Ruptured eardrum

Found out yesterday that I’ve got an old perforated eardrum. No bleeding or anything, just a tiny hole there.
For the last three weeks, I’ve been dealing with this weird pressure and pain—mostly near that ear, sometimes radiating toward my head. It's usually nothing major, but occasionally it gets pretty unsettling. My hearing seems fine based on some basic DIY tests 🙂.
I hit the pool almost every day (submerging my head, obviously). Honestly, I don't even know when the rupture actually happened; maybe it was three years ago when I noticed some dried blood in that same ear. If that's the case, why hasn't it fully healed yet?
Am I doomed to deal with constant drafts in my ear forever? 😁
Should I take a break from swimming?
Or should I just go see an ENT regardless?
Thanks!

Does anyone actually know anything about ears, or is everyone just out at the beach? 😕 🙂

Hey, seriously—go see an ENT! If you’re planning on diving, you really ought to get that perforation closed. From what I’ve seen, they basically take a tiny piece of cartilage from your tragus and graft it onto the eardrum to patch things up.

Bio. As if it’s nothing, as if it’ll just pass on its own, as if I can just avoid the beach whenever the wind picks up and stop drying my ears with a towel. And I have to avoid getting my head wet. At this rate, swimming loses all its point. Might have to go buy some earplugs...

Man, I'm just glad it wasn't a massive hole—would've saved you from having to go under the knife. If you need those earplugs, grab some at Walgreens; they have those silicone ones that work great.

thanks, Lawrence Wells! 🙂

No problem at all🙂

I’ve been dealing with a perforated eardrum for years now. I actually had surgery on my middle ear, and they supposedly patched the hole, but wouldn't you know it? It's still there.
If you have a perforation, you have to realize there is a constant, direct path into your middle ear—and that is anything but harmless.
Anything can slip through that opening: bacteria, fungi... an infection in the middle ear is almost inevitable.
In a million years, I wouldn't dream of going diving without earplugs. I've been forced to rely on them for years.
Finding high-quality plugs is a struggle, and those silicone ones? They didn't work for me at all.

Man, that’s rough. What actually caused your eardrum to perforate? Was it some kind of chronic middle ear infection—maybe even a cholesteatoma—or was it something else entirely?

Chronic middle ear inflammation. It’s been a struggle since I was a kid. Things have mostly stabilized after surgery, but I still have to be incredibly careful. That perforation is a constant worry. I have to make sure absolutely no water gets into my ear. The problem? I’m addicted to the ocean, swimming, and diving.
I want to take this opportunity to ask about your experiences with earplugs. Neither the foam ones nor the silicone types seem to work for me.
I had one pair that worked perfectly once, but I can't remember the brand. All I know is they had four chambers and were quite small, yet they provided a perfect seal.

I really hope we aren't talking about scuba diving or even just some deep freediving here—because if that earplug is still in, you're asking for trouble. Between the external water pressure and the way an earplug pushes against your eardrum, things can go south incredibly fast. And honestly, once a drum ruptures with a plug stuck in there, getting it out becomes a whole different nightmare. Just a heads-up: don't go deeper than ten feet with a plug in your ears 👍.

I’m not talking about scuba diving or holding my breath deeper than six feet. Most of the time, I’m just snorkeling near the surface, rarely dipping below two meters.
The real question is: what about decent earplugs?

Spent the last few days hanging out at the beach and now the issues are back. My earplug keeps slipping out and leaking. I actually lost one today... where can I find a better selection of earplugs? Any tips on how to figure out which ones actually fit my ear properly?

Henry Campbell5 said:Spent the last few days hanging out at the beach and now the issues are back. My earplug keeps slipping out and leaking. I actually lost one today... where can I find a better selection of earplugs? Any tips on how to figure out which ones actually fit my ear properly?

If your earplug is falling out, it’s either too large, poor quality, or you simply haven't mastered how to seat it correctly.
How do you find the right fit? There is no shortcut—you have to try several different types. Eventually, you might stumble upon a winner. That happened to me once.

