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:
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.
Wowza that is a huge bandage. I am glad to hear that you are better!
The bandage is a good look for you, you should adopt it as a style statement. Hey, college may be the last time you can dress like a crazy with relatively small repercussions.
Of course, covering up your ear might render the whole surgery kind of useless…
Matt and Kim, you know the real reason I wrote that post?
I just wanted to get blog comments about that photograph.
Hi Ricky,
I wanted to tell you enjoyed your story about the tympanoplasty. My son, who is 12, had this same operation in July. He, like you, has spent his life to date wearing ear plugs while swimming and showering. Because this surgery is not quaranteed to be successful, we thought about it long and hard before deciding to go through with it. We had gotten two other opinions and also researched this procedure at great length. After his surgery evertyhing looked great. He had 3 scheduled follow ups with the surgeon. At the 3rd follow up, unfortunately a small whole the size of a tip of a needle has reappeared on his eardrum. The doctor said there is a chance this may heal. We are keeping our fingers crossed, we will be going back in a month of so to see.
I felt compelled to write to you because not only did we just go through a similar situation, but I also know you. I work at Dover High/Middle School as a substitute and you are also my neighbor. I live down the road from you. I found your website to be interesting and I wish you lots of luck at Tufts. Beantown is a great place to go to college, enjoy it!
Pattie, thank you for *your* story. I hope, with all of the empathy I can find, that your son has the best of luck.
And really, thanks for wishing me luck in Boston. I think with all of the luck people are wishing me that nothing could ever go wrong.
I just came across your blog and my son 13 just had this procedure for the second time. I know this might sound like a stupid question, but was your ear put back properly, or did your ear look different?
My sons ear is a little lower and sticks out more.
Hey how’s it going I’m having this surgery on the 8th of Jan and scared to death its not my first I had a patch out on it a year ago which didn’t work out. So here I am with a little over a week to go until surgery I was just wondering about the pain and how much of a scar that it left behind.
Michelle: I don’t like to dwell on this, but yes, my ear was put back slightly off from where it was before. It was very noticeable to me at first, but other people didn’t usually notice it unless I pointed it out to them.
I’ve since learned to live with it.
Jasmine: With only 6 days until your surgery, I can understand why you’re afraid.
I was in a fair deal of pain directly after the surgery, but the pain medication they gave me helped a lot. It wasn’t unbearable.
I have no noticeable scar.
Good luck! Please let me know how the procedure goes.
Thanks for posting this pic and for your story. I’ve had many tympanoplasties, which unfortunately for me didn’t work. So I had to go the other route. I hope you don’t mind but I linked this entry to a post I made today at britishcowgirl.livejournal.com.
Cheers!
Hey,
Like yourself ive had ear problems all my life, so recently i decided to have my tympanoplasty about 9 days ago. I know someone already sorta asked this above but i wanted to ask anyways. In regards to your ear being put back on right i noticed this as well. Not only is my ear really swollen, but it sticks way out to me. I feel like i have one of dumbo’s ears… while other ppl say its only slightly noticeable from the front, they all agree that from the back you can really tell. With this said i’m worried it wont go back to normal. While i understand that it cant really go back to the way it was exactly, im curious to as if it will at least go back to its normal place a little bit.. When i asked my doctor he said its just swollen and that it will go back to normalish in a few months once it fully heals. Ive had suregery berfore on my ear twice so my right ear has always been a little off, but it was liveable and not really that noticeable. However, i feel this is VERY noticeable. I guess what im really trying to ask is, will my ear stay like this more or less? or is only like this because its only been about a week since the surgery?
~Andrew
Andrew,
The placement of my ear bothered me for a while, but after some time, it either fell into place, or I got used to it. It doesn’t bother me anymore.
I honestly think that a week since the surgery is too soon to worry or be concerned about this issue. I wish you the best of luck!
Richard, I appreciate the information on you Tympanoplasty recovery. I am 61 years old and I am in the process of having a Tympanoplasty on my right ear. I have been in the autobody repair business my whole life and have never really had any major injuries caused by my profession, until January of 2009. While lying on my side under the front of a car, welding on a new inner structure part, a welding spark entered the rear of my welding helmet and into my right ear all the way to the eardrum and burnt a huge hole in the eardrum. It was quite painful to say the least. The burn has finally healed even after a bad infection set in. We are now in the process of scheduling the Tympanoplasty surgery. The loss of hearing for me was quite annoying. Unlike you, I have been able to hear throughtout my life and to have half of my hearing gone in an instant was quite a blow. Like you, having to turn my head to hear and the Tinnitus is really aggrevating. I am looking forward to the surgery and pray that is is successful. At my age, I will not be able to undergo a number of surgeries. So my wife and I are hopeful that the first one is the only one needed. I have been touched by your original posting and I am very happy for your success in getting your hearing back. I am sure that if mine is successful, all of the discomfort and pain that comes with it will well be worth dealing with just to be able to hear again. I can’t immagine going through life not being able to hear as you did. Thanks again for your posting and I wish you all the success in the world at whatever you do.
Hi Mr. Bagby,
I am a 54 year old nurse who developed a bad hospital acquired infection in my ear. I now have tinnitus and some loss of hearing. I find it difficult to hear in noisy social gatherings. My md has asked me to wait a few months before considering surgery.
Have you had your surgery yet? How is it going for you?
If you are willing I would love to hear how it is going for you.
Best wishes for a successful procedure and rapid recovery.
