Yesterday I went to the outpatients clinic for my yearly check-up on my hearing due to a condition I had when I was a lot younger. After 10 years I've been discharged and thought it would be good to find out what actually went on with my right ear when I was younger!
When I was 5, my parents were concerned with my hearing. They'd noticed I seemed to have the TV unusually loud all the time and often had difficulty hearing them calling me/in conversation. After many ear infections, I was referred to an ENT specialist, was diagnosed with Glue Ear in my right ear and have been a regular visitor to the outpatient clinic since!
The eustachian tube is what's responsible for draining mucus and fluid away from your ear and also providing air to your eardrum to equalise pressure in the middle ear. Since mine was faulty, neither of these things could happen. This meant my middle ear filled up with fluid, which was watery at first, but then became thick (hence the name "Glue Ear"). This fluid muffled my hearing, as it stopped the eardrum and the surrounding bones that are necessary for hearing from vibrating. Since my eustachian tube was blocked, the pressure inside my middle ear was less than outside, which sucked my eardrum in. Again, this stopped the eardrum from vibrating, muffling my hearing, and also stretching the eardrum.
Whereas most cases of Glue Ear are caused by a cold and so disappear naturally in a few months, my hearing was persistently muffled. It was decided necessary for surgical intervention, and so in late 2002 , I had a grommet inserted. Grommets are small tubes inserted through the eardrum designed to drain any fluid and also allow air to pass into the middle ear. They are put in under general anaesthetic in an operation that only takes about 15 minutes, which meant I could leave hospital that day. Although normally the grommet falls out naturally due to the eardrum healing in about a year, mine stayed in for nearly 3!
This grommet solved the problem of Glue Ear and fluid build-up, but my Eustachian Tube was still dysfunctional. The remaining problem was the problem of ear pressure. My eardrum was still being sucked into my ear, causing muffled hearing and stretching of the eardrum. This created a pocket, which they wanted to monitor. Ear infections were less common, but still occurred. I was to have 2 appointments a year to outpatients, one of which would also involve a hearing test to monitor my hearing. I was also given the treatment of autoinflation, which involves blowing up a special balloon by your nose in an attempt to push the eardrum out. After a while, this was discontinued and I was told to pop my ears a few times a day.
When I was 10, I had a cold and was in/out of school for about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks of feeling ill/feeling better, I went into school on the Friday, but developed a severe ear ache. After 2 long, extremely painful hours, I was taken home, where I lay in bed screaming. All of a sudden the pain was gone and there was fluid coming out of my ear. I was taken to the GP surgery and was told my eardrum has burst due to the excessive build up of fluid caused by the cold. This obviously meant I couldn't hear in my right ear.
After a few months it healed and I went back to outpatients for my appointment. My eardrum was still being sucked in due to the faulty Eustachian Tube. I still had a pocket that they wanted to monitor, even though I never had another ear infection after that. It looked as though my hearing wasn't going to deteriorate, so my appointments became yearly at the age of 12.
Yesterday, at the age of 16, I saw the original consultant I saw those 10 years ago (appropriate ending!) and after looking at my eardrum and my hearing test results, he concluded that my eustachian tube was now working, as my eardrum was no longer being sucked in. Due to this, he discharged me! However, he advised me there was still a pocket in my eardrum caused by all those years of being sucked into the middle ear that was vulnerable to infection and could mean a deterioration in my hearing.I was told to pop my ears multiple times a day to try to push out the pocket, and that if I was ever to have an ear infection or get concerned with my hearing, I had to come back.
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