It’s a quote-post today, folks. Here’s me, writing about my Tympanoplasty (a surgery I went for in February, 2008), back in August:
At this juncture, I’m renaming the category of the blog that tells this story of my life from “ear surgery” to “tympanoplasty”. Hopefully, that’ll make it easier for Googlers to find my experience.
Looks like it worked. I got this question today via email, and with the permission of the person who sent it in, I’m reposting it, hoping that someone with the same concern in the future will feel better reading it.
Googler wrote:
Hey Richard,
I randomly came across your blog while I was looking for information about tympanoplasty online recently. I underwent tympanoplasty on my left eardrum 3 weeks ago. The size of my perforation was moderate, but was located in an accessible region of my eardrum and hadn’t caused too much hearing loss in my ear. It also happened fairly recently (in March) so I hadn’t lived with it long, but I knew I wanted to take care of it as soon as possible for reasons I’m sure you know of.
I have been a little stressed out lately, as my ear is still plugged from the surgery and everything is very muffled. My doctor swears that there is a lot of packing left to dissolve but for some reason I am worried. My ENT used the gelfoam dissolvable packing, therefore he will not be removing it manually. He also went through my ear to repair the hole therefore I only have a small incision from where they took the graft.
My hearing is much worse than before the surgery and it’s so annoying having an ear that feels completely plugged and muffles sound. I especially hate being in loud environments because I can hardly hear anything due to the muffling in the left ear.
I guess my question for you is, how long did it take for you to hear better again after the operation? I suppose your situation is a little different than mine since you had more hearing loss, but I am wondering when I am going to start getting my hearing back. My doctor says it can take 6 weeks to dissolve, but I am really stressing out about it.
There isn’t much chance of the surgery making the hearing worse that you know of is there? Anyways, I suppose I e-mailed you for a little piece of mind, to talk to someone who’s been through it.
Thanks!
Here’s my response:
Hey Googler!
It took me about four months to fully recover my hearing. At the beginning, I suffered immense discomfort, not only from the sore ear drum, but from the muffled sound, especially in loud environments, like you said. Only being able to hear from one ear threw off my sense of direction and placement in the world. I went through periods of intense worrying – “Will I ever hear again?” – because it took much longer than I thought it would to recover the sound. I’d wake up every morning, hoping that maybe I could snap my fingers and hear something today.
At first, I didn’t believe my surgeon when he told me that I had packing in my ear, still, after some time (two or three months). However, after more and more visits of him removing packing from my ear drum, and me taking drops in my ear to dissolve the packing, it got better.
I can’t assure you fully that everything is going to be okay – no one could assure me of that three weeks after my operation. I remember the fear I had; nothing could quell it. What I can tell you is to give it some time, and from my experience, you’re doing well.
I wish you the best of luck, and please keep in touch to let me know how you do. I’m glad you chose to email me. I put the information about my surgery online so that it could one day help someone, and it looks like it finally is.
Take care.
And finally, here response:
Thank you so much for replying so quickly! I feel like everything you said I have thought and felt these past few weeks.
You really helped my spirits! It is stressful bc I was not informed beforehand that it could take so long to get my hearing back.
Your blog was worth it!
Thanks a lot.
Googler
Again, I hope posting this here helps someone in the future. As always, feel free to email me any questions you have (about anything, really).
Hi Richard,
I was looking for a picture of someone with their bandages from post op… and I found yours! As a child I underwent 4 of the surgeries in 1996, ’97, ’99 and 2000. Obviously the first 3 didn’t work. I have one picture of me in my bandages, which ended up being my 5th grade picture in the yearbook.
Anyhow, it took what seemed like forever for the foam packaging in my ear to dissolve, and after, the doctor had to remove a big nasy clump of the packaging, dried blood and earwax. Maybe it’s because I was little, but I spent about a month indoors after surgery. Even after that I wasn’t allowed to swim without a dorky cap on for a year.
Every surgery I had was a different experience. The healing was different, and over the years the bandage style changed into the “ear helmet” thing. Because I’ve had 4 surgeries I’ve lost more hearing than the average tympanoplasty recipient. Pressure and bass tones still give me an ear ache now and then, and it has been 9 years since my last surgery.
Let people who ask you questions know that this surgery is different for everybody but generally if the fasha behind your ear is mature enough the surgery will hold. You’ll undoubtedly have ear aches, headaches and sharp pains now and then but the most important thing is to relax and recover before you get back to your life.
Thanks,
Janet
Dear Richard,
Thank you for your descriptive and honest blog. I wish I had googled this topic earlier, I am about to undergo my third tympanoplasty. I got my ear wet after the first operation, and blew my nose after the second. My surgeons never really emphasized how fragile the graft really is, they just kept telling me about high percentage rates of success. Although I have not been the best patient in the past, I am going into this third surgery ready for hybernation. I plan on locking myself up for 8 weeks: no work, no showers, no physical activity, no blowing my nose and no sneezing. I hate to resort to this extreme form of rehab, but am desperate. How did your rehab compare? How did you take care of things like hygiene, congestion, and the constant idleness? Any advice is appreciated.
Yet another holy eared one,
Adam
I just finished my thrid one too and I think your rehab idea is a good one. My first two failed for reasons they can’t even explain and I was pretty careful too, so I say unless we want more we might as well give up just a few weeks to ensure it works. I feel the same way, I wish my surgeon stressed how fragile they are instead of how it should work, same problem but I sure hope after the 3rd one I’d learn, best of luck to you
Janet – Thank you so much for bringing that perspective to me. I appreciate it a lot – the idea that everyone is different is often lost when people are searching for answers.
Adam J. – You’re very welcome. I’m glad to see that you’ve come across my blog, and I hope my posts and their comments can help you!
My pain sounds like it was nowhere near as extreme as yours. It gets harder and harder for me to recall the details of my recovery, so I recommend that you re-read all of my posts. Everything that I could ever recall about healing is written on this blog. I wish you luck! Please keep in touch.
http://www.richardmondello.com/category/tympanoplasty/
Do you ever get pain in your ear still?
Only when stuff is loudddd! When I go to a concert, I have to muffle sound with a small piece of tissue in the ear.
Other than that, I don’t get pain.
Hey Richard,
I was the one who couldn’t stop sneezing and kept blowing off my graft. I saw my doctor last week and it turns out my ear miraculously healed on its own. Unfortunately the tympanic membrane is in the wrong place (it is not touching the stapes) and I am still hard of hearing in the left ear. It is nice to take a shower and go swimming without any cotton-balls and vasoline though. I will see the doctor in 4 months and he will decide whether or not I need another surgery. He told me that sometimes the ear makes multiple ear drums, and I might have an ear drum in the right place behind this ear drum. We will see in 4 months, its an in-house procedure where they tear open the ear drum to see if their is a surprise behind it. I sure hope there is something there. A third surgery would be a real pain. Hope all is well.
Adam J.
Adam,
It’s great to hear from you again! That’s a very interesting circumstance, and one with both good and bad news. I hope that when you see your doctor again in four months, he will be able to help you recover some hearing. The fact that your ear has healed but the membrane was in the wrong place is odd, and one of those “huh?” moments in life.
I’m very interested in hearing about that in-house procedure, if you end up having it. I wish you luck coping until you’re able to see him again.
Dear Richard:
Thanks for this incredibly helpful blog! My 9 year-old son (adopted from Russia) has two perforated eardrums, and is undergoing surgery with the very same Dr. Meiteles tomorrow morning (right ear) at 6 am.
I suspect he got the perforations from infections at the orphanage, and has been getting recurrent infections (about 6-7 per year) since he has been in the US (roughly 3.5 years). As a result, he really needs this to protect him from further hearing loss, and your roadmap to recovery is very helpful for his mom and me.
My concerns are for preparing a little boy for the surgery and recovery, and eliciting his cooperation in keeping mobility to a minimum. In addition, he loves to go swimming, and being summer, this will be hard to live without. So I envision difficulty for us in keeping him calm and sneeze-free. We have him daily on Claritin, but colds may be difficult to avoid.
We have given him little info until now, since most of it is scary and he would be terrified mulling over it, and might even have nightmares abot it. We are planning to give him an upbeat but matter of fact discussion about what to expect tomorrow, but we want him to remain as positive as possible. We will incorporate your observations of the healing process and mileposts to success to tell him what he should expect.
If you have any wisdom for us to share with a small boy about to undertake this big step, I would be happy to hear it. But at any rate, your posts have been helpful to us, and they give us hope our outcome with Dr. Meiteles will be as good as yours.
I wish you continued good fortune and success at Tufts, and thank you for this blog.
I’m glad my “roadmap to recovery” has been helpful for you! Thank you for all of your kind words. I truly appreciate them; they keep me going.
I feel terrible that I haven’t gotten to reply to your comment until just now. At this point in time, your son has already had his procedure. I hope everything went well!
Your question of any additional wisdom has brought up a memory of my surgery that I don’t think I’ve shared before. Two weeks before my surgery, I purchased myself an iPod touch to entertain myself while laying in bed. Obviously, as you can see from my blog and social network activities, I’m quite busy online. The iPod’s web browser helped me get through that boredom of taking it easy.
If your 9-year old son likes to read, get him some books. If he enjoys comic books, get him some of them. If a particular TV show is his thing, I’d get him a DVD of that show! Something to pass the time is so helpful.
Hi everyone,
My first night out in 2/1/2 weeks since my surgery. Went to a bar with my friends. After two hours max is a much as I could take noise was very muffled. Felt fine, but wondering how do you handle loud enviroments? or is this just part of it? no more bars or concerts? How do you handle it? I guess things could be worse.
after 3 weeks my doctor said Im healing great. The crackling is still there. Loud crowds bother me too. Thats ok Im so much better off than a week ago. Its just so itchy inside, anyone else experienced this?
berm,
I have itchiness too! driving me crazy! Also all sorts of weird sounds, like pulsing, and bubbling, and squishing. i think these things are bothering me almost more than the pain. anyway, its good to see that other people have the same sort of feelings about it that i do. i hope you feel better soon!
Richard,
I am so thankful to have found your blog. I just recently completed surgery a week ago on a perforated ear drum, also due to tubes and not healing on it’s own. This is my second procedure. The first procedure seemed to have worked but after a second check-up the graph seemed to have died and the hole was back again unfortunately. But I believe this had to due with my lack of care for my ear due to not making sure to keep water out of my ears as well as I should have. I never really realized how sensitive the graph can be to minor everyday experiences, and while I was told there is a high percentage rate of it working I was also told my chances of it working was a bit less due to the ear problems I’ve had due to a cleft palate. That should have been a clue that I should be extra careful the first time around.
Determined to make sure this procedure work the second and last try- I have been doing research on what to possibly avoid and what else I can do to make the healing process easier, I stumbled upon your blog. Your blog has given me hope that this procedure will work as long as I stay determined to make it work and don’t over exert myself or do anything that could cause strain on my ear. I’m also glad to have read your experiences with healing and how noises affect your hearing now that your ear drum no longer has a hole. It has prepared me for what to expect after the hole has gone and that recovery will be a long, and at times, painful process.
Glad to see you have had a great recovery and have found this procedure to be very well worth it. I hope to have the same great experience as you.
-Meghan
Meghan, like you, I went for tubes and several grafts as a child. None of them worked for me.
I’m so happy that you’re hopeful that if you play your cards right, that everything will be okay, and I’m glad to have played any role in that. Although recovery is difficult, it is absolutely worth it.
Best of luck with healing! Please let us know how it goes!
To everyone out there with this surgery. Its been almost two months. My job requires lifting heavy things so Im not back to work yet. I have been taking it real easy. Dinners,walking,I hang out by the pool, but I dont get it. Loud bars still bother me. Thats ok, you find ways around that. Keep your chin up, you will get better. Just do as the doctor says.
In loud areas, I typically rip up a small piece of tissue or toilet paper and place it on the outside of my ear to cut sounds down. It’s worked for me fine at several concerts and dances.
Went to the doctor today, My ear seems to be healing the graph is still in place, but I have a minor infection. He put ear drops in and cleaned up the pus. He said I dont need to take oral antibiotics. He wants to see me in a week. He said that about 10 percent of patients get this. Im just wondering if you or anyone else has had this. Im just so sad about it, because I have done everything the doctor has told me to do.
I HAVE FOUND THESE BLOGS INTERESITNG ESPECIALLY TO HEAR ABOUT OTHER PEOPLES EXPERENCES WITH TYMPANOPLASTY. I WILL HAVING SURGERY 2-09-2010 I AM REALLY SCARED AND DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT! I HAVE A HUGE HOLE IN MY EARDRUM AND CONDUCTIVE HEARING LOSS. I AM PRAYING THAT ALL WILL WORK OUT AND THAT MY HEARING WILL IMPROVE ALONG WITH THE OTHER NOISES I AM HAVING.
Hey Brenda,
I will also be having my third tympanoplasty in either late Feb or early March. I have learned some valuable things from my first two operations: 1) If you have severe allergies look into taking some powerful anti histamine drugs while recovering, wear a mask, or stay isolated in an allergy free environment or a while. Sneezing and blowing your nose will push out your packing. 2) Learn how to accurately seal your ear with cotton balls and vasoline, although it feels disgusting and is difficult to clean off your face it is the bread and butter of recovery hygiene. You must not get your ear wet as this will ruin your graft, ear plugs seem to pop my ears which I felt was dangerous during recovery, but the cotton balls with vasoline has proven to be most effective (don’t be sparing with it, double coat if I feel like it). I hope this helps. I don;t want to see others go through the same experience I went through by having multiple surgeries. One time is hard enough.
Adam J
Adam – that’s a great strategy for keeping the ear dry. Thanks for sharing it.
Hey!
I googled “I just had a tympanoplasty and now…” and I came across your blog. Just the thing!
I had my first tymp in September 2007 and it failed. I was crushed because as a child my parents couldn’t afford to fix my ear so I was constantly dealing with ear pain and infections. I thought it was purely a matter of having the surgery and being healed! Fixed! I could swim and shower with no worries!
