Fixing Perforated Eardrum — Can It Recover Hearing or Improve Tinnitus?

[Guest483]

Hey everyone, I have had a perforated eardrum in my left ear for a couple of years now. For the past 2.5 years I have had tinnitus after an infection in my left ear. My tinnitus is getting worse.

I discussed with my doctor if he should fix my eardrum. I have about 30 dB hearing loss in my left ear. The doctor said he could reduce my hearing loss by fixing my eardrum with about 15 dB.

He also said he has to make a small cut behind my ear to fix my eardrum, because my ear canal is very small. For that I have to get anesthetized.

Anyone here who got their eardrum fixed? Did it recover some of your hearing? Did it do any good to your tinnitus? Or did it worsen it due to (any risk of) the operation?

Thanks in advance! Am still doubting if I should do the operation.

Any links to a thread that answers this question are welcome! Couldn't find a thread myself where someone speaks about fixing an eardrum.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Hi there,

I've had quite a few eardrum repairs and never had any issues with tinnitus being worse due to the surgery. None of the anesthesia, painkillers or antibiotics had any negative effect on it. Recovery is not a walk in the park, but it's worth it in the end because your middle ear will not be exposed to the elements. With a perforation, you are more likely to have trouble down the road.

Hearing restoration should help your tinnitus a little, but you'll probably end up needing a hearing aid on top of that.

Just ask for plenty of anti-nausea drugs. The anesthesia plus the fact they are working in your ear means there will be nausea, but if you get meds (or a patch) ahead of time it will definitely help. I had pretty much zero nausea during my last ear surgery.