You may know Jessie J from some of her hit singles like “Price Tag” or “Bang Bang,” but did you know that she is also a rare disease patient? She spoke up about her journey with Meniere’s disease at the end of 2020. Since then, she has been very open about her personal struggles and her journey back to music and performing.

About Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease is a chronic inner ear condition that is characterized by dizziness, ear pressure, and pain. Medical professionals are unsure as to what causes this condition, but they suspect that it might be an abnormal amount of fluid within the inner ear. Regardless of the cause, they have identified a number of risk factors, including allergies, viral infections, improper fluid drainage, head trauma, genetic predispositions, migraines, and improper immune response.

Symptoms typically appear in episodes, with most patients experiencing no effects in between these episodes. These attacks bring symptoms such as headaches, nausea, sweating, vomiting, vertigo, loss of balance, tinnitus, aural fullness, and hearing loss in the affected ear. While there is no cure for these symptoms, treatments exist to manage them, and many patients are able to achieve remission. Treatment consists of vestibular rehab, surgery, and medications. Doctors have also found that drinking plenty of water while limiting consumption of chocolate, caffeine, salt, and alcohol can be helpful in managing Meniere’s disease.

Jessie J’s Story

Jessie J was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease back towards the end of 2020. It was not until the very end of December that she went public with this information. When she did speak publicly about her health, she revealed to fans that she had lost her hearing and dealt with severe dizziness on Christmas Eve.

Alongside Meniere’s disease, Jessie J has been diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords and acid reflux. The combination of all of these ailments has left her unable to do what she loves most: sing. Since then, she has been working on her health, attending medical appointments, and undergoing testing.

She has changed her Meniere’s disease medication, been on vocal rest, restricted her diet, and undergone a number of exploratory procedures to better understand the problem. While testing reveals that her nodules are gone, she still deals with daily pain and has been warned that they could return.

Determined to return to singing and performing, Jessie J has been working on her health for months. Now, it has paid off with the release of the music video for her latest single, I Want Love. She celebrated the release and her ability to sing again with an Instagram video that was originally intended for her speech therapist. In the video, she quietly sings her new song while fighting back tears. “Just hearing myself sing it and feel so vulnerable whilst singing bought me to tears,” was written in the post’s caption.

While Jessie J’s journey back to the stage isn’t over yet, she has made amazing progress and continues to improve every day. You can read more about her story here.