Hi All,

I have had tinnitus since I was a kid and I've never been really bothered by it. However, I've recently developed a clicking noise in my left ear and it's starting to make me nuts. I spoke with my ENT, who wants me to have an MRI because my hearing "loss" (20db in the left ear, 17 in the right) is "uneven" and he wants to check for any benign tumors that might be causing the loss and clicking. Now, I don't really consider 17 and 20 to be a hearing loss, and, as far as being uneven goes, I work with severely to profoundly deaf kids who all have a "better" ear. We're talking 95 in one ear and 115 in the other. I mentioned this to him and he gave me some song and dance, but I can tell you that these kids don't all have benign tumors in their heads! He also ordreed some bloodwork, saying that some autoimmune diseases can cause my symptoms. I agreed to those, but I just can't agree to an MRI -- I think it's excessive.

Anyone have any thoughts/advice on this?

Thanks and be well,
Inq