King’s Lynn vertigo sufferer has 200 dizzy-free days thanks to Norwich medical trial

Colin Breeze, 61, was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, a rare vertigo-related condition a year ago, which left him pinned to the floor, unable to move.

Overcome by extreme weekly bouts of dizziness and sickness, Mr Breeze was looking for anything that could help.

He said: 'If you'd said to me here's a million pounds, get yourself up those stairs or even onto the settee, I couldn't have done it. It was absolutely impossible.

'It's the most debilitating thing I've ever experienced in my life, the feeling was horrendous.'

Worried about losing his job, he feared it was the end. 'I thought my life would just deteriorate from there on in and it was just the event of getting old,' he said.

When he was pointed in the direction of NNUH's research study OTO-104, he met John Phillips, a consultant surgeon, and it is a moment he remembers clearly.

'I went to see Mr Phillips and he looked me in the eye and said, 'Colin, I'm going to make you better' and I believed he meant it. I was so relieved.'

For the study, Mr Breeze had the OTO104 drug injected into the affected ear and after just two treatments his symptoms had completely disappeared.

Two hundred days later and still symptom-free he is thanking the hospital for the life-changing treatment.

He added: 'It's better than winning the lottery. I'm so grateful for what's happened, this research trial has changed my life.'

The customer service and quality assurance manager is happy to be back at work and hopes that the study will help people with the condition in the future.

Mr Phillips added: 'The success of the OTO-104 treatment trials may profoundly increase our understanding of Ménière's disease but this success hinges on the willingness and courage of participants such as Mr Breeze, who we are extremely grateful to for getting involved.'

•If you have a story about someone's recovery, email jemma.walker@archant.co.uk