I visited the surgeon who performed my Tympanoplasty (now, several years ago). He said my ear drum is still looking good, and my hearing is the same as it was a year ago. I am, of course, very thankful.
I’ll see him again in a year.
(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I encourage you to read this and this, and optionally, the posts in between.)
Thanks for keeping this blog. I just had a tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy last week and I’ve learned so much by reading your entries and all of the comments.
I am also a fellow Jumbo (’96). Enjoy your studies!
Corrie,
I’m glad I can help a fellow Jumbo!
hello richard, i had tympnoplasty and mastoidectomy on 08 of june 2010. i went to regualt follow ups and my Doctor thinks that my ear looks fine. my last follow-up was on 8th of july. my doc asked to discontinue the drops and instructed to not to get my ear wet. little gelfoam is still present in the ear which he said weous remove it manually after 2 weeks. i dont have much complications but i still feel as if my one side of head is clouded and feels like as if i will get dizzy once i get out into public. Last night, my ear was so itchy that unknowingly i hav put my little finger and scratched inside. Dont know if i would hav caused damage? Is the graft so easily accesible that i would have damaged it with my nail? I am sorry if i am bothering you and not making sense at all. but please tell me do u think i should visit doctor soon and also please let me know wen will this cloudedness disappear?
I do not know the answers to these questions. Only your doctor can tell you that.
Hi Richard,
Man I wish I had found your blog before my surgery 2 weeks ago. I had no clue the post op would be such a bummer. I expected a full recovery when I woke up from surgery lol, but seriously my surgeon is wonderful. John Shea, III here in Memphis so if anyone needs one in Memphis he is the best. I am still having issues with being dizzy though and the nurse said it was normal due to the packing and that my packing might take as long as 6 weeks to dissolve fully, I am having horrible muffling and feel like I can’t hear much at all it wasn’t this way pre-surgery but I am confident by what the nurses have told me and reading your blog it will all return to normal. I also have lost my sense of taste especially on the right side where my surgery was done, yet again have been told this is all normal, wish I had know more of this up front just so I would have been expecting it lol!! I would love any comments from others who have been through this and any words of advice for the next 4 weeks before my 6 week post op visit. I am so ready to be able to wash my hair normally again too, cotton balls and vaseline are not fun. My homemade concoction has been cotton ball with vaseline and then I take a shower cap and wrap around my entire ear and then take a small plastic snack holder and cover my ear, so far it has worked as far as I can tell no water has gotten in my ear and my mom is washing my hair while I hold it all in place lol!!! Thanks for any comments, suggestions, etc. etc.