Blocked ear/ perforated eardrum

[Rosegingerpeaches]

So about 10 days ago I came down with a bit of a nasty cold. I started feeling better last week, but towards the end of the week my ears started to feel blocked and muffled. I tried to pop them myself over the weekend by using nasal sprays and holding my nose and blowing. This offered some relief though they were still slightly blocked. Yesterday I tried to pop them again and ended up perforating my right ear drum. I have seen the GP today and they have given me antibiotics and told me to go back in 4 weeks. My left ear still has fluid trapped behind it and I just have to wait for that to clear. It has started crackling when I swallow, which I am hoping is a good sign that it may start clearing. For anyone who has experienced similar, when did your hearing start returning to normal? The muffled hearing is making me quite panicky and I just can't seem to get it to shift.

This happened to me about 15 years ago, can't remember how long it took to get better but all fine now. (Sorry not much help!)

Thank you. It is reassuring to know yours got better even if you can't remember how long.

I used an earbud whoops it’s bloody awful, I could hear my heartbeat on my ear day and night, i had an infection to and just wanted to itch my ear so badly (I did occasionally) was dead on that ear too apart from the heartbeat. Took around 3 weeks for the beat to stop and I started hearing better soon after

Thank you. Very reassuring that it will improve.

It took 2-3 weeks for my hearing to return to normal, the crackling is definitely a good sign!

I’m one week in with the same thing! I’ve not gone to the GP yet (keep meaning to make an appointment then forgetting). It’s not hurting all the time like a normal ear infection, it’s just like my head is underwater constantly and I can hear my heartbeat and a low level ringing.

I hope you get better soon 💐

I had one a fortnight ago, I wanted to get my ears syringed but was in so much pain. Hearing in my hitherto ‘good’ ear almost non existent.

I phoned dr due to pain, prescribed antibiotics over the phone. Pain subsided but didn’t go away completely, hearing still massively affected.
Called dr again, got appointment (yay they seem to prioritise ears) and apparently there was still gunk in it, so she prescribed a steroid antibiotic spray. I wasn’t convinced it was doing anything, and the tinnitus was driving me crazy. But over the last 3 days, 3.5 weeks after first appointment the pitch of the tinnitus went up, eventually reached an octave higher, then today no ringing and hearing back to normal.

The worse bit was keeping my head out of water, and not swimming. I’ve now got some swim seal to protect them in the water.

You need to give it some time to clear (I'd suggest a couple of weeks).
If it hasn't resolved, go back - it's perfectly possible to develop glue ear as an adult. (I did, due to chronic sinusitis and a middle ear infection. By the time I got the go-ahead to have grommets, I had 25% hearing loss in one ear, and 50% in the other.)