abnormal sound
I (67) have been suffering from tinnitus (abnormal sound in the ear) in the left side. This sound is very nagging and I become restive when it increases. A specialist told me to use a hearing aid, but it failed to bring relief. What is the reason behind the problem? Please suggest a remedy.
Tinnitus may be due to problems in the external, middle or inner ear. It may be due to any kind of obstruction in external auditory canal or air conduction pathway. Tinnitus associated with hearing loss may be due to a disease of the middle ear like otosclerosis (spongy bone formation around stapes footplate resulting in fixation of stapes bone) and retraction of tympanic membrane due to the accumulation of fluids. Problems in the inner ear could be caused by damage of hair cells and vestibulo-cochlea nerve. If tinnitus is not associated with any other symptoms like dizziness, nausea, vomiting or loss of hearing, it may not be very serious. If it’s due to problems in the external or middle ear, it can be treated. But sometimes it becomes very difficult to treat if it’s due to problems in the inner ear. As your doctor has prescribed a hearing aid, you may have deafness also. In your case, the inner ear seems to be damaged due to old age. Please consult an ENT specialist for a proper diagnosis and remedy.
singer’s node
I am a teacher and my voice gets damaged frequently. Sometimes it stops automatically while delivering lectures and I cannot even speak a single word loudly. Voice rest for a long time is not possible. What could be the reasons behind this problem? Please advise.
You have not mentioned your age, which is essential to come to a diagnosis. Damaged voice may be due to simple things like vocal cord nodule, laryngitis (thickening of vocal cords) or sometimes it may be due to cancerous lesion in the vocal cord. But in your case, it’s most probably due to vocal cord nodule or thickening of cords. If the singers’ node is tiny one and at an early stage, speech therapy will cure you. Otherwise, it can be easily rectified by microsurgical procedures. Further recurrence could be prevented if you go for speech therapy after complete removal of singers’ node. So please consult an ENT surgeon immediately.
recurring cough
My wife (72) is rather weak and has been suffering from recurrent coughs for the past couple of years. All types of medicines have failed to cure her. She has to take about six to eight lozenges daily for partial relief. Please suggest a permanent solution to this problem.
Your letter does not mention whether your wife is suffering from hypertension, diabetes or any other ailment. If she suffers from hypertension, then it’s necessary to check the medication she has been prescribed. For example, ACE inhibitor may cause vigorous dry cough as its side effect. In that case, she needs to change her medicine. Diabetic patients are mostly prone to develop respiratory tract infection. Proper diabetic control along with suitable course of antibiotic can cure the coughing. Assuming she is free from other medical problems, she is most probably suffering from some sort of allergy. This requires thorough clinical examination. Please consult an ENT specialist.
Nasal allergy
I am 32 years old. I have been suffering from sinusitis for many years and also from frequent cold. My nose remains blocked followed by sneezing and a runny nose. I also have tonsillitis. During cold weather, I have pain around my left eye and left side of the nose. Please suggest a permanent remedy.
You are probably suffering from perennial allergic rhinitis where the symptoms mentioned by you persist throughout the year. For a proper diagnosis, I would advise a thorough clinical examination and certain investigations. You should also go for an allergy test to ascertain the allergen troubling you. This condition can be managed easily with drug therapy and immuno therapy. Kindly consult an ENT specialist.
YOUR HEALTH
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