Elderly Father with Dementia Complaining About Ringing Ear After Bladder Infection

[Holly G]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to read this...
If this is in the wrong place then I apologize.

My elderly father with dementia has been complaining about his one ear ringing for about 6 months now.
He's 78 and it seemed to have started after he was hospitalized for a bladder infection that went into his bloodstream.

I met with his PCP the other day and his exact words were that my dad was going to have to "live with it".
He said that I could take him to an ENT or specialist, but that it would honestly be a waste of money.

My father is begging for help. He had been taking the Lipo-flavonoid ringing pills, but I don't think they were helping.

Is it worth standing up to the PCP and demanding my dad see an ENT or Audiologist?
He also seems to have some hearing loss.

Thank you, I am in tears with watching him suffer.
~Holly

 

[Kriszti]

I'm extremely sorry for your father's and your situation, Holly.

In my experience, going to an ENT is worthless in the sense that if the ringing is idiopathic, they won't be able to do anything. But maybe they are more qualified than a PCP to rule out underlying causes like an infection or wax build-up or order specific scans.

An audiologist could be of help to determine the level of hearing loss your dad has. Some people have relief from the ringing when they use hearing aids, because outer sounds get amplified and they mask the ringing.

I guess, he was given antibiotics for the bladder infection. Some are ototoxic (mostly the ones ending in - mycin, and Cipro is reported to have adverse effects as well), so maybe that caused the ringing.

Also, because of your dad's age, in my country, cognitive and bloodflow enhancers (piracetam, ginkgo, cavinton) are commonly used to treat tinnitus in elderly patients and some do get better from them. Try to consult a doctor about them.

 

[Lilah]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to read this...
If this is in the wrong place then I apologize.

My elderly father with dementia has been complaining about his one ear ringing for about 6 months now.
He's 78 and it seemed to have started after he was hospitalized for a bladder infection that went into his bloodstream.

I met with his PCP the other day and his exact words were that my dad was going to have to "live with it".
He said that I could take him to an ENT or specialist, but that it would honestly be a waste of money.

My father is begging for help. He had been taking the Lipo-flavonoid ringing pills, but I don't think they were helping.

Is it worth standing up to the PCP and demanding my dad see an ENT or Audiologist?
He also seems to have some hearing loss.

Thank you, I am in tears with watching him suffer.
~Holly

Really sad to read this. I think the best thing is probably hearing aids with maskers. I also recommend the Sound Pillow for sleep as that is really the only thing that has somewhat helped of all the things I tried. There unfortunately is no cure for tinnitus. If your father is taking new meds because of the infection, that might be worth looking into.

 

[Holly G]

Thank you so much... I will will into those. He also says he is dizzy at times. All of this started around Dec of last year.
Thanks again!!
~Holly

 

[LauraK4]

That's so sad that your Dad is going through this. Your PCP is no help at all. You definitely should see an ENT for the ringing and the dizziness. And an audiologist for a hearing evaluation because hearing aides, if needed, might help the tinnitus.
Hope you find some answers for him.
Laura