It was Menieres
An ENT doctor suggested I had Menieres (an illness that attacks the balance nerve and the ear) in 2023. He wasn't sure as he said the disease is rare and my hearing loss was in the wrong frequency. He said there is no cure and I would have to wait for burn out. A year later I had a drop attack and had had lots of vertigo so I went back and was surprised when he told me to go to my doctor as he thought I had FND. He said I had PPPD and told me the name of a website that was all about FND. I was convinced that my symptoms were due to a physical cause. I read the stories on the FND website and couldn't relate to any of it. I was reluctant to see my doctor as it seemed like the only treatment is antidepressents and I didn't want to take them. I went to see an expert on Menieres and he suggested surgery. After having a vestibular nerve section my symptoms went away. I am so annoyed that the ENT specialist suggested FND and wonder how many other people have been told they have it by doctors who don't have a solution to their problems.
I’m glad you trusted your instincts and found a specialist who looked further. It is concerning that FND was suggested while a physical explanation remained unresolved, especially since your symptoms disappeared after vestibular nerve section. If you don’t mind sharing, how long have you been symptom-free since the surgery?
Thanks for posting my story, I had surgery November 2025 and it stopped the drop attacks and vertigo,the first ENT doctor I saw thought that surgery would not help.
Thank you for sharing. This might help someone in the future. FND is the modern descendant of hysteria, so it is hardly surprising that the same diagnostic overshadowing persists. Ménière’s was one of the physical diseases whose symptoms could historically disappear into the broad category of “hysteria.” Today, vertigo can similarly be labelled as functional or PPPD before an evolving inner-ear disorder has been adequately investigated.