pressure pulling eardrums inwards - any experience?

[leathertor]

This is my first message, although I have been lurking for years! I wondered whether anybody has had a similar experience and can offer any words of wisdom please...

I took DS (5) for a hospital audiology appointment earlier this week as he had failed both hearing tests at school in reception. After testing with headphones and looking in DS's ears the audiologist called in the consultant who was on site. They said DS has a mild loss in both ears which was not a surprise as his hearing has seemed poor in the past. More worryingly they said that both eardrums are being pulled inwards due to negative pressue in the middle ear. The negative pressure has sucked the eardrums in so much that they are starting to fuse with the eustachian tube. They recommended trying an Otovent (a balloon you blow into using your nose!) to put pressure on the ear drums which should hopefully push the ear drums back out to where they should be. They said whether it works will depend on how long the ear drum has been fused to the eustachian tube.

Other than the Otovent, they said they could not offer any other treatment.

One theory I have is that DS's adenoids may be preventing the eustachian tube from working properly. DH had his adenoids removed when he was about 10 year old and says this solved his hearing problems. Have any of you reading this whose child needed their adenoids out been told that adenoids were causing the eardrum to be sucked inwards as the eustachian tube can't regulate the pressure properly?

It is all quite a shock as DS has never had an ear infection or even an ear ache.

Thank you for reading this and for any advice you can give.

No advice but am watching with interest because despite several ear infections and us and his teacher noticing my son has hearing problems he passed his hearing test. The pressure monitor also said normal pressure but the audiologist said his ears were 'sucked right in'. We haven't to go back for 6 months.

I had 3 lots of grommets as a child, adenoids out, subsequently, whilst otherwise I am very healthy, when I do get something it's almost always ear-related!

My hearing is slightly down under normal circs, worse with an infection obviously, but in and of itself, not something you would notice. In my case it's a family thing, runs through three generations at least.

Nothing they have done has ever stopped the tendency for negative pressure/eardrums being sucked in etc, but it's manageable with a bit of awareness and I am sure can be better treated now medically than it could when I was a child.

But no, to answer your direct query, adenoid removal didn't change that issue (though beneficial in other ways).

My ds had his adenoids and tonsils removed age 3 but at age 7 he had sucked-in ear drums. His consultant put in t tubes (like a longer lasting grommet). He had had grommets previous to this as well. He has now been signed off as hearing ok at age 11.

Yes - This happened to DD at aged 5ish too, ear drums were pulled. Adeniods were removed and tubes put it. Unfortunatly this wasn't the cause of her hearing loss, but was the first logical step.

Incidently this also happened to me earlier in the year when my wisdom teeth started to come through. (they're impacted)

Ask Audiology to refer you to ENT they're better equipt to deal with it.