Sudden onset of tinnitus with head pain

[Bellasong67]

Hi,

My 16 year old daughter has a history of migraines from about the age of 4. She recently woke up with ringing in one ear and head pain right above that ear. As the day went on she developed ringing in the other ear also and head pain on that side as well. Later that night the head pain was gone but she then had a sense of fullness in both ears and the ringing continued. She did say she had listened to a lot of music quite loud on her mp3 player the day before. though she has done that before i'am sure and didn't have this happen then. I'm really at a loss for what this could be especially at her age. She said the head pain was not a migraine, different pain. So if you could give me any ideas for what this might be going on with her i'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Bellasong67

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history of your daughter, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Migraines can potentially cause of the symptoms you describe. I see that this was addressed in another forum so I will not discuss it here, but will talk about other potential causes.

One sided headache with tinnitus can be attributed to a condition called pseudotumor cerebri (also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension) or by raised intracranial pressure of any sort. This can be diagnosed by a dilated eye examination looking for papilledema and also with a procedure called lumbar puncture with attention to the pressure caused when the needle pierces the epidural sac in the back. Another cause, but low on the differential, is multiple sclerosis, but it may be present with other symptoms. This diagnosis is done by a trained neurologist. It includes a thorough examination as well as ancillary tests, such as an MRI of the brain with contrast.

One cause of tinnitus, ear fullness, and usually hearing disturbance/loss is a condition called Meniere’s disease. This is usually treated with medications and dietary modifications. If no improvement with these, surgery may be an option.

I recommend that your daughter follow up with her primary physician. If he/she does not feel that these are part of her migraine, further evaluation should occur such as examinations by audiologist, ophthalmologist, and/or a neurologist.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[Bellasong67]

Hey, thanks for the response! Yeah The symptoms lasted close to 48 hrs. than went completely away. I canceled her Doc. App., but since you recommend she be seen i will make another appointment. Again thanks so much. I really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Bellasong67

[Bellasong67]

Haven't gotten a reply but an update in case I do get one. My daughter has now had the ringing in ear for well over 24 hrs. As of now it's back to just one ear. Ear ringing and clogged feeling no pain. Though a new symptom has developed, she now says when anyone talks including herself, when she hears any noise she gets a beeping sound to, with the ringing. So she is spending a lot of time alone in her room in silence.