Did I Make a Mistake in Getting Grommets Inserted to Relieve ETD?

I've had ETD for a long time now, and wanted to try treating it hoping that it would also alleviate the tinnitus and minor hearing loss I've had with it. ENT suggested grommets.

But the grommets I've just had inserted have only served to completely muffle my hearing and cause a lot of pain and discomfort and not fix the ETD at all.

I'm scared and don't know where else to questions about this, because my ENT doesn't seem to care and just wants me to wait several months for it to fix itself.

Is it normal for the first day to be this bad? Will my hearing ever go back to where it was or did it completely destroy my eardrums, and possibly damage my synapses and hair cells some more with how incredibly LOUD the suction was?

Does the ETD take time to fix? Because there hasn't been any change in that

Any opinions, experiences, and advice would help a lot.

 

When I got tinnitus initially I had some associated ETD or so I thought from the cracking noise I heard when I swallowed. The ENT I saw did a ton of tests, many of which were not actionable, so when he proposed grommets I became suspicious. I went to a second ENT who put a camera through my nose and told me my Eustachian tubes were ok and grommets were useless.

In any case they should be expelled after a while and the eardrum should seal so it's just a matter of waiting I guess. The grommets should let air pass through the eardrum and equalize pressure with the middle ear.

Grommets can become blocked from infection e.g. swimming without ear plugs or sinusitis. A blocked grommet makes the ear feel dull and the hearing poor. So make sure the grommets are not blocked by fluid or wax. Your ENT or even GP can tell with an otoscopy. You could also get a second opinion from another ENT, preferably an otologist with experience in ETD. Good luck.

 

Grommets muffle hearing because it is like having a hole in your eardrum, so sounds are not perceived so crisp.

This said, grommets are usually advised for people who get lots of fluid inside the eardrum that needs to be drained.

ENTs advise to wear grommets for about a year. Grommets may fall by themselves and the eardrum will close by itself. They can also be removed by the ENT with or without anesthesia (it is painful). After they are removed, the eardrum normally closes by itself.

Grommets in theory are NOT advised in case of hyperacusis. Do a Google search about this...

 

I have now developed pulsatile tinnitus from this and am having a complete mental breakdown.

How is one supposed to sleep when a ghost is puffing air into my ears constantly?

 

With time it hopefully recedes. Just have to wait unfortunately, but you should be in a better place with time.

 

How are you now?

 

In my opinion, grommets are a bad idea unless your eardrum bursts due to a LOT of wax...

If you have grommets inserted and they are not draining wax and / or you do not notice any major improvement to your ETD, then grommets are doing nothing... and will not fix anything, only cause further trouble.

Plus when grommets are removed and the eardrum closes again the world will sound LOUD, precisely because your hearing has been muffled while grommets were inserted.

Actually there is literature saying that grommets can cause or exacerbate hyperacusis.

 

Definitely some permanent hearing loss from the microsuction. I've never struggled this much with speech in real life before, but it's really bad now. So much regret letting them do that.

Pulsatile tinnitus may be gone. I haven't noticed it for a while.

Tinnitus is closer to what it used to be, tolerable enough.

Still no improvement in the ETD.

Next appointment is soon so I'll see if I can get these taken out early.

Oh for sure.

Can't wait to get these things out and see if I can at least get back to where I was before.

 

Hi @MarthKoopa, how are you feeling / any update?