My husband has been worried about his "good" ear lately too. He was only diagnosed in Dec so we are praying it doesn't go bilateral that quickly! He has alot of pain/fullness along with more tinnitus than before. He will be seeing a new ENT/Neurotologist at the Univ of MN at the end of April. Hopefully we will find out more then. Prayers to you that your good ear stays good! :)

I had this happen to me several years ago. The worst part was that my good ear started to be affected about 3 months after I had surgery on the other ear to stop the vertigo.
Unfortuantely there is no way to predict if both ears will be affected but it does happen to a lot of people no matter what your doctor tells you.
He only sees a small number of patients in his practice compared to the projected 600,000 plus cases of meniere's in north america now.

Mondoboy...my husband had the endolymphatic surgery in Dec. His vertigo has improved but he has multiple other worsening and new issues since - worse pain, tinnitus and sound sensitivity along with Bells Palsy and nerve damage (that is finally starting to heal). When the vertigo does hit, he is now throwing up which he never did before surgery. And now his other ear is giving him problems - pain and tinnitus. He is getting so discouraged. I hope he can get some help from the new ENT/Neurotologist.

Leslie, I do test bilateral, but have only begun to notice symptoms in the past few months. They are very mild tinnitus and pressure, so I'm not going to worry just yet. My doctor told me that many times a person will test bilateral (meaning the balance tests, etc.) but the second ear will never cause a problem or produce symptoms. I'm hoping mine will be like that.

Spouse: That's good news that your husband is seeing the new doctor. Mine also specializes in neuro/otolaryngology with some kind of sub specialty involving balance. In difficult cases like ours, it's best to go right to the top! Praying that y'all get a new treatment plan that will be perfect for your hubby:)

I have heard of many people with bilateral MD. From what I understand...and have been told twice by two different doctors....there is about a 30% chance of it going bilateral. Everytime my unaffected ear starts to ring...I get worried and the feeling of dread comes over me.
Not all doctors know everything. Just do plenty of research...it's out there to read.

Bilateral Meniere's is definitely a concern for anyone who has already had it in one ear. I would think hard before any destructive procedure is done, especially if you have any symptoms in the good ear. There is no turning back after a procedure is done. Sometimes also we forget that you may or may not have your Meniere's stop altogether, either by remission or Meniere's burnout. There are three stages of the disease. In stage three, the drop attacks stop but constant dizziness, hearing loss and some vertigo remain. This isn't so much about the Meniere's at this stage as much as it is the destruction it has caused to the inner ear. There is no cardinal rule as to when you get to this point.

God Bless

Rich

When I was diagnosed with MD it said I had mild MD in the good ear, which doesn't seem to have progressed but I do have times when I get concerned.
Stage 3 does see the end of full blown attacks but as Rich says the constant and sometimes severe vertigo, severe hearing loss, severe pressure, mild tinnitis continues, in my case that is. All due to the destruction in the ear. Quality of life is still very hard especially as this happens at the same time as becoming elderly which also has it's challenges, like loss of confidence for one. But "acceptance" and doing the best you can and of course having no more sudden attacks certainly helps.
God Bless.

Occasionally I will have a very mild tinnitus in my good ear this is when the tinnitus in my bad ear is off the charts loud!! I never have felt a fullness in the good ear, & my earring is totally normal in the good ear. My ENT thinks that when the tinnitus is bad on one side your brain can send that sound to the good side for "balance" , it makes sense to me but yeah I still get freaked out!

Texanspot I think you were right. I ended up having the worst night I have had in 6 weeks regarding vertigo and symptoms. My doc here only sees Meniere's patients or those with vertigo issues and there is no arguing with him regarding bilateral. I'm going to have to switch doctors when we move in June and I think there is a Menieres doctor in Gainesville, FL. I might be able to talk to him about my concerns. I've had a good 6 week run of few symptoms and I am just hoping this is a small blip and not the start of another downhill slide.
Thanks guys!