Hi all,
About 2 years ago, I went to urgent care in Los Angeles for temporary hearing loss due to impacted cerumen. A RN flushed the ear canal and removed it, but it caused pain, so I went to an ENT who told me I had otitis media with effusion (infected eardrum due to liquid in the middle ear - correct me if I'm wrong). He prescribed me a course of Amoxycilin and the pain goes away but I am left with about 10% hearing loss - that is my estimate, I didn't see an audiologist.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, and I see my new GP and he tells me I have cerumen in both ears. Yesterday I went to an ENT who removed the wax using curettage with no irrigation or suction. The procedure wasn't particularly painful or uncomfortable, however he did say that my eardrum on the left side seem to have "ridges" on it. I notice a "wonky" feeling in my left ear as I left the office, and by the time I got home, there was slight pain, fullness, and mild tinnitus, which has not gone away.
I called the ENT and he told me that if it doesn't improve after 3 months to come see him, and that the cleaning probably revealed the underlying tinnitus, and that it wasn't related to the cleaning. He told me to try a Lipoflavonoid supplement and that it works out in 2 out of 5 cases.
It was very difficult to sleep last night, but white noise helped.
So am I wondering:
In cases like this, does it usually resolve on its own?
What can I do now to help improve my situation (I would really like to avoid prednisolone)?
Should I sue this guy for malpractice? (I'm half serious about this, but after reading this I am tempted) http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/arti...resulting-from-cerumen-removal-procedures.pdf <-- see Figure 2. I believe my ENT did exactly what you're "not supposed to do."
Thank you in advance.
About 2 years ago, I went to urgent care in Los Angeles for temporary hearing loss due to impacted cerumen. A RN flushed the ear canal and removed it, but it caused pain, so I went to an ENT who told me I had otitis media with effusion (infected eardrum due to liquid in the middle ear - correct me if I'm wrong). He prescribed me a course of Amoxycilin and the pain goes away but I am left with about 10% hearing loss - that is my estimate, I didn't see an audiologist.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, and I see my new GP and he tells me I have cerumen in both ears. Yesterday I went to an ENT who removed the wax using curettage with no irrigation or suction. The procedure wasn't particularly painful or uncomfortable, however he did say that my eardrum on the left side seem to have "ridges" on it. I notice a "wonky" feeling in my left ear as I left the office, and by the time I got home, there was slight pain, fullness, and mild tinnitus, which has not gone away.
I called the ENT and he told me that if it doesn't improve after 3 months to come see him, and that the cleaning probably revealed the underlying tinnitus, and that it wasn't related to the cleaning. He told me to try a Lipoflavonoid supplement and that it works out in 2 out of 5 cases.
It was very difficult to sleep last night, but white noise helped.
So am I wondering:
In cases like this, does it usually resolve on its own?
What can I do now to help improve my situation (I would really like to avoid prednisolone)?
Should I sue this guy for malpractice? (I'm half serious about this, but after reading this I am tempted) http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/arti...resulting-from-cerumen-removal-procedures.pdf <-- see Figure 2. I believe my ENT did exactly what you're "not supposed to do."
Thank you in advance.
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