Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 6/19/2008

Question
Every six to eight weeks my adult daughter keeps getting severe ear aches which after a few days causes her neck to also hurt. she went to an ENT and got an MRI on her neck and throat that was negative. He failed to check her ears or do an MRI on them. She has no insurance and the last ENT that she tried to see won't examine her until she has an MRI on her ears. This condition causes her to miss work too often and she is in fear of loosing her job. does she have any options? Should she wait till the episode to make an appt. she is scared and lost as to what to do.  thanks so much    doug

Answer
Hi Doug,
It sounds as if your daughter may have some type of middle ear problem, maybe a Eustachian tube dysfunction or the like.  Does she have allergies or get frequent colds or sinus problems?  It this is the case, it is easily cared for, but she will have to see an ENT.  Yes, it is a good idea to see the ENT when she has an attack.  She really needs to have her hearing checked as well so try to see an ENT that also has an audiologist on staff. If money is a problem, you might try a local hospital or clinic; many times they will allow you to pay on a sliding scale.  She could also try some over the counter saline spray for her nose and see if that helps at all.  
Hope this helps.
Harriet B. Jacobster, AuD
Board Certified in Audiology