Kay Johnson
Kay,
I would have to say for the most part everything is going good. My surgery is done and the healing I believe has ended for the most part. I have a major hearing loss in my right ear but at least I have regained something. So that is a positive note. And my objective from the beginning, was to regain some type of hearing. I have got to say that the Tympanoplasty is truly an amazing surgery. It has got to be without a doubt the most irritating and uncomfortable recovery I have ever witnessed. You would think that with all of the things that were going on in my head during recovery, there would be no way that all of the things would just one day stop. And seemed like overnight back to normal for the most part. This to me was truly amazing. I think, with the exception that I have a severe hearing loss, the only other things I have gained from the surgery is an occasional earache, apparently for no reason, and my right ear is extremely sensitive to loud noises. I am told that this may be a problem when it comes to hearing aids.
I went today to be fitted for a hearing aid. I was told that with the severe loss in my right ear, I would need a powerful hearing aid to recover the higher db loss. So we are not sure if I can use a powerful hearing aid because of the sensitivity of my right ear. The amplification my be too much for the ear to handle. So this remains to be seen. I will be trial and error so to speak. We will start that in a few weeks. So that is where I am at the present.
Have you made any decision about your surgery? I really believe that there is a lot about this surgery that is yet to be known. There seems to be an awful lot of questions without definite answers. A lot of maybe’s, possibly and lets wait and see. Don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking the procedure at all. After all it worked for me. I know one thing it is really hard to talk to people that have had the procedure and I truly thank Richard for the blog he has created. I have gained relief through the blog just being able to air my feelings throughout the proceedure. So if you decide to have the surgery, I wish you God’s speed with a fast recovery. Just keep in mind that it is all worth it. Patients and a lot of sleep, will get you through it. And most of all listen to you doctor don’t make any decisions on your own. The blog is here for a reason. Please use it.
I am here if you need me,
Billy Bagby
I am glad you have a blog, I have had a perforation in my ear for about 10 yeas now and had the surgery 5 days ago…a Tympanoplasty and middle ear bone surgery… you can find 100 articles about the procedure but none about the recovery and people’s experiences with it. Just curious how long did it take for your hearing to come back to where it was previous to the surgery, and for the packing they must put in to disolve or fall out my next appointment isn’t for another month and 1/2 ? I cant hear hardly anything out of my repaired ear yet. Also, like Andrew one of my concerns was my ear is sticking out, and is lower (sounds like a couple of months is the concensus?). Thanks again for the blog, it gives people recovering some real life experiences.
Hey ,
. honestly im really happy that you have this website richard cause like paul says there are alot of websites about tympanoplastys but none about recovery… like u said the ear has gone down a little bit still sticks out but im hoping it will go down some more.. again its only been a month the hearing hasnt come back yet but they have done some of that vaccuuming in the ear that u wrote about. im pretty sure the hearing will come back in a few more months along with the ear going back to normal..ish..
so ive been checking back here every so often,
considering now its only been a little over a month since my surgery i was seeing if anyone else had posted any new info
oo and to paul, lets hope its all worth it yea? im in the recovery process like you.. im only a month ahead of u.. all i can say tho is that month feels like forever without being able to hear lol thanks again richard for having this site
bringing all of us hearing impaired together
~Andrew
ok so i had the surgery like 2 weeks ago & my ear was swollen but it healed. my ear also had dried up blood & that made it so hard to hear & when i talked it seemed like i could not hear myself clearly. after 2 weeks i tried to removed the dried up blood and i did. it was kinda thick & the end of it was still wet because of the ear drops i waz using. the reaosn i did so was because the ear drops didnt go into my ear because it just soaked into the dried up blood. i waz wondering if i did the right thing because right now i feel like my ear is still healing & i have an appointment in 3 weeks with the docotr and since i removed the dried up blood from my ear, the eardrops go straight in. i still cant hear clearly from the ear but its better than before. i hope to get a response because i’m kinda worried because i feel like i shouldnt had removed the dried up blood from my ear. it looked very thick and long too. i know there are still some more in there but i’m not going to touch it until the doctor takes a look at it.
Billy Bagby – Thank you so much for your kind words! I really mean this; everything you said was outrageously nice. I wish you the best of luck with your procedure, and I hope you come back and keep in touch!
Paul – It took me a full six months before I felt I had gained the maximum amount of hearing I was going to. Give it time. It really does take that long for all of that packing to dissolve. Also, if you re-read the information on this page (http://www.richardmondello.com/category/tympanoplasty/) you’ll find, with more detail, how my hearing progressed through time.
Andrew – Please keep us posted on your recovery! I’m glad you’re being patient with hopes of a full recovery.
femi – I’m not sure if that’s what you should have done. I would ask your doctor as soon as possible.
Richard, Thanks for the reply on my posting.
I had my proceedure done on April 3rd. Everything went quite well especially the fact that my ear canal was large enough and after trimming the eardrum for the graft, I had lost over 75% of my eardrum surface which gave ample room to do the proceedure through the ear canal. So I didn’t have to have my ear removed for the proceedure. Although the surgery was done through the ear canal, the first two days after the surgery were quite miserable for me. I went back for a revisit on April 9th and so far everthing is fine. We won’t start removing packing from the ear for another 2 weeks then hearing testing 2 weeks after that. I will keep in touch and let you know the final outcome.
i did & he actually said that wasnt a big deal as long as i keep the ear away from water. ma surgery is kinda different from everybody else’s though. my ear drum actually shifted away from its position creating a hole beside it so they took some of my skin to replace the hole inside. i still dunno about this packing everybody is saying. does a tympanoplasty require packing on every surgery? well i have an appointment in 2 weeks with the doctor so they will vacuum the ear & i’ll hearing testing procedure will follow after that. i think getting the surgery was the worst decision i’ve ever made in my life. my hearing waz perfect on both sides but my ear dischaged a yellow liquid but when it dried up i could still hear very clearly. the doctor said if i didnt get the surgery then an infection could affect it going into my brain. well now i had the surgery & ma left ear is ok. not perfect like before but its still ok. maybe if they use the vacumm the it would be better who knows. i’ll keep u guys updated
Billy – that all sounds great! Everything appears to be going as planned, and that’s really awesome that you were able to have the procedure done right through the ear canal!
