8-Year-Old Complaining of Tinnitus: No Noise Trauma — Could It Be Earwax Blockage?

[Samantha R]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I last posted. My cochlear hydrops and tinnitus are largely under control, and life has been 'normal' for me.

Tonight, my heart broke when I found my eight-year-old daughter in the bathroom, crying and saying she could hear a noise in her right ear. After calming her down, I was able to gather that it sounded like someone was 'marching' in her ear. She also mentioned that sounds are not as loud in the affected ear.

I did an online hearing test with her and had her take it twice. The results show hearing loss across all frequencies in her right ear and normal hearing in her left ear. I have been quietly panicking, but I now think this could be an earwax blockage. I will take her to a doctor as soon as possible tomorrow to get it checked.

She has fallen asleep now (11:40 p.m.) and seemed less distressed once we discussed what it might be. Does earwax seem like the most likely cause? There has been no noise trauma, which anyway wouldn't typically cause hearing loss across all frequencies.

My issues are inflammation and hormonal cochlear hydrops. I don't think she would have these issues at eight years old. The hydrops caused middle ear myoclonus for me, and I was worried that the marching sound could be middle ear myoclonus.

Any help or reassurance would be appreciated.

Samantha

 

[Michael Leigh]

Any help or reassurance would be appreciated.

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties your daughter is going through with tinnitus at the moment @Samantha R. The ear and auditory system are complex, so you are doing the right thing by taking her to see an ENT doctor because this is their area of expertise.

If your daughter doesn't regularly listen to audio through earbuds or other types of headphones, then her symptoms are unlikely to be caused by noise trauma. Earwax blockage can certainly cause tinnitus. If the doctor diagnoses impacted earwax as causing the tinnitus, then it must be removed. It is important that the earwax is sufficiently softened before it is removed either manually by curette, ear irrigation, or microsuction. Whatever removal method the doctor recommends, I suggest olive oil or eardrops be applied to each ear three times a day. Since your daughter is just eight, I don't know the recommended days for when this should be carried out before the earwax is removed.

For adults, it is recommended that eardrops be applied to each ear three times a day for ten days prior to having the earwax removed. This usually softens the earwax so it can be easily removed.

As you know, many things can cause tinnitus, so I think it's best that your daughter be examined by an ENT doctor as soon as possible. I advise that you don't try any self-help. Let the medical professionals see your daughter.

Best of luck,
Michael

 

[slc]

Another possibility is a bacterial or fungal infection, although she likely would have complained that her ear or side of the head hurt. Eczema can also sometimes block up an ear canal.

The earwax should be straightforward for an ENT to diagnose, or even a GP, given how difficult it may be to get an appointment with an ENT.

Best of luck.

 

[Samantha R]

Thank you both @Michael Leigh and @slc.

I did wonder about SSNHL. This seems quite rare, but it is still a possibility that needs to be ruled out.

Given that it's been two days, I will ensure we see someone today.

 

[Scared111]

I hope your daughter is okay. Have you taken her to the doctor yet?

 

[Samantha R]

I hope your daughter is okay. Have you taken her to the doctor yet?

Thanks for asking. We went to the Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne after the doctor said he saw no earwax or issues with her middle ear.

The ENT at the hospital started her on Prednisolone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss that night, given there was no earwax and no recent upper respiratory infections.

We had an audiogram the next day, and fortunately, the tympanogram showed pressure issues. It appears the Eustachian tubes are very congested. Her hearing is normal, too.

I have to give her nasal spray and encourage her to open her Eustachian tubes with the Valsalva technique.

I was so triggered by her getting upset by the tinnitus.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Thanks for asking. We went to the Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne after the doctor said he saw no earwax or issues with her middle ear.

The ENT at the hospital started her on Prednisolone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss that night, given there was no earwax and no recent upper respiratory infections.

We had an audiogram the next day, and fortunately, the tympanogram showed pressure issues. It appears the Eustachian tubes are very congested. Her hearing is normal, too.

I have to give her nasal spray and encourage her to open her Eustachian tubes with the Valsalva technique.

I was so triggered by her getting upset by the tinnitus.

I'm glad it all worked out, Sam. Hopefully, she will be able to return to school. Good luck with the run!

 

[BB23]

Thanks for asking. We went to the Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne after the doctor said he saw no earwax or issues with her middle ear.

The ENT at the hospital started her on Prednisolone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss that night, given there was no earwax and no recent upper respiratory infections.

We had an audiogram the next day, and fortunately, the tympanogram showed pressure issues. It appears the Eustachian tubes are very congested. Her hearing is normal, too.

I have to give her nasal spray and encourage her to open her Eustachian tubes with the Valsalva technique.

I was so triggered by her getting upset by the tinnitus.

I have been following your posts for a while. I think this issue runs in your family, right?

 

[Samantha R]

I have been following your posts for a while. I think this issue runs in your family, right?

There is certainly a lot of tinnitus in my family. Dad and one sister both have it, which is why I jumped to the worst-case scenario with my daughter.

Fortunately, for now, her issues are middle ear related, but it was a good opportunity to talk to her about noise, etc, and caring for our hearing.

 

[Daniel Lion]

There is certainly a lot of tinnitus in my family. Dad and one sister both have it, which is why I jumped to the worst-case scenario with my daughter.

Fortunately, for now, her issues are middle ear related, but it was a good opportunity to talk to her about noise, etc, and caring for our hearing.

I hope your daughter is getting better. I'm praying for your beautiful young one. Let us know how she is getting on.

Stay strong and calm, Mom! You can do it.

With love,
Daniel