Ruptured both eardrums.

B

brewthunda

Joined
Apr 20, 2004
Messages
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So Wednesday last week I get a sore throat at 3:00 pm. 4 hours later my ears start feeling funny and my right ear hurts. By the next morning my right ear really hurts and I can't hear out of it. I go to the doctor at 11:00 - he takes one look and says, "Wow - you're in for a lot of pain. I'm surprised that it hasn't blown yet". Both ears are infected. He puts me on antibiotics, some kind of anti-inflamatory and Vicodin. At 4:00 pm my right eardrum ruptures. At 3:00 am my left eardrum ruptures. On Friday I go to an ontolaryngologist (ear nose throat specialist) and he confirms that they are ruptured and prescribes me with different meds. Gives me eardrops with steroids and antibiotics. So within 36 hours of having the first symptoms, both eardrums ruptured.

Supposedly my hearing should be back in 30 days. But then I was supposed to have experienced a marked improvement when the initial swelling was supposed to go down. That hasn't happened yet and I'm worried.

It feels like I have my fingers jammed in my ears 24/7. I can hear when people talk directly to me, but I don't get all the words. Tried to watch prison break on dvd on Sunday night, but only got 1 out of 5 words with the volume cranked. the worst part is that hi fi and music are one of my great passions. I build my own speakers and collect vinyl. I'm the only guy I know who's wife allows him to position speakers 3 feet out from the walls in the living room. Hopefully it comes back.

I just have to keep in mind that feeling sorry for myself doesn't do me a lick of good.

Yesterday was my first day back at work and it sucked. Trying to do everything by email. I got a binaural headset and headset amp for my phone - which works really well and is the only way I can have a normal conversation with someone.

Just thought I'd share. If your ears start hurting, get them looked at.
 
Sorry to read that you are having this trouble with your hearing.

Hope you are feeling better soon.
 
brewthunda said:
...Tried to watch prison break on dvd on Sunday night, but only got 1 out of 5 words with the volume cranked...
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Have you tried using the closed caption thing on your TV? Watching TV with CC counts as "quality reading time" ;)

Hope you get well soon. Remember to always take your Vicodin with a fifth of rye.
 
get some rest, don't get stressed and pray a little.

hope you recover soon.
 
I know how you feel kinda. I have been battling a right ear infection for the last 2 weeks. It almost ruptured but luckily through massive amounts of antibiotics and other prescription drugs I seem to be winning the battle. Mine hurt pretty bad and it didn't rupture even though I experienced hearing loss in my right ear. I cant imagine how yours must feel. I hope you feel better and make a speedy recovery.
 
I've had a plugged-up rt ear since the end of June, but I'm too poor to go to a DR. (and no medical insurance) to get it fixed. The weird part about it is when I talk I can hear myself "in my head", I have no "stereo hearing" so I have no idea what direction sound is coming from, and I really can't judge how loud or quiet I'm talking. At-least this has given me alot more respect for totally deaf people.
 
When mine started getting bad I could hear vibrations and that was it. I could hear my complete heartbeat and I could hear my footsteps.
 
Man that sucks,I've had ear problems,but having all that happen in a day and a half is unreal,, hope you make a speedy recovery!
 
I wonder why the first doctor didn't lance the eardrums in both ears to drain them and releave the pressure. Better to do it in a controlled fashion and with just a small prick then to let them go by themselves, I would think. There's even a special surgical tool just for this job called an "ear knife."

I, of course, have one implimented as a balisong (no kidding).

Anyway, I can barely imagine what a horrible situation you face. But, your records and sound system will be there when you heal. Maybe now is the time to send the amp in for new caps and the speakers in to reconed and then spend your time entering all your records into an Excell Spreadsheet for easy searching.
 
Hey Guys..

Brew Dude..

Man,, that sucks..

I hope your hearing comes back soon...

Best of luck!!

Eric
O/ST
 
I am sorry that you are going through that!!I wish you a speedy recovery!! That does suck!! I went through something similiar to what you are going through. I couldn't hear a darn thing. It made work difficult!!
 
Thanks guys. It's nice to have a forum like this where I can count on finding sincere support.

Golnick, yeah, I wonder why he didn't lance at least the right ear. I wonder if he was betting that the anti-inflamatory and antibiotics could cool things down in time to avoid rupture. I got the short end of the stick on that bet.

I'm slowly coming to terms with this. My audiologist friend is coming by today with a "pocket talker", that I can use for conversations. Like an old fashioned hearing aid, I guess. That's been the worst part - not being able to effectively communicate with my wife. She gets frustrated after a while.

Can't wait to really hear music again. I can still hear some thumps and bumps and some muffled tones, though. And I have a bunch of stuff that is rhythm based - like afro-cuban and some electronica. So my wife will put on a rhythm record and I can boogie down with our son.

Thanks for the support!
 
glockman99 said:
I've had a plugged-up rt ear since the end of June, but I'm too poor to go to a DR. (and no medical insurance) to get it fixed. The weird part about it is when I talk I can hear myself "in my head", I have no "stereo hearing" so I have no idea what direction sound is coming from, and I really can't judge how loud or quiet I'm talking. At-least this has given me alot more respect for totally deaf people.
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Hey Glockman,

Have you ever tried 'ear candles'? They can be somewhat difficult to find these days (at least in my area), but if you can find them they are well worth the money... They look like they are made of gauze rolled into a long cone dipped in wax. I know this sounds crazy...but...You light the end on fire, and once you see smoke coming out of the tapered end, you put it into your ear:eek::D

The heat from the smoke combined with the light suction produced by the fire on the other side will melt the wax and suck it right out of your ear and up the 'tube'.

