκιμαστικές. Μετά κανονικές, βαθιές, μελωδικές. Στο τέλος έβγαζα τέτοιες που έκαναν τα παράθυρα να τρέμουν. Ο αέρας είχε πάρει χρώμα. Η μυρωδιά... αδερφέ μου, ήταν χημικό όπλο. Σαν να είχε πεθάνει καμιά κατσίκα μέσα στα φασόλια και είχε αναστηθεί σαν ζόμπι για να εκδικηθεί. Εγώ όμως ήμουν σε κατάσταση zen. Ξαλάφρωνα. Ένιωθα ελαφρύς σαν μπαλόνι.

Και εκεί που βγάζω την πιο δυνατή, την πιο ώριμη, την πιο «βγες έξω διάολε» κλανιά της ημέρας, αυτή που κράταγε από χθες το βράδυ, ανοίγει η πόρτα.

Μπαίνει στο γραφείο μου η E…..

Η Ε….. Η πιο όμορφη του ορόφου. Αυτή που όταν περνάει όλοι κάνουμε ότι δουλεύουμε σκληρά ενώ στην πραγματικότητα προσπαθούμε να μην τρέξουμε σάλια. Μακριά μαλλιά, χαμόγελο που σκοτώνει, και μυαλό που σε κάνει να ντρέπεσαι που είσαι άντρας.

Εγώ έχω ακόμα το πόδι λίγο σηκωμένο από την προσπάθεια. Κοκκινίζω τόσο πολύ που νιώθω ότι το πρόσωπό μου θα πάρει φωτιά και θα κάψει και την τελευταία απόδειξη του εγκλήματος. Προσπαθώ να πω κάτι cool:

«Εεεε... καλημέρα! … Εεεε δεν περίμενα να έρθεις …»

Εκείνη κάνει ένα βήμα μέσα και μετά δύο πίσω σαν να μπήκε σε τοξική ζώνη.

«Ήθελα μόνο να ρωτήσω αν τελείωσες εκείνη την έκθεση για να την ανεβάσω ... αλλά... μπορώ να έρθω... αργότερα;»

Και εγώ, σαν ηλίθιος:

«Όχι… Πήγαινε, θα έρθω εγώ απ εκεί να σου τη φέρω μετά !»

Στο τέλος έφυγε σχεδόν τρέχοντας. Άφησε την πόρτα μισάνοιχτη σαν να ήθελε να αεριστεί ο χώρος πριν μπει κανείς άλλος. Εγώ κάθισα άλλη μισή ώρα σαν κόκκινη ντομάτα, με τον ιδρώτα να τρέχει.

Τώρα κάθε φορά που θα τη βλέπω στον διάδρομο θα θυμάμαι ότι της προσέφερα δωρεάν εισιτήριο για το εργοστάσιο φασολιών μου.

Άλλη μια μέρα στο γραφείο, την τύχη μου πάλι Γ...Ω

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Due to budget constraints I could only build a single floor of a planned three-floor building. The elevator shaft (10m deep) was constructed but never used. The shaft opening was poorly closed off with just plasterboard on metal studs, tiled over, leaving an open void behind with no structural cap or proper seal. It can't be undone now.

My questions:

1. Simplest way to monitor for water leaking in over time?
2. Any creative ideas to improve or work around the poor closure that's already in place?

All suggestions welcome. Thank you!

Due to budget constraints I could only build a single floor of a planned three-floor building. The elevator shaft (10m deep) was constructed but never used. The shaft opening was poorly closed off with just plasterboard on metal studs, tiled over, leaving an open void behind with no structural cap or proper seal. It can't be undone now.

My questions:

1. Simplest way to monitor for water leaking in over time?
2. Any creative ideas to improve or work around the poor closure that's already in place?

All suggestions welcome. Thank you!

Due to budget constraints I could only build a single floor of a planned three-floor building. The elevator shaft (10m deep) was constructed but never used. The shaft opening was poorly closed off with just plasterboard on metal studs, tiled over, leaving an open void behind with no structural cap or proper seal. It can't be undone now.

My questions:

1. Simplest way to monitor for water leaking in over time?
2. Any creative ideas to improve or work around the poor closure that's already in place?

All suggestions welcome. Thank you!

Due to budget constraints I could only build a single floor of a planned three-floor building. The elevator shaft (10m deep) was constructed but never used. The shaft opening was poorly closed off with just plasterboard on metal studs, tiled over, leaving an open void behind with no structural cap or proper seal. It can't be undone now.

My questions:

1. Simplest way to monitor for water leaking in over time?

2. Any creative ideas to improve or work around the poor closure that's already in place?

All suggestions welcome. Thank you!

If you want more details, here:

It started a few years ago when my hearing began to deteriorate. At first, everything seemed Menière’s-like. The most troubling symptoms weren’t dizziness, but sudden tinnitus episodes and a heavy “blocked/veiled” feeling around my ears.

After an audiogram, my left ear showed significant hearing loss, while my right ear had a deep dip around 4 kHz. The overall pattern of my hearing loss mainly affected the lower frequency range.

With my Signia hearing aids, I’ve been able to manage the tinnitus and restore some gain. Before things worsened, I could still use high-quality headphones and, with EQ plus my hearing aids, I was able to enjoy music across the full spectrum again. My hearing aids even provided amplification up to around 12 kHz, although this sometimes caused mild hyperacusis.

Recently, everything changed.

My right ear has suddenly lost almost all perception of bass. No matter how much I boost 60–100 Hz on my EQ, the music sounds completely bassless. My right ear has also worsened and now seems to only respond to certain frequencies.

At this point, I can no longer enjoy stereo music. The right ear has deteriorated significantly, and low frequencies (roughly 60–125 Hz) are essentially gone completely. Even placing my ear next to a subwoofer produces no perceivable bass.

I’m really struggling with this emotionally, as music production and writing are my main hobbies. I’ve even started putting my equipment up for sale because I feel like I’m losing the ability to continue.

Is there any last-resort treatment or therapy that might help restore low-frequency hearing at least partially? High frequencies are still somewhat manageable with hearing aids, but the low end feels completely gone and dead.

I’m genuinely very sad about this situation.

Hi, I recently finished building a single-floor property and noticed some honeycombing in the concrete, rough, porous patches with visible voids. My contractor hasn't fixed or sealed them and has moved on.

Is this a serious structural issue or just cosmetic? Should I push him to fix it before final payment, or am I overreacting?

Thanks in advance!

I first took propranolol when I was 18. I remember how calm and at ease it made me feel, it was like a weight I didn’t even fully understand had been lifted. But my parents were strongly against it, and I had to stop.

Life went on, and I learned to cope in other ways, but that feeling of ease stayed in the back of my mind all these years. Now I’m 50, and I’ve started taking it again. The difference is just as clear as I remember.

What’s been hard, though, is the sense of regret. I keep thinking about all those years in between, how different things might have been if I had continued. It feels like I missed out on a version of life that could have been calmer, lighter.

At the same time, I know I made the best decisions I could under the circumstances back then. Still, it’s strange to reconnect with something that helps so much, and to realize how long I went without it.