I was prego right away, so a few months after our kiddo was born we went ahead and met with our ENT and got the surgery scheduled. He wasn’t very optimistic… said something about grafts not holding once you got older, bad placement of the perforation, etc. Yeah, should have been a sign to shop around for a different doc, huh? By the way, I was 21. Not THAT old!
When my friend offered to marry me and also fix my ear, I knew I’d met the one.
Just a couple of months ago my ear started really bothering me again. This time I got a referral to somewhere else, who referred me to somewhere else, and I ended up in Iowa City, IA- at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
My surgery was a week ago today. I’m in a lot of pain!! I guess I’m wondering, again, if this was a flop. They did the lateral tymp- atleast, I think that’s the one. They basically cut my ear off, well, flipped it forward and the placed fascia over my whole eardrum. Apparently there are several supporting grafts as well.
Aside from sharing with a group of people who can commiserate, I was wondering about other people’s recovery experience. I don’t go back for my follow-up visit for another month… and now I’m just wondering if it worked.
I’m in pain- in my inner ear. Yeah yeah, the stitches still hurt, my outer ear is still somewhat numb and throbs… but I think I’m wondering if there is some sort of common denominator that would answer my constant wondering as to whether or not the surgery was successful!! (does that even make SENSE?!**)
~~~ Julia
Julia,
Hello! Pain is normal, very normal. Please hang in there. It’s normal to have doubts about whether the procedure was successful. If you go back into my blog’s archives, you’ll read about the anxiety I felt as to whether I’d ever feel better.
With time, and by listening to my doctor, everything was fine.
Please keep us updated on your recovery.
update/response to Julia on my recovery.
Today I had a check up after 3 months from my last appointment. With my healing process I haven’t really noticed a significant difference with my hearing. At my last appointment, 3 months ago, the doctor told me the skin graph had kept intact. At that time I would hear an occasional whistle or high pitched sound (nothing that would hurt my ears) which he said was normal. to my understanding your ears may become sensitive to noises as the nerves grow and recover.
Today I went in to have my 3rd check up. The whistling sound is gone but I do find that when I blow my nose it sounds like air is blowing past the ear drum, just as it had before I had my surgery. I told my doctor and it seems the graph does have a minor hole in it once again. But the hole is definitely smaller than what it used to be. My doctor told me this is fine and that actually most people would be better off with a tiny whole in the ear drum to relieve pressure and discomfort when flying and other things. Mind you, this is just my doctors opinion- yours may say otherwise. We still did a hearing test and the good news is my hearing has improved, since the last test I had before surgery, significantly. I still have to wear an ear plug in my right ear when swimming and it is still recommended that I don’t scuba dive for fear of the water putting too much pressure on my ear drum. especially since it is still healing. Snorkeling has been a pretty good alternative though. Other than that I have nothing else to worry about. I never had many ear infections as an adult with my perforated ear drum oddly enough. It only seemed to affect my hearing. So I don’t know how a tiny hole in the ear drum would affect someone else who has had many ear infections with a larger hole in the eardrum.
Also- this is my second time doing this surgery, the first surgery unfortunately was unsuccessful for me, but yours may be different if you are careful and follow your doctors instructions exactly.
Meghan, thank you for echoing the idea that everyone should be listening to his or her doctor!
On a personal level, I’m sorry to hear about the hole in your graph. I deeply appreciate the attitude you’re taking toward it, looking at the bright side.
It’s highly admirable.
Richard, I’m hoping you still keep a checkup on your blog. I just had a tympanoplasty two days ago and the muffled sounds, whistling in the ear, and the pain are really getting to me. I find myself wondering was it even worth it? I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but I took off the two bandaids (one that was holding the cotton ball in the ear and the one over the stitches) off and I was wondering if that could cause problems? Plus I’m trying to figure out how long I should expect to be in pain, because the pain is causing me to be sort of a grumpy person and I’m just scared it will run people away.
Removing a bandaid over the ear shouldn’t cause the sensations you’re describing. Call your doctor if you’re really concerned about the pain and sounds. All I can say, personally, is that I felt a lot of uncomfortable sensations after my procedure. The passage of time and listening to the advice of my doctor took care of almost everything.
Remember, I’m not a doctor. Good luck! Also, you don’t sound grumpy!
Thank you. The pain has gone down gradually. I’m glad that you’re still keeping check on this, your experience has definitely helped me. Thank’s a lot.
I had the surgery on July 6 and had all the symptoms. I was out from work for two months. My job is requires lifting and lots of noise. I took off the bandage and day two and it was bleeding. I was in pain because I did not want to take pain meds. I then took them for a week after week less pain. It was not easy. I finally flew and no pain flying. I only swam once or twice. We will see. All and all Im fine now. Not sure if I would do it again. Im fine now.
Berm,
Thank you for coming back and letting us know how it went. I’m really pleased to hear things are not fine, despite how difficult it was.
Take care!
Hi guys, great information on this site. I am scheduled to have my tympanoplasty next Monday but am having some serious second thoughts. I have had a small perforation for about 5 years, but never had an ear infection or major problems. The worst part is that I can not swim in the ocean because the salt water KILLS if it gets in my ear (as I’m sure you know). My question is did you guys think that all the recovery is worth being able to swim? If I had the infection problems some of you did, I would think it is a no brainer, but I’m just not sure. Berm, you seem the most skeptical so I would love to hear what you think in hindsight and in my position.
Craig,
That’s a really personal question. Just be aware that no one can really answer that question for you but yourself.
Hi everyone!
Well, today’s the day. I had a lateral tymp on Dec 21 and today I go in for my check-up. I had a series of unfortunate events- so I’m kind of doubtful that the surgery was successful, but they offered me a high rate of success, so I’ve still got my hopes up just a tiny bit.
Wish me luck!!
Julia
Good luck Julia!
Did anyone have any facial numbness after their surgery?
My ear was numb, down my jaw and into my cheek on the side I had the surgery on. That lasted for a few days. I had a hard time chewing or talking for a few weeks, too. It’s fine now.
God is good!! I’m still not quite sure if it has sunk in yet, but the doctor told me yesterday that my eardrum is intact- the perforation has been sealed. I couldn’t even fall asleep last night because I just kept adding things to my mental to-do list of things that I can do now that my ear is fixed! Showering with no pain, jet-skiing, the pool with my kids, hmm… maybe I should take swimming lessons?! Anyhow- I wanted to thank you, Richard, for keeping this thread alive and well. It was so nice to find a group of people who’ve experienced what I have and a place to share concerns. And Craig, if your surgery/recovery is successful, you can’t beat the feeling I’ve got.
I’m so happy for you. Live a wonderful and cautious life.
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for this website, full of first hand experience.
I have a similar problem. Growing up with lots of ear infections made my ear drums not function too well, especially when flying. When the plane descended, I felt extreme, stabbing pain in both my ears.
About 12 years ago, I had a major ear infection and was had station tube put in my left ear. After several months the tube was taken out and I was informed that there was a hole in my ear drum. I was informed that as long as it did not get infected and wet, the hole would not cause any problems. Actually, it worked out to my advantage when flying. My left ear does not hurt because of the hole (the right one still hurts).
I had an infection 2 years later, and was informed by another doctor to have the hole repaired. Unfortunately, (10 years ago) they would have cut behind my ear to patch up the hole. I therefore chickened out.
Lately, I had some problems with my right ear and have been feeling some pain and minor loss of hearing so I had an ear exam. At this time, another doctor told me that they can repair the hole in the left ear by going in through the ear canal and grafting skin inside the inner lobe to patch up the hole.
I am so scared and nervous, but a little more positive to know that I won’t have to get the cut behind my ear.
I having been searching up different information on the website regarding this surgery.
Everyone who got this done, do you all feel positive about it now that you have done it and has it healed well? Was there a lot of pain after the surgery?
Thank you.
wow i had no idea that so many people had problems similiar to mine im actually not too sure how similiar.. im 17 i have or had a punctured eardrum in my right ear its mildly complicated… i had tubes when i was a baby then everything was fine… when i was 12 i got a piece of seaweed stuck in my ear while swimming. either it got infected and thats how i got the hole in it or well i tried to clean it with q-tips NOT a good idea ive been told that my eardrum has 2 layers instead of the normal 4 that its thinner than others… then when i as aound 14 i had a piece of paper put on my eardrum i thought that worked for a little while..then on halloween of last year it opens again that hurt a lot so we went to a couple doctors the first one i talked too thought it wasnt open, he was a jerk prodding around in it telling me that it was just ear wax when i knew it wasnt anyway i got a tympanoplasty? monday so ive been recovering for a week taking vicodin to get rid of the pain and stuff… my worries are pretty common from the sound/looks of it i really just want this to heal so i dont have to shower with earplugs so i can swim and have my head under the water so i can go diving again possibly skydiving for my birthday… anyway i just thought id comment see the responses
Lily, best of luck.
Hey Tasha-
Well, in my opinion, it depends on how much pain/trouble the perforated eardrum causes you.
I’ve taken 3 showers without earplugs and now I can definitely say it WAS WORTH IT! 
Just be careful afterwards- take it easy, and have someone take care of you.
The surgery itself is a cinch. (I’ve had both- the “through the ear” kind and the “behind the ear.”)
You go in, they check vitals, put in an IV, wheel you down to the OR, and you wake up a couple of hours later with a bad taste in your mouth but otherwise feeling fine. You’ll have a pretty decent bandage on- which you’re supposed to keep on for a few days.
You leave, a few hours later it will start to throb, take your pain meds!! It will hurt for the next few days and at times it will suck.
I would say though, that the worst part is the recovery- in that so much of the surgery’s success depends on how well you take care of yourself. You can’t sneeze or blow your nose, life heavy objects, etc. When I had this surgery, it didn’t work. I did too much. I had the other kind of surgery in December and it worked.
Go for it.
-Julia
Thank you Julia and everyone. If I can gather enough courage to go ahead with the surgery, I will definitely follow everyone’s advice during recovery. I will keep you posted.
Thanks.
Tasha
I would easily say that Julia’s description of the procedure is one of the most informative pieces I’ve ever seen on the subject.
Tasha, good luck! Take it easy, and let us know how you’re doing.
Thanks. I will be having the surgery most likely in June. I will surely keep you all posted.
Hello everyone!
My story is pretty similar to many of yours. I’ve had problems with my ears forever, not infections, but a “full” feeling. At age 16 I recieved my first set of tubes, and since then (I am now 27) have had 3 other pairs put in. This past summer, I got a really bad ear infection last lasted about 3 weeks. After that I became very sensitive to sound, my ear almost feels as though it is swelling (which sucks at work, since I work at an elementary school!). I went to the doctor to find out that I have a perforated ear drum. He removed the tube from that ear, and after 2 months of trying to let the hole “heal on its own” I am scheduled to have a tympanoplasty on April 5. My doctor told me of two possible procedures that could be performed, one where I would recieve a fascia graft, and one that is a newer procedure where a like, amniotic graft is put in place? Can anyone tell me about the amniotic graft at all? I don’t know exactly which procedure they will be doing, is that something they decide at the time of surgery? I must admit, I am terrified after researching the tympanoplasty, and am rethinking the surgery (though I don’t want to live like I have been either! I have to wear an earplug every day, and get dizzy from the unequalized pressure). I am very thankful for this site and any information that anyone can give me!!
Hi Ryan,
I asked my Dr. re: amniotic graft. She said it is a product which could be used to patch up the hole. However, she thinks that your natural skin/graft is better to use, since your body accepts it.
Sorry, for the late reply, but hope your surgery went well.
Hello everyone! Well, I had the amniotic graft procedure on April 5 (2010). It was a minimally invasive procedure involving no cutting or stitches, and the amount of pain afterwards was quite minor. My post-op check the other day revealed that I have a tiny (microscopic) hole in the graft, though my ENT is confident that it will heal on its own, and it is causing no discomfort. The pain that I had been experiencing before surgery immediately disappeared! All in all, I would recommend the amniotic graft if it is an option. Good luck everyone!
Thanks Ryan! I hope you have a quick and fruitful recovery. That’s a great recommendation, and I hope people find it.
I have mine scheduled for March 22, 2010. I have had a hole in my left eardrum since I was a baby. I am now 27. The hole in my eardrum is very large, almost the size of my eardrum! I am curious, what type of pain medication do they prescribe you? I already experience a lot of pain and I am praying the medication they give me will help.
I am meeting with my dr. on the 31st to schedule my surgery and ask her more questions. My dr. recommended patching up the hole in the left ear and putting a tube in the right ear to help equalize pressure. Reading everyone’s comments, I am having second thoughts about putting a tube in there. The tube in my left ear was supposed to be for 6 months only. However, the right one will be in for 2-4 years (which will be great for the pain). However, now I am concerned that once the tube is out, I hope I won’t have a hole in my right ear. I had asked the dr. if the hole in my left ear was caused from the first tube, but was told no.
Ryan, sorry I don’t know anything about amniotic graft. But I have listed that as one of my questions to my dr. I will certainly notify you of my findings.
Wish you all the best Lauren and Ryan. Please keep us posted as to your experience after the procedure.
Tube caused my infection caused perforation – be careful
I had a tympanoplasty w fascia graft a week ago. I am still experiencing a lot of muffling in my ear and it is itching so bad. I just have to scratch it sometimes, the itching is driving me crazy. I am sure it is just the healing process though. I have had 3 sets of tubes since I was 5 years old, and that is what caused the perforated eardrum. I had a lot of pain the first few days, however now the pain is going away. Still can not hear that great, and just having the itching and crackling in my ear. Anyone else have this problem?
Hi Sis,
I hope you are doing much better today.
Did the pain continue even with pain medication? Do you mind if I ask which pain medication you were using?
My surgery will be in June.
I had an appt. with my Dr. last week. My ear drums are sucked back and sitting on the bone, which I was told has caused some bone erosion, and eventually can cause hearing loss. They will cement the eroded bone, and also do the surgery to patch the hole in the ear drum. Additionally, they will put tubes in both ears again to balance the pressure, so that the ear drums might start adjusting to pressure the right way.
Thanks.
