Hearing Loss in Addition to Tinnitus After Microsuction to Remove Ear Wax

About a week ago I had microsuction procedure done to remove earwax at ENT.

As soon as he was done I noticed a big amount of hearing loss, almost like pressure being in the airplane.

I went to see the ENT next day and he prescribed Prednisone.

It’s not working and I still feel my hearing loss.

The machine was really loud. I hope to God I didn’t get permanent hearing loss.

I go in for more tests next week.

Has anybody had the microsuction procedure done with side effects?

 

hearing loss and tinnitus almost always go together.

 

I had slight problems, it got better after 1-2 days. I would not do it again.

 

The problem is that my hearing in both ears were effected immediately after the procedure. That’s why I am fearful because of the very loud noise it creates. Any thoughts?

 

How long did the procedure last?

 

About 5 minutes on each ear

 

that's enough time to do damage. I advise people not to do microsuction. Manual ear wax removal is the best way to go.

 

In general microsuction is a safe procedure, but of course there can be side effects. Mine lasted just 5 seconds in each ear and i got moderate hyperacusis and louder tinnitus for 1-2 days.

I can‘t really give you any advice what to do now. If you had a lot of wax in your ear it could take a while for the tinnitus to fade. Has your tinnitus gotten any worse? You could maybe do an extended audiogramm.

I think you should follow your doctors advice and give your ears a lot of rest.

 

all temporary hearing thresholds cause some permanent damage when cochlear ribbon synapses die.

 

T is the same. Yes I have an audio gram set up for next Monday and a follow up ENT MD Wednesday. I think it also caused H. I was in a supermarket today and had to leave.
Never had that before. Needless to say I’m really pissed and scared. Thanks for all you help everyone

 

Personally I would write down everything that's transpired and try to gather evidence as well.

You'll recover, don't worry, you just need to eat more healthy and let your ears rest and recover from the incident.

 

The most important thing is NOT to panic. I know it’s hard but this will only cause worsening of tinnitus and hyperacusis! I believe it may be temporary and will fade as your ears heal from the procedure, never panic in the beginning give it time and try to remain positive ❤️

And don't google or read horror stories! Worst thing I ever did to myself!

 

It’s been a week now and my hearing is totally muffled. I had no hearing issues before the microsuction procedure. I really think the noise caused damage in both ears. It happened right after the procedure was done and still with me one week later. I have an appointment next week. Please pray for me that will clear up. I’m in the broadcast business and audio is my life. please pray for me that will clear up. I’m so desperate

 

Stay positive @Cape crusader . It can sometimes take a couple months for things like this to clear up and heal. There is a good chance this isn't permanent so don't panic or worry. You are very fortunate to have taken Prednisone right after you noticed the issue this will likely help in the recovery.

What does your ENT have to say about this whole situation?

 

He said he never has seen this happen after using the procedure on many patients. I’m wondering if it’s some kind of nerve damage? We’ll have to see. Thanks for all your positive words. I need as many as I can get. Bless

 

audio grams unless they check for various speech and frequencies with competiting background noise are extremely inaccurate.It is common knowledge on thsi forum that a trip to the average audiologist/ENT is a laughtable experience. the only reason you should see an ENT is to check for hidden tumors, and possibly get a predisone steroid.
http://hyperacusisfocus.org/innerear/#hiddenloss

 

You did not get hearing loss from mircrosuction.

 

Interesting that he said that. I don't really believe he has never heard of this happening to patients. It is just a quicker way to remove wax than manually doing it by hand.

I think you will make a full recovery if you rest your ears.

If you go for a hearing exam, please make sure they do not play any loud noises into your ear. There is a test that tests the muscle inside your ear by playing a very loud noise to see if it contracts. Tell them ahead of time to NOT play any loud excessive noises into your ear not matter how short it may be. They will know exactly what test your talking about so make sure to avoid it.

 

I agree 100% Stay away from Acoustic Reflex!! It is extremely dangerous and it causes hearing damage.

 

Thank you all. I will mention to to avoid the Acoustic test and loud noise testing.
To answer Smarttone, yes the hearing loss (muffeled -plugged up sense) happened immediately after the microsuction procedure one week ago today and no change.
Bless you all for your feedback.

 

Hey, do you also have hyperacusis?

 

I did in the beginning, it was terrible driving in the car was a nightmare, the sound of a plastic bag even hurt my ears. But I used mindfulness to overcome that. I told myself over and over that these sounds were not going to hurt me or my hearing and eventually it went away.

 

Microsuction is LOUD ENOUGH to cause hearing damage. I dont understand why dumb ENTs put stuff into people's ears. We are not supposed to have a 110db sound in our ears, it can cause damage for sure. God, I cant believe they are so stupid.

 

Cape crusader did your problem resolve or what happened ..ive just had microsuction n also have muffled hearing ..im scared

 

@Deandy0110
No, 16 months later, hearing loss still there. I now have hearing aids and suffering from high pitch tinnitus 24/7. Microsuction should be outlawed.

How’s yours?

 

I had one ENT tell me he has given multiple patients tinnitus from using a suction machine. He couldn't have cared less, he even went and said "It's not even that loud" blowing off the fact he ruined lives. He switched it on and looked at me like "See?" and I couldn't believe how loud it was nor how utterly stupid and callous doctors can be. Terrifying. I hope you sue the crap out of them.

 

I am a SINGER and I went to an ENT almost 2 months ago to have my ear wax removed and she used a suction machine. She did not offer any other method to remove earwax! The sound was SOOOO loud that after she did the removal my ear was blocked in the Eustachian tube and water or fluid was filling the cochlea in my inner ear.

Then loud tinnitus set in. I went to the ER four times because of it! They did not do anything to help since the doctors in the ER are general medicine and not specialists. The loudness partially subsided but now is a constant hissing and ringing in my right ear.

Ear wax suctioning IS NOT SAFE FOR YOUR INNER EAR!!! It can kill or bend the cilia hairs in the inner ear inside the cochlea (the snail like part of the inner ear) and can inflame or irritate the auditory nerve. Fluid can also build up in there and cause the tinnitus and dizziness which I did experience.

NO ENT should be using a suction machine that is SO LOUD that it reaches the maximum decibel threshold point to cause noise trauma. I am now seeking to sue the doctor on malpractice and the manufacturer of the ear suction machine if this does not go away. It should not be used! I do not care how convenient it seems to be for the doctor. I will kick their A**!

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). A whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB, and a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB. Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.

Trauma to the ear
As the microsuction ear wax removal procedure involves a tube being inserted into the ear canal, there is a small risk that some damage or trauma could occur in the ear canal or ear drum. This can occur from sudden movements by the recipient. In extremely rare cases, the eardrum can become perforated.

Noise damage
The equipment used during ear wax removal does generate some noise, which some find to be very loud. In minimal cases, this can cause temporary short lived hearing loss, known as a temporary threshold shift. This occasionally happens when tiny muscles contract to protect the ear against noise. There is also an extremely rare chance of tinnitus being caused, or existing tinnitus worsened.