Hissing After Ear Infection & Ruptured Ear Drum

[9991Sarah]

I am sure this has been asked before but I can't find a thread with my specific question -

I am about to turn 41. As a child I had reoccurring ear infections so bad that I almost had to get ear tubes. But then around age 9, I suddenly outgrew them and they stopped. 30 years later, I got one again, following a cold. At that point, I had 2 children ages 3 and 18 months. It was so bad that the doctor said my ear drum was "bulging." Since then, I've had 6 more infections, all of them in the left ear. The most recent one happened on Sunday, as in 5 days ago. I woke up with it, went the urgent care for antibiotics and called the ENT for an appointment on Tuesday. A few hours later, I was doing something in my house and I heard the oddest noise in my ear, like an electrical shortage, followed by warm fluid. Even though after all the ear infections I've had in my life, I had never had an ear drum rupture. But I instantly knew that that was what it was when this happened. According to the ENT, its a very small hole and my ear stopped leaking fluid yesterday, though still seems to over night.

Ever since this happened, I have this very loud hissing in my ear. Like the sound a set of speakers makes when you turn them on really loud but without turning on any music.

That hissing will go away, right once my ear drum heals, right? Please say yes! It's making it hard to hear, especially if someone tries to speak to me and there's some noise in the room from like a TV or something.

Thank you!
Sarah

 

[Contrast]

Is this something that can be corrected medically? If yes then a good chance it will go away a month or so after it is resolved.

 

[Contrast]

Tinnitus is a neurological problem that in most cases is caused by reduction in hearing and the auditory brain is increasing neuronal activity to compensate for lack of input to the auditory nerve.. In cases like ear wax or middle ear problems that can be resolved and hearing restored tinnitus usually is removed completely or 90%.

However if this some how infections causes permanent damage to your hearing via inner ear hair cell damage or death then sadly the tinnitus might be permanent. I wish you the best

 

[GregCA]

That hissing will go away, right once my ear drum heals, right?

Nobody can predict if it'll go away or not, but there are many cases of ear infections that I've personally learned about that had a good outcome when it came to T.
Good luck!

 

[9991Sarah]

Thank you all for your responses. I am so worried it's permanent. I meant to ask at the ENT and didn't think about it b/c in the past, I've had T after an ear infection, but never like this. And I've never had an ear drum rupture before.