Hi- I have been enjoying this blog and the various comments. I had a this surgery a week ago today- on the 7th. After many many many years of tubes my left eardrum just fizzled out. The first few days after the surgery were awful. The pain was intense. Tonight the packing came out and I’m kind of worried about it. Not any real pain, but I am experiencing some pulsing that is bothersome. I was surprised at the amount of bruising I had after this surgery. My neck turned black and blue about 5 days post surgery. My upper ear is definitely numb. Should I be worried about the packing coming out early? Should I call the doctor? Your insight would be helpful.
Thanks.
-p
Hi Phoebe,
I haven’t had the surgery yet, but my Dr. had mentioned that the outer packing comes out in a week and if not, they will remove it in a week. Which hospital do you have? Kaiser has advice nurse, whom you can call anytime for questions.
You mentioned about bruising – did the Dr. go through the ear canal to repair the ear drum or did they make an incision behind the ear?
Thank you.
I had the surgery about 9 months ago. I had lots of brusing on my face and the side of my hair shaved. My ear was numb and it still is a little. I got the surgery because I had a hole in my eardrum. I was able to hear but I would get lots of ear aches and would have a terrible time flying. My hearing is the same and Im able to fly without pain. My earaches are gone! The con was the healing process. Loud noises are hard for me and my eardrum is very small. All and all I glad I did it.
Hi Tasha-
Yes they made the incision behind my ear. I saw my doctor and thankfully he says everything is healing nicely. I’m feeling back to normal for the most part. Some minor popping noises but overall I think I’m hearing better. I’m also glad I had the procedure done. I had my surgery at Virginia Mason in Seattle, WA. They were wonderful!
Congratulations Phoebe,
I am glad that things have worked out well for you. All the best.
I pray that my surgery will go well. It’s on June 16.
Does anyone have any advice re: which pain medication works better for post-surgery pain?
Thanks.
How soon was it before any of you traveled by air? My daughter had a tynpanoplasty on the 24th of March. We are looking at flying on the 24th of May.
Thanks
R
Ratna,
I have yet to travel by air since my procedure. My lifestyle doesn’t require it, and therefore, I have no useful answer for you. Hopefully someone else reading these threads has an answer for you.
i recently had a tympanoplasty and my DR advised me to wait 6 weeks minimum before flying but it is not advised until your dr has seen you in outpatients and has given you the all clear. hope this helps
Air Travel,
My doctor told me to wait a month from surgery I actually waited 2 months. Everything went great.
Richard and Berm,
Thank you for your replies. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will be able to fly and not have to drive cross country. 2nd follow up is on the 19th of May.
When could you all start to swim?
-R
My boyfriend just had his surgery 2 days ago and the pain is intense. He tells me he can almost feel the packing touching his brain. He is worried that the pain and discomfort are more than he should have. He is on pain medicine but has a high tolerance for it so it’s not taking it away. Can anyone tell me if this is normal?
Kaity,
I’m going to tell you that two days out, the pain may be intense. If he’s still feeling awful in another two days, despite pain medication, I’d give someone a call. He’s going to “feel” it for a little while, but the pain should diminish.
Kaity,
Yes- the intense pain is unfortunately normal. The pain was excruciating until day 5. After 3 days I called the doctor and his nurse told me that on day 5 the pain would go away, and it did. Pain meds did little for me either. It was like I still felt the pain only I was groggy and cranky. I’m sorry your boyfriend is suffering. However- it has been almost 2 months since I had my surgery and I feel great. I know I can hear better. Last night I went to a dance, the music was loud and irritating- so I left. It may sound funny but I was thrilled to death the music hurt my ears, because that means my little eardrums are working!
Tell your boyfriend to hang in there. It will get better.
-p
Dear Kaity,
The pain is very intense the first couple of days. Stay on top of the meds.
Thank you all so much. He finally couldn’t take it and was so worried we went to the er this morning. The doctor took out some of the packing and gave him stronger pain meds. He says it feels a little better but is still annoying. He is going for his first follow up on Tuesday and is hoping that taking the rest out will help the rest of the pain. He also had a mastoidectomy so I’m sure he is going to hurt more. Thank you again for the quick responses. We were not very well informed about what to expect so this helped alot.
Another question for you, did the ear hole look different? His looks bigger than the other side. He is wondering if it will stay that way or if it will look normal after the swelling goes down. Any comment would be appreciated. Thank you again.
Kaity
Yes- my ear hole seemed a little bigger. I think (personal opinion) that after a mastoidectomy, the ear space a little bigger than it was pre-surgery. Because what is happening is the mastoid bone is being drilled out and so I am proposing that will make the space bigger. I did not have the mastoidectomy, but my ear canal seemed a little bigger anyway. I’m not sure if it is back to normal or if I just have become used to it.
How’s he doing anyway?
He’s still in alot of pain. His first follow up is tomorrow. I’m hoping that taking out the packing will help. I’m not sure what to do. He says his jaw and neck hurt. After reading about everyones experience here I think it sounds normal. Not quite sure though. He said if he would have known it would be like this he wouldn’t have had it.
OH man! I thought the exact same thing. My doctor made it seem like it wouldn’t be so bad but I think 2 weeks went by and I was in a complete fog. The jaw and neck pain were issues too. I remember thinking that I would never had done either if I knew it was going to be that intense, but now I am really happy I did do it. Tell him to hang in there- this will pass.
Hello again!
Dr went well this morning. He took out the packing which seemed to help. Now dr says to use the ointment and pain meds and he will see us in a month. I think he is starting to believe it will get better now. A bit dizzy today he says but at least the pressure is gone. Hope now that the pain will get better a little every day.
Thank you again.
Kaity
Kaity, glad to hear that things are improving! Keep us posted as things get even better.
Wow. Hi Kaity, it is nice to know that your boyfriend is feeling less pain know. I guess most people on this website has experienced ear pain, and we all know how nasty ear pain is.
My surgery is almost here (June 16) and I am so scared thinking about the pain.
Does anyone remember which medication worked better for them? I have previously used 600mg Motrin, which was of no help. I was going to try out Tylenol with Codeine, but am not sure if that’ll help with pain. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which medication I should get from my Dr.?
Thank you.
Hi Tasha
I hope I didn’t scare you about the surgery. Keep in mind he had a mastoidectomy too. His dr finally gave him vicodin es (extra strengh). It’s 50% stronger than regular vicodin and that’s what seemed to help the best. He also had Tylenol with Codine but it didn’t do much for the pain. He is doing much better today. A little uncomfortable but pain is much better. Good luck with your surgery coming up! I’m sure everything will go great. Look forward to hearing after how you’re doing!
Kaity
Hi Tasha-
I had my 2nd tymp in December and was able to manage the pain far better this time than I did in my previous surgery. The Dr. prescribed me hydrocodone (sp?) and when I stayed on top of it, it worked really well. I’m sure your surgery will go fine- don’t be afraid!
-Julia
Thanks so much Kaity and Julia. I am having tympanoplasty, so am praying that it won’t be as bad. I will definitely check with my doctor re: both Vicodin and hydrocodone.
I will keep you all posted re: the surgery and outcome.
Thank you.
Tasha
Hi Tasha,
Vicodine made me sick I took Tylenol with Codeine. That worked for me.
Thanks Berm.
Hi,
I had my surgery yesterday. Thank God, all is going well so far. I haven’t had any pain…yet. They had to cement 2 bones and patched up the hole. I am continuing to take my pain med (Tylenol with Codeine).
Thank you for all your support. Hope you all are healing well also.
Tasha, I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. Please do keep us updated, and good luck healing!
Thanks Richard. Today is the 4th night after the surgery and so far, all is well….no pain. My follow-up is next Thursday. Hope I’ll get positive news. I will surely keep you all posted. Thanks.
Richard,
Thanks for sharing your experience with everyone.
I had my tympanoplasty this past Thursday, and I am still having some pain and trouble chewing solid foods. Did you experience this? My jaw is rather tight and it makes it difficult to chew on my left side where the operation took place.
Mike, that sounds pretty normal to me. Give it a few more days.
Hi Mike-
I don’t want to be discouraging, but when I had my tymp in December I couldn’t eat solid foods on that side for over a week. Unfortunately, I think it’s normal! Towards the end of that week, I noticed if I DID chew food on that side it seemed to relieve a little tension in my neck and jaw.
Hope you feel better soon!
-Julia
Thanks guys! Its been a little over two weeks since my procedure and I am now able to chew foods at about 90%.
We went to the doctor yesterday for my post-op and he cleared the bandages away from my left ear and checked my hearing with a tuning fork. Everything went great, and it appears my hearing has already improved.
I’m still taking it easy for the next few weeks (no lifting, no work, no exercise etc.) and will start the otic drops today.
Thanks!
Yay!
Richard, thank you for the invaluable help you have offered to those on this blog. As an adult my eardrums have been traumatized,infectd and ruptured from years of Scuba and Air Travel. (I have been blessed in this lifetime) (I’m now 51) I’ve had numerous ear tubes over the years but this last tube will not fall out on it’s own after 2-years. I have moderate hearing loss but this is secondary to my desire to swim. I live on a beautiful beach in Hawaii and it hurts my spirit to be unable to swim. The (Doc’s Pro)earplugs don’t fit despite being “fitted” for them and I’ve tried just about every other product out there. My ENT has not offered any alternatives such as surgery but I’m compelled to find an alternative. I only need the eardrum patched. Any suggestions, comments to help me figure out if the surgery is the best option and secondly how do I approach my Physician to hopefully get the procedure covered under insurance? Any help, direction or support is appreciated… The ocean is my place of santuary and healing which I need so much right now. Mahalo and with much gratitude- Candi
Candice,
I think that only a doctor can help you with this. I don’t really have any advice to offer you. Hope you can figure it out and be happy!
Hi Candice,
I just wanted to give you a little heads-up based on my experience. When I went in to a pretty random specialist two years ago and was looking for a tympanoplasty I just explained to him that I was in a fair amount of discomfort (especially after showers (and based on my calculations, if I washed my hair every other day for the rest of my life, I’d be looking at 10,950 instances of pain!)) during my everyday activities, not to mention the fact that I would never swim or take my girls in to the pool, attend a loud concert, etc. He seemed to understand this and after weighing other possibilities (earplugs, never worked for me) and the fact that it was potentially damaging my hearing he ordered a tympanoplasty for me. Now granted, the first tymp I had didn’t work out- but based on the doc’s ordering of this surgery I had no problems with insurance. They’ve covered my 2nd surgery as well, and I’m a whole woman again!
I do think you should talk to your doctor. But do read up on the subject, so you’re an informed patient!
I hope I was of some help – if I can answer anything else, please let me know!
Julia
I have felt pretty alone dealing with my ear problems these last few years, despite the fact that I’ve worked in the medical field for 20-years. I can’t express my gratitude for your replies and the amazing information on this site. You all have offered me something the medical community hasn’t… HOPE!
Hi Richard,
I came across your blog a few months ago when I was told I would need a tympano-mastoidectomy with an ossicular reconstruction on my right ear. I’m been having problems with it and some gradually declining hearing loss for the last 5 years. But, ironically, I had no problems with my ears at all in childhood and adolescence. I’m 33 and being a part-time musician it started to affect my performance. It was time to get it fixed. Now is day 4 after surgery and I’ll see my doctor in a little over a week to remove packing. Sounds are very muffled and like you said that is throwing off my perception of sound. I haven’t had any issues and I’m healing nicely. No real significant pain and swelling is at a minimum. I’m a very healthy person, I train for 1/2 marathons and typically eat right. This is a great blog, btw. How are you doing? It’s gotta be a good year or year and a half since your surgery. Hopefully I’ll heal fast and be back to hearing more than muffled sounds in a month or so. Thanks for the blog! Very informative!
Hey Kevin!
Glad to hear things are going well for you. That makes me very happy, and thanks for the kind words about the blog.
I’m doing well! I’m feeling good, the ear is good, and life is moving along swimmingly!
Please do come back and let us know how healing goes.
Hi guys,
About 4 years ago a nurse put a hole in my eardrum while syringing my ear. I am booked to have surgery in two weeks the one where they cut the back of your ear but I am freaking out and i want to know if the people who have had this done think it is worth it? I have never really had any problems other than not being able to swim and sometimes getting water in my ear when showering which leaves my ear feeling blocked for a few days. I have been looking a bit too much at google and it looks like this is really painful and there are quite a few risks involved that im not sure are worth taking. I dont think my surgeon has really given me enough info to feel positive about this whole thing. Anyway does anyone here think they wouldnt have gone through with it if they didnt really need too? Is it worth just living with this? Or is it life changing surgery?
Thanks
Hi Sam,
Ask your Dr. if they can do tympanoplasty w fascia graft (which would only need a small incision behind the ear). For this procedure, they can go through the ear canal, instead of making the whole cut. I had my surgery for the ear drum repair and bone repair in June. It went extremely well. The only pain I had was sore throat, because of the tubes.
Good luck.
Sam,
I had life long ear problems that significantly impaired my hearing. A new eardrum has been a huge blessing. The pain was intense for me. I would do it again if I had to though. I have tubes and I am resigned to stay out of water (except for showering, naturally) for the rest of my life. If I could hear then I probably would have elected NOT to have the surgery, but since I was always having to say huh? What? Excuse me? Could you please repeat that? there came a point in my life that I hated going in public because I couldn’t hear. It’s your journey my friend- let us know what you choose and if there is anything we can do to support you. I absolutely love this blog. It is reassuring to know that there are other people who have similar issues with their ears.
Well, I visited the doc yesterday for my 8-week post op (Tympanoplasty). Bad news quickly surfaced when he noticed a hole had developed on my new drum. He placed a patch over it and administered a powder form medication and gave me a prescription for this.
Its interesting, when I visited the doctor three weeks prior before returning to work my ear was fine. I suspect that the heavy lifting and activities at work contributed to this new hole. The doctor doesn’t seem to agree, but I am really disappointed. He now is telling me that I should be on light duty and not over do it with any heavy lifting. I really wish he would’ve conveyed that to me three weeks ago when everything was intact.
