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Original poster

Have any of you had a perforated eardrum?

27 replies

crazyloon1 · 18/12/2008 07:49

Apparently this is what I have got.

Have had proper flu for the last 5 days and thought I had peaked, and now this. I'm terrified I'll have to start a/b's although GP said I might get away with it as it isn't hurting and seems to be draining (sorry about that)

Is there anything I can do? Just feel a bit woozy and temp is back but thankfully not up to 39.3 like the other night...yet...

Thanks in antic. x

Can't help but be grateful that flu is easing though. Well, slightly.

post flu survivors club anyone?

OP posts:
shitehawk · 18/12/2008 07:58

I haven't, but my daughter has.

She had terrible earache, took her to the GP and he said we should leave it until the eardrum burst, at which point the pain would stop. And it did. It drained, the pain stopped, everything was fine.

If you start getting pain in your ear, go back to the doctor. But otherwise it should be OK.

Day and Night Nurse are helping me with my flu at the moment ...

Original poster
crazyloon1 · 18/12/2008 08:12

Ohhh, thankyou so much shitehawk. that is really encouraging. It didn't even really hurt, just felt like there was fluid in there iyswim. Then pop!

I might crawl out to the car and go and buy some day nurse if it is that good. Nothing much helping, just mainlining paracetamol and children's nurofen. lol

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Original poster
crazyloon1 · 18/12/2008 08:14

what day are you on SH? Yesterday was day 5 for me. Slightly less awful since then. NHS told me you should feel better after 5-7 days.

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Lemontart · 18/12/2008 08:19

yes - it is awful. My sympathy.
Awful nagging earache followed by waking in night with agonisingly sharp pain, noticed leaking ear (yack). I was given abs and cleared up quite quickly.
Just keep warm, plenty of fluids and take painkillers if/when needed. If starts to get worse or just doesn?t feel like it is improving, get thee to a GP

I am busily dreading going to my GP today as I think I have strep throat not nice thinking about having abs but better than drawn out pain and suffering so near to Christmas.

Hope you are feeling a lot better soon x

Original poster
crazyloon1 · 18/12/2008 08:38

Oh Lemony I hope you get on Ok, had an awful throat 3 weeks ago so massive sympathies

at least I am not in pain, just a little, well, surprised - and things are rather quiet!!

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Original poster
crazyloon1 · 18/12/2008 08:40

are you allowed top blow your nose btw? Every time I do it kind of pops. I'm not sure if this is causing more damage iyswim.

The only thing I found helped with the throat was to keep a soft scarf on all the time, round your throat. I'm not sure why - it does seem to focus the healing energy somehow.

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Lemontart · 18/12/2008 21:06

I was told to be careful blowing my nose and try to wipe rather than blow (yuck!)
thanks for the scarf advice It sounds stupid but I just felt too ill to be bothered phoning the GP and going into town The glands in my neck are so swollen it feels like I have been punched on both sides. I even struggled sitting up in bed earlier as the strain on my neck was really bad! How daft is that!
DH is being fab and looking after the kids. I slept for most of the afternoon and he just took over, bless him. Trying to get up for a couple of hours now (so wasting time on the computer) so I can still sleep tonight (hopefully).

Glad to hear you are not in pain with your ear, just take it easy and give yourself time to get over it fully. Damn these awful nasty bugs making all our lives miserable

Original poster
crazyloon1 · 19/12/2008 06:56

Oh poor thing
I hope you got some sleep last night?

Thanks about the nose thing. Oh bum. Have been blowing and it keeps popping! I will have to stop then...oops

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shitehawk · 19/12/2008 07:57

Crazyloon ... I have had this for two and a half weeks. It's horrible.

Hope you're feeling better today.

tinseltwiddler · 19/12/2008 08:06

Poor you... one of the most painful things I can remember. When I went to the doc he called in a junior in the practice to have a look at it because he'd never seen one before.
Took a few weeks, but no permanent damage.
Ouch.

Original poster
crazyloon1 · 19/12/2008 08:27

Oh golly.

Tinseltwiddler i like your name
luckily am not in pain but not blowing my nose is just impossible with the quantity of, well I shan't say it. I refuse not to blow. Am trying to be gentle though.

I am glad if it heals within a few weeks.

Shitehawk - are you gradually improving do you think? I feel slightly more able to walk around, slightly less hot (on and off) and actually got a few hours sleep last night. Mainly because ds2 was a bit better.

Mum and dad are both up and about after a couple of days, which amazes me - perhaps the lack of sleep here is what's stopping me getitng better? I don't know.

Hope you are feeling a bit less grim though SH.

