4yr old going deaf

[toddlercoaster]

My DD1 is 4yrs old and has always been a healthy kid. She was not born in the UK so never had the mandatory hearing check. But she’s been always a good listener and never ever did I doubt she has a hearing problem. A bit of background — she’s been complaining of a buzzing sound in ear since 4 months so I took her to the GP thrice who said she has lots of wax which he showed it to me as well through the equipment used to check ears. The GP said she needs olive oil ear drops and I have completed using 3 bottles of the ear drops with no results. I called the nurse a couple of weeks ago for ear irrigation and she refused saying DD is too young for irrigation. A couple of months ago she had Amoxicillin for an ear infection and pain as well. Now me and DH have been noticing she seems to ignore when we speak to her. At first we thought maybe she’s just been the typical kid who doesn’t always reply to parents. But DH kept pestering me saying she’s behaving odd and has been completely ignoring him when his voice was at a normal level and he has to raise his voice to get her attention. I tried speaking to her today and asked her “do you want chocolate” in a normal voice to which she replied coming very close to me “mummy I cannot hear you clearly can you please repeat it”. I’m now going mad with worry, is she going deaf or is it the ear wax blocking her hearing. She also has a constant cold and cough since 4 weeks. GP keeps ignoring my pleas for her wax removal. What do I do? Any similar experiences?.

I'd ask for a referral for a hearing test.

Could it be glue ear?

I'd see another GP to be honest.

Has anyone mentioned or checked for glue ear? Not unusual in kids of her age and it causes hearing loss. It often goes away on it’s own but if not it’s very treatable and you’d expect a full recovery. I’d go back to GP and ask for referral for a hearing test.

Hi. That’s very frustrating for you. I definitely had wax removed when I was a child (they used a hook too which would not be best practice today)! Can you ask for an ENT referral for her where they can check her hearing and remove the wax via micro suction?

I can’t say too much about how I know this as it would be outing but earwax can definitely make people go significantly deaf (albeit temporarily). Can you see a different gp or switch to another surgery? I think she needs checking by ENT (just to be extra safe) and your GP doesn’t sound like they’re taking you seriously.

Sidenote; you can get wax removal done privately. Why not look into that?

i got a hearing test v easily when ringing up the local health visiting service. Can you do that?

it’s possibly glue ear, which is really common.

My DD was the same but a little older. She was due to get grommets fitted and during the procedure they found she has that much compacted ear wax and both ears inflamed. The surgeon said she was very lucky.

I would ask your GP to send her for a hearing test in hospital.

Are you in London/can you get to London Bridge? Hearology does paediatric microsuction and could get the wax sorted as a first step. Pricey, but they are v good with kids.

More likely to be glue ear, which causes hearing loss (can be temporary or ongoing). My DD has just had grommets fitted due to recurring ear infections and glue ear, unfortunately very common. Ask gp for a referral to ENT.

Ask for a hearing test. My ds has just had his hearing test for similar reasons (no wax just intermittent hearing) and there was a 6 month wait so sooner you get the referral done the better.

There's no point getting a hearing test if she's blocked with wax, unless Audiology where you are perform wax removal. I would take her in the first instance to get her ears microsuctioned privately either on the high street or by ENT. She could be getting a double whammy of glue ear plus wax but the wax needs to be cleared before anything else happens x

You need a referral to audiology for a hearing test. They will be able to look at the wax test her hearing and check for glue ear. You can ask GP, health visitor or sometimes parents can refer themselves. I would look online at your local service and you may be able to self-refer online.

I never knew about glue ear. I have an appointment with a different GP tomorrow hope he helps. It's so frustrating, some GPs never take kids problems seriously. Last time a different GP was saying ear infections do not need treatment just let her be she'll get better. She got worse and I booked with a different GP and he gave her amoxicillin saying her ears are red and swollen.

Also if I ask her to repeat words lie 'B' she says 'V' it goes on If i say 'Hi' and ask her to repeat she says 'Mi'

My honest opinion OP-go private, your little is too young to wait so long for NHS referrals that may take months. Shes at the age where she picks up complex speech so will need all the help she can get.

My DS audiology referral took months and finally they picked up slight hearing loss due to soo much wax buildup but removing wax could be another referral that may take up several months. The waiting list os worse since then.

We sorted with a private appt x

@Tomblibooz has your DD recovered from the glue ear? I'm scared my DD might also have glue ear. Do they recover completely with no permanent hear loss?.

I had glue ear as a child and lost pretty much all my hearing but taught myself to lip read instead. I recovered completely and my hearing is fine now.

Has she been tested for the bacteria some kids have from birth. Gradually can go deaf if untreated

This.
Until the wax is removed nothing else will be done.

@Cafog @RahRahOhLaLa any idea of where I can get her wax removed? Do pharmacies like boots or lloyds do it?

If you’re in the UK now try getting Otex sodium bicarbonate drops. The olive oil did nothing for my four year old, but those ones cleared it within a handful of applications.

Does sound like glue ear maybe with the constant cold

I agree that getting rid of the wax is the first step and that glue ear sounds likely.

I went deaf when I was 4. In those days (1960s) the solution was take our my tonsils.

Rather more recently (early 2000s) my daughter had glue ear when she was about 18 months. She went on the waiting list to have grommets. While we were waiting I tried a homeopathic remedy called pulsatilla. Within a few months the glue ear had disappeared.

I know most people are (rightly) sceptical about homeopathy and I have absolutely no proof that it solved my daughter's problem: it could have just sorted itself out by itself. However, for the sake of a few pounds it might be worth a try.

@Fifthtimelucky My mom swears by homeopathy(doesn't live in the UK). Can I find Pulsatilla in the UK? I think I'll give it a try. To be frank I'm a bit sceptical about homeopathy but I think my mom has all her ailments resolved by homeopathy. Latest she's been using Sepia for Menopause

I have also spoken to the GP today. Firstly he has prescribed an antibiotic for her cough and cold as she has green mucus. I have a F2F appointment tomorrow so he can have a look at her ears and decide what's to be done about the wax and hearing test.

OP, what makes you think the olive oil drops aren't working? We rarely saw any wax come out when using them on DC, but they did solve the problem.

Agree it sounds much more like glue ear (my DC1 had loads of wax but it was the glue ear that caused hearing loss according to audiology, not the wax). You need a referral to audiology. Health visitor can refer if GP is being a pain.

@brownwire I think it's very sensible to be sceptical about homeopathy!

Pulsatilla was suggested to me by someone who said 'you might as well try it. It might help and it won't do any harm'. I offer it up in that same spirit!

I gave my daughter pulsatilla. Her glue ear went away within a few months, but obviously I cannot prove any causal connection.

As far as I know it's easily accessible in the UK. I bought mine from an independent health food shop