If this patch doesn’t work, he will have to go back into my ear (surgery again!) lift up my new drum and place a piece of cartilage behind the hole for reinforcement and to complete the drum. I really hope I will not need surgery again
Did anyone else have a similar experience after their tympanoplasty and new eardrum was placed? Thanks everyone!
Hey Mike,
Though I had a tympanoplasty with fascia graft, the same thing happened to me. Just a few weeks after surgery, my ENT found a new hole in my eardrum, that he is just kind of “letting heal on its own”. Luckily for me, the new hole kind of works as a tube and fixes my mal-functioning eustachian tube. Good luck! I’m sorry I can’t offer hope, just wanted to let you know that it happened to me too!
Ryan,
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I just saw my ENT for another visit last week and he said the hole had gotten smaller. He suspects that I may have allergies as my inner ear is still inflamed. He prescribed a few meds for me to take, hopefully it will clear up soon.
He said that I will have to wait several months before surgery again if it is required. Does anyone else know the time frame between surgeries like this?
I like a lot of you are most happy to have found all of this wonderful information, kind words and encouragement. I had an appointment today with my ENT dr to talk about surgery to fix the huge perforation in my right ear. The perforation is 80% of my eardrum. Doc told me that it doesn’t make much sense to fix the perforation as there isn’t much of my eardrum left. He wants me to have a CT scan (which I will have tomorrow morning) and I go back in two weeks to meet with another ENT doc at that practice. It has been discussed that we would do an eardrum transplant with using a donated eardrum. Has anyone else heard of this? I did a lil research this evening and found a TIMES article on this type of surgery. Medical Science is amazing! Nov 3 is my next appointment and at that time we will schedule surgery. Having gotten this large perforation during an abusive childhood I am most ready to move on and close this chapter. Reading everyones comments has been most informative. I thank each and everyone of you for taking your time to be of help to each of us who have read this informative blog. Thank you!
Ambre,
Good luck! Please let us know how everything works out for you. We’re all hoping for you.
Thank you Richard! I had my CT scan done yesterday and will bring the films with me for the appointment on Nov 3. I will certainly keep you updated. Wishing everyone a most wonderful weekend!
Hi!
I came across this blog a few weeks before having my surgery and I was having major anxiety about whether to do it or not (had already put it off for 3 years)
a few weeks after my surgery I would bleed from my ear randomly which freaked me out a bit but thats all perfectly normal. I still feel a little blocked in my ear every now and then but I guess its still healing a bit.
It has now been 5 weeks since my surgery. All went well the worst part of the whole thing was the night I had it done because I couldnt sleep thanks to the huge bandage around my head. Anyway other than that I had no pain at all, was taking panadol every 4 hours for 2 weeks and had to sleep on my good side (kind of annoying but its not forever). I was back at work 10 days after my surgery and had a post op 3 weeks after where he took out the packing that had me a little bit blocked up and checked my ear drum – Everything went perfectly
Anyway I guess Im just writing this for anyone else who has come across this blog and is unsure about what to expect and stuff. If I had to do it again I would. I cant wait to swim again this summer
Thanks for telling us about your experiences, Sam! People really do find this stuff useful.
Hello, just wanna ask something. I had a tympanoplasty done more than 3 months ago and the doctor said that the eardrum healed nicely but my hearing seems to be still very abnormal. I was hoping that hearing would come back already. Do you think that there is a chance that it will come back to normal still? I’m really nervous now because not passing a hearing test will keep me away from getting into law enforcement.
Hi!
I had a tymp last December and my hearing only returned to normal a few months ago. My grandpa had a tymp 3 months ago and they told him it would be a gradual process, sometimes taking up to a year. I hope yours returns to normal quickly!
Hello everyone-
About two summers ago, in July 2009, I underwent a tympanoplasty for my left ear, as there was a perforation [the ENT never said how big], my mother was weary of this ENT but I needed to surgery asap as I was about to start school and other activities. Almost two years later, I am regretting seeing that ENT. About a month ago, I visited a different ENT, one that I absolutely love because she explains things so well, and we realized that I still had a perf. in that same ear…about 30%. I have always had trouble understanding words, rather than hearing them, so we decided to go for the surgery… schedule for March 23, 2011. A couple days before surgery, my ENT viewed my ear drum again and noticed that the perf. had gone from 30% to 40%!
Two days later, I had a mastoid tympanoplasty.. my ENT wanted to check for infected tissues because as a young child I had 4 sets of tubes and numerous ear infections. The first night after my surgery went well, I had pain, but nothing major. I slept like a baby and used the vicodin as needed. Two mornings after my surgery, I woke up vomiting and was taken to the ER because I continued to get sick. Here I am, one day later, and I feel much, much better. I have taken off the final bandage from my surgery and now have a headband to wear for the next month or so, to help my ear lay flat again. I don’t have much, if any, pain, but sometimes I experience that annoying “wet, popping” of the packing inside. Yuck! My ENT did an amazing job on the incision behind my ear and didn’t have to shave any of my hair, like the last one did. I’m anxious to see if this graft works in a few months, the first failed graft was definitely a bummer.
Hope everyone else has had the results they’ve hoped for.
My tympanoplasty was a bummer.Had it done in August 2010,now we have March 2011 and something went seriously wrong because before the surgery I had a mild hearing loss in my left ear,as of now I don’t hear on my left ear at all and I need to amplify my right ear to be able to understand speech.Got DQ from law enforcement hiring process because of it and Im now scheduled to have a second , exploratory tympanoplasty. I’m so disappointed but still hopefull that my hearing will come back after the second surgery so keep your fingers crossed,please.Take care!
i have my tympanoplasty last march 2,2011,after the operation..i lost my hearing and taste for 3 weeks.and after that it slowly comes back.as could rememember…4 weeks from the operation..all is ok,even though my ear is still little numb outside but i can hear clearly and well,and my taste is back. by this may is my last check-up….and i hope everything will be ok…
I had tympanoplasty 2 weeks ago tomorrow and of course I can’t hear anything. This was my 5th ear surgery and I hope the last one. The ENT had to go behind the mastoid to kill the infection/mucus I had for over a year and no one could help me to get rid off. My first post op. went well and he said that in 4 weeks he should be able to see if the ear drum has heal properly. But can’t get rid of the terrible sound in my ear, timpanic will never go away unless someone has a miracle idea will be helpful. Tks.
Its been a year and half from my surgery. Ive been flying and living a normal life. I did however get a cold and sinus infection and my ear feels full. So Im worried. Can any one tell me if this is something they have experienced?
I would be careful and I only say this because my ENT claimed (after my 2nd go) that it was healed, a month later I got a nasty cold and afterwords my hearing was less so I went in and he said it refperferated. Hopefully that was just my back luck but be careful! easy on nose blowing and take meds to avoid heavy conjestion
Dear Richard
thank you so much for posting this blog! It’s been very reassuring that I’m not alone in the paranoia which seems to strike after you have had a tympanoplasty! I think a lot of us have had so much pain and so many problems with our ears before, that so much hope and fear rides upon this procedure. And personally, my ear is so hypersensitive that I think the ENT surgeon thought I was such a wimp when I nearly fainted as he started messing around with it!
Anyway I had my tympanoplasty about 6 weeks ago now. It was my 1st one. I have an incision in front of my ear and along the top of my ear canal. They used either fascia or cartilage I’m not sure. I’ve had the hole since I was six years old from grommets and have put it off til now (I’m 33!!) I’ve had 2 really bad ear infections in the past 2 years from swimming & I thought enough is enough, as I can’t bear not to swim. (That was despite wearing flanged silicone earplugs. I got a bit carried away snorkelling…)
Anyway I suffered most of the problems people here describe. The intense pain for a few days following surgery, plus dizziness. I had really strong opioid painkillers which I then had withdrawal symptoms after only 5 days taking them. That was awful as I couldn’t sleep for 2 nights with anxiety.
Then the paranoia set in. I don’t think it’s worked. My hearing is worse. I can feel cold ear against my drum when I breathe. The hole must still be there. It’s still hurting. It crackles when I cough. My voice sounds louder. I feel something moving in my ear when I bend over. It hisses. It pops when I swallow…. etc etc.
Sounds crazy to anyone who’s never been there. I was so upset I emailed the surgeon. Who was very reassuring and just repeated all the advice I’d been told before – don’t get it wet at any cost. Try not to sneeze or cough. Don’t do extreme exercise. Don’t catch a cold…
I work in the health service so I decided that it was too much to risk going back into work too quickly. I was initially just going to take 2 weeks but the nurse in hospital said that was far too soon and signed me off work for 4 weeks. I think I was relieved the decision was taken out of my hands and I think work thought I was being a bit cautious, but I really wanted to give this the best chance without being exposed to infections.
I nearly went mad at home not being able to exercise and staying away from people for that long – I think I saw 5 people in 4 weeks. But I think it may have paid off. Last week I had the packing removed. There was still lots of gelfoam there, some of which the ENT guy suctioned away and gave me drops to dissolve the rest. It feels better already – the drops aren’t going straight through into my middle ear and down my eustachian tube into my throat like they did before. Also no pain now which is nice. I can also hear a bit better already (still worse than before surgery, but I know it’s improving as the gel foam dissolves)
I’m not allowed to swim for a while & we’ve booked to go to France on the train so we don’t have to fly this summer.
I got one of the docs at work to look in my ear today & he can see the drum! And he said there’s no hole and it looks healthy!! Thank God!
SO here’s to some more more success stories and reassurance for those going through this. Give yourself time and follow all the instructions they say to avoid damaging the graft. And keep your fingers crossed for a good result!
Perhaps we’ll all even scuba dive one day…
I just finished my third tympanolplasty to heal a 10% perferation from (originally) getting hit in the side of the head with a soccer ball by my coach. My first ENT said he’d do it and it would be no problem; just go right in through the canal. Then after it was plugged FORVER and never really got better, he said the hole was still there and that I should go to someone else, thats when I found out the other doctor he works with (literally next room over) specializes and does all of these surgeries in the area….wow thanks. After my 2nd surgery the new ENT said there were random misplaced patch of skin in there that shouldn’t be…hmm wonder who did that. Anyways that one healed and then I felt hearing loss which led to me discovering the stupid thing REperferated mysteriously. Guessing it’s a large cold i had, but we really don’t know. now i just had my third one 4 days ago and it’s isn’t making the poping squish noises I’m used to and I’m worried, weird right? I’ve had mannnnyy surgeries and I’m off pain meds because this is nothing, but I’m CONSTANTLY worried. This is my last week of summer and I’m going insane I need to ride my 3yr horse in training and prepare and train with the xc team but I am told not to! I need someone to encourage me to not. do. anything because this has to work. Any ideas? doc says 2 weeks before running and riding, could i push it sooner? Thanks, I’m sure you guys understand what it’s like to feel like every thing you do is ruining it :}
Tasha,
I followed full blog and concerned about you
Any news about your situation …
Doctore confirmed me that chances of operation is quite High …Could you please advice
#
Hi Sunil,
My procedure was done about an year ago and has completely healed now.
Thanks
This blog has been very helpful to me! I’m postop day #18 from a right tympanoplasty with cartilage graft taken from my tragus (portion of ear closest to cheek bone). I, like everyone else, suffered pain with nausea and dizziness several days postop. My ear canal is packed with the self-dissolving gel foam which has temporarily impaired my hearing; aside from the high pitched annoying ringing! I know this will subside as the packing slowly dissolves, but it’s soooo annoying! I’m afraid to do anything in fear the graft will be compromised. The isolation and paranoia is already wearing on me and I’m off work 17 MORE days (5 weeks total). Of course this operation would be totally worth it if the graft takes, but it sounds like so many people on this blog are on their 2nd-4th surgery! Very scary! Hopefully I won’t sneeze too hard or anything else seemingly minor resulting in more surgeries! I’ve been dealing with infections, tubes, etc since a newborn. Now 29 years old, it would be nice to close this chapter of my life! Fingers crossed…..
With you girl on my 2nd!!!
HI Gabrielle,
I pray for your quick recovery…Precations will definately help you.
I request please keep posting about your status ..So that this virtual family shall know the recovery of our family members.
I also want to congratulate “Richard” for starting such a Blog ..and slightly disappointed that richard is no more active member…
Sunil,
I’m still around; I apologize for not having the time to be around as much as I used to. It seems that you all are taking good care of each other, though.
HI , I am glad to see your reply…
May be you have already posted all the details …my request would be—
waiting for your reply
Many thank !!!
Hi, I posted here awhile back following my tympanoplasty last December. I 9 months out and about to go in in about a week and a half for a 2nd surgery: this time to reconstruct/reimplant the incus bone that was removed during the 1st surgery since it was about half-eaten away by a cholesteatoma that was removed. I am really nervous all over again, though at least I know something of what to expect, though the dr. can’t give me any guarantees as to what he will find when he gets in there (whether or not he got all the cholesteatoma cells, whether my original bone will be able to be successfully implanted, etc.) I have been told that my altered taste sensations won’t get any worse and that I should be able to get some (wonder how much) hearing restored in my right ear (better than now since I have none in that ear). I’m more nervous because a new symptom has shown up and I’m wondering if any of you have experienced it this far out from surgery: positional vertigo. It is slight, but I notice it in the morning when I get out of bed, sit up/look down; basically whenever I turn my head to a new position. I had noticed extremely slight symptoms earlier, but dismissed them as not having enough to eat or being dehydrated or something. This morning, it is more pronounced. I am scared that the cholesteatoma has grown back and now affected my inner ear, where before it was only localized to my eardrum and the incus. Or maybe it’s something else more serious. Of course, I’ll be going in tomorrow for a dr’s pre-op appt. and I’ll be asking about all this then, but just wondering if anyone else has had this happen and what it was and how long it lasted for you…thanks so much.
There’s a correction to the above (typo on my part, sorry)In the first line, that should read: I’m 9 months out from the first surgery…
Hope-I pray your surgery was successful and a speedy recovery.
