Hi there, I had my stapedectomy operation done in Decem...
Posted , 76 users are following.
Hi there,
I had my stapedectomy operation done in December 2006 and thought I'd share my experience with anyone who might be considering this operation and sprawling patient forums as I did.
I was 60% deaf in my right ear and had early signs of otosclerosis in my left ear. I decided to go ahead with the opeartion largely because insurance doesn't cover hearing aids. My specialist was Mr. J A Lavy who I can't recommend enough. He explained that there was a 1% chance of total hearing loss and 10% chance that my hearing wouldn't improve and as others have mentioned they may not be able to do the operation should my facial nerve be in the way.
I had the operation done under local anaesthetic and was also given a sedative. I have to say the most painful part of the whole experience was the injections in my ear but they are over in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately my ear canal was too narrow so they had to make an incision in the top of my ear but that really wasn't a big deal and has left the tiniest of scares. I watched the operation as it was being done through their camera which was quite reassuring as there were a lot of loud noises as they chipped away at bone etc. I fell asleep as they were doing the laser bit and came round after they had sewn up my ear drum. The advantage of them doing it under local was that they could do a mini test on my hearing there and then.
I felt extremely dizzy after the op - don't underestimate how dizzy u'll feel. I think that it is a little under played on a lot of these sites about how rotten you'll feel for the next day or so. I ended up staying in the hospital overnight.
My recovery took a week and it was a week of very squelchy noises, having to have someone wash my hair (you musn't get it wet) and restless nights as obviously it's too painful to lye on the operated ear.
Once the padding came out (2 weeks) everything was defeaningly loud and had a tinny quality about it but that settled down over the following two weeks. But I would be prepared to negotiate your social life for this period as I found that going out a bit of an overwhelming experience as I found my sense of sound direction was completely off.
Yesterday I had my hearing tested, you have to wait 6 weeks in total before it's testable, the results were fantastic I now have a normal right ear and can use the phone on that ear and hear what people are actually saying rather than just pretending to understand.
There is a small chance that I may have to have the piston replaced years from now as I am only 25 and so it may wear out also I may need to have the left ear operated on in time but I don't see this as a major issue considering how well my first op went.
The things that I have been told I wont be able to do post op is scuba diving and sky diving (shucks!)
Well that's it - hope that's helpful!
[i:0f5ba42d8b]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:0f5ba42d8b]
5 likes, 204 replies
pondwater62 Guest
Posted
Robert
joanne8798 pondwater62
Posted
pondwater62 Guest
Posted
Robert
joanne8798 pondwater62
Posted
pondwater62 Guest
Posted
Hello,
Was just wondering if you are still active on this portal. I am 8-9 weeks into my surgery on my left ear. Having a few issues and was wondering if you could shed some light on them for me. Thanks.
Rob
pondwater62 Guest
Posted
Hello Joanne,
Thanks for your expeditious response. My goodness. If you do decide to take legal action, I am wishing you all the success possible. You deserve to be treated properly and correct medically. You have all my prayers and support. As for me, well it gets difficult and frustrating mentally at times due to the noise/hearing loss and waiting for everything to improve. I will do my best to hang in there, and will keep you posted on my progress. By the way, I am wondering why people stopped posting on the portal. I really found it to be quite informative and very helpful. Thanks again, and chat with you.
Rob
Zocherlisa Guest
Posted
hello all!
my name is lisa and im new to this message board I have been reading all of your comments and finding them very helpful. I had my stapedectomy 13 days ago and i am experiencing a lot of the same symptoms that I have been reading about here. Sound is definitely better, but it still isnt quite right. It sounds like people are talking into a cup or into a tunnel. From what I understand this is normal? Also, even though I am almost 2 weeks on I still feel quite dizzy and from what I gather this isn’t as normal.
Anyone else experiencing that? Thanks for any insights I really appreciate it!
joanne8798 Zocherlisa
Posted
Hi Lisa! Cup and tunnel, yes normal for 2 weeks out. I've heard that slight dizziness may be 'ok' , that sometimes the swelling and any blood or fluids/wax disturbed during surgery could still be in there affecting balance. Call your Dr if you feel you cant move about safely, though. They may need to manually drain or clean out the area, and can check for infection which could also affect balance.
Keep us posted! Joanne
Zocherlisa joanne8798
Posted
Thank you so much! Will keep you posted!