It seems the most effective solution is getting custom-molded earplugs. If you live in a major city (I don't), head to an audiology center that specializes in hearing aids and custom inserts. I've heard they can manufacture plugs tailored specifically to your ear shape. Wouldn't that be the only real way to get it right?

Henry Myers said:If your earplug is falling out, it’s either too large, poor quality, or you simply haven't mastered how to seat it correctly.
How do you find the right fit? There is no shortcut—you have to try several different types. Eventually, you might stumble upon a winner. That happened to me once.

It seems the most effective solution is getting custom-molded earplugs. If you live in a major city (I don't), head to an audiology center that specializes in hearing aids and custom inserts. I've heard they can manufacture plugs tailored specifically to your ear shape. Wouldn't that be the only real way to get it right?

I have custom ones. Had them professionally molded and I’m extremely happy with them. I think they ran me about $41 each. But man, they are worth every penny! 👍

BTW, I actually dealt with a ruptured eardrum once. Not fun. Luckily, it's all healed up now! 🙂

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

I can't help feeling a bit guilty about jamming that plug toward my damaged eardrum, so maybe that's why I'm still hearing the ocean...

Hey everyone, I need some advice if anyone here knows what they're talking about.

Basically, I took a hit to my left ear and ruptured my eardrum. The doctor says there's a hole about 1mm wide. My hearing is muffled, and I can't pick up bass or those deep tones at all. It’s a disgusting feeling. This actually happened once before five years ago, but the drum healed on its own back then. I even went for hearing tests which came out okay, even though my left side was weaker. The drum healed completely and worked fine until now.

Questions:

* Can an eardrum heal normally again, or is it harder since this is the second time?
* Are there any supplements or meds that help speed up the healing process?
* Roughly how long does this take? I have a trip to Florida coming up and I don't want it ruined.😢
* If it doesn't heal, has anyone dealt with surgery? How's the sound quality afterward? I happen to be a DJ, so this is pretty bad news for me..

Thanks for any input. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bang my head against a wall.😢

vividpilot47 said:Hey everyone, I need some advice if anyone here knows what they're talking about.

Basically, I took a hit to my left ear and ruptured my eardrum. The doctor says there's a hole about 1mm wide. My hearing is muffled, and I can't pick up bass or those deep tones at all. It’s a disgusting feeling. This actually happened once before five years ago, but the drum healed on its own back then. I even went for hearing tests which came out okay, even though my left side was weaker. The drum healed completely and worked fine until now.

Questions:

* Can an eardrum heal normally again, or is it harder since this is the second time?
* Are there any supplements or meds that help speed up the healing process?
* Roughly how long does this take? I have a trip to Florida coming up and I don't want it ruined.😢
* If it doesn't heal, has anyone dealt with surgery? How's the sound quality afterward? I happen to be a DJ, so this is pretty bad news for me..

Thanks for any input. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bang my head against a wall.😢

I can't really answer your questions, but I will say this: beating your head isn't exactly a brilliant move given that ruptured eardrum. 😁
Hopefully you pull through. 🙂

Maybe...
No, look, don't go trying to patch anything up or mess around on your own, because if you actually need something, you’re going to get it straight from the doctor...
It's impossible to say for sure, honestly, since it all depends on how big the crack is, what type it is, and where it's located, but if I had to guess, you'll probably just be staring at the ocean this year instead of getting out on it...
And again—whether or not you end up needing surgery depends on a ton of different factors, but as far as I know, they won't operate unless the hole is so bad that there's absolutely no way it can heal on its own...

Look, just stay put and chill for maybe 10 days—give or take a week. Seriously, watch out for drafts and don't let any junk get stuck in your ear. When you're washing your hair, throw in some silicone earplugs, like those Speedo ones, just to be safe. As for hitting the beach, ask your doctor first; I'm thinking you can probably go for a swim, but definitely no diving or snorkeling—and even then, keep an earplug in. But yeah, better to just run it by your doc before you do anything stupid.