For my update-I went today for my 5 week postop appt. The remaining ear packing was removed (thank goodness!) and my doctor reported a totally healed ear drum! What a relief! Supposedly I can resume a “normal” lifestyle which is music to my ears! Best of luck to everyone!
I had my first tymp. surgery on Sept 12 after being slapped in the head by someone three years ago. They did the ear cut off because the ENT essentially said I had no ear drum left.
Recovery has been up and down. Im frusrated by not being able to sneeze or blow my nose.
I can tell my hearing has improved so I know there’s at least something working down there but going from no ear drum to half an ear drum would improve hearing. My concern is that I thought the ringing would have settled down by now since I can hear better. Did anyone here end up with permanente tinnitus?
My tinnitus started before my perforation and then only got worse after I lost half my drum to an ear infection because of an etube inserted in my drum…I only hope mine gets better over time….my gut tells me it will always be w me and I’ve learned to adapt and have it be my friend and not my enemy….I just think there are worse things in life- you learn to deal with it and try ignore it- it has made me a much stronger person even though there are days/ nights when I pray for silence!!! Hang in there!!!
I just had the surgery yesterday. Perforation was caused by a nurse syringing my ear. No ear issues before this. Pain is pretty bad,but tylenol w/cod. Is helping. Took the head bandage off today and I have quite a bit of dried blood in my ear. Not sure about how to clean that yet. Besides pain med. Taking oral antibiotic and ear drops. I have off from work next week and I see the doc in two weeks. I hope it worked because I don’t want to go through this again.
Wow, this is a great blog and has been very informative for me hearing others experiences.
I myself just had the surgery done on Oct 26th, 2011. I am a 36 year old male and have had the perforation in my ear since I was young. Suffering from years and years of chronic ear infections, having tubes later to having fluid ooze from my ear. I suffer from conductive hearing loss in my right ear. I just learned to live with it until 2 years ago an ear specialist had a look a referred me to get a CT scan as he saw some skin growth in my ear. Had the CT scan and was referred to an ENT specialist, where he looked and confirmed I needed a tympanoplasty surgery. He also told me the skin growth was normal and happens but was nothing of major concern.
I live in a remote part of Canada that you can only get to by plane. My surgery was in Ottawa, Ontario. This meant I had to take 6 weeks leave from work and basically live in Ottawa where I am now.
Long story short my post-op experince thus far has been pretty good aside from some pain. When I got back from the hospital i didn’t feel like eating or doing to much except lay in bed. The next couple of days my appetite slowly returned. i was prescribed pain killers which I never took because the pain I was experincing was tolerable and Extra Strength Tylenol seemd to do the trick. Every 12 hours or so I put 4 drops of Ciprodex in my ear on the packing and let it soak. I use polysporin on the area where my stitches are located. All in all it’s going well.
Other small things I find with myself after the surgery is that I am easily irritated by little things, but I attribute that to the ear discomfort I am having.
My first post-op appointment is this Wednesday and I am being optimistic all is well so far. Like everyone else here I am anxious and nervous, but am certain thus far everything is fine. I haven’t sneezed yet, but my wife accidentally trying to be playful grabbed the sides of my head with her hands and that hurt like a son of a gun. I am sure it didn’t do anything but it HURT! She felt so bad about it to.
Any how, thanks for this Blog and Forum. It is definitely a positive informative place. I will definitely follow-up on my progress.
Chip
Well CT scan confirmed
Good luck Chip. I go back to the doc. Next Tues. I haven’t sneezed yet thank god,but I have burped a couple times and that scares me enough. The doc. Called the other day and said that burping shouldn’t screw the graft up. No more pain meds at this point, just ear drops and oral antibiotic. Check back later.
Just had my second tympanoplasty at the House Ear Clinic here in Los Angeles- internationally known for it’s treatment of ear related diagnosis. My first failed to hold probably because I had neck surgery for Eagle syndrome at the same time time…swelling and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction coupled with TMJ probably didn’t help either…so with the help of. Bite plate to stabilize my jaw, e-tube exercises to get my etubes to work better, allergy shots to keep my sinuses under control and inhalants of bethamathsone and levoflaxin – I came to the House clinic for a second try. I am hopeful that it will hold and expect a full recovery. All I can tell you from this whole experience is that don’t stop and stay positive. Keep searching and ask questions and interview that dr you feel is on the same page with you. I highly recommend the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles… I came all the way from Key West, Fl for this surgery…I won’t stop until my ear has grafted and is 100% !!!! Now if I could just take a shit- I hate anesthesia…
Sole Man, I laughed at your last statement. 4 days for me!
Well I had my follow-up last week. The ENT doctor removed some of the packing in my ear and said everything so far was looking good.
I go back on the 22nd of November for my second follow-up.
Still worried though at times. I’ve sneezed twice (open mouth) The one sneeze came out of no were and scared me. I was stunned and my friends were wondering why I seemd so shocked. I explained to them I shouldn’t be sneezing, luckily there was no pain or popping sounds, so I assume all is well with my ear. Today though I notice some not quite popping sound when I swallow in my ear. Am a little worried but I think and hope it’s just the packing dissolving in my ear. As far as hearing goes in the ear, there’s a little bit returning but I can still feel the remaining packing in there. No pain at all, but still using the drops twice a day and cotton in my ear at night. There’s minimal drainage from the ear and it’s a brownish colour I guess.
All in all everything is well. Wishing everyone else that is going through this all the best in their recovery and healing.
Chip
Since my first dump post op – back to normal!!!!!
Chip,I had my appointment yesterday and pretty much the same as what you were saying. Some packing removed,continue with drops,go back next week. I have sneezed three times open mouth and of course that does concern me as well. I asked my DR. about the crackling noise when I swallow and he wasn’t concerned about that. He said lots of packing and dried blood in there still and that is making that noise. He thinks any way. My hearing is better I think and that is with the packing,so I feel good about that. I will feel better after he can see the ear drum and tell me it’s closed. Take care.
I don’t think people realize this is a delicate and major surgery…it will be 2 weeks Thursday and still in pain more than I remember from my first… This better fucking graft- I’ve done everything so far to minimize any complications. The tinnitus though is much louder than before my surgery… And I only hope it subsides… But I am confident that it will resolve somewhat as it is still swollen and packed and super sensitive…does anyone know if it does graft how long we can expect it to hold???? Ps Katy perry staples center next week!!!!
Weird – my doc says to start ciprodex 3 weeks after??? And after my first week post op visit just left the packing in and let me go like it was nothing- he is one of Americas top doctors and has a 98% success rate… So I guess I trust him…everyone is different…..
Second follow up was today. The doc says the graft is intact and lookin well. I go back next month and he said to stop the drops. Wishing all good luck.
Awesome- pulling for you Chris!!! I’ve read…50 days is the number….if it’s fact- who really knows- you’re half way there oh oh livin on a prayer!!!
Congrats Chris, I go for my 2nd follow-up Tuesday. Hoping it is good news. I’ve noticed recently in my ear some tinnitus ringing which I hope is not permanent and is just part of the healing process.
All the best!
Thanks Sole Man and Chip. I’m happy so far,but I do have quite a bit of tinnitus ringing. I had more of a wooshing noise prior to surgery,but this is ringing and pretty constant. I hope it goes away because it’s pretty annoying when trying to sleep. I’ll tell you guys another thing,I have not had one cigarette since 2 days before my surgery. I’m dying for one,but I don’t want to wonder if it messed my graft up so I’ll be good.
Hey.
Tomorrow will be a week since I’ve had my tympanoplasty. My pain is still pretty bad, and my ear is making a whooshing noise. I’m wondering if anyone knows how long that’ll last?
Thanks.
I’m also wondering how long my ear is going to be numb. If anybody could answer that, if be grateful.
Thanks.
Well, I just had my 2nd followup and the doc removed some more packing minus one small piece that wasn’t ready to go. So rather than fight it and risk tear the graft the doc left it and says it’s looking really good so far. He advised me to do the drops in my ear once a day now and I go for third and final follow before I fly home on Dec 2nd. The only problem I am having ids the opposite ear from the one I had surgery on has got fluid in it and it feels plugged. So my ears are hearing different and it feels weird. I hope it balances out over time. The ear doc says the fluid in the opposite ear is not common but does happen and will go away over time. How long that is I don’t know. Fingers crossed this keeps getting better.
Cheers,
Chip
Emily, I only had the wooshing sound prior to surgery and now I have the ringing. The 28th will be 30 days for me and my ear is still a little numb,but almost feels normal. Good luck.
Chip, it sounds like things are going pretty good for you. I’ll be pulling for you.
hi emly,
over the time it will improve, but you feel the numbness for few more days as it normally takes a month to get normal … good luck
Went for another appointment today and it looks like I am officially golden. Dr. said it is sealed,looks good and I can get it wet. I just took a real shower and it was great. Hearing is improved,but not as good as before the injury. He placed it at minor hearing loss. Prior to surgery it was between mild and moderate. I wish you all the best and thank you for your kind words during my recovery.
I’m so happy to hear that you’re doing well, Chris! Congratulations, and take care of yourself.
I am probably in the minority of reasons for getting my 2nd tympanoplasty. I was riding on a roller coaster at a nearby theme park and I hit my head really hard against the head rest. Instantly I could not hear and had pain. The trauma blew more than 50% of my eardrum out. My 1st surgeon (December, 2011) said that the graph took and I went back many times and he always said that it looked fine, although my hearing had a major loss (went from not hearing low frequencies to a major loss in mid-upper frequencies). I went into the urgent care one weekend (Sunday) that I was having discomfort and “popping” in my ear and when he looked in he ear he said that it didn’t look right and to go back to my Dr. I went back and he said he was going to do a myringotomy (cut a small incision in ear drum) and he “sucked” out any fluid in my middle ear). After this I went to get a 2nd opinion and that Dr. informed me that I had a cholesteotoma (cyst) in my ear canal. When I went in for a 2nd surgery, she removed this cyst and said that there was no eardrum. This 2nd recovery has gone much better than the 1st. The only thing that I worry about was that I went to the Michigan/Ohio State game 2 weeks after surgery b/c it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for my husband. My ear popped like crazy, but I wore cotton, and a head band to try to protect it. It has been now 1 month after surgery and my next appointment isn’t until after Jan. My other Dr. never told me to use cotton ball and vasoline when taking a shower, I guess I wish I would have known about this site back then.
Chip and Soleman did the surgery work ? Keep me updated.
Hi Chris,
As far as I know with me so far all is well. I had my 3rd followup on December 2nd and was told everything was looking good and got the o.k. to fly home. I was scheduled to fly home on the 12th but left on the 4th nervous about flying at 30,000 ft. But as far as I can tell everything went well. I lightly popped my ears not blowing hard and I think it was o.k. there was no pain. I’ll know more in a couple of months when the specialist come to check up on the ear.
I’ve been taking my drops once a day till the bottle is empty so i think I have a couple of more weeks left on them. There’s still some tinnitus in my ear but it’s not over bearing and I hope it dissipates over time. Other than that all is well with a hint of some irritation when swallowing, my ear doesn’t exactly pop but there’s a crackle/pop type noise. Hard to describe but it’s and come and goes.
Best of Luck!
Chip
Chip,glad to hear things are going good. Have a great holiday.
Hi Melissa,
Hope you are healing well. And yes, I agree – this is a very useful website. Thanks to Ricky Mondello.
Thanks Ricky …Your work is really appreciated …
Tasha and sunil: You’re very welcome!
Well… Now I’m kind of worried. I’ve been extra careful with my ear, but think there may still be a perforation. Recently I’ve noticed while taking the last of my drops I’ve noticed they go into my ear and will run down the back of my throat. Is this normal? Is this because the packing has all dissolved? Anyone else have this happen and was it all fine? The doc sent me home saying all was well. There has been no pain in my ear or anything that could cause a hole.
I am making an appointment to have a doctor look at my ear. Hope it’s fine and I’m worrying over nothing.
Chip,I don’t think you will know for sure until a doctor can look in there. I would think it is just because of the packing being dissolved,but you and I are not doctors. Good luck and keep me informed.
Just sharing my story, in case it helps anyone. Firstly, it seems that most people have problems with their LEFT ear. Not a scientific fact, just something I noticed as I read forums. I lost nearly all of my left ear drum during scuba diving.
I had a myringoplasty 2 weeks ago. They took a skin graft from my scalp behind my ear, after shaving a bit of my very long hair! This was the bit I was dreading the most but I really had nothing to worry about, I can’t see it and the stitches are making it heal up.
The pain I had was:
When I was getting a needle for the drip in my forearm.
When they woke me up in recovery and had the bandage around my head, all I could feel was pain, but it felt more like a serious headache than anything else.
The only other pain is when I would accidently bump or lie on my sore ear or stitches.
My pain lasted the first 2 days mainly. I was in hospital for 24 hours but once I left hospital, I didn’t really need pain killers. I do feel a sudden sting sometimes where the nerve endings are repairing, which lasts about 1 second.
The pain killers they gave me straight after the op:
Paracetamol x 2 tablets – Strangely, it worked! Normally these wouldn’t even fix a normal headache for me but they seemed to work when I woke up in recovery. Once they started to wear off, they gave me 1 x Endone (Morphine 5mg) tablet. This worked beautifully. No more pressure from the bandage, no more pain whatsover and I managed to fall into a relaxing sleep state. Mind you, they do keep you awake on some level so you are just in ‘twilight’ sleep. They sent me home with 20 x Endone tablets and 100 x Paracetamol tablets and laxitives. Once I got home, I only used 1 x Endone and 2 x paracetamol tablets and that was it, the pain was either bareable or non existant from day 2 onwards.
In hospital they gave me anti-nauseous medication as I felt dizzy when I got up.
Dizziness and disorientation:
This was evident from the time I got off the hospital bed to go home, until about day 4. I would get up from bed and feel very drunk, (but not wanting to vomit!). It was unsettling as I could not do anything for long before I needed to go and lie down again for a bit. I started to feel this was a permanent side-effect, but from day 5 onwards it improved and I was able to drive safely, get on the computer and sit up talking for ages. This was probably caused by both the ear fluid being out of balance and the Endone (morphine) drugs.