Femi – Give it some time. You may have hearing return – it’s too early now to say anything for sure. Either way, your doctor’s rational about infection is nothing to doubt. If there’s any place to have an infection, that is not one of them!
hey guys. i had my surgery about 3 weeks ago. i keep hearing my heart beat in the ear that i got surgery on. is that normal? Also there’s like some kind of sound that i keep hearing, sometimes its ringing sound & sometimes i hear that kind of sound when you are in the woods camping. i dont know what to do because i’m really stressed with my situation. i just wanted to know if any of these occured to you guys. i still keep using the eardrops & i;ve been stayin away from water ever since i had the surgery. when i was asleep, the dried up blood came out of my ear & the doctor said its normal as long as the ear packing behind the ear drum & around it is still there then i should be fine. pls help me out guys. i just want to know what everybody went through during the healing process,the mumblin sounds & heart beats. thank you
Paul you will get all kinds of sounds in your ear. They really can’t tell you why and can’t stop it. It is terribly annoying, I understand that for sure. Even though it is not a ringing only they still call it tinnitus. I have heard just about everything I could imagine after my surgery that I had on April 3rd. So we have been there about the same length of time. As long as you are putting drops in your ears and there is packing in it you will get things coming out of your ear, very normal. Hang in there and best of all be very patient with the ear healing. Good luck
WOOHOOO! Jus got bak 4rm da hospital & dey removed out all the ear packings. my ear is clear for now. its actually betta dan b4. i still have anoda appointment in 3 weeks so who knows…my ear could just be perfect again!!! i’ll keep u guys posted.
I’m putting a comment bump in this thread, hoping that you all will come back and update me on your status!
I had the surgery a week ago. Everything went well and I had maid pain. In the last two days the pain has been so bad. Saw the doctor he said Im healing well. Im just wondering if anyone else had pain as it was healing. I was trying not to take pain meds.
berm – give up the good fight. Take the meds. It’s worth it.
When did you feel like your self again? Its hard for me not to be active. The pain is better with the meds. My ear always feels like its throbing,better with the pain meds.Its been only a week and Im back walking with the dog and shopping. I just want to be able to return to jogging and swimming. I don’t feel like that day will ever come.
Thank you for responding it helps to know someone else has gone through this also.
Slowly, my new self became my “self” again. It was a slow process, and I can’t say that I ever returned to the same person I was before the surgery. Over time, I became better than that old person, but it took time.
Walking hurt me for some time. I missed more days of high school after my surgery than my entire high school career before that point, combined.
Take it easy. Know that you’re doing yourself a favor by doing so.
The pain feels better today, with the meds. I was cleaning the back of the ear and the scab started to fall off. It looks ok and feels ok. When did the incision behind your ear heal? I feel that the back of mine looks good.
Heal? Well, I can still tell that the operation happened by feeling behind my ear. I’ll always be able to.
After getting my sutures out, I felt I was “healed”. It was good enough for me..
I had this surgery 8 days ago. Four days after my surgery I woke up with a ringing in my ear and it’s been there ever since. Did anyone else experience this in their recovery? My doc said he wants to see me on Monday if the ringing doesn’t stop. I just hope it has something to do with the packing and once it dissolves the ringing will stop. I’d appreciate any info on this. Thanks.
From time to time, I had a ringing, but never sustained.
I’m glad you’re seeing your doctor about this.
Whenever I sleep I had a little wet and dry blood come out. Is that normal? I know dry,but some wet? My ear is going back in place like before. As far is ringing, I get it every once in a while. Mainly my jaw hurts. Did anyone else jaw hurt? I just feel so fragile, my doctor says Im healing well and I in week two. I don’t feel like I can do to much. Can someone tell some of the activities they were doing in week two. Im walking mostly.
The discharge, like Caleb has written, is normal. Two weeks after my procedure, I was just taking life very slowly. Very slowly.
Don’t rush yourself in healing.
Yes fluid discharge is completely normal. I never had any issues with my jaw but my Dr went in through my ear canal instead of making the incision behind my ear, that may have something to do with it. As far as my recovery I went to a wedding three days after my surgery. The only discomfort I experienced was from the packing. Maybe if I would have taken it easy for longer I wouldn’t be experiencing the ear ringing. Consider yourself lucky if you’re not going through this it is quite annoying.
Caleb I feel your pain. I had a tympanoplasty on the 17th and have had a sustained high pitch ringing ever since. It is very annoying. I saw my doctor on Tuesday and he didn’t seem too concerned about it. I hope it is a result of the packing and will go away with time.
It will. I remember my high pitch ringing noises as being a sign that my hearing was coming back. It took me months to get those noises, and I was glad to have them.
WOW! first off – I am so happy and thankful I found your blog.
Like many of the posts said – there’s NOT any other sites out there talking about the recovery process…
I am turning 30 years old next month and just had my tympanoplasty AND mastoidechtomy surgery done this past Tuesday – July 21st.
quick fyi – the mastoidecthomy was to remove all of the scar tissue surrounding the ear drum.
