What to Expect After Surgery (Removing a Pocket on the Upper Part of My Eardrum)?

Jake007

Member
Author
Benefactor
Jan 11, 2017
454
46
Nebraska
Tinnitus Since
December 2016
Cause of Tinnitus
hearing loss for long time, chainsaw, infections
I'm going to be having surgery to remove a pocket on the upper part of my eardrum. I'm very worried that t could be worse after surgery. And was wondering what to expect after. If anyone has had to go through something like this or similar I'd appreciate your comments.
 
Having surgery next month was wondering what it'll be like post surgery.
 
I have no idea, but I wish you luck.

I've had 18 shots into my eardrums, and luckily the eardrum is pretty good about healing itself. You may get a temporary worsening or pulsatile tinnitus as it heals.
 
Thanks Alue, I don't think I'll be able to do any kind of masking for like 2 weeks cause there's gonna be packing inside. That is gonna be really really hard. To bad I couldnt think like maybe t will be better after. Thanks for replying alue.
 
Having surgery next month was wondering what it'll be like post surgery.

I don't know exactly what your surgery involves, but mine involved tearing up the ear drum to perform surgery in the middle & inner ear, then it had to be put back together. I had packing on both sides of the ear drum for about a week. Then the outer packing was removed, and the it took a few more weeks for the inner packing to "dissolve".
I had a lot of anxiety while the packing was in, because it felt very clogged and puffy, and also I was completely deaf from that ear, plus all the tinnitus roaring.
I couldn't wait to get the packing out. There are times when I'd get panicky about it.
I didn't need a lot of pain meds however, so I ended up not using much of the Vicodin that had been prescribed to me.
 
You will be able hear masking sound from your other ear to take your mind off it.
Im sure you will be fine and try not to worry about going under general anasetic and let them care for you and relax and you will be fine so try not let anxiety take hold as they know what they are doing.
We will all be routing for you.
Chin up....lots of love glynis
 
Pulsatile,
I don't know exactly what your surgery involves, but mine involved tearing up the ear drum to perform surgery in the middle & inner ear, then it had to be put back together. I had packing on both sides of the ear drum for about a week. Then the outer packing was removed, and the it took a few more weeks for the inner packing to "dissolve".
I had a lot of anxiety while the packing was in, because it felt very clogged and puffy, and also I was completely deaf from that ear, plus all the tinnitus roaring.
I couldn't wait to get the packing out. There are times when I'd get panicky about it.
I didn't need a lot of pain meds however, so I ended up not using much of the Vicodin that had been prescribed to me.
They're gonna clean out a pocket that's on top of my drum. Thanks for replying
 
You will be able hear masking sound from your other ear to take your mind off it.
Im sure you will be fine and try not to worry about going under general anasetic and let them care for you and relax and you will be fine so try not let anxiety take hold as they know what they are doing.
We will all be routing for you.
Chin up....lots of love glynis
Thanks glynis, you've helped me alot lately. Doing my best not to worry but sometimes it gets the best of me.
 
They're gonna clean out a pocket that's on top of my drum. Thanks for replying

Sorry - I don't understand what that means. It's a pocket of skin or air? or something like a cyst? I guess I'm not familiar with it.
 
A retraction pocket of skin, they said it was a cholesteatoma but the CT scan didn't show one but that doesn't mean there still isn't one there. There was no erosion of the tiny bones though so that's a good thing.
 
A retraction pocket of skin, they said it was a cholesteatoma but the CT scan didn't show one but that doesn't mean there still isn't one there. There was no erosion of the tiny bones though so that's a good thing.

OK cool. Yes erosion is not good, but the opposite isn't great either (ask me how I know): too much bone material will lock up your ossicular chain.
 
As far as I know it's just a pocket, I hope anyway
 

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