ear problems

[donna]

Hi,

I have just joined here today and left a brief in the introduction. Just wondering if any of your children have had any kinds of ear problems?.. Jay has been holding his ears for about 2 months but i didnt think anything of it just throught maybe a phase as he used to do it alot when he was younger, so got them checked out with GP and they just seemed blocked and as far as can be seen no infection, but decided to go back again as he seemed to be in pain and just basically behaviour change. Had appointment at hospital and he had his ears syringed, nurse said they didnt seem to badly blocked and i just mentioned that he had been in pain. After having them syringed... thought everything would be ok but its not... he is still closing them and pressing them down and he just cant do anything without holding them as if it hurts him. Does anyone have and idea of what eslse it could be? He is unsettled when he is trying to get into a sleep and making noises but once asleep he seems fine. Also has the volume right down on the tv when hes watching cartoons.

I have made an appointment with Ear Nose & Throat to have everything checked out and xrayed.

Donna

[cyberpedz]

Hypersensitive to noise by the sound of it i have worked with a couple of people that have sensitive hearing and hold there ears a lot.

One pushes his finger on the edge of his ear to close it and will generally walk around all day doing this even when he needs to use his hands he will try and block by lifting his shoulders to his ears. Another used to push the back of his ear all the time they we both sensitive to noise.

This may not be the case at all but sounds a little like it to me.

Here is a snippet from our sensory world page.
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.autismnetwork.co.uk/sensory.php">sensory.php</a><!-- l -->

Quote:Hearing (auditory) system
Situated in the inner ear, this informs us about sounds in the environment. It is the most commonly recognised aspect of sensory impairment. For an individual on the spectrum, difficulties/differences may be:

Hypo

•Sounds may only be heard with one ear, the other ear either only having partial hearing or none at all
•The person may not acknowledge particular sounds
•Enjoys crowded noisy places, kitchens, bangs doors and objects.


Hyper

•Volume of noise can be magnified and surrounding sounds distorted and muddled
•Inability to cut out particular sounds - difficulties concentrating
•They may have a lower hearing threshold, which makes them particularly sensitive to auditory stimuli, for example hearing conversations in the distance.


Their hearing impairment can have a direct effect on their ability to communicate and may also affect their balance.

[donna]

Hi Gav,

Thanks for reply.

I was thinking about the hypersensitive side as well, but it doesnt seem to be happening at school or his after school clubs, school have said he may do it now and again but not an issue with school. I think his mind is distracted with the activities and his routine once in school. I picked him up from his other activity last night and he was fine with his ears.

Just :? seems to be a mystery that i can clearly see that something is wrong whether it be a shooting pain that comes and goes. Hopefully once we have his ENT appointment i will know for sure.

[donna]

I have just been looking through the medication section and j has been on risperdone for 9 months now, it says the uncommon side effects; sensation of ringing or other noises in the ears. Just wondering if it could be the risperdone?

[cyberpedz]

it is a small posibility but hard to tell for sure

[donna]

I took j to A&E yesterday morning as he had a really terrible night trying to sleep, i cant bear to see him in this kind of pain and cant do nothing for him. J was checked out again and his ears are perfect everything is fine. Spoke to psychiatrist we are under and mentioned about what is happening and the uncommon side effect with the risperidone so she has advised me as everything else has been eliminated to not give him any medication until she sees him next week to see how he goes. I just hope the anxiety and aggression doesnt come back. But its the only way to check if it is the risperdone then he will have an E.N.T appointment after this.

Donna

[cyberpedz]

Well lets hope you can get to the bottom of it!
Good luck for the week i hope all goes ok. ;-)

[donna]

Thanks Gav..

Will let you know the outcome.

[donna]

Forgot to ask on my last post, do you know how long the risperidone will take to come out of his system, only stopped using it yesterday? He was taking 0.5mg

Thanks

[cyberpedz]

I would say probably around a week to two weeks but i am not 100% sure.