Hello @eflood I am sorry to hear of your husband's inner ear damage and balance issues. Balance issues make life difficult and can result in falls and injuries. You said that he had all the tests several years ago. Was a diagnosis made as a result of those tests and was a treatment plan put in place? Regarding treatment, I'm thinking about physical therapy, vestibular therapy, etc. Also, is there any corrective treatments for the inner ear damage? Depending on the amount of time that has passed since his last evaluation, it might be good to get a reevaluation and a second opinion now, perhaps at a large medical center where their expertise might be greater than that of a regular ENT. Also, has he seen a neurologist regarding the balance issues?

I would encourage you to get a second opinion. There are Mayo Clinics in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona. If you are not able to travel to those facilities a large medical school might be helpful as well. In the meantime, here is a Mayo Clinic website that talks about inner ear and balance issues http://mayocl.in/2t6lmi9.

Please continue to share with us as you are comfortable. We are hear to be a "listening ear" and we hope that your husband is able to find some relief. Teresa

Thank you for your quick response.  Years ago after he went through all the tests (maybe 10 years ago), the doctor told him the only thing he could do is physical therapy which amounted to some exercises that retrained his brain for balance.  Basically, his balance is his eyes.  Walking around in the dark is very difficult for him.  The doctor we went to was at UT Southwest in Dallas.  We have discussed going back to her, but we are in Florida most of the time now.  So perhaps we should set up an appointment with some one at Mayo Clinic here in Florida.  Do you have a suggestion?  I will check out the website you gave me too.  

@eflood Thanks for your post. I have Parkinson's and I have balance problems as well - walking in the dark (or closing my eyes) is definitively not something that I do. I don't know anyone personally at Mayo Clinic in Florida, but if you call them and explain your husband's problem they will undoubtedly put you in contact with the right specialist. Here is the contact info for Mayo Clinic in Florida, 904-953-0853; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Best wishes to you both and please keep in touch with us. Teresa

Hi @eflood,

I found this article on Mayo Clinic's News Network, about inner ear problems, which I thought might interest you:
http://mayocl.in/2rXzXgD

And here is more information from Mayo Clinic about the various treatment options available, including stereotactic radio surgery: http://mayocl.in/2rMPMrU

@eflood, has your husband mad any significant changes to his diet, to help ease the symptoms?

Thank you so much for the article. Very interesting. My husband (Mickey) does not suffer from dizziness so I'm not sure if repositioning the crystals in his inner ears would help him or not. We have not tried to change his diet. That is something that has not occurred to us. He eats pretty healthy now and only has an alcohol drink on occasion. I think I will research the repositioning crystals more because that sounds like something that might be helpful. Thanks again.

Thank you Teresa. We will call and see if they can help Mickey out. There is so much research being done on the stem cell treatments for all kinds of ailments that I am hoping that we will find out they have some miracle solution. Hope you find what you need for your Parkinson's. You might want to look at the different stem cell treatments too. Thanks again for your help. Take care.

@eflood Thanks for your kind words. My Parkinson's is well controlled with meds and exercise - I'm grateful for that. Keep in touch with us and let us know how you and your husband are doing. Teresa

@eflood, Thank you for posting! I would like to add my Welcome to Kanaaz and Teresa's. It looks like they have given you some great information.

Without proper evaluation from a Medical provider, it's hard to say what Mayo Clinic can do to help your husband. There have been a number improvements in the diagnosing of problems with balance and the treatment in the past 10 years. However, there is nothing regarding stem cell activities at this time.

If you and your husband are interested in coming to Mayo Clinic, Rochester we would have you call our Appointment line at http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63 to start the process. You will speak with one of our Appointment specialists and be sent a questionnaire by mail to complete and return with any outside information or medical records you have. The next step is to have our providers review and triage to decipher what testing needs to be done. Rochester Mayo Clinic has an extensive program for patients that are dizzy or with balance issues and people come from all over the world to be seen here with our specialists.

I wish you and your husband the best with making a decision on where to go and hope you get some answers and relief!

Thanks so much for your email.  We will be giving Mayo a call.  We really appreciate the information you sent.