Basically – I had only half of an eardrum left – that is how bad the hole in my right ear drum got. The other half of the ear drum was all scar tissue – due to YEARS and YEARS of ear infections.
I was 7 when they first put the tubes in – and it became my life not to be able to get water in my ears. To me, it was second nature – but obviously no one around me (except my mom who had the same thing) understood. So after years of my ear problems – I just got “used” to it…
I am sitting here still with the bandage on my ear, knowing that I will have a few months of healing time ahead of me…my first post-surgery follow up appointment will be this thursday – until then, pain pills are my friend! lol.
I honestly didn’t even think twice about having this surgery – I have hearing loss in both ears and am also in the process of getting a hearing aid for my left ear. My doctor – who is one of the best in the MidWest – told me that this SHOULD (but obviously isn’t guaranteed) to help the hearing as well as diminish the ringing (I have horrible tinitus as well).
The hearing loss has really only started to affect my life in the past year and a half. I’ve always had troubles hearing – but not to the point it’s gotten to. I think I’m at about 40% loss of hearing. It started to affect my relationship with my (now) husband – my friends – my job…but once I finally realized that my HEARING was the reason why I started to look “anti-social” to people – I realized something needed to be done.
So that is my story – thank you very much for sharing yours and I will definitely be checking back to read about other’s healing process.
I know my doc said the surgery itself should take about 6 – 8 weeks to actually heal and then about 4 months for the hearing to get back to normal. All I know is I hope I’ll be able to get back to being active soon because I’m all about keeping healthy and I have already put my gym membership on hold for 3 months – but that may end up being longer.
Anyways…I’ll end this as it’s gotten long – I just have SO much to talk about when it comes to this issue. Again – thank you so VERY much for sharing your story and for everyone who’s responded to your blog – you have no idea (or well, maybe you do!) how much it helps to know that I’m not the only one going through this.
Thanks and I hope you heal perfectly.
Keri-Ann – I’m happy and thankful to have the company of all of you! It’s great that this site is working to be a resource for people.
Your story reminds me so much of mine. The idea of people thinking of you as anti-social because of your hearing, your second-nature ability to keep your ear dry, and the effects of countless ear infections have resonated with me. Thank you for sharing your story with us; I really do appreciate it. Although I’ve advanced somewhat since I started my journey, your story triggers so many memories.
I hope your recovery is quick and successful!
Please, please do keep in touch. I come back and read these comments whenever there is a new one, so I look forward to hearing how you’re doing in the future.
Well I guess I have made it to the end of it all. I took my hearing test last week. I was told that my hearing is probably as good as its gonna get. I was somewhat disappointed with the outcome. I guess the fact that I have some hearing back should be a big positive note. Now I understand that the 97 to 98% success rate means they can restore some kind of hearing with the surgery. Tests show that I have restored about 25% of my hearing at 4 feet. Past that everything is very distorted. They are not sure that a hearing device will help because of the distortion and have no idea why the distortion is there. That is one thing that I have noticed about this surgery, there is a lot of not really sure and have no idea about the results. It sure was a lot of discomfort and pain for the end result. And now I am also having earache pain in my right ear, days at a time and again no one knows why. It has been 4 months since the proceedure and I am still getting disolved packing in my throat. That thick salty nasty taste I am quite tired of. So Richard I told you I would let you know the outcome and thats about it. I will let you know if there is any changes.
I appreciate you coming back to tell us how you did. I know that taste you’re talking about, and I’m hopeful that it will decrease and disappear over time.
Like you, I wasn’t entirely pleased with the amount of hearing I recovered, too. Then again, I’m now able to shower without an earplug and go swimming. For me, there was more to the procedure than hearing recovery.
Are you a recipient of any of these “fringe benefits”?
My doctor said that having a hole in your ear drum, is not good because it could cause infections. It’s close to your brain,that is the reason I had it. My hearing was great before,but the doctor said I couldn’t swim. Im in week two and doing sctivites,just no jogging or heavy excercise. Im not back to work because my job requires some heavy lifting. The hard part for me is not being able to hear well because of the packing. I have trouble sleeping because Im not so active. Sometimes I get little dizzy just because my sleep is not great and I have to take meds to sleep with. Right now I say I wish I would not had it done,but the other part of me says. Would I have gone without swimming my whole life? Im doing much better than two weeks ago thats for sure. So that is a positive! I don’t want to have it again if it does not repair. My doctor said I was healing well. Any feed back helps.
Berm, it’s going to get better. Just give it some time. I panicked after still not feeling well after a few months – it just needed more time. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing better than two weeks ago! Every block of two weeks will make you two weeks better!
Good luck.
Adam, has your ringing stopped or decreased at all? Mine is not as prominent as it was a few days ago. Each day it seems to become less and less noticeable. Hopefully it will be completely gone in the next few days. Best of luck to you guys.
Caleb, The ringing is still pretty loud and hasn’t lessened……oh well I guess everyone’s recovery is a little different.
hey guys..i just came back to let you know that i’m still going through the healing process..i got over excited about my hearing getting better so i stopped using my eardrops
an infection came but the doctor told me not to worry..i’m still using the eardrops. been using it for 3 months now & i wonder, when my ear gets blocked how do i still keep using the eardrops because it doesnt go directly int the ear..the dried packing keeps blocking it..i’m still using the ear plugs tho..been using them since i had the surgery..any advice? i would appreciate any help. thank u! 
I think I’ll speak for everyone when I say the best advice is to listen to your doctor.
Hello again! I just had to come back and post to people who (should) understand.
