Nadia Bishop, 50, from Swindon, had been battling dizziness and blocked ears for months and simply put it down to a common cold – but then she was suddenly left unable to move
A woman who initially dismissed her symptoms as a common cold was left fearing for her life as she suddenly became unable to move or open her eyes. Nadia Bishop, 50, from Swindon, had been battling recurring dizzy spells and blocked ears but suddenly found herself breaking out in a sweat, with ringing in her ears and the room spinning around her.
She felt so nauseous that she feared for her life and was at home alone, unable to move. With the help of Siri on her iPhone she managed to call her mother-in-law for assistance, leading to a paramedic being dispatched to her home. “I felt terrified,” Nadia said. “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.” The marketing manager was given an anti-sickness injection and was assisted into bed before visiting a GP the next day in April 2017.
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Having had blocked ears for several weeks, Nadia, who also works as a model, assumed she was simply suffering from a common cold. However, she was quickly diagnosed with labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the inner ear that affects hearing and balance.
It was anticipated that her symptoms would subside within a few months. However, they only got worse. She explained: “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.”
Following an MRI scan and additional tests, Nadia received a heartbreaking diagnosis – she had Ménière’s disease, a rare and incurable condition characterised by episodes of vertigo and hearing loss. Since being diagnosed, Nadia has been battling severe dizzy spells and a swift decline in her hearing. To combat these symptoms, she’s been fitted with hearing aids and receives steroid injections every three months. There’s hope on the horizon as she looks forward to surgery that could drain the fluid from her inner ear and provide more extended relief.
Despite the challenges, Nadia finds her condition more manageable now, although she continues to experience bouts of relentless vomiting. Along her journey, she’s become a champion for those wearing hearing aids and has taken up British Sign Language (BSL) to educate others.
She expressed her determination: “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.”