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Original poster
crazyloon1 · 19/12/2008 08:29

Btw Lemontart - I had that gland thing as well when my throat was bad a few weeks back. It did feel like someone was strangling me, really nasty and painful. The good news was it was gone within about 4 days, hopefully yours will be too xx

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Lemontart · 19/12/2008 09:21

thank you crazyloon
good to know that there is a possibility it will be fairly quick (some consolation)
glad to hear you are feeling a little better today and got some sleep. Sleep makes all the difference x

Lemontart · 20/12/2008 04:09

I cant believe it
Here I am at 4am in the morning after being up ALL night with sick DD1. Heavy cold all week and now ear infection. She started complaining mid evening and then just been unable to sleep, crying in fitful sleep/waking every 20 mins. Ten mins ago comes through again in floods of tears, pitiful wail - my ear has popped and there is all this sticky stuff in my hair... Bloody marvellous. Poor girl. Early Sat morning before Christmas and I reckon she has a perforated ear drum. After this thread yesterday too. Just too weird co-incidence.
Out of hours doc has phoned back and given me a 5am emergency appt at the (not so) local hospital. I feel crap with high temp, chesty cough, tonsils red and spotty - now my poor DD1. I wonder if the doc will give me some abs too..
Such a shit mum - should have spoken to someone yesterday and not let her cry all night kept thinking she would settle down and could go to the emergency GP surgery tomorrow morning.

Lemontart · 20/12/2008 06:12

Back from the hospital and had my DD1?s perforated ear confirmed. The lovely doc gave her a prescription for Amoxycillin to take if it becomes infected -save us returning so close to Christmas.
Interestingly, he confirmed that when the eardrum perforates, you often start to feel better as the pain is from the pressure build up - released when the membrane tears.

We were told 6-8 weeks for healing and to expect deafness during this time (a large hole in my DD?s case). Also told to avoid swimming and to pop cotton wool in the ear when washing hair - avoid showers and have a bath instead. Advised to put a small bit of cotton wool in the affected ear if outside and the weather is very cold or windy too.

Can?t believe I was busy giving sympathy over your perforated eardrum, busily moaning about my glands and tonsils only to have my own DD have her eardrum pop that very evening. I am knackered! Need to go get some sleep..

2sugarsandapuppy · 20/12/2008 06:23

Otosporin is a topical fluid which works quite quickly - I had a perforated drum 2 days after dd1 was born, and it felt like labour pains in my ear. I wonder why she wasn't prescribed that.

Lemontart · 20/12/2008 06:33

Hmmm no idea. The doc seemed to think that there was no major infection and so was best to let nature heal itself (as the fluid coming out of her ear drum was clear and not smelly), the abs are only if she develops an infection over the next couple of days. Annoyed if there is something out there that could reduce the pain she is suffering. Totally maxed out on calpol and nurofen and still white as a sheet, holding the waterbottle on her head. She is totally miserable, poor thing.

2sugarsandapuppy · 20/12/2008 06:37

Blimey, you don't want that a week before Christmas. Can you go back and see another GP in the practice?

Lemontart · 20/12/2008 06:45

This was the emergency out of hours doctors at the local hospital so not a GP connected with our surgery. I think I will make an appointment for Mon morning with our own GP if she is not improved. TBH I think half of her misery is tied up in the fact she is so tired - almost no sleep at all on top of being right at the end of term so little energy anyway.
He was a lovely guy and did warn me that she could be in a lot of pain for a couple of days but just said keep taking pain relief and keep her in the warm

seeker · 20/12/2008 07:04

I think I would be a bit worried if the ear drum has perforated and she is still in pain. We have had 3 perforated ear drums in our family (in different people) and in each case the pain stopped immediately the ear popped. Could you see your GP today?

Lemontart · 20/12/2008 07:11

really? you have got me worried now.
She said that the pain was lessened after the popping but is still complaining a lot - got worse again in last half hour.
He did say that it was inflamed and that all her glands are up, full of cold too, sore throat, sinuses etc etc. I wonder if the other one is not far off popping as she now has started complaining of the other ear too.
I guess I will just have to see how she gets on in the next hour or so. I am so tired now I can hardly think.
Thanks for the advice and opinions though.
So hard to know what to do for the best especially as we were warned she would be in pain - although I read that as her ear giving her pain. I wonder why the doctor said that she would be in pain and to give her plenty of pain relief if the pain usually stops immediately? Aaaargh! Very confused.

seeker · 20/12/2008 07:54

Just looked here and it talks about pain while it's healing. Perhaps my lot were just lucky. I'm really sorry if I worried you unnecessarily - I hope you have an OKish day. Why don't you go to bed with your dd for a while?

Lemontart · 20/12/2008 11:42

thanks for the link seeker some helpful advice in there.
She is dozing more peacefully now and I did manage a couple of hours sleep myself. Going to have a warm bath and then go back to bed again.

JingleBellaAllTheWay · 20/12/2008 17:18

Have had it twice [preens at large and impressive number of ear perforations]

IME it's a blessed reief as the pain stops almost immediately the perforation happens and the only problem is poor hearing for a couple of weeks afterwards.

Get well soon x

whoingodsnameami · 20/12/2008 17:25

I perforated my eardrum on holiday 2 years ago, abd it never healed

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