Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 9/21/2009

Question
Hi,
My 8 year old daughter recently told me she experiences a clicking sound in her left ear.  After taking her to our pediatrician, our doctor said her ear looks fine and is probably coming down with a cold.
My daughter does not look like she's getting a cold.  So when we got home, I asked my daughter "when did the clicking sound start?"  She said it started 2 years ago, when a teacher yelled directly into her ear at school!  I was livid hearing this... I'm beginning to think she has tinnitus.  My question to you is:  Is it possible for tinnitus not to bother someone for 2 years and now suddenly she is tired of hearing the sound?  When I asked her why she didn't tell me sooner, her reply was "I thought it was going to go away."  I am very confused because I myself have tinnitus and I know when I got mine, I couldn't sleep for the first few months.  I also do not hear clicking, mine is a different sound.
Do you suggest I take her anyway to my ENT doctor?  I know there's no treatment for tinnitus and I really don't want to waste my time there.  But if you think she may have something else, please tell me your input.
Thanks so much,
Susan

Answer
Hi Susan,
You must have your daughter evaluated by a pediatric (preferably) otoneurologist immediately.  A "clicking" sound may be a symptom of a dysfunctional Eustachian tube, but it can also be a symptom of myoclonus, a rhythmic contraction of one of the little muscles in the middle ear. If the latter is the case, the myoclonus may be a symptom of even something else.

As for a six/eight-year-old not telling you about this, that is a different issue entirely and there are just too many reasons for it.  The important issue is to take care of your daughter's ears and then you can discuss this with her later.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Harriet B. Jacobster, AuD
Board Certified in Audiology