As far as the ear goes that had the surgery – right now it’s still just healing…it’s been about 2 1/2 weeks now – and i’m FINALLY starting to get some feeling back in my ear…there’s still some numbness, but it’s not nearly like it was. It actually feels like my right ear is a part of my head again! lol. Course, the doc said NOT to pop my ear at all…so of course that ear started popping on its own last week and it’s been driving me NUTS! Did you (or anyone else who may read this) have this problem? Everytime I swallow or sometimes just breathing makes it pop. My next appt is Tuesday so HOPEFULLY it hasn’t affected anything – but we will see.
But I’m very excited and happy – I got a hearing aid in my left ear. I have hearing loss in both – and i hope hope hope that my right ear (surgery ear) will eventually have hearing returned to it, as my doc says COULD/SHOULD happen with the surgery – obviously though, it will take months to do…but the hearing aid in my left ear is an absolute GOD SEND!
I don’t think I read if you, Richard, have a hearing aid or not – and I don’t remember anyone else saying anything about having to have one. But I can not tell you how awesome it is to be able to hear people again!
Anyways…Later!
I don’t have a hearing aid. It hasn’t been that bad for me, thus far.
I am in week 3 of recovery from my second tympanoplasty. Yep…both ears have been done as a result of life long ear infections, Eustachian tube dysfunction and PE tubes that fell out and the holes never healed plus an unfortunate accident with shampooing using a shower massage on full blast. I have had the same experiences that you all have mentioned on this website…the pain (take the meds as prescribed to stay ahead of the pain), the swooshing heart beat tinnitus which increases with physical activity-even walking, the yucky salty taste on the sides of the tongue-even when drinking water, the snapping and popping as the ear heals, intermittent hearing the sounds like a broken stereo speaker, and an intolerance to loud low and high pitched sounds. I wear a hearing aid in my left ear which I had turned up a bit to help me out during recovery from the healing right ear. It took about 3-4 months for the hearing to return to my left ear when I had that ear done. I expect the same for my right ear. I am patient with the healing process. It just takes a long time to really heal well. Best wishes to all of you!
Susan, thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it. Your experience sounds typical, and it’s great to have these experiences together.
Well its been a month and Im feeling much better. I did have snap,crackles and pops. I still do. Its getting better and Im feeling more and more like my old self. I do have to say loud enviroments bother me. I guess that will come with time. Im not swimming or lifting yet. I see my doctor this Wednesday hope its still ok.
aye berm do u still have pitched sounds? i still have them
No pitched sounds. It still doesnt feel like my ear is part of my body.
Richard thanks for your article. Around July8th, I was surfing, and was tossed straight to the bottom, left side of my head first. The impact, and the hydraulic pressure caused by a earful of seawater caused my eardrum to rip away from the edges, not typical, they say. If you look at a clock face, from 9 o’clock to 4-5o’clock was peeled back, like halfway peeling the seal from a yogurt container foil seal.
I knew what had happened immediately, as I had a very slight traumatic perforation in 1998, when thrown from a Jet Ski. It was two little holes near the middle of the eardrum, which healed on their own. When you perforate your tympanic membrane in water, you lose all sense of balance, the first time in ‘98 I struggled, the recent one I nearly drowned, as the impact was so hard, it sent seawater through my Eustachian Tube and into my throat. I was in 3-4 feet of water and could not stand up, it was a bit scary.
Knowing what had happened, I finally got out of the water, and told my wife, “we have to go to a doctor, I perforated my eardrum”. She gave a weird look, and asked when.
“Now”, I said. We gathered the children, dropped them off with my sister in law and headed to the beach doctor.
Of course they sent a Physician Assistant to come see me. I told her what happened, she looked in my ear, and ZIP, BANG, she was off to find a doctor.
They gave me Vicodin, and some Antibiotic drops, and said it would heal on it’s own. Funny thing, they assumed this without seeing the hole. “We can’t tell how big it is because of all the blood in there, but it’ll be okay”.
A month later, no improvement, and a pending job offer is temporarily declined, until i get it fixed. I go to an ENT. He said the first doctor was a bit negligent with his “it’ll be okay” diagnosis. I was scheduled for Tympanoplasty.
My surgery was today, technically yesterday morning. They were able to use tissue from my Tragus to use as a patch. They also were able to do everything through my ear canal, so I didn’t have to get my ear half cut off to get it fixed; this was relieving.
Right now I’m bandaged like in your picture above. In the morning, I go to see the ENT Doctor/Surgeon (same guy). I have a ton of questions, as it affects my employment, but also stuff like, swimming, flying, sneezing, etc; when can I do those again?
Sorry for the long post, but I’ll come back here with follow up info, as your site was the first to pop up on Google, and was helpful to me. I’m 35 years old by the way. Thank you.
Robert
Don’t know if these still work when searching the net but:
Keywords: Tympanoplasty ear surgery recovery tympanic time Stapes Malleus Incus Hammer anvil stirrup Ossicles
I replied to your comment here: http://www.richardmondello.com/2009/09/02/another-piece-of-great-feedback/
Thanks for coming by! Please keep me posted!
Robert H, mine was not done from the ear canal. Im on my month 2, I lift alot for work. I have not been back to work. I was able to sneeze towards the last month,swimming he gave me ok last week but I was to scared. Flying Im ok this month, but also will be scared. I think its all a adjustment. It takes time.
I had the eardrum repair and middle ear prosthesis done the first time in 1980. It was a waste. I am scheduled to have it done again on 9/18, hopefully with better results. Dr. has told me that I should be able to go back to work in 2-3 days, but after reading your posts I am not so sure about that. Was the pain from this a mild nuisance or all out?
The pain was “all out” for a few days, but I had plenty of pain medications for that.
