Living with Ménière’s disease: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant characteristics.

Name (pseudonym)	Age (years)	Marital status	Occupation	Interview location (duration)	Time since onset
Angela	71	Married	Retired health care support worker	Local community (63 min)	35 years
Angela lived with Ménière’s disease for twenty years before being diagnosed. She experienced severe attacks of vertigo for over 25 years before undergoing successful surgery. She previously took prescribed medication to control vomiting during an attack but reported only one severe attack of vertigo since her surgery eight years prior to taking part in the study. At the time of the interview, Angela had difficulty with her balance and occasionally used a walking stick. She also had permanent tinnitus, and hearing loss. She used hearing aids but struggled with sound distortion.
Yvonne	61	Married	Retired early on health grounds previously a senior infant school teacher	Home (89 min)	12 years
Yvonne was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease after living with symptoms for six years. She reported frequent (approximately monthly) and severe episodes of vertigo, constant tinnitus and variable degrees of hearing loss. Yvonne took prescribed medication to control symptoms during an attack. She sometimes required a walking stick.
Esther	80	Married	Retired civil servant	Home (89 min)	48 years
Esther was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease relatively quickly while she was in her early 30’s. She described frequent vertigo attacks (approximately weekly) and took prescribed medication 2-3 times a day to help control symptoms. She also had constant tinnitus and reported distorted and impaired hearing. Esther described herself as feeling unbalanced most of the time. She did not report using walking aids.
Joanne	49	Married	Medically retired, former financial consultant	Local community (102 min)	6 years
Joanne reported a relatively quick diagnosis which happened within a few weeks of the onset of symptoms. She described moderate to severe attacks at least once a week and symptoms of vertigo and tinnitus, as well as hearing loss for which she used hearing aids. Joanne used a walking stick and occasionally a motorised wheelchair due to impaired balance.

Table 2. Superordinate themes and subthemes.

Superordinate themes	Subthemes
Vertigo in the driving seat: “You have no control whatsoever”	1. Loss of bodily control
	2. Loss of control of the self in the social world
	3. Living with fear and fighting for control
A world turned upside down: “Ménière’s takes your life away completely”	1. Ménière’s spoiling and disrupting family life
	2. Living life bounded by Ménière’s
Moving forward with Ménière’s: “You get on with life”	1. Pushing Ménière’s to the fringes
	2. Tackling Ménière’s head on