Thanks to a bad surfing accident, I have a hole in my eardrum that is approximately 20% of the eardrum and perfectly round. Because of the size, the ENT doc says that it probably won’t heal on its own. In turn, I’m expecting to have Tympanoplasty. Anyway, the question, does anyone have any info regarding how long between the injury and the date of surgery, and how long recovery should be? It’s killing me thinking about being out of water for 8 - 10 months. Thanks in advance
I’ve had minor surgury on my eardrums a couple of times and ruptured an eardrum once. I had all of the surguries when I was young, but I was really active and remember being in the pool within a couple of weeks. BUT, I did have to wear earplugs for quite a while and was not supposed to put my head “under” water. I imagine you could be swimming laps with earplugs relatively soon. (Weeks not months) Caveat: it sounds like your rupture is pretty large (is your head still ringing??) so my experience might not apply.
This sucks! I just got back from the ENT and I just found out that I have another infection. The doctor says that he will not operate on me until 12 months after the most recent ear infection. Great, I was off cipro (antibiotics) for one week until I got another ear infection. I’m not even close to swimming, this was from taking a shower and being as careful as possible (using cotton). I’m just worried about the liklihood of me going 12 months infection free. To top it off, every infection affects the cochlear nerves resulting in hearing loss. Already in the appt, the doc was referring to how bad it would be for him to have to give me a hearing aid at my age (29). The paper procedure you were referring to is called a “paper patch” and my doc never said anything about it. I guess when I get a 2nd opinion, I’ll bring it up. Thanks for the replys - Ernie
Oh, also what about still working out (I have been cycling and running). Does the sweat increase the odds of infection?
That sucks. Sorry to hear about it. I’m 29 also and had lots of ear issues when I was younger. My hearing is about 50% in my right ear but fine in my left. (No hearing aids here.)
It can be a pain a crowded bar to hear people. But it’s great when I want to sleep, I just sleep on my left side and everything’s nice and quite. I’ve got to use my left ear for the phone though. It did suck when I took a shot to my left ear and had a rupture. I was basically useless for a few weeks.
In all seriousness, I would see another doc, and make sure you ask all of the questions that you posted here. Especially the ones about preventing further infection. (I would imagine that sweat wouldn’t be a problem, but…) I find that many doctors are overly conservative and maybe you ended up visiting one today. I hope thinks don’t turn our as bleak as your news today.
How do you feel about duathlons this season??
yep, duathlons and concentrating on road racing. Last year I was right on the edge of upgrading to CAT3, so I guess with a little bit more focus, I can hopefully make it. Thanks alot for your advice - Ernie