General Chat

Bad news is, even with the antibiotics, I have been warned it is extremely likely to burst anyway. There is apparently nothing I can do to prevent this apart from hope. The ENT doc says if it does burst then I will need an operation in a few months time to fix it - BUT even then my hearing can never be restored to what it was. As I am already deaf in the other ear, it is terrifying to think I can become totally deaf any minute. I do have a hearing aid for the deaf ear but it only ever worked as backup for the other ear. Can anyone offer advice or, if this has happened to them, tell me how they coped? Tracey

Last night I developed an infection in my one good ear (it already has 30% hearing loss) and am just back from an emergency ENT consultation. (more below)

Hi Tracey, sorry to hear your news , although i havent had a burst eardrum , i am deaf and have 2 hearing aids to help me hear . my hearing used to be near perfect but then i started to go deaf when i was in my 20s the only thing that i can say to you is that they can do quite a lot these days with the hearing aids . but fingers crossed you wont need it Hazelx

Hi Hazel. Thanks for your reply. I already have 2 hearing aids as my good ear suffered an explained 30% loss the same time (in my late 30s) I lost my hearing in the other ear. It is weird having to rely totally on the hearing aid on my deaf side as, at the moment, I can't insert the other one because of the infection. Everything sounds terrible and scratchy - I fear I'll never get totally used to the change in sound quality.

Hi Tracey , yes i know what you mean ,its like i live near a railway and when a train is comming down the line i'm never sure if it's a train or a helicopter because the sound seems the same to me or if OH is talking to me from the other room i can hear his voice but not what he's saying (comes in handy sometimes ) lol.

My daughter burst her eardrum about 6 weeks ago. She'd been swimming underwater and the pressure was too much for her ear (which had been damaged as a child due to infections and grommits). It hurt badly at the time and left her feeling peculiar for a few days but she went for her checkup a few days ago and it has completely healed over. The doc was surprised that the hole had closed all on its own as surgery might have been needed if it hadn't. She's not been left with any hearing problems but she has been told that she risks perforating it again in the future so she'll be swimming with her head out of water and wearing ear plugs at noisy pop gigs. Sue

My husband has had a burst eardrum and always had trouble with his hearing.He has had 5 operations which did restore a lot of hearing.He now has deformed eardrums caused by all the infections. Annie

My son also had a burst eardrum when he was younger due to an ear infection. His ear healed up fine and the only time it bothers him now is when he flies.

Susan, I'm so relieved to hear that these thing can heal on their own! I gave up swimming years ago as it was hurting my ears too much, just as well as I could have found myself in this situation a lot sooner. The irony is when I first started to lose my hearing, I was examined by a crowd of audiology students in training. Their tutor remarked 'you can tell this lady has really looked after her ears by the healthy condition of her eardrums!' True. In fact I avoided all noisy concerts in my youth because noise was so painful.

Have you got a cold or catarrh? I have had ear trouble for many years and find that to prevent my ears feeling worse, if I have a cold, I sleep virtually sitting up for a few days.... This seems to prevent a build-up of pressure. ....It might help you to ward off the burst ear drum. Gwyn

I had a burst eardrum about 8 years ago, it healed on its own, just very slight impairment,mainly if someone is talking quietly on that side, and there is backround noise. Jan

My right ear drum perforated in 1982 after many ear infections. Now less than 25% hearing in that ear. Two ops later I am told that the hearing is well below in my left ear - as if I needed to be told!!. Can't be bothererd to go to a pub or any other social gathering becausew too much noise means I can't hear a thing. I am known as the 'nodding dog'. Could think of a better phrase!!. Lol. Keep putting off the need for a hearing aid - vanity thing. May change my mind though because everywhere I look I see young people, including my own sons, listenting to music on mp3 players(?). They look like hearing aids to me. Maybe it's time I became trendy again !!. lol. Libby xx

Interesting replies, thanks, My eardrum is still intact and will remain so, touch wood! I cannot hear a thing at present, but will not know until the infection has cleared whether the infection itself has damaged my hearing further or whether it is just a temporary loss from catarrh. All a bit worrying. I'm noticing far more people these days are wearing hearing aids - often in both ears. They are much better than the clunky whistling box gadget some poor kid in my infant school was fitted with in the 60s. The other kids bullied him endlessly about it as there was a real stigma about being visibly disabled back then. Maybe the later Bionic Man TV series did something to make people feel more comfortable about overcoming disability through technology. Though can't say my hearing aid is as good as that bionic ear yet! Tracey