whats this

Hi, Tracie - how frustrating!

I'm afraid I have more questions than advice right now... Did your son see an audiologist for a hearing test? Does he have a mild hearing loss, or did he pass the test?  Did he see two doctors only to come home with the same build-up, or was it removed?

It's been a long time since I was in college, but what we called OME (Otitis Media with Effusion) is what's known as Glue Ear and that was inside the middle ear, behind the eardrum. If fluid is getting out...the ear drum is damaged. Ears are fairly self-cleaning, although there are some people who have a problem with build-up of "wax". Since your son is so young, I wonder if he put something in his ear??

If his eardrum is perforated (something stuck in the ear or too much fluid/pressure on the other side), it's a bit serious. It should heal in a few weeks/months, but water should be kept out of his ears. At his age, I'm guessing that you bathe him. Do you have ear plugs to keep water out while washing his hair?  And, yes, a perforated ear drum would cause a temporary hearing loss. It should improve when the ear heals.

It's also possible that your son has frequent fluid-filled ear infections. Hard for me to see from the photos, is there a build-up in both ears or just the second one?

Even after this issue is squared away, please have his ears looked at frequently to be sure that he's not having this problem on a regular basis. See if you can find another doctor. Yours may not have done a thorough job, or hasn't communicated with you very well. 

If it's been more than 8 weeks, I'd say you're due for another look...Good Luck!

I'm not sure what I'm looking at but it could be impacted wax,which would cause him to be hard of hearing.   This can be syringed or microsuctioned. DO NOT attempt to remove it yourself as you could cause damage to the ear drum.     He needs to see another doctor...are you in UK?

hi thankyou both i am going to change gps as no follow up nothing yes im in uk x

more pics taken his complaining of feeling full and neck ache x

Is he complaining of neck ache because you are moving his neck awkwardly to take photos?   Full in his ear? or in his stomach? ie doesnt want to eat?.      Has he pushed something into his ear...a bead or tiny piece of toy etc?      He definitely needs to be seen by a specialist ENT,or at least a GP who can see the prob. I assume otherwise he is well and playing OK.

Hi Tracie. It is very difficult to tell what your son has in his ear from these pictures. It looks like wax, but the pictures are not clear enough. Also, the whitish material could be moist skin (epithelial debris), but again, hard to tell!

You will need to see a medical specialist whom you can trust and who has the right equipment for investigation and cleaning of the ear.

Children below the age of 12 would be better without ear syringing. They need ear microsuction and this can be performed by ENT specialists, GPs with a special interest in ENT, senior nurses who specialise in ear microsuction.