Archive for the 'Tympanoplasty' Category

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Tympanoplasty Question

Published on January 8, 2009 in Tympanoplasty. 168 Comments Tags: , , .

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).

My Tympanoplasty, A Retrospective

Published on August 23, 2008 in Ricky and Tympanoplasty. 233 Comments Tags: , , .

This is the landing page to the story of my tympanoplasty. However, it’s just a slice in the middle of a larger story, which you can find in the tympanoplasty category of my blog. More importantly, this post and the others contain useful and inspiring stories from people at different parts in the healing process. Always be sure to read the comments, and don’t be afraid to contribute.

Earlier this year, I wrote about an elective surgery I undertook to recover hearing in my right ear. From the time I was little, my right ear drum had a hole in it, a perforation. I went for several procedures as a child to repair the hole, but none of them were successful.

Having that hole in my ear drum had always been a part of me. I learned to turn my head to hear people better, and I adapted to wearing an ear plug whenever around water, including and especially while showering.

Fast-forwarding eighteen years, this last February, my family and I decided it was time to take another shot. Consulting Dr. Lawrence Meiteles, we were introduced to and studied a procedure called a Tympanoplasty.

The idea of recovering any hearing was truly amazing to me – thinking about it made me instantly emotional.

As a student, I’d always refused to take any time off, unless I was particularly sick. In this case, for this reason, I was willing to take any amount of time off, even in the midst of a busy senior year of high school.

I retell this story now because it’s time to wrap it up. It’s been six months since the procedure and everything is well. I can bathe and swim without an ear plug and my hearing is much better, although not perfect. Although recovery was painful and tedious at times, I regret nothing… not even wearing this setup immediately after the surgery:

Big Bandage

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. I entirely and without reservation recommend the surgical services of Dr. Lawrence Meiteles to anyone with an ear drum perforation. I couldn’t be more appreciative to have something I thought I’d never have – decent hearing.

Water

Published on May 19, 2008 in Tympanoplasty. 7 Comments Tags: , , , .

Best news on Earth ever!

It’s as good as it’s going to get. I’ve gone from moderate to severe hearing loss in my right ear to mild hearing loss. And now, because there isn’t a hole in my ear drum, I can get my ear wet! Yes, I can finally take a shower without wearing earplugs!

I’ve been wearing earplugs while showing and swimming for as long as I can remember – my entire life. Tonight, I’ll try to take my first shower without an earplug. It’s both terrifying and liberating.

Hear the Good News

Published on April 23, 2008 in Ricky and Tympanoplasty. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

I went to visit my surgeon yesterday. After a quick hearing test, he has determined that I’m hearing better than I did before the surgery (February 27, 2008). The ear drum is looking good, I have to keep putting drops in it twice a day for the next two weeks, and I still can’t expose the ear to water. I’ll see him again in four weeks.

Monday was my first day back in my Gym class. Admittedly, I’m not the most athletic person, but I’m so happy to be back. For each day I sat out from Gym, I had to write a one page paper on a topic related to athletics, fitness, or health. I didn’t mind at first, but after the forth week I grew tired of the practice. Getting to go back to class with my friends and play kickball outside was wonderful!

My hearing is slowly getting better. Sounds are less sharp than they used to be, but I have a way to go. Higher-pitched sounds and my own yelling bring pain to my ear, but the surgeon told me that my nerve is still getting used to the amplified sounds. Remember, the problem with my right ear was a hole in the ear drum. The nerve that carries the sound information to my brain is in great condition, but it’s been accustomed to much softer sounds than what I’m hearing now. It’s overwhelmed.

This is all great news and reason for me to celebrate. I’m overjoyed, really. :D

Ear Progress

Published on April 1, 2008 in Tympanoplasty. 7 Comments Tags: , , .

Visited my surgeon today; he delivered powerful news.

Your ear drum is intact.

My surgeon believes I’m coming along well. He took the last of the packing out from my ear canal with a pick and vacuum. The sensations were both painful and gratifying, knowing that I’m hopefully moving forward.

Sounds are louder now. Unfortunately, they’re loud as they are unclear and unintelligible. I feel like there’s a reverb filter installed in my head.

This is okay, I’ve been told. The ear drum is still healing and there’s some left over packing behind the ear drum that my surgeon cannot remove himself. The ear drops I’ve been using several times a day should dissolve that packing over time.

Progress.

Retribution

Published on March 27, 2008 in Dover, Rants, Ricky, Stories and Tympanoplasty. 6 Comments Tags: , .

As I said I would, I went straight to the Middle/High School Principal today. After telling her my story, she was appalled; she dropped what she was doing and went straight to work on investigating the incident.

By mid-day, the student was punished. As I type this post, he’s sitting in a three-hour detention session. More importantly, his privilege of using the school weight room in the evening has been “suspended until further notice”. Also, word has gotten around about the incident to people who matter – his coaches and teachers.

Although all of this brings me no joy, I hope he’s learned a lesson.

I seriously doubt it, though.

…

I’d also like to thank everyone for their concern and kind words. No, really, thank you. You all comforted me during a very difficult time in my life. For that, I’m grateful. Another set of thanks to my High School’s administration and people who care about setting things right.

By the way, in the alternate reality where I didn’t restrain myself, I would have been suspended for at least one day. That would have went on my record, which would have been passed on to whatever college I attend. In the end, I played my cards right, despite my lackluster hand.