Dana White: I want the surgery
Earlier this month, UFC President, Dana White missed his first UFC event in the 11 years he has been at the helm of the organization. White watched UFC on FUEL TV 3 from home because he was scheduled to undergo a surgical procedure the next day, which would have involved cutting his vestibular nerve to treat symptoms of Meniere’s Disease.
At the last minute, the doctors decided to treat it without surgery. Now, White claims that he wants to have the surgery to combat the disease and put it behind him, once and for all.
White told MMAWeekly: “I want the surgery. They don’t want to give me the surgery, but I want the surgery.”
Although this surgical procedure has no 100% guarantee, White is set on having it after experiencing a recent series of debilitating symptoms from the disease. White was quoted as saying: “I didn’t miss a fight for 11 years. I’ve had the flu, I’ve had food poisoning. I’ve had everything. I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life, and I don’t want ever want that to happen to me again.”
An attack of Meniere’s disease can cause a sudden loss of balance, vertigo, decrease in hearing, dizziness, nausea and severe sweating. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, but it is believed to be related to an increase in fluid pressure of the inner ear, which seves as the body’s equilibrium center. Up to 100,000 people are affected by the disease.
Treatments include lifestyle changes, antibiotics and herbal remedies. If surgery is required, a portion of the inner-ear apparatus may be removed, which helps with the dizziness but causes complete hearing loss in that ear. On occasion an antibiotic can be placed directly into middle ear to relieve the symptoms.
According to White, physical therapy will follow the surgery and he will need to recover his basic motor skills like walking and retraining spatial awareness. Ever the fighter, White said: “They said you go in and start working with a therapist, and in like a month, you can start getting your stuff back together. So I’ll do it in two weeks. I don’t have a month.”
Keeping an optimistic attitude like that should bode well for White and his success in combating the disease.
