medical help .... ruptured ear drum

Ooouuuchhhheee! Poor you! Luckily, I have never ruptured mine, thought I had one night after standing near an artic on fire and having a tyre explode near to me, when Dr checked he said it was inflammed but luckily didn't rupture it. That was....3? years ago and my hearing in that ear has only just returned to normal (get yearly hearing checks as part of medical at work). Make sure you look after it as instructed by the Dr chick, you don't want hearing issues! Xx

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

Thanks guys, I will try and keep my fingers out, keep prodding lol. Dettol .... that sounds nice ya know and a good scratch with a wire brush lol.

least if I get nagged I can pretend I am totally deaf

Fingers are ok, you can't stick it in too far - ooh err missus

[Shellywoozle]

Lol Pete,

I am now tryin to get my left elbow in me right ear ..... ain't gonna happen, your granny was wise (or am I dumb).

Doctor put me on 8 co codamol, 6 ibuprofen and 3 anti biotics a day .... was defo a daft woozle on all them.

Oh nic you were lucky then, I think I intitally got my cold at work. Can I sue lol ...... ok maybe not ;( I have to say it wasn't a pleasant experience...... I didnt know what was going on ended up calling NHS direct who were awesome.

One of our flight attendants ruptured an ear drum flying with a cold, her doctor thought 6 weeks off would be what it took to recover, she healed quickly and was back within a month. Hope you heal as quick and as well as she did.

Not sure if anyone else mentioned it but I would check with your doc if it's safe to blow your nose if you need to whilst it heals.
Sounds daft but my cousin had surgery on his ear drum (slightly different matter I know) but the pressure of blowing his nose left him deaf for life in that ear.

[Shellywoozle]

Stenno, thank you re the nose blowing, I have been doin it all day and my hearing has changed to screech noises.... I will stop hoping I done no further damage.

Doc never told me not to but Google does and it makes sense.

Fingers crossed for hearing to return fully ;( getting a bit worried now lol.

[Bri w]

Eh?

Who said that? C'mon, own up who was it?

ooooh nasty sorry to hear that, I had both mine do that when i was young and had grommits and was deaf...I think it took about 4 weeks each time for them to heal, but I sympathise with the chronic pain it causes..

I now cant go out in the cold without my deer stalker hat on... Nice

Keep your ears warm whenever you can, and something strong for the pain

On the bright side, you'll save money on ear plugs.

Things always turn out ok in the end, so don't stress yourself. Have some Turkish delight whilst you're waiting for it to mend.

[Drew Carey]

Shell,

Firstly I am not a doctor, but over my life I have had more issues with my ears than I think most - 5 ops for grommets as a kid - then since being an adult I have had two perforated ear drums and been in hospital three times for an Ossiculoplasty (replacing three ear bones), Myringoplasty (replacement of eardrum) and Mastoidectomy (to drill holes in my main ear bone and to remove a cholesteatoma).......needless to say none of my left inner ear is my original and I have a mahoosive scar round the back of the ear.

So it is something I also take seriously when friends ask as I don't want to see them have issues like I have;

Sooooooooo.........

Firstly - As has been said DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT put cotton wool in. The ear canal neads to "breath" to stave off infection and allow clotting to work better. The only time packing should be used is following a full ear operation.

Secondly - at night, put a towel on the pillow (or use a rubbish old pillow) and as uncomfortable as it may feel, lie on the ear. The reason being that it will aid drainage. Trust me when I say that having puss come out of the ear as it has become badly innfected is not nice.

Thirdly - As has been said, do not blow your nose, as causes strain on the ear drum. But more importantly - IF YOU SNEEZE......DO SO WITH AN OPEN MOUTH!!!! I know it will be gross (especially if you forget to cover mouth) - but a sneeze can do harm to your ears in these scenarios.

Finally - when you see the quack, hopefully it will have cleared up and be sorted. If not and if you have any doubt, ask to be referred to an ENT specialist. Not only can they examine using a much better high powered microscope - but when you have follow up appointments they can clean the ear properly.

Hope that it heals, as know the pain and agro it causes. Chin up chic for Christmas.