I have not posted in a while. Some of you may remember my hearing dropped off significantly and I developed tinnitus after a nasty bout of Covid Delta in late 2021. Despite endless drops, syringing and micro-suction the problem has remained. The tinnitus was worse was I was on courses of exotic anti-biotics. I could not get a referral to Audiology despite my endocrinologist writing to my GP requesting that I be referred. Anyway about ten weeks ago after another micro-suction I did an eConsult and a doctor I had never previously encounter referred me. Last week I got an appointment for this week but they said if there was any trace of wax it would be an immediate discharge (seems incredibly harsh) so I had another £130 micro-suction on Monday.
Today I had the audiology test. My hearing somewhat down particularly at higher frequencies which is why I struggle more with women's voices than men's. The left is a lot worse than the right to the point they are referring me to ENT who may want an MRI. It basically confirms everything I have said for over two years but which GPs chose to ignore...
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MichaelJH
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I have suffered with constant tinnitus since I had a bad ear infection in January.I didn’t have any wax but was having really poor hearing in my left ear . My GP referred me to ENT but I have been told I will probably have at least a year to wait. The RNID text I did online said I did have hearing issues but was advised to wait for my ENT appointment before going for a private audiology appointment.
I have narrow ear canals & get dry skin/dermatitis in the ear canal when my ears get hot & then I scratch them. Wearing a phone headset for work makes it worse. I have a single ear one now.
As it has been very hot & humid 33C & 21C at night I have had a flare up & now my left ear is swollen & my hearing is very reduced again. Hopefully it will settle down again soon as I don’t want to bother the GP again. My T is really screaming right now.
Good luck & I hope you don’t have to wait too long.
Thank you. I now have an ENT appointment see below.
Have you had an ear swab. With the UK's muddled GP service my friend saw a paramedic practitioner who swabbed his ear and he is now on steroid drops for an infection. It's on one side only.
My GP gave me ear drops to clear the infection earlier this year but unfortunately the tinnitus never went away. I have a spay called ear calm that helps when it gets itchy & that seems to help . I have accepted that the tinnitus is here to stay now.
Hi Michael, my hearing also has the same issues, I also have issues in a large crowd trying to converse with someone directly in front of me, I hear the voice but cannot understand what they are saying, the hearing aids have vastly improved that. During recent times the tinnitus has now become more prominent as I was told it would. I am aware how my hearing was damaged, I was a bt engineer using an oscillator earpiece. This is the reason for the reply, did you ever work in the telecoms industry, there are a lot out there with the same situation.
I worked in telecoms but for third party suppliers and consultancy services. Damage would be more likely from being a short oval race mechanic and attending gigs! Sending PM.
I got an ENT appointment through for mid-November. The frustrating thing it is first thing in the morning. The problem is being an insulin dependent diabetic and an amputee it puts my whole regime out of sync. As I discussed this and was told I would get one around 10:30 or 11:00 I am bemused. 🤔
Sadly Tinnitus is not on our GPs urgent list. My very first private consultant, I explained the constant high pitch shrill. He nodded and said he understood because he could hear a tiny noise in his ear occasionally . Think I was speechless, should have asked for my money back !!
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