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Topic: Eadrum retraction pockets - did you ever suffer from this? (Read 1445 times) previous topic - next topic
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Eadrum retraction pockets - did you ever suffer from this?

Hello folks. I have never seen myself posting in the "off-topic" area of this site, but it's happening today. So I thought about sharing a little bit about this condition I am facing.

I'm not going through the long story because it would certainly fatigue most of you but the thing is... my ears started having a problem with the two eustachian tubes, way back ago. But in 2022, the left ear started to show a symptom which is basically a hum. I tried to "emulate" this in Audacity and it is a middle-ear issue related to the growth of retraction pockets. This humming sound is constant and it is like a 60 Hz tone. Eardrum itself had no perforations. But by the end of 2022, left ear was only sensible to middle sound, with bass and treble compromised (specially bass, totally compromised). The right side was better - could hear very well but missing the normal treble, with bass all right, although affected.

June this year, I went and done a procedure called tympanostomy, and long duration T tubes were placed in the eardrums. After surgery the eardrum went through different stages in which I recall being able to hear with both, "the sound of a thin hair falling on the floor", with the return of bass full on, but going back and forth to the previous condition, but now the bass is also lacking on the right side (in March the right eardrum popped in a way that bass was completely gone). That small amount of days post surgery I confirmed that the inner neural hearing is completely intact and (ironically) even preserved from loud sounds as the I could not hear to the full potential, because of the middle ear issues.

The humming still persists, but it is failing some days. It was failing from 20 to 20 days. Then from 10 to 10 days. Then I had a complete week with it gone, and right now it is about 7 to 7 days: it gets stuck for 7 days and it leaves me alone for 1 day. So I can see a progression.

The doctor said that everything looks alright and what we achieved was crucial - the retraction pockets are stopped, because normal ventilation inside the middle ear is now omnipresent. But he said it is difficult to determine how big these retraction pockets have grown inside the middle ear. I suppose the humming side has a larger pocket, so the reason for the humming ear is because it has a more problematic retraction pocket. No infections, no secretions. Nothing. Just that.

This condition took from me the pleasure of listening to music or watching a movie. I still can hear very well, but without bass, it's pretty much gone the whole hearing experience.

So, I am just wondering whether anyone here went through something like this, and how one can expect healing from the retraction pockets overtime. I've seen studies that suggests months after surgery, and in some cases, we're talking about years. And this is what the doctor said - that we have to wait. Specially if the humming is failing more, it is a sign. Did you ever have a retraction pocket? Did it heal? How long did it take? I think mine will take months - or maybe - if this lasts another year, I may go under more procedures. Doctor said that these more invasive procedures do not guarantee that the hearing itself goes back to normal, if one is to remove surgically a retraction pocket from the back of the ear (saying that there's more success when it is done through the ear duct).

So, this is the condition right now... if one can shed a light over this, I'd appreciate a lot. Perhaps hearing from someone that had this and eventually overcame in a period of time, will be relaxing to hear about. My age is 47.

Thanks.