- Kristin Chenoweth is a famous Broadway actress.
- She was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease when she was 30.
- Kristin sometimes has to put her career aside due to her health.
Kristin Chenoweth, 55, has been a Broadway legend since the 1990s, but most people don’t know that she’s dealt with major health struggles for a long time. When Kristin was in her 20s, she started experiencing severe migraines and vertigo. After six years, the Wicked star learned from doctors that she had Ménière’s disease. Kristin didn’t let her health issues stop her from achieving great success in her life. However, Kristin’s still affected by Ménière’s disease to this day.
Kristin has been extremely open about her health battle. “I don’t want to appear weak. But the older I get, the more I go, ‘I have this, and today might not be the best day,’ and that is very freeing,” she told Women’s Health Magazine in Feb. 2022, when discussing how she combats the invisible illness. Keep reading to learn more about Kristin’s battle with Ménière’s disease and how she’s doing today.
Kristin Chenoweth Diagnosed With Ménière’s Disease
Kristin Chenoweth was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease when she was 30 years old. But she started exhibiting symptoms of the illness at 24. She said in an interview that her first vertigo attack happened while she was performing with the Virginia Symphony. She experienced severe head pain that left her “crawling off the stage” and leaving to her hotel, where she vomited repeatedly and had a lasting headaches for days. “I didn’t know what hit me,” Kristin said in the interview. “I thought I was having a brain aneurysm or stroke.”
After years of struggling with headaches and vertigo, Kristin “went through three days of medical testing,” she said, before she got her official diagnosis. She was finally told that she had Ménière’s disease.
What Is Ménière’s Disease?
Ménière’s disease is a disorder caused by build of fluid in the chambers in the inner ear, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ménière’s typically only affects one ear. Symptoms include regular dizzy spells, or vertigo, hearing loss, ringing in the ear, and headaches and migraines. Vertigo attacks typically start without warning, and usually last 20 minutes to 12 hours, but not longer than 24 hours, per the Mayo Clinic. Ménière’s usually affects people between the ages of 40 to 60, which makes Kristin a significant exception to that stat. There is no official cure for Ménière’s, making it a lifelong condition.
How Long Has Kristin Chenoweth Been Sick?
Kristin has been sick with Ménière’s disease for over 30 years. From the ages of 24 to 30, she was experiencing symptoms of the disease, but wasn’t officially diagnosed yet. “Sometimes I can just wake up with vertigo,” Kristin said in an interview. “The reason it stinks is because there’s no warning.” Kristin also admitted that she’s selective about which jobs she takes because of her health struggles.
One of Kristin’s worst episodes with Ménière’s disease occurred at the 2009 Emmy Awards. After she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Pushing Daisies, Kristin suffered a “pounding” headache and had to leave the event in an ambulance. “I remember when I won the Emmy, I went off stage and you know, we get all the paparazzi shots and I left by ambulance,” she told PEOPLE in 2022. Kristin also said about the disease, “It really affected my life. It prevented me from enjoying some great moments in my career, too.”
How Is Kristin Chenoweth Doing Today?
Kristin has learned to live with Ménière’s disease the best she can. She relies on medication, low-sodium eating regimen, and lifestyle mods, like sleeping on an incline, according to her interview with Women’s Health. “Meditation, prayer, breathing exercises, being in a dark room. These are things that I have to do,” she told PEOPLE.” I don’t drink a lot of alcohol. I watch my salt. I do everything I can to prevent it.” Kristin also does botox to combat her migraines that come from Ménière’s.
Furthermore, Kristin has support from others who also suffer from the illness. “I have several friends who have [Meniere’s], and we talk about it and get through our pain together,” she said in an interview. While Kristin’s career is sometimes affected by Ménière’s disease, she’s learned to always stay positive with help from her dad, Jerry. “The best advice I’ve ever received was from my dad,” she told Women’s Health. “I’m a perfectionist to the nth degree, and he said, ‘Stop sweating the small stuff.’ It’s very simple—but it’s hard for me to do. I tell myself all the time, ‘Listen, Kristin, it’s okay. Have fun.’ “