Packing in ear: For the first 3-4 days I had blood like liquid running out of my ear and down my neck. However I think that was just the oil in the packing that was dripping out and mixing with dried blood on its way down. The packing in my ear is very itchy and driving me mad. I feel like scratching it out with my nails or getting a knitting needle to scratch it! But I just have to wait till I see the Surgeon in a few days to get it out, or let it dissolve on its own as I’m not even sure what its made of.
Stitches: I saw stitches where the small skin graft was taken from my head behind my ear, and then 2 weeks later after taking off some gauze, I discovered stitches were also down my top & front of my ear lobe, (part of ear near where your side-burns are). They must have cut my ear to gain access to the ear canal? These sting occassionally and are made of nylon. Not sure why they didnt’ use dissolvable ones. Anyway my regular GP didn’t want to cut them out after 2 weeks and is making me wait until I see the surgeon in another 5 days for him to remove them.
That’s about all I can tell you of my experience so far. In a few days I see the surgeon to hopefully have it all taken out and I can see if the graft has taken and whether I can hear again! The surgeon said this op only has a 60% chance of success.
I want to also add about Noises in Ear: Noises are muffled of course due to packing in ear, but I have been hearing anything from whistles, popping, ringing and echoes of my own breathing AND VOICE through my ear. But it’s not all the time. Just random throughout the day, although it is a daily occurance. However, the ringing etc is only noticable when its quiet, or when I’m lying down. If there’s other noises around then I don’t notice it as much.
My 4 yr old niece stabbed me in my ear. I had a tympanoplasty 2 wks ago. I accidentally blew my nose a little this afternoon w/o thinking and heard a little pop—I can hear myself swallowing sometimes now. No blood or discharge really…I hope I didn’t blow the operation. That would REALLY suck! I go back Mon for my 2 1/2 wk follow up.
Mike, you must have had your op same day as me, I go back Monday for my follow up too. Well if you blew your nose ‘just a little this afternoon’ I don’t think you should really worry too much, surely the graft would have taken by now. I blew my nose a few times early on without thinking too and nothing happened. I think it depends on how vigourously you do it. The pop could be a bit of movement with the packing. I can hear myself breathing and talking as an echo through my ear sometimes.
Thanks Narelle. I had mine on the 11th. I went to today and everything seemed good. He said the drum was intact. I can even start “light workouts.” But still no nose blowing, straining etc. So basically, I have to be extra careful for another 3 weeks. After 6 wks, it should be strong. We will see.
Mike, I had mine done on the 12th. On Monday 30th I had the packing and stitches taken out. I had a new Dr look at it but she gave no feed back other than, ‘hmm.hmm’…then she said it’s still healing and don’t get it wet for another 3 weeks and go back to the hospital again for a follow up visit. I wish the surgeon who did the work would look at it but he was busy, and being a public hospital in Australia, you have to take whatever Dr. they give you. I’m too scared to do any workouts as I can feel my ear drum if I do something as much as lean over to pick up a washing basket! Anyway, I’m glad you got good feed back! I am still picking out bits of white plastic that somehow was left in my ear near the stitches.
I had tympanoplasty surgery in Feb 09. Sometimes my eardrum still hurts tremendously. It seems when I go to the ENT, they use a microsuction device which pulls the eardrum to a correct position. Other times I cuff my ear with my palm and apply pressure and immediately pull it away from my ear like a vacuum and it eases the pain on the eardrum. The pain goes away for a little but comes back every other month. When the pain does come, I feel sharp pain behind my eardrum when I swallow my saliva or water. As far as people getting surgery, I did the incision through the ear, little scar left over and pain for about 5 days. Take the meds the ENT gives you and get rest. The ear might bleed, but that is OK, mine did each day. The packing is weird, the ENT said the packing was causing a clicking/popping sound in my ear, but that same sound is still here after almost three years. Anybody have clicking or popping sound after surgery. I got the skin graft procedure.
I went through my second tympanoplasty (and first simple mastoidectomy) this past Jan. 10th. I discovered this website before hand which helped remind me of the “fun” it can be to go through this surgery and helped keep me somewhat sane in the past 3 weeks waiting to find out if the graft was holding. Just got back from the doctor and the eardrum is looking good. I had my first tympanoplasty in ’03 and it remained intact until a couple of years ago. Since then I’ve had two fairly major infections, with one that ended up infecting the mastoid bone.
The day of surgery, I went in bright and early, got hooked up to an IV and was asked a bunch of questions a million times from various staff (better safe than sorry I suppose). I went into the OR and sat on the operating table and soon after I was knocked out. I woke up 2 1/2 hrs. later in recovery, coming in and out of consciousness. Considering I had been through this before, I wasn’t feeling too bad and the pain meds were working as they should. I got home and slept most of the rest of the day, then tried to eat some food for dinner. I had a hard time chewing and opening my mouth very far for several days (might be more attributable to the mastiod procedure). I took Tylenol w/Codiene regularly for about 4-5 days and watched TV or slept for most of it. I woke up the morning of the 3rd day and felt the sickest after surgery I had been yet. I never threw-up, but I was darn close a couple of times. I still don’t know exactly what that was from, but I think it may have been the food from the previous night. Eat a soft and simple diet for a few days!
Later in the week after surgery, I took a bath or two, washed my hair very carefully, and kept vasoline soaked cotton in my ear. I was prescribed acetic drops after the first week and am still supposed to continue using them until it’s all gone. A couple of times during week 2 & 3, I was able to scrape out (without putting my finger into my ear very far at all), a bunch of crusty crud which was some packing material and dried blood. Also, the doctor went behind the ear, as I knew he would, and the incision is healing nicely.
About a week and a half in, the popping and noises really kicked into high gear. Every time I would chew food, there would be a pop or other sound in my ear. During this period, I grew very worried about whether or not the graft was holding. But, I maintained my calm for the most part with the help of this website and just waited to find out what the doctor saw.
My ear also stuck out quite a bit after surgery, but has since returned to a normal position. I actually think my ears are more even now; after the first surgery, the right ear was certainly somewhat lower than the other. Thank you Doc for fixing that!
Sorry for the stream of consciousness, I’m just trying to recap the past 3 weeks with as much detail as possible from my experience so that you all might breathe a little easier throughout your own ordeals. This way you aren’t waiting to hear back from me either.
Thanks Ricky for the website and everyone else who is having trouble with their ears. Hang tight and it WILL get better. Just believe it. Take care!
Love this blog! It helps pass the time while on bed rest following my tympanoplasty on Jan 27 in Calgary. I was doing very well, I only took T3′s for one day. My surgery was fascia graft attaching it to the hammer bone which was scored, I had no eardrum. This was my third tymp but I was very young for my earlier surgeries but at 42 I figured it was time for my last kick at the can.
On the evening of day 5 I sensed my sinuses may be congested so I took a decongestant & sure enough the draining began. I only had non-drowsy so it made for a very long night but I knew, thanks to this blog, that the pressure was not good & I had to ease it asap. I was up all night and its now day 6 and I am still draining. I did notice that with the sinus pressure my ear had stopped popping & feeling cold. On the decongestant the popping started up again & I feel the coolness in the middle ear again. I concluded that the build up of pressure was keeping everything unnaturally tight. I see the surgeon on Feb 8th and I hope more than even I expected that it will be good news.
My surgeon was referred to me from my specialist as the only guy in the city who would touch my ear. He ended up being very happy with how the surgery went but he was adamant with my post op care. NO lifting, bending, quickness of movement, sneezing, blowing, no cold temperatures, wind, water & limited contact with people, basic bed rest is the name of the game for 2 weeks post op. Short term disability was advised. Holy its harder than I expected especially the further along I go.
Friends in the medical field seem to try & discount his instructions. That does not help my mindset!! I’m being stubbornly resolute with my care & following my instuctions completely. Don’t you love how docs in another dicipline know nothing about other specialties, UNTIL you had something done?? What the heck is up with that? I do not like having to justify my bed rest ‘prescripition’, but its my success that is on the line. Venting here, but I am sure I am not the first one to feel this way.
This blog has been awesome & I don’t know if I would have caught my sinus issue if I hadn’t been reading all the stories.
*One tip I was given for hairwashing was on top of the cotton ball with vaseline, cover the ear with Saran wrap. The plastic sticks to the vaseline & it really works well.
All the best in health
Adrienne, I am also your age and my tymponaplasty involved titanium prosthesis insertion. there is also available ear plug to keep water out. I got this two weeks back from my doc and it is better than cotton balls rolled on vaseline. I will find the name and will let you know. I will try saran wrap also.
I am still having ear pain. No fluid behind the ear as described by my ENT. Does or did anybody on here have surgery and the eardrum healed perfectly but still had pain and needed surgery again. I am thinking maybe the surgery went wrong even though the eardrum healed. Any help appreciated.
Hi,
Interesting website! I am going in today for my 3 week follow-up after tympanoplasty. Shared a lot of the same experiences as others on this site. I don’t think I was prepared for the follow-up discomfort, though. The packing and the equilibrium problems were not really detailed to me by the materials the surgeon’s office gave me. Hoping that the packing will come out today- at least some of it! I ended up needing motion sickness patches for about 10 days after the surgery. I still could stand to use one, but won’t because it makes me too sleepy and I need to see if my ears will adjust. I have had problems prior to the surgery with equilibrium, and this seems to have aggravated it (possible because of the packing?). I wondered if anyone had lingering sinus pressure type headaches, equilibrium issues and nausea for this long after their surgery? I am pretty stoic and have a fairly high pain tolerance, but this is making me a little crazy! Feels like I am on a ship at sea most of the time. I will be asking the doctor the same thing today, but thought I’d get better first hand information from those here who have gone through this. Best to all-
The first week after surgery was the worst for me, I had to lay down every 5 mins to stop the disorientation and nausea. From week 2 I felt much better and was able to drive but never felt 100% fine. There was always a bit of dizziness issues with the packing being in place so until the packing was removed I never really felt on top of things. Any drugs you take can affect the way you feel too so I stopped my pain killers early on as they were good for pain but the side effects were making me feel ill. I don’t recall having sinus pressure type of headaches except in the first week due to the surgery. All of my packing came out at the 3 week appointment but I know I still can’t hear properly due to some of the antibiotic ointment that seems to have stayed in there. Its now been about 6 weeks and I’m feeling ok but just sore where the stitches were and still partially deaf. I have had another follow up appt this week where the Surgeon said he’s happy with my healing progress. In 4 weeks I have a hearing test. My ear drum perforation was listed as ‘very large’.
Narelle,
Thanks for the response; sorry it’s taken a while to get back. The packing coming out definitely provided some relief, just from the discomfort if nothing else. They had to leave about 40% still in and I should have it removed next week. I was prescribed a tablet that was compounded especially for dizziness and it is non-drowsy, so that has helped. When I don’t take it and drive, I usually end up without an appetite or, worse case, nauseated. But I am hopeful that with the rest of the pressure gone when they remove the rest of the packing out, that will improve. Hope this helpful for anyone else who happens onto this site to know that these are possible side effects- but temporary.
My doc told me that I was one of the few unlucky person to be having repeated ear infection. Now, I feel the same that I didn’t come across this blog three years back. i have had around 10+ surgeries in last 35 years. My most recent tymponplasty was yesterday. I have some pain and my hearing is better with packingin there. My ear drum was fine as it was restored last dec. Titanium prostestis has been inserted and I am glad to see the rehab recommendation here, which I am going to seriously follow this time. i did try hearing aid last week and these are so invisible that folks can’t even see it. The last 10 days has been amazing and I am hoping that my post- oper care is sucessful. I am an avid runner and anyone can chip in how long should I wait before playing sports like tennis and running etc.
how is an ear tube insertion different from an ear drum rupture? I have ear tube to ease the pressure or fullness I was feeling. Even though I dont have any fluid inside.
I just had my second Tympanoplasty on Wednesday and I am very nervous. The first graph didn’t take and I am trying to be much more careful about post op care, but I am researching and realizing there were so many things my doctor didn’t tell me about. He never mentioned not chewing gum, using straws, or lifting. I know that may seem like common sense, but to me he has been very nonchalant and I did think to ask. Upon reading about them on day two I immediately stopped all those activities, but it had me worried about chewing food, bending over or swallowing because when I do those things I can hear and feel pressure in my ear. I’m very scared and afraid this graph won’t take and I would like some advice.
Hi Lauren,
I absolutely know what you are saying. My doc was pretty vague about the post-op care but since it was my third surgery I opted on the side of extreme caution. My drum is still intact after 10 weeks and the doctor is still not willing to call it a success due to the complexity of my case (no drum at all). I was very careful because the post op instructions were not as specific as I thought they should be. I had no visitors due to the risk of colds, at the first sign of allergies I was on decongestants, no bending, no sleeping on that side, no quick motions at all, I live close to the mountains and I wouldn’t even drive into them because of the pressure changes. I didn’t exercise for 6 weeks because of the risk of blood pressure getting to high. Like I said I went above & beyond to care for this delicate little graft. Was it necessary? Who will ever know… I did not want a failure after all I have gone through I would do anything to save this graft. Do your best to give it all the chance of success & then you know if it fails it was beyond your control. I wish we had the ability to check inside every day and see the healing happen I was on pins & needles at every follow up appointment. Every snap, crackle, pop made me question what I did. I called the docs office once & they assured me the sounds were normal. So I guess what Im saying is its normal to be concerned. I was more stressed about follow ups than the surgery. Good luck!
Thank you Adrienne. See that just makes me concerned. I wasn’t told about not sleeping on the side of the surgery and nor bending (though I did bend and noticed a change in pressure and have resorted to squatting). I guess that I am trying to be delicate, but I have a full life and am using my body, because I was told it was okay by my doctor. Your right about ever snap, crackle and pop. I guess I just need to let go, know I am doing the best I can, and that I am taking care of myself due to the fact that I am being aware of my body and its needs. Thanks for confirming that the stress is normal. I guess I can only do my best, and if it doesn’t work, I go from there.
