Losing hear-Need advice.

[AviU17]

So I'm about to turn 18 and for the past 3 years I have been having ear problems. I have really bad pain right behind and in my left ear that cause me to get bad headaches in the back of my head soon after the pain starts and I have ringing in my left ear. I have been to my pediatrician several times with my mother and they look in my ear and tell me it looks normal and send us on our way. The last time I went back about 3 months ago, I had starting losing hearing in my left ear about a month before I went in. When I told the nurse about the new information, she wrote it down and walked out. The doctor came in and looked in my ear and told my mom nothings wrong with it. When my mom told her that it can't just be nothing if its bothering me and I'm losing my hearing, the doctor just looked at my mom and said that I was faking it. They didn't even address my hearing loss. My mother is beyond stressed with my doctor and me waking up constantly in the night in so much pain I can't sleep. She doesn't know who to take me to to address this growing concern. She is very discouraged and fears going to another doctor will lead to the same results. Since then my hearing loss has steadily gotten worse and with me being a musician I fear of losing my hearing so I decided to some web MD searching. One of the top results was AN, and I hate self diagnosing and getting hyped up over something I don't know of for sure. So I thought, "Well, Ill talk to some people on ANA and see if they have any advice." So some of my questions are: am I alone in this "It's nothing" fiasco my doctor put us through? Do I need to see some kind of specialist or a regular doctor? If my doctor says nothings wrong, should I ask them to run scans and such to make sure? If yes, What kind of scans/tests should I specifically ask for?
Also, I've had vertigo several times since right before my hearing loss and within the last couple month it has got increasingly worse along with me falling several times. I haven't fallen since right before Christmas and they aren't major falls. It feels more like tripping and it only happens when I get the vertigo so I assume they are related.
Thanks for anyone reading this and responding

[Jim Scott]

AviU17 ~

You and your mother need to find and schedule an appointment with a different doctor.  The one you're seeing is clearly not taking your symptoms seriously and only looking at the superficial condition of the affected ear.  This doctor is obviously not going to be of help to you.   

I suggest you ask for a referral to or simply make an appointment with an ENT physician as soon as possible.  Your hearing could be jeopardy. 

Many symptoms mimic AN symptoms and only an MRI scan (expensive) with contrast can discover if you have an acoustic neuroma present.  Insist on the MRI scan because ENT physicians tend to try that as a last resort and you could suffer unnecessarily and waste precious time attempting to fix an 'ear problem' that doesn't exist when an acoustic neuroma is the real problem.   If the MRI doesn't indicate an acoustic neuroma you can rest easy and then attempt to find the cause of your symptoms that may be connected to ear function of some sort. 

You and your mom have to become more pro-active in finding a physician that will take your complaints seriously and not dismiss them as 'faking'.  Had a doctor said that to me or my child I would have been out of his office within 60 seconds.  That is shoddy treatment of a patient seeking help and should not be tolerated.

That incident aside, I'm sorry you're suffering with these issues and hope you can find a reputable, caring doctor who will help you find relief.

Jim

[arizonajack]

AviU17, your pediatrician is an idiot and you and your mother should have you evaluated by somebody else.

Perhaps an audiologist first, for a hearing test, then an ENT specialist or Neur-otologist.

Your symptoms could be from a variety of conditions from a simple infection to a complicated tumor but the best way to rule out tumors is an MRI with contrast.

Your condition should be addressed with some urgency.

[Playnlife]

While your Ped Dr may not be able to diagnose anything with you something is clearly not right. Be your own best healthcare advocate. It is okay for you or your mom to ask for a 2nd opinion. It is okay for you to ask for a referral to an Ear Nose & Throat Dr.  Get to know what your insurance covers. Keep track by literally writing down when these problems happen, what they entail, and anything you think may have sparked the occurrence. A Dr sees you for a very limited time so to be able to tell a full story with clear and concise documentation of symptoms, times, if anything has gotten worse or better.  You know your body better than anyone else. Don't let them push you by the wayside, keep digging for answers.

[grace]

The trip I took to MA Eye  & Ear Infirmary in Boston was worth it. I hope I got the steroids in the window of time to have the viral swelling go down and get the hearing loss/vertigo recovery which should be in  the first 24-72 hours. I had a cold that settled into my ears so the N ear is not recovering yet. The 2 ENT here knew nothing of the research done in 2008 where 19 days  of steroids can reduce the inflammation enough to have the symptoms return. However ,since you are young and I realized anew study done on people with these symptoms Can be found on Youtube( cures for sudden hearing loss/ vertigo).  which shows the  the mind body connection. I wish I would have seen this yrs ago but the research was not there I have the personality and I tense up at he head and neck, For years I had headaches and would say the back of my skull felt bruised. This is a new Way that many very qualified Occupational and physical therapist treat doing craniofacial release. I am not sure this can work for you but it is worth a try since you r Young and can reset the way the body deals with stress. If it is purely clinical then a ENT who is up on the research of drugs and surgery are worth the time. I only hope the best for you and want to see the holistic approach looked at. God Bless you, Grace
Try to get blood flow to your brain and a well respected ENT asap....

[leapyrtwins]

Find a good neurotologist in your area and schedule an appointment.

Good luck.

Keep us posted.

Best,

Jan

[AviU17]

I saw a new GP and he ordered for an MRI of my ear/head and said if nothing shows up then he would refer me to an ENT. Which I would figure if something did show up I'd be referred anyway. I go in tomorrow for the MRI and some blood work. Hopefully well find out something Thanks for all the post from everyone, I really appreciate it. I'll post as soon as I know the results from the doctor.