The pain went away, and turned into a bothersome lack of hearing.
It’s now been two months since my surgery and a little over a month since I first made a comment on this post. My behind the ear incision doesn’t hurt anymore and I can wear glasses comfortably. My graft healed to my ear drum. So, my hole is patched. I am now waiting for the gel and foam packing in the middle ear to dissolve and for the ear drum to thin. I guess the ear drum becomes thicker when it’s patched and as it heals it thins out again. This is very necessary for hearing. Although I can hear using the repaired ear. Optimal hearing won’t be back for another 2 months. I don’t have to worry about water in the ear while showering any longer and I was able to ride mild roller coasters on vacation. (The Cyclone at Coney Island was clickety clack wicked-loved it.) Best wishes to all.
Susan, thank you for coming back and giving us an update. It’s the reports of all of these commenters, much more than myself, that make this site a valuable resource.
I’m glad you’re healing well! It’s remarkable how long that packing will take to dissolve! Just hang in there.
I am happy to have found this site as my 13 year old daughter is schedule for Tymanoplasty and ossicular chair reconstruction Sep. 30th. They So downplayed the healing process!
She is a serious dancer…do you think that this is going to prevent her from being able to dance? She has an audition in Dec for the Performing Arts HS she wants to attend and I am now very concerned with how the impaired hearing and balance are going to affect her…
I’ll certainly be mentioning all of this to her surgeon, but I wanted the opinions of people who have actually had the proceedure
Michelle,
Hello! I’m sure you will get other replies – but I come here from time to time to read about everyone’s procedures…it has been 2 months since I had my own tympanoplasty (and also a mastoidechtomy at the same time) – and I have always been active as far as going to the gym / being active…my doc gave me the ok to go back and I’ve had NO issues at all. my surgery was july 21st.
everyone’s healing is obviously different as is their reason for needing the surgery. i myself just had over 25 years of tubes in my ears and 25 years of ear aches – and it just ripped apart after years of dealing with this.
i wish your daughter luck!!!
I certainly couldn’t do anything near dancing after my surgery. As you’ve read, I couldn’t participate in my gym class for months. I’m sure this is different for everyone, but I think that you may have to re-prioritize some elements of your daughter’s life, perhaps.
I had surgery July 9 and I feel it took me a while to get active again. Im now back to almost normal as far as being active. Loud noises still bother me. It all depends I think.
Thanks for the update, Berm!
Things will keep getting better. I never entirely became insensitive to really loud noises, though.
Richard, Thanks a lot for posting on this It is great stuff to read. I just had Tympanoplasty 3 days ago. I have Hiccuped and belched with my mouth closed and experienced some popping in my ear when doing so. Just worried that I have dislodged my graft. Wondering if you are any one else could comment on what it feels like when this happens. or if you have done something simular and not dislodged there graft.
I also experience some pressure build up in my ear when I chew food. will let everyone know what happens during my followup in 2 weeks. Thanks again for the blog on this.
Martin, you’re very welcome!
I wouldn’t worry too much about the sensations you’ve having. They’re very common. However, if you’re really concerned, call your surgeon. Seriously. It’s better to be put to rest than to worry.
Martine, I have alot pressure eating and sometimes bleeding. My ear is ok now. My doctor said it was normal.
My tympanoplasty was done in March 09 and I thought I would hear very well. The dr. took the packing out and I took a hearing test. My head feels like a coconut and I really can’t hear any better. Is there still more packing in my ear? Can I use ear drops to clean my ear? I am very sad that I can’t hear clearer. How often do they have to do another operation to get it right?
Listen to whatever your doctor says. Please, express these concerns to him or her.
Hey Everyone, I am Sam, I am 27 and live in London, England.
Thanks for all the useful information on this site. I had my Tympanoplasty on Friday afternoon. I felt no real pain until the early hours of Sunday morning and I have been on painkillers every 4-5 hours since (it’s now Tuesday evening). I am experiencing sharp stabbing pains, throbbing which is like listening to your own pulse, my head also feels like it is in a bubble, diziness and a sore jaw and also a strange numbness in my tastebuds on the right side of my tongue. From reading everyone elses stories this would appear quite normal and all part of the healing process.
I had a myringoplasty (I believe its a similar procedure) around 14 years ago. This was unsuccessful due to infection. After 14 years of worsening infections and some hearing loss I elected to have surgery again and hope this will releive the infections. Without wanting to sound unpleasant having discharge running out of your ear every few weeks was beginning to get me down. I am hoping that if this attempt is successful I will be able to swim and wash my hair without fearing I may trigger yet another ear infection.
I am glad I stumbled across this site and feel that through reading others experiences I have been able to put my worries to rest. The pain I am experiencing appears as normal as it can be!
