Got Tinnitus from ENT Earwax Removal — Advice Please

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.

 

Nobody can say that for sure. We don't have the crystal ball. Tinnitus does often fade away over a few months.

Avoid loud noises. Don't use headphones too loud.

I don't think you would be successful.

 

Wow, this is bullshit. Tinnitus doesn't appear after removing wax properly, keeping wax in can sometimes exacerbate tinnitus though.

This is obviously the doctor fucking up, wanting to hide that fact, and then lying to you about it and telling you to get some bullshit snake oil.

I would report this doctor because:

1) He fucked up during a wax removal giving you (hopefully temporary) tinnitus.
2) He lied to you about how you got tinnitus (his fault, not the wax).
3) He tried to tell you to take snake oil to help it.

 

Thanks for the replies!

 

@Jack Straw, how did the doctor mess it up? Can removing ear wax manually make tinnitus even worse and add pain to the mix?

I was thinking to have my ear wax manually cleaned by the doctor but I’m scared now. I feel like he will mess up my ears as well.

 

He damaged your hearing. Go for it, remember tinnitus isn't the main problem, it's just a side effect of damaged hearing.

He even added insult to injury by prescribing Lipoflavonoids which basically are snake oil and don't help really anyone.

 

Some fields of medicine are far more advance than others.

If you visit an arthritis doctor there's list for clinical trials on a billboard in the waiting room, the television has a medical channel that mentions novel ways to treat arthritis and better understanding how it interacts with a patient's life.

Visit an audiology waiting room and there are is no mention of clinical trials for hair cell regeneration on a billboard (even though they exist), there is no novel approach other then new hearing aids that are shilled everywhere. There is no new research about hidden hearing loss and noise induced pain.

Audiology is an extremely stagnant field of medicine that stays trapped in a bubble where scientific progress can't evolve.
They've been doing the same test for the past 40-60 years un-updated .

Not all medical field are like this, a general rule of thumb is the more research money is put into a field the more progressive the doctors who practice it will be. It's sad when desperate patients are more familiar with research then the physicians they see.

 

Maybe he is the same guy I went to? What is his name? We may do a class action lawsuit?

 

If he does sue he needs to list every problem IE hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, noise induced pain, middle ear muscle spasms. if he has them ofcourse.

However he should be fair and give 6 months for the conditions to resolve via what natural recovery could occur.