Experience with ear tubes/ grommet?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Does anyone have experience with grommets?
I had a blocked left ear for 5 weeks that would not clear despite multiple medications ( sudafed, prednisone, nasonex, nasal decongestants etc). My left ear had blocked up after a sore throat/ sinus congestion. My right ear stayed clear.
Both my general practioner and ENT said no infection however the ENT suggested a left ear grommet due to the lack of clearing and the fact that it had happened earlier in the year under similar circumstances, although for only 3 weeks on and off.
Well i had the grommet inserted under anaesthetic last week. Immediately upon waking from the procedure my ear still felt blocked as well as my right!!
The ENT is not sure why and had no explanation but sent me for a hearing test. I told him that I can hear but just feel blocked with a muffled sensation in both ears. My hearing test came back normal as I knew it would however it has been 7 days and the blocked feeling persists in both ears. I feel worse now then before the procedure.
Can anyone tell me if this blocked sensation will go away and how long I should expect it to last. I feel as if I am going crazy and my ENT just tells me not to worry because my hearing is normal.
0 likes, 7 replies
gaurav303 mel77513
Posted
hi,
i had similar case of ear blockage but my problem was for around 4-5 years. first my doctor suggested for grommet. and i got grommet. but got little to no relief. then after 1 more year of grommet insertion, i got balloon dilation of eustachian tube which cured me.
but grommet did not fall off even after 18 months. this created complications and had to go for another operation to remove grommets and filling up hole which grommet created. so grommets are not at all useful in adults, only create complications and hole in ear.
gaurav303 mel77513
Posted
i hope in your case grommet falls off on its own and hole is healed without any surgery . never go for grommet again.
tammi95765 mel77513
Posted
I have had grommets and they helped me immensely ...my ENT does it kn his rooms with local anaesthesia ...it has always given me relief ...left ear kept pushing grommet our for some reason while right one stayed in for a long time after many times of replacing left grommet he decided to do eustachian tube dilation but that has not worked at all in fact that made it worse .. i would go for second opinion
mel77513 tammi95765
Posted
Did you get instant relief or did you feel blocked up at first? I am unsure if this is normal healing or a problem that won't get better.
mel77513
Posted
Thanks for your reply. I am starting to wish I never got it because I am feeling so blocked up!
I am hoping that the feeling goes away but I don't know how long to wait before I go back to the ENT and ask him to remove it. It has only been a week but it hasn't been a good one!
I am glad that you got a cure with the balloon dilation.
gaurav303 mel77513
Posted
hi,
see now you have got the grommet right. so no need to get it removed.
grommets are meant to fall off on their own in 6-7 months. till then they provide ventilation in ears so that you dont feel pressure in ears. once they fall off, hole heals automatically.
so wait for 6 months. in those 6 months your problem may also go away due to ventilation. if grommets dont fall off, ask your ent for removing it.
mij686 mel77513
Edited
I am a 36 year old male. I had a Grommet insertion done 5 months ago. It instantly relieved me of my blocked left ear and i was able to hear again after having a year of muffled hearing. Within a month, the left ear developed a minor infection which then caused fluid to discharge during the nights and sometimes during the day when the infection had it's highs. I have used Otomize ear spray with different dosages for 2 months but this has not helped. Have booked myself in for further check up for the infection.
A grommet can help but will have it's down sides. If i could go back 5 months i would try harder to reduce exposure to humidity, steam, moisture. It's really hard to keep the ear completely dry as even exercise or a hot place can cause you to sweat. I have been advised to block my ears during shower but this advice alone is not enough. You just have to be extremely careful and maybe isolate yourself as much as possible to prevent infection. This is just my thoughts from experience.