Thanks for your help and good luck to anyone else going through this x
Hi I am Alison, from Cheshire England. had my surgery on 26th November, a tympanoplasty with new ear bones and also closing up of the mastoid cavity left by a previuos op 17 years ago. was extremely apprehensive beforehand, but surgery went well and I came home same evening. Sneezed that night and panicked as ear bled all night, went back to see my lovely surgeon following day and he checked it, all seems OK. Things healing nicely now it seems, but my hearing is odd – I can hear things at high pitch in my ear, which I couldn’t before, but they are on a slight time delay, almost like an echo. Does this settle down when packing dissolves etc? Back to hospital on 18th for another check up, still off work and will probably stay off for 4 weeks to ensure I don’t catch any infection or swine flu from work colleagues! Even if my hearing doesn’t improve, then I will be able to swim etc without fear of ear infection, something I have not been able to do since I was a child. Hope you are all recovering well too. Alison
Alison, I wrote a response to your comment on the front page of my blog, here: http://www.richardmondello.com/2009/12/28/nice-words-from-new-friends/
Hey there Richard, your website has been informative, thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve had a hole in my ear drum for almost two years, but only recently had the opportunity to have a tympanoplasty, due to insurance issues. My operation was on the 30th of last month. I’m experiencing many of the symptoms that I’ve read about here, draining, bleeding, vertigo, all of which has become compounded by a particularly nasty head-cold. My ENT, who I respect deeply and has been treating me since I was a child, prescribed oral antibiotics as well as drops to avoid infection. I’ve been taking a barrage of decongestants, but I’m afraid that between the head cold and the drops (which seem to be hastening the dissolving of the packing) my graft has dislodged and failed. Although my drops seem to be kept from seeping into my inner ear, (every time I used drops previous to this surgery, they found their way into my sinuses, of course) when I sniff or blow my nose (I do so as gently as possible, which my ENT said should be alright) I have that familiar sensation of air moving past my eardrum. I won’t be able to get a hold of my doctor until Monday, but would love some piece of mind before then. Have you experienced anything like this while in recovery? I’d love to hear that it’s possible that my graft is acting like a flap and letting this air through because it just hasn’t completely healed yet, but I’ve got a bad feeling….
Thanks for listening!
Randy
I didn’t experience anything like you mentioned – the sensation of air moving past the eardrum.
Unfortunately, it’s Monday now. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner! Hopefully you were able to speak with your doctor today?
Hello…I never received an email saying that you replied, (I thought i had notifications enabled but I might have been mistaken) so sorry it took long to get back to you. I’ve been told that the graft seems to be in place, it’s now a month after the surgery. My ENT says it looks like it is in place, but seemed concerned that it isn’t healing more by now. Apparently I don’t have long for the graft to start becoming living tissue, as opposed to just grafted dead skin, before it shrivels and will need to be removed. When I use ear drops in my bad ear I can taste them in the back of my throat not too long after, and I can tell there’s still a hole my eardrum when I sniff too hard or go up a mountain (my left ear pops, my right ear doesn’t need to.) I’m hoping that my ear just hasn’t healed yet, but I have concerns…
I’ll let you know the later outcome. Hope all is well.
You always something’s wrong when the doctor looks in your ear and says “Uh-oh.”
Turns out my graft is sticking nicely, nice enough to seal my eardrum at least. My doctor seemed more concerned now that the drum itself is now concave; a sign that the eustachian tube is not functioning in my right ear.
Funny thing is he say’s it’s either temporary and will go away, or has always been there. He’s been looking in my ear since I was 8 years old, so I’m hoping that he would have noticed it by now, and it’s temporary. Otherwise, it’s inevitable that the ear will re-infect, blow out a new hole, or both. I’m on anti-inflammatorys now, and have noticed a significant amount of drainage and noise, but the drum still feels pressure. Wish me luck, I’ll report back!
Well wishes to everyone who’s posted!
Well, I went back to the doctors, and he looked in my ear drum and says he see’s a perforation. It may have been caused by my malfunctioning eustachian tube. He wants to give it a month and see what the hole does, and it it’s still there, he wants to put a patch on it.
Hi Richard,
Thanks so much for setting this website up – it seems to be turning into a tympanoplasty support group!
I had a tympanoplasty in April of last year – I was extremely nauseous and unwell until the packing was removed. My hearing has not returned to normal. I had a perforated drum but had few hearing difficulties prior to the surgery. I have now been categorised with moderate hearing loss and have been told that I will have to purchase a hearing aid – at a cost of nearly 3000 dollars. I’m just wondering has anyone else experienced this post-surgery or has everyone else’s hearing returned to normal.
Kind regards,
Felix.
Felix,
I’m really sorry to hear about your experience. Really, very sorry. Hopefully someone will have some feedback for you. Please, take care.
Felix
I had my tympanoplasty April 3, 2009 almost 4 months after my accident. I had a welding spark go into my right ear and destroyed my eardrum. I was told by my ENT that my hearing would be restored but too what extent remained to be seen. Because the tissue used to replace the eardrum was much thicker than the normal eardrum, it would stand to reason that the chances of the hearing being restored to normal was not very likely. Since the surgery, I have regained normal face to face conversation hearing at about 4 feet not much at all after that. The graph on my hearing test looked more like a ski slope than a horizontal line. After the surgery my right ear was extremely sensitive to loud noises. The ENT and Audiologist were not sure if I would be able to wear a powerful hearing aid necessary to restore my hearing. They were concerned that the powerful amplification might cause other problems and be more that I wanted to deal with. But as luck would have it, it was an incredible fix. I am extremely happy with the end result. Felix as you were saying, my hearing aid was about $3000 but I believe it was worth every penny. Good luck with what ever you decide.
Now in closing, I would again like to thank Richard for the Blog. It has been a blessing for me through the injury, surgery and recovery. I have learned from the experiences of others and hope I have been able to help someone with mine.
I am always here,
Billy Bagby
To Felix- I have hearing aids now, too (digital completely in the ear). It’s not so bad. Hearing aids bring your hearing up to normal and really have some amazing tech features. I consider both of my tympanoplasties a success (left 2007, right 2009). The holes in both of my ears are healed. I am waiting for one of my ear drums to thin out a little bit more, but have been pleased with the whole process. I knew that recovery of a little hearing was probable and that complete recovery was not going to happen. I really wanted the holes repaired to prevent outside infection and to be able to shower and swim. My hearing loss was due to chronic childhood infections and normal aging (I’m sure listening to loud music and going to concerts didn’t help). I’m 44 years old by the way. The perforations were due to ear trauma (shower massage mishap). So, my mild-moderate hearing loss was not a result of my surgery. I hear the pain over the cost of the hearing aids, but they will bring your hearing to a normal level. Good luck.