First off, I wanted to thank Richard for this website and for giving everyone here an opportunity to share our experiences with this surgery. As for my story, it also began with years of ear trouble. I had ear tubes put in many years ago (probably when I was 6?) and I am now 26 years old. The ear tubes in my right ear fell out like they were supposed to, but the one in my left ear never came out. According to my mother, my doctor at that time said the ear tube can stay in my ear since it was not doing any harm. Throughout the years I have had multiple ear infections and I would have times where I had this odd yellowish pus come out of my left ear. A few months ago I made the decision that I want to serve my country and join the Air Force. After talking to my recruiter I learned that I need to get my ear tube out before they will allow me to go to MEPS (Miiltary Entrance Processing Station)and process in. So I went to my ENT doctor and he noticed that ear tube in my ear and said that since it has been in my ear for many years it has caused a large perforation in my ear. My Dr. tried to get the ear tube out with tweezers but it was wedged in there becaues of scarring from the ear drum around the tube. He said that I would need to get surgery done to get it removed, he also mentioned tympanoplasty to fix that perforated ear drum.
April 5th was when I had my surgery done. I had a Type 1 Tympanoplasty. The surgery was done through my ear canal and they did not need to cut my ear at all, which was a relief. I forget what kind of graft they used, they did not need to take any part of my skin. The surgery itself was not bad, 2 hrs long. When I woke up felt very naseuous and my throat was very sore beacuse of the tube. The pain did not kick in till 2days after the surgery. I have been taking pain meds and antibiotics. I have a follow up appointment April 27th, which seems like forever from now After reading the posts on here I feel better that I am not alone in feeling paranoid in my everday experiences. I freak out when I accidently yawn or bend over, I will catch myself midway and stop and spend alot of time worrying if I just screwed everything up. Im glad I read this blog because I did not know I should avoid chewing gum or drinking through a straw. Makes sense though.
I really want this to work out. If I want to join the Air Force I have to be shipped out to basic before I turn 28 (September 16th of 2013). It would be great if this surgery worked the first time through. If all goes well I can start my processing into the Air Force 120 days after my surgery which will be around August 5th. Hopefully my ear drum will be fully healed, since a perforated ear drum will disqualify me from the Air Force. I have been thinking about joining the military for a long time, and as of a few months ago I decided I wanted to go for it. I guess in a way, if it was not for deciding to try to join I would of never of found out that I medically needed this surgery. I will keep you guys updates on my recovery process and hopefully my journey in joining the Air Force!
Tom
Reply
Thanks so much for this website! There were so many questions going through my mind – I did ask the doctor but he said everybody heals different. I had my surgery 4/16/12 and the doctor is really great and did ask if I had any questions but I didn’t know what to expect so how could I ask the right questions. By reading this blog, I now have some questions that I will ask tomorrow: Can I use a straw?, Should my ear feel like a plastic toy?, When is the pain going to stop?, I took off 2 weeks disability but is this enough?, Why are some people saying their doctors gave them ear drops – I don’t have them and are they needed?
Hi Fran-
I’ve had 2 tymps in the last 4 years. To answer your questions: No, I wouldn’t use a straw. Yes, your ear will feel like plastic (or tingly or numb) for quite a while. My last tymp was in Dec ’10 and my ear is just returning to normal. The pain may take a little while as everything settles back into place and heals. (Weeks, longer possibly.) I personally would advise more time off…you really do want to give this your best shot! Ear drops are usually given to dissolve packing in your ear and to keep it clean. Do you have packing inside?
Please excuse my brevity as I’m writing on my pone!
Julia
Thank you for your reply! I appreciate all the notes that have posted because it does calm my fears and concerns to know others are experiencing the same issues. I don’t know what type of packing the doctore used, guess I should have asked more questions. I see the doctor on 5/1 so hopefully I will be prepared to ask some valid questions from the feedback that I’ve received from others.
I had my op 12 January 2012. 2-3 weeks later my packing and stitches were taken out by the hospital staff. Here are some tips you might find useful.
I was not advised that you can’t drink through a straw, in fact immediately after the op they gave me a water bottle with a straw! I questioned the nurse and they said they hadn’t heard that I can’t use a straw but I refused to use it as any ‘sucking’ type action did feel like it had impact on my ear drum. So I didn’t use a straw.
I did not commence active sports like running incase it misplaced the ear drum graft for 2 months. I just walked briskly and did whatever low risk jobs that kept my head fairly straight. I wouldn’t do heavy lifting or any straining. I did blow my nose within the first two weeks but it was light blowing and had no impact. Do not do vigorous blowing of the nose. You need to sneeze open mouthed!
They advise you not to sleep on the ear, and you will find that it feels under pressure and painful if you do anyway. So where possible, persevere and sleep on the ‘good’ side, it’s only for the first few weeks. No harm had come from me accidently turning in my sleep though!
I had packing in my ear which was dripping with antibiotic oil. This will drip for the first couple of weeks, sometimes appearing as red as blood (due to mixing with blood). When the packing comes out, you may still have hearing issues as some oil residue is still stuck to the ear drum. This comes out after 3-4 months and hearing slowly improves. My hearing in that ear will only come back to 70 percent all up, as the hole in my ear was very large, but for me it’s better than getting a hearing aid. I can now hear normal and deeper sounds better than pre-op, but still have poor hearing of hi-pitched sounds unless it is at a reasonable volume. I can live with that. I can also determine which direction sounds are coming from much better than pre-op.
The number one most important thing is DON’T get the ear wet. This will certainly affect the healing. I was careful to place a thick facewasher over my ear, keep my head sideways, and use a hand held shower hose to wash my hair so I can direct the water away from my ear. Don’t go swimming. This rule should be in place for 16 weeks following your operation. Give yourself the best chance and avoid all water/oil/drops in the ear unless your dr gave the drops to you. And as much as you feel the desire to poke your ear canal with something to stop the itching and to scrape out ‘residue’ – Dont to it!!! Leave the ear alone.
My ear felt numb (and still does after 5 months)where the nylon stitches have been on the front outer lobe. Yes, it can feel like a plastic toy as Fran described. I even found bits of plastic inside the scar which I pulled out weeks later with tweezers.
I had about 10-14 days off work and still could have done with more, (mainly due to feeling tired) as the stitches were causing pain more than the inner ear. However, I did not need strong pain killers after week 1. I was able to work well with babies and toddlers and lift them up, but as long as they didn’t touch my ear. Also my hair didn’t look too lovely as it was shaven behind the ear and I had it up in a pony tail! Depends on what job you do will determine when to go back to work. Heavy lifting – no I wouldn’t risk it for a month I think, but everyone is different, maybe you had a smaller graft or different op and your’s feels ok..but remember this is your ear, one of your important senses and since you went through the pain and trouble of having the op, give yourself a few months to not do anything too risky or strenous.
Narelle,
Thank you for leaving this comment! It’s thoughtful and comprehensive, and with your permission, I’d love to feature it with its own post about recovery. Let me know!
Sure, please let everyone know my experiences and it could give them some idea what to expect. Also for the first week I can recall the jaw being sore and hard to open up fully to eat with, I was afraid to eat anything hard in case it dislodged the newly-placed graft through chewing actions. Also, the packing in my ear made all sorts of ‘snap, crackle & pop’ sounds whilst in place and I even heard popping sounds for a week or two after it’s removal. Other sounds where whistling etc but 4 months later, I do not have a problem with pain or noises in that ear.
Hi..I have just had a tympanoplasty done 3 days ago and im experiencing sounds in my ear that are starting to freak me out. im hearing a pulsing heartbeat sound and a slight ringing. Did you hear these? do they go away? please put my mind at ease! thanks..
Please read the entire blog because you will feel better that others too have experienced these conditions. The notes that my doctor gave me did explain the ringing in the ears might happen. I didn’t experience the pulsing heartbeat sound but there was so much packing in my ear that I didn’t hear anything. It’s been 3 weeks since my operation and it has helped reading this blog to calm my fears. Keep on reading and you will feel better!
Tammy , You are going great so far ..I believe it is normal as I had experienced same after Post OP. Get well soon ..cheers ..
Oh my god you dont know how happy I am to hear that as I have been sitting up crying since I got it done cos im scared im gonna be left like this,so it’s completely normal? Also my voice is very loud to me is that normal too? When did the noises go for you? I dont have to see my ent for another 2 week’s and that seems ages away. Really scared that im gonna be left like this. Im a maid of honour at my friends wedding in august,should everything be ok by then? I know im.asking alot of questions just really need reassurance! Thank you…
Its been three months since my surgery and I still have not been told its been a success. I was at the surgeons last week and I was told to go back on ciprodex for a week because the graft is still red and inflamed at the centre. I had a completely new drum built with fascia. I was told the healing would take a long time and as of now I have at least 3 more months. What I learned from this is the size of the graft matters!! Due to the extent of the graft I have constant draining which is not good because the graft needs to be dry to thin out and improve your hearing. So after my 7 days on ciprodex I will resume blow drying my ear, yes you read it right I blow dry my ear 2x a day for one minute on low as per the docs instructions. I have only a small hearing improvement to date but as the graft thins this will increase.
Listen to your doctor because every graft is different. My graft was held in place only by scabbing then scar tissue and surface tension. My hammer bone was scored to allow fusing of the fascia with the bone.
Tammy I completely understand the adjustments you are going through and I believe you will be back to normal for August. I was surprised and how loud my husband talked & how much volume the tv had! You will adjust to the sounds faster than you think. Rest & let your body heal itself. Good luck.
I’m really sorry to hear that Adrienne.. i would of thought by that time your graft would of healed. Hope it all works out ok for you. Id say its a real pain having to blow dry your ear twice a day. Thank you your quick response as Im really worried that im gonna hear these noises forever and my voice is really loud. I have rang my ent and he says that everything i am hearing is normal..so im trying not to worry and let it heal. any advice anyone can give me will be deeply appreciated.
I doubt you’ll be hearing noises forever. I thought the same during my healing time but now I’m fine. I don’t recall my voice being loud or other sounds being too loud but I do remember noises and ringing in the ear and thought I’m stuck with it forever as a side effect of the operation. But if you take good care of the ear and don’t get it wet, it heals normally and eventually the sounds go. I’m around the 4 month mark since my op and all those strange sounds have gone. I only noticed them come back when I decided to try snorkelling and a whole heap of water got in my ear. Once it was dried out by the end of the day it is fine and back to normal. Normal hair washing doesn’t affect it, its only if I fill my whole ear with water such as when going under water! Strange..I did actually consider blow drying it but didn’t need to!
How long is it normal for your ear to ring after the surgery? I just had my second tympanoplasty and its the second week and my ear is still ringing two weeks after the surgery so I was just wondering if this is normal.
Yes i think this is normal. I had ringing and whistling in my ear for months but from the time they said I’m fine and healing well (and that I can now get my ears wet – about 16 weeks after the op) I no longer hear ringing or other noises. Give it time..
You said that your doctors advised you to not lay on the ear you had surgery on? My doctor never told me not to lay on my bad ear. Its been 2 weeks since my surgery and ive laid on my bad ear a few times since then. Do you think that will be a problem? Do you think listening to music can have a negative affect on the healing process? Im not talking about headphones as i don’t know if ill ever feel comfortable wearing head phones ever again I just mean like in the car and at home. I was driving home yesterday from my 2 week visit and i noticed i was hearing a little better after having some of the packing removed but i was also very tired and too keep myself awake driving home(my doctor is 2 1/2 hours from where i live) i had the music louder than i normally would. Now it feels like my hearing as regressed a little bit. Since this healing process is such a fragile one every little thing I do makes me paranoid. I really appreciate you taking the time to message me back.
Laying on your bad ear a few times will probably not damage it. I got told to ‘try not to lay on that side’ but I did it a few times and nothing bad happened. I didn’t lay on it for long as it was too uncomfortable to do so anyway. Listening to music is fine as long as you are not standing in front of the loudspeakers at a rock concert or something! At home or in the car is fine. I’m sure your ear needs some quiet times to heal but I use headphones that you stick inside yr ear and that’s fine too but overall, don’t worry about loud sounds. If you are listening to music that hurts your ears, then obviously its too loud. If the music is loud enough to keep you awake while driving but is not pumping so loud that the car has a vibration to the beat, you’ll be fine!! . You will be tired as lots of your energy is going towards healing up. I was tired for the first 3-4 weeks but you should have normal energy back after that. I was paranoid to no end as well because this is our delicate ears and we rely on them as one of our main senses. But just relax and you will be fine. I think the main concern is not to get water in the ear for at least the first 3 months, but my surgeon didn’t let me get water in my ear for 4 months (washing hair, swimming etc). (Sorry for late reply)… I’m sure you are taking good care of it so don’t panic x
I did get a rain drop in it a couple days ago :/. Besides that I haven’t got any water in it.
Hi Tammy,
I had my surgery in 2010, but I remember going through the very loud noise issue for about a month or two. Even my own voice sounded very high. It felt like everyone was talking right on top of my head. Listening to music at a normal level also was loud. But eventually, everything went back to normal. So, what you are feeling is pretty normal. Take care.
Thank you everybody for the advice and reassurance! Im really happy to hear that what im experiencing is normal. Its alright for the ent to say it..he probley hasnt gone through it! just wanted people that had actually got it done to tell me that everything is normal. I have been really worried ever since i got it done. Do you think the loud noises and that your own voice is loud is because of the packing? cos my hubby keeps saying that if he plugs one of his ears..then he can hear his own voice in his ear really loudly. Just his way of trying to reassure me evrything will be ok after I get the packing out. Is it better when the packings out?
Its a weird thing. If you cover both your ears with your hands and talk, you do tend hear your own voice louder, or in a different way.
When packing was in my ear, I could hear my own voice ok but I had trouble pronouncing some words properly, I suppose it was kind of like when a deaf person with a hearing aid can hear you but they still can not pronounce their words as clearly as the rest of us.
Hi Tammy,
For me, I will say both yes and no. The loud noises and hearing my own voice was loud with the packing and even after the packing was taken out. It’s been a while, but I think the noise remained there for at least a month or more.