Zocherlisa
Posted
hi all.
dizziness has improved quite a bit, thank goodness! It still feels like my ear is plugged or like I am talking into a cup, but hopefully that will change soon. I have another appointment with my doctor next week. Hopefully he has some insight.
happy sunday!
kim-sven03410 Guest
Posted
Hi all! Im new on this page. I realized this thread is quite old, so was just wondering if there are still active peepz here. I have just had my Stapedotomy last week ( 8 days ago) First 5 I had a lot of Dizziness and balance problem but luckily It gow way beter the last few days. beeping noises in my ears is annoying tho..
The Surgeon took the packing out yesterday, but the clogged and blocked feeling still not gone yet, and I havent felt any improvement yet in my hearing. Which he said its normal, because the ear needs time to heal, and the clogged blood still needs to dry up. He said its still another 3 or 4 weeks until I can feel any improvement..
Koman kim-sven03410
Edited
Hi
i had my surgery done 2 weeks ago and packing was removed 3 days ago. i have had vertigo the entire time. I am a little alarmed at at this and how long it is persisting. My ear is also very deaf and i am only hearing strange sounds. the ear clicks and pops all the time. i had my other ear done 20 yrs ago and the experience was completely different. Hearing came back right after packing removed and no vertigo or tinnitus. now at 44 yrs old the recovery has been very difficult. I've had tinnitus for many years and directly after surgery it screamed at me for a week or so but has now reduced to pre op levels. i am hoping as the ear heals it'll all find a new balance.
So basically, vertigo is still ongoing 3 weeks later and the ear hears much worse than before op. Ear feels full and blocked. Tinnitus persists but is not as catastrophic as it was. Dr to see me in a seek to remove final sponge layer on eardrum. He is not worried about my current status. Says it takes time.
shanna76549 Guest
Posted
I am in the US. Seems each doctors procedure is different for a stapedectomy.
Had mine done on the left ear Jan 4, 2021. Hospital outpatient surgery (general anasthetic, surgery 1.5 hours, and 2-3 hours in recovery). Took it easy a couple days and was careful not to lift over ten pounds for a week. Tinny sounds, amplified sounds, bubble feeling in my ear...BUT hearing was improved. I could lay with my right ear down and could actually hear my hubby talking with my stapedectomy ear.
Fast forward to day 7 or 8... My operated left ear has no sound through the ear canal. After surgery I could rub my fingers together outside the ear and hear the sound. I no longer can. I can hear the sounds that seem to come from inside the head (like, plug your ear and scratch behind the operated ear). I also hear my heartbeat when i drive in a car or lay down. A hearing test confirmed there is less hearing than before surgery. I failed to mention to my doctor that I definitely heard after surgery, and it went away. It actually didn't even dawn on me that I had hearing and then i lost it, until leaving the doctors.
Has anyone experienced this? I have another follow up in five days, but I am afraid my stapedectomy failed.
cristina19151 shanna76549
Posted
Hi Shanna how are you doing? I had my surgery 4 weeks in 2 days.I saw you wrote about the head and ear feeling clogged. I am struggling that a lot and hope it goes away. I would love to hear that it does because it's the worst feeling. Hope you are doing better. We had our's done close apart.
donna1961 Guest
Posted
I wanted to add more information to the thread regarding stapedectomy. I had mine done several years ago after wearing hearing aids since my 20's due to otosclerosis which I was told was due to having children (the growth hormone).
I was refused the operation for so many years - they said it was too risky. However I found out later that was rubbish and there is actually a 1% chance of losing your hearing. I felt cheated of all those years of good hearing.
I had the operation in Salford (UK) under an amazing surgeon, Mr Freeman. The operation involved a general anaesthetic and they did my right ear first. I woke up and felt a bit rubbish but otherwise fine. Went home, no packing etc and no problems. My hearing was improved from the get-go.
I then had my left ear done about 12 months later. Again, full general anaesthetic and, apart from bleeding quite a lot, the post operative period was unremarkable. Once the bleeding stopped (about 24 hours), my hearing was muffled but soon cleared and my hearing was good.
I am 60 now and again need hearing aids so I would say be prepared for the impact NOT to last forever. My hearing is no where near as bad as it was (I had 80% hearing loss previously) but I definitely do need aids (although not worn any since CoVid and working at home).
I would highly recommend this operation to anyone and any discomfort it worth it for the outcome of having your hearing back. I've never regretted it and wish I could have it done again to restore my hearing again. Oh well I can dream.
Good luck to anyone having the op - or considering it - I was delighted with the outcome and wish they had done it years ago.