Qualitative Study on the Experience of Patients with Meniere Disease

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to understand and describe the experiences of patients with Meniere disease. @*Methods@#Data were collected from February 19, 2019, to February 5, 2020, through individual in-depth interviews with 13 Meniere patients. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis. @*Results@#The experiences of patients with Meniere disease were clustered into the following four themes from 22 meaning units 1) Complex unfamiliar symptoms that shatter both balance of the body and peace of the heart; 2) A disease that medical treatment and health professionals cannot cure; 3) Suffering hardships that cannot be understood by non-Meniere sufferers; and 4) Making daily efforts to become healthier. Symptoms of Meniere disease are life-shattering and depressing because they are neither visible nor easily curable. Over time, as they accepted the reality of living with the disease, the participants would shift their focus from complete symptomatic cure to leading a healthy and more balanced life. @*Conclusion@#This study shows that Meniere disease has a pervasive impact on all aspects of the patients’ lives. Patients are prone to experiencing restrictions in their social functioning and activities. They also experience psychosocial problems due to the unseen nature of their symptoms. This study elucidates the experiences of Meniere patients and the need for nursing intervention to help improve their quality of life and ability to self-manage. Lastly, this study shows the need for a coordinated interdisciplinary approach to raising public awareness of the disease.