Thank you Narelle and Tasha for your responses! Hopefully when i get the packing out ill feel much better. Cant wait for that! I feel myself thinking I wish I didnt get it done. I suppose everyone had felt like that at one point because your not expecting to feel and hear the things that you do. Im relieved to know that it will all come back normal soon! Tasho..just a little question for you.. when you heard your voice loud in your ear..did it kind of make a crackling buzzing sound with the vibrations of your voice? Just starting experiencing that now. Everyday theres something new!!!
Sorry..typo..meant to write..Tasha, a little question for you!
I have to say, for the first week I wished I didn’t have the op but thats because of the pain, packing, noises, inconvenience but now I am happy to have done now that I am healed.
yeah..i immediately felt like that! that I regretted getting it done but im hopeful and optimistic that everything will be alright after speaking to all of yous. i thank yous all..and I thank Ricky for setting up this site as it has been a god send to me in my time of need.
just got some news from the doctor that did the surgery. he said that if im that worried bout the things im experiencing that he will see me tomorrow. so glad that ill get to see him. I think I was ringing his office to much, he must of thought, this one is not going away till I see her. lol. So glad my persistence paid off. I keep yous posted on how I get on.
Hi Tammy,
Yes, I did hear crackling and buzzing sounds with the vibrations of my voice? I believe the whole packing does not come out after they remove it. Some of them melts away. I think that’s what causes the crackling, when it is clearing up. Take care.
Well..I went to the docs today! I had a list of questions written out for him and he read through them one by one and answered them one by one. Everything of what I am experiencing is completely normal. The noises(crackling,buzzing,pulsing,popping and ringing)the loud voice when I talk, everybody been very loud, the muffled hearing(that’s an obvious one cos of the packing. They will all go away when I get packing out. Except for the loud noise when I talk because there is still packing behind my eardrum that has to dissolve on its own so ill still experience that till it does. So relieved that my questions were answered and that everything that I am experiencing is normal. I know yous all said that they were but its nice to hear it from the doc. Have to go back on Tuesday to get stitches removed and I think I have to get the packing removed then aswel. We will see!
Im also experiencing some echo sounds of music etc when it comes to a high part of a song..it sounds like its coming from behind the packing..like a little squeak. Did anyone else experience this? Is it a good sign that Im hearing it? This operation just puts some amount of panic in you its unreal. Never thought Id feel as panicky as this!
I had surgery 11 days ago. I wish I would of found this page a long time ago. I had my surgery on Friday and the surgeon said I should be able to go back to work on Monday. I felt horrible for several days and ended up taking a whole week off of work. The anasthesia left me tired and week for several days, which led to a full blown panic attack because i kept thinking something must be wrong with me because I was still not feeling “normal”. Finally about 7 days after surgery I began to feel better. I have had the pulsating in my ear, ringing,pain in my jaw, my voice sounds really loud to me, and now my ear is ITCHING horribly. I’m hoping that is just the healing process. I go back to the surgeon in 9 days, I hope all goes well as I have 3 more surgeries coming up. While the surgeon was operating he found cyst behind both eardrums which will need to be removed later and I will be having a tube placed in the ear I just had surgery in. Thanks to everyone for telling their story. It really helps to know things are going “normal’”
So.. I went back to the doctors today to get packing and stitches removed. Felt instant relief when he removed the packing. Its so unreal how uncomfortable the packing was making me. The pulsing noises isnt as high as what it was. I still have the loud voice in my ear when I talk cos there is still some packing left in there, behind the eardrum that has to disslove on its own. He had a look at the graft and im pleased to say that it is healing very very well. He seems very pleased with it. Packing wont dissolve for another month..but at least im seeing some improvement in my situation. Feel very happy! Thank you all agian for your advice. it was greatly appreciated and ill keep yous posted on my recovery.
x
Hi Lori
I’m just right behind you.. I had my op 11 days ago. The operation just set a panic button in me that I could not turn off. i thought everything i was experiencing was not normal and that something was wrong. I annoyed my doc something shocking! Everything on your list.. I had..and I still do have some of them. still have the pulsing, but its not as noticeable since I got the packing out yesterday and my voice is still loud in my operated ear as there’s still some packing left in there that has to dissolve. When something is stuck in your ear your voice will sound loud in your head. Do you still have the pulsing and the loud voice? Did you get the 1st bit of packing removed yet? you will feel so much better after that’s removed. the best of luck in your other 3 surgeries, hope recovery will be fast and painless for you.
Tammy
Tammy,
No I haven’t had any packing removed. I don’t go back to the surgeon until the 17th (3 weeks after my surgery). Yes I still have the pulsating and loud voice but I’m assuming it’s from the packing. I am a stay at home mom of four and run a daycare out of my home. Yesterday after all the daycare kids left I had to go and lay down for a few minutes because my ear was pulsating and felt like an ear ache. I assume it’s from the noise level or from bending over, picking up kids,etc. Counting down the days (8more to go) until I go back to the surgeon. Praying all is healing well, and wanting to know details on my next surgeries. Not sure how long I have to wait in between surgeries and if my recovery on my next surgeries will be longer. Did your surgeon do your surgery through your ear (mine did) or did he cut behind your ear to do your surgery? I know the next surgeries will require him cutting through the back of my ear and stitches so I’m afraid the recovery may be a little more intense. And does anyone have any unique ideas for washing your hair? Sounds silly but when I had my surgery I had a tube put in the other ear and so I can’t get either ear wet. Bless my husbands heart he has been holding wash clothes over my ears while I wash my hair in the sink, but just wandering if anyone else has any pointers. Thanks
My surgery was a cut behind my ear with stitches on 4/16/12 and sometimes the itching is so intense I have to hold down my hands so I don’t scratch! I had some of the packing taken out on 5/1 and what a relief – I can hear now, the “under water” sound is gone – and the doctor will remove more packing on 5/24 so I’m expecting even more success.
I am lucky that I have a great husband that washed my hair after the seven days of not being allowed to wash my hair. We were told to use a cotton ball in the ear and cover it with a LOT of vaseline. I don’t like using the vaseline because it gets all over my hair even though he is very careful. I used a little Dawn dish detergent on a wash cloth to remove the vaseline and it makes it better. My husband also did research on “dry” shampoo and bought some for me to try – The scalp felt cleaner and smelled good but it really doesn’t look clean. Well after seeing the doctor 5/1 he said I could try washing my in the shower as long as I use the cotton ball with vaseline. What a task! I have struggled to live with dirty hair and use the shower method to wash my hair every other day. My husband has offered to continue to wash my hair but he is too gentle and doesn’t want to hurt me and spends the whole time saying he’s sorry for hurting me. I sure look forward to not using the cotton ball and vaseline!
Hi Lori
Yeah my surgeon went through my ear canal. For the 1st week the pain was unreal. I was crying every night because of the whole thing..the stress, the worry, the symptoms..everything. But it does get easier. You’ll feel relief when the packing comes out. Its funny that your packing isn’t coming out till you are 3 weeks post op but I got my packing out yesterday – 10 days after my op. Just depends on the surgeon I suppose. Do you have dis solvable packing in aswel or will all the packing be removed at your next appointment? yeah the pulsing noise can be very intense especially when your been active. It almost feels like the whole ear is throbbing, but for the most part it is the packing that is making you feel so uncomfortable with it. The pulsing noise is still there when 1st bit of packing is removed..but not as loud. Kind of in the distance and because I still have some packing in my ear, I don’t think it will go away till that dissolves. Other people have said that they put cotton wool in the ear smothered in Vaseline when they are washing their hair. You can also go to the chemist and see have they got special caps or bandages etc to stop water going into the ears. Up till now..ive just done what you are doing. getting someone to hold a cloth over my ear tightly. The most important thing is not to get the ear wet. Its a major pain whilst showering etc but it will be worth it in the end. I pray that your other ops go well cos it is just awful to have something wrong with your ears.
Tammy
If he went through your ear canal where did you have stitches?
And has anybody had headaches? I’m not sure if it’s because of my ears but I’ve had to take tylenol for headaches for the past 3-4 days.
The headaches are your bodies way of telling you to slow down! When I didn’t want to take any more medicine I was experiencing the most intense headaches but I started to write down what I was doing when I got the headache and found I was overdoing everything and my body wasn’t happy. When I started to feel the pulsing in my ear, this always seemed to be the start of the headache, I would stop what I was doing and take a break until the pulsing went away and I haven’t had to take any medicine since 5/2/12 which is 7 days! I hate taking medicine so I listen to my body and slow down. The doctor said this is normal and my body needs all my energy to heal.
Thanks for the information Fran. I think your right about the headaches being from to much activity. I don’t like to take meds either. I only took 1/2 a pain pill the night I got home from my surgery (because the pharmacist told my husband to make sure I took one) and never took anymore. I don’t like the way they make me feel. I will keep you posted on my upcoming appointment on the 17th and any information I recieve about my next surgeries. Has anyone else been told they have a cyst behind their ear drum(cholesteatoma)which requires another type of surgery?
I’ve posted some concerns and questions but not my experience. I read some of the older post and someone asked if they should have this surgery and even with some bad experience I would have to say yes. It’s only because I had this surgery that my surgeon found the cyst behind my ear drums (cholestoma) which will require more surgeries but could have bad consequences if not removed. I’ve always had earaches and infections, ever since I can remember. My eardrums have ruptured several times due to the infections and I had a perforated and retracted eardrum. I’m 37 and have never had any type of surgery so I didn’t know what to expect. I had my surgery on Friday and my surgeon said I should be able to go back to work on Monday. I faste before I went in for out patient surgery,registerd, got on my pretty hospital gown, an IV, a little something to calm my nerves, wheeled into the OR and out I went. Pretty easy so far, but when I woke up I remember my arms and legs feeling heavy. It was several days before the anesthesia left my body. The antibiotics the Dr. perscribed made me nauseas, diarrhea, and stomach pains. Not sure wether this is how I was suppose to feel I called the Dr. who told me to stop antibitics and take a probiotic, and that my symptoms were normal. By Wed. I had a full blown panic attack and swore to my husband I wasn’t having anymore surgeries. Although I wasn’t in much pain (I only took tylenol)and I wasn’t dizzy I felt wierd. Because my ear was packed my whole perception was off. Things sounded different, my voice was loud in my head, my ear was pulsating, I had pain in my jaw, I could only open my mouth so far the first several days and I was still weak and tired. I don’t say this to scare anyone, because looking back it wasn’t so bad, I just didn’t know what to expect. I found this website a few days ago and what a relief to hear your stories and to realize that what I was experincing was normal. As of today 12 days post op, I still have the pulsating in my ear, I’ve been getting headaches and my jaw still hurts every now and then. I ended up taking one week off and resumed work this week. I do daycare in my home and have 3-5 kids a day. I noticed most people took more time off and I wonder if I have given myself enough time to recover. I go back for my follow up on the 17th and will keep you posted. Thanks for all your post, concerns, and answers to my questions. God Bless and good night. Lori
Hi Lori
I had my stitches in the little bump of skin on your ear just right beside your sideburns. Thats where he took the graft to fill my eardrum. Where is your stitches?
I don’t have any stiches my surgeon used a patch.
Just depends on the surgeon I suppose!! I have to go back for a follow up appointment in a months time. By then the remaining packing should be dissolved. Do you have that kind of packing? Again Ill say you’ll feel so much better when the packing is removed. I can hear some improvement in my hearing already.
Well I just returned from 3 week post op appointment with the surgeon. All is healing well. He said the remainder of the packing will dissolve on it’s own with in the next 2 months. My next surgery to remove the cyst behind my ear will be on July 24th. Thanks to everyon for their support during my recovery! If anyone has had a cholesteatoma removed I would love to hear how your surgery went and what to expect on my next surgery.
Thanks again, Lori
Glad to hear everything is healing Lori. Its a relief when the packing is removed, isn’t it?
Just a question to anyone, I’m 3 weeks post op and I sneezed. How do you know if you’ve done anything to your graft? I don’t feel any pain or anything..would that mean that the graft is still intact? Any advice would be appreciated.
The graft is probably still intact if it doesn’t feel any different than normal after sneezing. I sneezed a few times too but it did not damage the graft. They do advise you to sneeze with your mouth open though which I think I tried to do, but 3 weeks post op you will most likely be ok.
Tammy
My doctor didn’t remove any packing just said it would dissolve on it’s own, and I can already tell that some has dissolved because I don’t feel as much pressure. I know last week my allergies were bad and I sneezed several times. This did not effect my graft and the surgeon said my graft was healing fine. Just make sure if you have to sneeze, don’t hold it in and do it with your mouth open. I’m sure you are probably fine. The doctor has okayed me to gently blow my nose. So I would said you are probably okay at 3 weeks post op.
Hello everyone! I am just updating everyone on my recovery progress. I had a Type I Tympanoplasty on my left ear on April 5th, in which they had to remove an ear tube and fix a perforated ear drum. The perforation turned out to be 25%. The first 2 weeks were rough because I could not hear. During my 3 week post-op check up my doctor did not take the packing out because he said he knew another doctor who tried to take all of the packing out, but ended up taking the graft out with the packing (yikes!). So he assured me that the ear was not infected, but could not tell if the graft took because of all the packing. At this time he perscribed me ear drops to help dissolve the packing and keep the ear clean. 2 weeks after that I saw my doctor again and he said that the graft took and there is no perforation!!! I was worried because I have sneezed ALOT during the first month and a half. I made sure that I sneezed with my mouth opened everytime. Luckily, this did not ruin the graft. Hopefully this will bring some comfort to people are worried about ruining the graft because of sneezing. July I will have another checkup as well as a hearing test. I feel that I can already hear better than I did before the surgery.
Hi Tom, good to hear your ear is healing well. I can recall my imagination running wild that the packing in my ear was going to be ‘stuck’ to the graft (because the packing had been there for 2.5 weeks and was ‘dried’ on the outside) So when the surgeon was about to pull it out with tweezers, I expressed my fear about the graft coming out with it, but she assured me it will be fine. Sure enough, just the packing came out and all was well. (I don’t think any part of it was actually anywhere near my graft at all).