A woman who thought frequent dizzy spells and blocked ears were due to a cold has revealed her nightmare ordeal after being left unable to move.
Nadia Bishop suddenly became very sweaty, her ears started ringing and the room began to spin; feeling so nauseous she thought she was about to die.
Home alone and unable to move, she used Siri on her iPhone to call her mother-in-law for help and a paramedic was sent to her address.
“I felt terrified,” the marketing manager from Swindon, told Need To Know.
“I couldn’t physically move or even open my eyes.
“Then I started vomiting continuously.
“I could feel my hearing going and I truly thought it was the end.”
Nadia, 50, was given an anti-sickness jab and was helped into bed before going to visit a GP the following day in April 2017.
As her ears had been blocked for weeks, the model simply assumed it was a cold.
She was swiftly diagnosed with labyrinthitis, an inner-ear inflammation affecting hearing and balance.
It was expected her symptoms should clear within a few months; though these only deteriorated.
She said: “While I was on the waiting list, my problems continued.
“The dizzy spells could last from 20 minutes to two days which was really debilitating.
“Meanwhile, my hearing was deteriorating rapidly in both ears.”
Nadia was sent for an MRI scan and further tests which led to a devastating diagnosis – she had Ménière’s disease, a rare and incurable disorder that causes episodes of vertigo and hearing loss.
Since her diagnosis, Nadia’s condition has caused debilitating dizzy spells and rapid hearing loss.
She’s now had hearing aids fitted, as well as receiving steroid injections every three months to help ease the symptoms.
It’s hoped she’ll soon be able to undergo surgery to drain the fluid from her inner ear, relieving her condition for longer periods of time.
Nadia says it’s become more manageable, though she still suffers from continuous vomiting episodes.
Throughout her journey, Nadia has also become an advocate for hearing aid acceptance and has learned British Sign Language (BSL) to teach others.
She added: “I’m doing everything I can to promote hearing aid positivity to remove the stigma and embarrassment of wearing them.
“Adjusting to this condition and everything it brings has been tough, but I will stay positive.”
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