These work better than anything a doctor will give you to clear excessive amounts of wax and they cost virtually nothing compared to a doctor visit (about 2 dollars or less per cone...may take several cones to clear a long term 'bad' clog)

You will be amazed and disgusted by the amount of wax they can pull out of your ear... Imagine melting a tan crayon on a table in a line!

The only problem is learning to get them 'seated' in your ear properly to produce an air tight seal without crushing the small end closed... it may take a few practice cones before you get it right...

You may be wondering..."How do I avoid setting my head on fire?" My response is "Don't be a pussy, burning hair smells great." Just kidding:barf: You poke a hole through a paper plate, put the 'candle' through the hole and use the plate as a 'shield' for your face and hair...

Anyway, if you would like to hear again w/o going to a doctor and putting chemicals in your ear, go find these and report back.

Anybody else use these? Share your stories if you please...

ps. I do not sell ear candles:D
 
Ear candling is quackery at its best!

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html

Some ear drops, followed by warm water carefully administered with a squeeze bulb, is about the best you can do on your own. A doctor will scrape it away using a tool.

If you click the link above and scroll to the very bottom, you'll see a report where someone taped an ear candle to a small glass vial and lit it. Afterwards, they cut open the cone and found the exact same "ear wax" described by VG above. It's just a mixture of ear candle wax and soot.
 
brewthunda said:
Ear candling is quackery at its best!

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html

Some ear drops, followed by warm water carefully administered with a squeeze bulb, is about the best you can do on your own. A doctor will scrape it away using a tool.

If you click the link above and scroll to the very bottom, you'll see a report where someone taped an ear candle to a small glass vial and lit it. Afterwards, they cut open the cone and found the exact same "ear wax" described by VG above. It's just a mixture of ear candle wax and soot.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your ear troubles brewthunda. That must be horrible not being able hear music properly, especially for an audiophile like yourself. I hope things work out for you.

As for the ear candles; despite what quackwatch claims, I've personally had great success using ear candles on many occasions. I use them when my my ear is clogged to the point that it sounds as if I have my finger jammed in it and it hurts. When I use the candle (sometimes it takes two or three) and I can actually feel the wax draining from my ear and up into the cone. When I'm finished I can hear perfectly and the pain is gone within a few hours after that.

It is true that you can burn one without it in your ear and find a string of wax at the bottom of the tube. But melted wax is of the same consistency of that which the candles are dipped in. When you get it seated in the ear properly (and your ear has a serious clog), the wax you find in the half burnt candle is of a completely different consistency (very malleable), smells like earwax, and sometimes is in quantities much greater than if you melted the entire candle's worth of wax into a pile, let alone half the candle.

Warning: get out your tinfoil hats:rolleyes:... But the FDA is in bed with the pharmaceutical companies. They DO have a law that states that ONLY a drug can treat or cure a medical problem, and it is that law that they are using to attack companies that manufacture ear candles.

I don't know about manufacturer's claims that they 'purify the inner ear'... but they are very effective at removing wax and drying out moisture that gets into the ear.

ps. sorry if I sound angry, I certainly don't mean to direct any anger or sarcasm at brewthunda, but quackwatch sounds like they may be quacks themselves; especially when they are claiming that a very effective and inexpensive method for treating ear problems, that has been used successfully by thousands of people for probably a hundred years or more is quackery.:thumbdn:
 
VigilantGuardian said:
quackwatch sounds like they may be quacks themselves; especially when they are claiming that a very effective and inexpensive method for treating ear problems, that has been used successfully by thousands of people for probably a hundred years or more is quackery.:thumbdn:
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I have a bit of a problem with earwax buildup myself from time to time. Once or twice a year, I start to notice it. On the advice of my doctor, I bought a little kit at the drug store for less than five bucks. It consists of a bottle of drops and a rubber bulb "syringe" thing. You put a few of the drops in your ear, lay on your side for a minute or two, and then use the bulb to shoot warm water up into your ear while standing over the sink and the wax comes right out. I've been on the same bottle of drops for years now. There's probably fifty treatments in that bottle. The cost per treatment is pennies. It's effective and it doesn't involve sitcking burning objects into your ears. If the FDA was, "in bed with the pharmaceutical companies," to sell more high-priced drugs, you'd think they'd go after this kit too. But they don't.
 
I have the same kit. I use Earex drops which I put in at night and then a bit of cotton wool behind it. Lie down with that ear uppermost. Before you go to bed, boil a full kettle of water. In the morning warm the kettle up to pleasantly warm. Pour into a bowl and add two drops of dishwash liquid. Boiling the kettle first ensures the water is sterile to prevent infections and the dishwash liquid helps to cut the wax and the oil in the ear drops. Suck up the water and detergent into the syringe and with that ear down squirt water into the ear over a sink with the plug in it. Then you will see when the blockage comes out (usually nasty looking). Stand up for a minute and don't try and walk as syringing can affect balance for a few moments. It works and as Gollnick says, it is cheap!
 
I've ruptured both drums numerous times scuba diving, ever seen some one shoot water out of their ear? My hearing returned in about two weeks each time and I can still hear better than my peers. While your drums are gone you should enjoy the benifits of breathing through your ears, the wife will love it!
 
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