menieres disease and nursing

llg, PhD, RN · May 22, 2010

I am no expert in Meniere's Disease, but I have mild balance and hearing deficiencies and have known people with Menier's Disease. I have known people with mild disease ... and others whose disease was so serious that they were fairly incapacitated.

Whether or not nursing will "work for you" as a career depends on how bad your condition is and how bad it will become. It can be a progressive disease -- and if it becomes serious, you would have a lot of trouble working in many (most?) nursing jobs -- particularly those that are available to people new in the profession. However, if your condition remains mild, it would be do-able. Can you afford to invest in the education only to find that in 5 or 10 years, your condition worsens and you can no longer work as a nurse?

Before investing in a nursing education, I recommend that you have a serious talk with your physician -- preferably an ENT or Otologist who is well-versed in Menier's Disease and who knows your particular case. Find out what course your disease is likely to take before making a decision.

I hope that conversation with your doctor goes well and wish you the best of luck with whatever decision you make. But you must understand that nursing school and most beginning nursing jobs usually involve physicial work, bending over, turning, etc. that might throw you off-balance. There are "desk jobs" that don't require much physicality, but they are rarely available for those new in the profession and many of those jobs require higher levels of education (Bachelor's or Master's Degrees). You are wise to be investigating things thoroughly before making a decision.

Good luck.

Phlebotomyguy · May 22, 2010

Thanks for the reply, I was a nurse aid for 4 years in long term care. Just moved to phlebotomy after my knees started to go. And fortunatly I am able to keep my balance issues relativley under control. My interest in lpn school at the moment even tho the lack of jobs.

Just trying to figure it all out, not the behind the desk type so I always need to be on my feet lol.

llg, PhD, RN · May 22, 2010

It sounds like your Meniere's Disease is pretty mild at the moment. The question is though, what will it be like in 5, 10, 15 years?

I met a woman once who was upset because she felt her employer was "forcing her out of her job" because of her hearing loss was getting worse. This woman had been hard of hearing since childhood, but now as an adult, her hearing was deteriorating significantly and it had become a problem at her job. She was a swtichboard operator. While I felt sorry for her, I couldn't help but wonder ... "Why did someone who had been hearing impaired since childhood decide to become a switchboard operator? Didn't she ever stop and think that her hearing loss might worsen someday? Why not choose a line of work that she could still do if her hearing became worse some day?"

I guess that's what I am suggesting you to do. Don't just think in terms of what your disease is like now ... think about what it will be like in the future. Get as much information as you can about your likely prognosis. If your disease is likely to get worse in the future, then nursing is probably not a good choice for you (unless you become the desk-job type). However, if your doctor is reasonably certain that your condition will not get worse over time ... that's another story.