Deafness due to perforated eardrum

[doornail]

I've had a middle ear infection which was incredibly painful then the pain from the pressure finally subsided when my ear drum ruptured a few days ago. I went to the GP when ear was agony and they gave me painkillers and said it would feel better once it burst. Now it does feel less acute pain, but I'm deaf in one ear with awful tinnitus and feel sea-sick most of the time 😩
Went back to the GP after it had ruptured and they gave me antibiotics then.

When I look up perforated /burst ear drum all things say to avoid it happening go to the GP promptly with an ear infection (I did!) and so I'm now left wondering why I was basically sent away waiting for it to happen, as I might as well have not bothered going?

I'm also depressed to read that it can take weeks to heal and scared I'm going to be feeling this rubbish for weeks, as I'm struggling to eat as I feel so queasy from the motion sickness 😔

So I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to deal with the symptoms of a perforated eardrum and also some positive stories of it healing quickly? When they say it can take weeks to heal, please someone tell me that it won't feel so debilitating for too long? 🤞
Thanks

I was in the exact same situation two months ago. The deafness and tinnitus lasted about a week after it burst (plus nausea from the antibiotics).
It still feels a bit 'poppy' sometimes but is healing really nicely (in fact the membrane has totally healed).

@Pebbles16 thank you! That's given me some hope! A week I can just about cope with, but 'weeks' just makes me want to sob!

I'm going through a very similar thing. I had a horrible outer ear infection which started two weeks ago - I was misdiagnosed with a bacterial infection but it was actually fungal. Pain has subsided but I'm left completely deaf and with a horrible pressure feeling in my left ear. GP said ear drum looked like it was in tact when I last went a week ago, but I'm going to seek a second opinion because I have lots of the symptoms of a perforated drum. It's horrible - I really sympathise and I'm desperate to feel normal again!

So I'm still deaf in one ear and feeling really miserable about it. Surely there has to be something that can be done? 😢 I don't feel anything like the same pain as I did, but I do feel a pressure building so worried that it's not fully cleared the infection and that I'll be stuck in this half deaf hell for ages yet. 🙈

@doornail me too! I had an appointment on Monday with an ENT consultant (paid privately as I was feeling so desperate and GP said wait is 70 weeks) and my suspicions were confirmed - I did indeed have a perforated eardrum. I think it burst about 10 days ago. I didn't notice it actually happening, just some of the symptoms - it was during a particularly horrid outer ear infection.

I'm like you - the pain has gone (little bit of residual ache but nothing like what it was). I have deafness in my left ear, a feeling of pressure, as if half of my head is in an airplane and badly needs to be popped but can't, and also now tinnitus - faint ringing and lots of the pulsatile type. My DH keeps saying I'm complaining too much and my hearing will come back but it does make you feel very trapped and disorientated - changes your whole relationship to the outside world. It's also quite exhausting - I find it hard to follow conversations at work etc.

The consultant told me that most perforations heal within about 6 weeks. If not they can do a procedure where they patch it up. He said the feeling of pressure is normal - it's not actual pressure but your brain telling you that something is not quite right and that's the resultant feeling (or something along those lines). He said definitely do not get it wet under any circumstance (cotton wool in ears during showers etc). I'm also a bit paranoid about my infection coming back - I did complete my course of drops because you're supposed to continue wih them if you have a perforated ear drum. Consultant said no more sign of infection so it's fine not to continue but I am a bit worried it may not have been fully treated....

Mine took around 6 weeks to heal. However 12 years down the line I still don't have full hearing in my left ear