Parent of Child with Tinnitus

[DansMamNic]

Hi there I'm new to the forum, my 8 year old son Dan has just been 'formally' diagnosed with tinnitus at age 8, although he's suffered with it since he was 3 or 4. I'm just here to find out more information, tips etc. Looking forward to chatting xxx

 

[GregCA]

Hi there I'm new to the forum, my 8 year old son Dan has just been 'formally' diagnosed with tinnitus at age 8, although he's suffered with it since he was 3 or 4. I'm just here to find out more information, tips etc. Looking forward to chatting xxx

How is he handling it?
You state it's from perforated ear drums. Is it objective or subjective tinnitus?

 

[DansMamNic]

GregCA, I've no idea, I'm still reading up on it all! What's the difference?

 

[DansMamNic]

My apologies, I believe it's objective

 

[gotyoubynuts]

My apologies, I believe it's objective

Objective tinnitus is the kind where a third party can hear the tinnitus noise too...

If you put your ear close to your son's, can you hear his tinnitus? then it's objective

If you can't, it's subjective tinnitus he has

 

[DansMamNic]

Sorry, I think it must be subjective then, I definitely can't hear it

 

[Alue]

I'm sorry to hear that. One silver lining is being that young he's probably much more likely to adapt to it and accept it as normal "habituate".

Does it interfere with his hearing? How are his audiograms, and how much does the tinnitus bother him?

 

[GregCA]

Sorry, I think it must be subjective then, I definitely can't hear it

You really need to go to a specialist to assess that. The "do I hear his tinnitus" test is not enough: a doctor typically uses instruments to try to "hear it" (like a stethoscope).

How was he "formally diagnosed"? What kind of tests were done, results, etc...
Tinnitus isn't a disease, it's a symptom. If I were you I'd want to know the root cause (because it could be treatable).