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I figured I’d weigh in here. I had my surgery done in Paris, and honestly, I don't regret it. I guess I was a bit freaked out for a few days right after because I thought my left ear might stay looking pinched or deformed, but that was just the swelling, and things eventually returned to normal. They put me under general anesthesia; the actual procedure took about an hour, though I didn't actually wake up until four hours later—it must have been some heavy-duty anesthesia—but I was still able to head home the same day. My recovery went pretty smoothly. At the first follow-up, the doctor mentioned there was a tiny little indentation, like the tissue hadn't quite filled in all the way, so she applied some silicone. I went back fifteen days later, and she told me everything had closed up perfectly. I was relieved since the perforation had been pretty significant. Now, I can shower and hit the pool without any issues. As for my hearing, it hasn't really changed. They expected there might be some improvement, but I haven't noticed anything yet, though the loss wasn't massive to begin with. I have one more hearing test scheduled for September.
feralridge3 said:You see, you see, they didn't tell me the part in bold. 🤷
I am currently waiting for my surgery; my appointment is set for four weeks from now. If I had been hesitating before, I might have gone back and forth on whether to agree to this, but those doubts are gone now. Ever since the temperatures dropped, it's been nothing but trouble.
My ENT surgeon told me he guarantees an 80% success rate for the patch, and the rest is up in the air. I have a narrow and unusually curved ear canal.
Oh, and just to clarify, my eardrum didn't rupture; I simply have a perforation.
😢
I've made my decision too. Whatever happens, happens. Dealing with these issues constantly is getting old, and since my surgery is in 20 days, I'm just hoping I can get those lost 15 decibels back.
Here is another issue regarding a perforated eardrum 🙂. My perforation is actually fifteen years old; I got it from a blow to my left ear, and right after that impact, my hearing dropped. I wanted to go diving so badly, but I couldn't because of it. To be honest, I avoided seeing a doctor for years because I have this deep-seated anxiety whenever I have to deal with medical professionals. Since then, I've dealt with frequent ear infections and pain. Eventually, you just have to face reality, so a few days ago, I finally saw a specialist. He performed an audiogram and examined my ear; apparently, there is a significant hole, and my hearing loss is around 15 decibels. I am not entirely sure if that qualifies as a major loss. He recommended surgery, and I agreed, so I went to the hospital to schedule a date. What gave me pause was when the doctor mentioned—strictly because the law requires him to disclose it—that there is a less than 1% risk of total hearing loss in that ear during the procedure. He emphasized how rare that is, but still. I am wondering if anyone else has heard similar things. The surgery would be done under general anesthesia. The main reason I want to go through with this myoplasty is that the doctor told me I’d essentially have a "new" ear, allowing me to dive again and experience true stereo sound 🙂. If anyone has any insight or advice, I would appreciate it. Thanks