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.
philippines. i had my tympanoplasty last january 15, 2010. during the first few days, i can hear my pulse in my repaired ear but right now i can’t hear anything but popping sounds when i swallow. is this normal? it has been 2 weeks since my tympanoplasty and i can’t hear anything. i’m scared. i’m scheduled for a follow-up checkup on feb.3, but my fear of not hearing anymore is killing me day by day.. please help..
To Clark~ Oh my goodness! You need to relax. You just had the surgery done. It will take a 6 months to get your hearing back. Your middle ear gel foam packing needs to dissolve. Your ear drum needs to thin out as well. It is thick due to the graft placed on it. The graft needs to attach to the ear drum and then it needs to thin out. Right now your ear drum is swollen, red and resembles nothing close to a normal looking ear drum. It’ll be the same on Feb. 3rd. All of the crackling, popping and pulse sounds are normal recovery effects. Concentrate on healing-sneeze big and loud, don’t hold it in, don’t use a straw to drink, don’t blow your nose hard, keep the ear dry when showering to prevent any chance of infection. Try not to work yourself up. It’ll take time to heal. Be good to yourself.
Hi, I want to let you know I had the tympanoplasty in July. Before that I was getting lots of ear aches and infections and had a hard time flying. I didnt know I was not able to swim. Til about 3 months before surgery. It was a tough surgery and hard recovery. I hated the recovery the popping,bleeding,not be able to chew. My hearing is great and Im back to normal. I probably wont do a concert any time soon, but that is not a loss. It takes time and you will recover. Just remember its a long ride. I know I say I would never do it again but my hearing was fine before and I had minimal pain before. Now my hearing is great and no pain.
thank you very much susan! i’m just kinda worried.. i hope my tympanoplasty will turn out to be just fine..
Thank you Berm.. by the way, i’m from the philippines… i’ll keep you updated on my recovery.. i hope it’ll be fine.. no infections, no complications..
First of all, thank you for this site, Richard. It seems all the medical sites that take up the top 200 listings of the search engines only focus on the actual procedure instead of answering the many questions that patients have following a tympanoplasty.
I actually had a severe random blowout on my eardrum about 4 months ago that woke me up in the middle of the night. It’s scary when you go to a well-known ENT and after looking in your ear he says,”Well, I’ve never seen that before.” I went in for surgery and he discovered a cyst had attached itself to the back of my eardrum which required him to remove 80% of my eardrum.
It’s been one week since my surgery and I am dealing with the same healing anxiety that everyone else is experiencing. Every time I yawn or hiccup, I freak out hoping I didn’t mess anything up in there. I haven’t had a whole lot of pain or dizziness, but I have had the ringing, the popping of my ear when I swallow, and one symptom I never expected. I actually lost my sense of taste after my surgery. From what I’ve read, there is a nerve that runs behind the ear drum that controls your taste buds and can easily be damaged during a tympanoplasty which can cause temporary loss of taste. The annoyance of not being able to hear a thing is the main downside, though. Being a full-time musician, this is torture. My doctor didn’t seem to be concerned when I called in to update him on my symptoms, so I will take that as a good thing.
It’s just the waiting game now. Thanks to all who posted here. This site is gold for “post-tympaniplastians”.
Bobby, you’re very welcome. I’m amazed every time someone says they enjoy these comments and posts.
That story is awful, and I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you. Let us know if you have any questions or if you need anything. We’ll all do our best to help.
Just have hope that things are going to be okay. They will.
I thought OMG I drank from a straw,I sneezed…Everything so far is ok. Its been since July and my ear feels ok. It feel full,but that is it. I can hear,swim…it takes time to heal.
hello! got some sad news. my doctor told me that the graft they put in my ear slipped out from its position, i don’t know why. he shall soon refer me to the ear specialist to see if i can undergo another tympanoplasty. he also told me there will be lesser chances that the graft will hold on if i decided to have another tympanoplasty because of the scars left by my first tympanoplasty. i really want my eardrum fixed. i’m still praying for it.
Clark, I’m really sorry to hear that. You’re in our thoughts. Let us know what happens.
Hi. I had tympanoplasty on my left ear Feb 5. The worst part was when they sent me home the day of surgery. I was SOOOO nauseous, vomiting, couldn’t move to even go to the bathroom! I NEVER want to feel like that again! God bless my mom for taking care of me like a little baby! After a couple days that went away and I just vegged for about a week. It is important to eat properly as low blood sugar made me get the shakes and tingles, which made the dizziness even worse. The problem I’m having now is my neck, shoulder and arm on my right side – guess it’s from having to lay on that side for so long – having to get massage to try and relieve the pain. The doctor says it is healing well. My hearing is a little better, but the packing has not dissolved yet, so I am hoping for much better results than I have presently. It sure gets boring not being able to get out and exercise! My energy level is way down!!! I’ve started taking vitamins again and am tempted to get some of those 5-hour energy potions. Guess time and patience is what is needed now. Thanks for your blog! It’s always helpful to hear what others have experienced!
PS: Keep Q-tips out of your ear! My arm accidentally got bumped and the Q-tip shot into my eardrum like a bullet. I have a friend whose mom was cleaning her ear and her husband opened the bathroom door and bumped her elbow and the same thing happened to her!