Hearing loss after infection

[TheWoollybacksWife]

Just over a week ago I had bilateral perforated eardrums as a result of infection. I have lost most of my hearing and my usual background tinnitus has become overwhelming. I've already finished a course of oral antibiotics and I'm three days into a course of antibiotic ear drops. To be honest I was hoping for an improvement in my hearing by now. My eardrums are apparently quite scarred from similar perforations as a child/teen.

My GP has already said that if the ear drops don't work then I need to speak to an audiologist about long term hearing loss. I've got an appointment booked for the end of the month but I'm wondering if I should bring it forward - I don't want to get to the appointment and discover I should have acted sooner.

Does anyone have any advice/experience?

I had this after a severe infection but fortunately it was only the one ear. I was very deaf in that ear and my balance was also terrible. After a week or so, I felt and heard a sort of popping and a huge lump of rock hard blood and pus fell out of my ear! Hearing and balance instantly returned.

That sounds very satisfying @Watto1

Unfortunately still no improvement in my hearing.

I had this in one ear. I thought I was going to be permanently deaf as I was deaf for months and left with a hole that the gp didn't think would heal. I ended up going ro see a consultant and he was happy it would eventually close on its own and it did but it took quite a while, many months. My hearing is fine now

Mine took more than 6 months to return after a nasty ear drum perforation. I was completely deaf in one ear. The hearing is still not perfect in that ear but a lot better than totally deaf.

I found the ENT really reassuring. I paid to see one privately as I lost my hearing for a year when I was a child for a bilateral perforation (I still lip read as a result).

Poor you, must have been a nasty infection! It's worth seeing someone sooner rather than later. They did a baseline hearing test and then we could monitor improvement against it.

I had a perforation in one ear in November. I'm still partially deaf in that ear. Duty GP was going to refer to ENT after 6 weeks but was overruled by my named GP who said it could take 3 months to resolve itself, so to wait and see.
DH has just waited 10 months for an ENT referral by his audiologist so I'm not holding my breath that I'll get a resolution any time soon. Grateful it's only in one ear.

Thank you @Bayonetlightbulb @ClodHoppers @ohtowinthelottery - it's reassuring to read that my hearing may return. I've had my audiology appointment and the hearing test shows I will benefit from hearing aids but the audiologist wants to wait a couple more weeks to see if there's any further natural improvement. I'm being referred to ENT to check for the cause of my tinnitus too.