I am a 43yr old female who has had ear problems since childhood. Had my share of ear infections when younger and occasionally in recent years. I have had 3 ear surgeries to repair holes in the eardrums (1 in left - 2 in right). The surgery in left ear was in 72 and seemed to work, however the 2 in the right ear (1982 & 1993) did not take. After last surgery in 1993 I now have a fluid discharge in left ear which an ENT in North Carolina said was my sinuses draining through my ear. I have been put on allergy shots to help with the sinus problem, which did not seem to solve the problem. Now the drainage is still occuring and I have a constant ringing in both ears. The ringing is so loud it sometimes keeps me awake at night. A friend of mine that works for Beltone Hearing Aids recently did a videoscope and we discovered that I now have holes in both ears again. I realize that any more surgeries for the repairs to the eardrums would have less chance for complete healing since there is now scar tissue from the other surgeries, but is there anything that you could suggest I might do about the constant ringing and the drainage? Desparate for some answers and a good ENT. I am now living in Texarkana, TX and really don't know who I can turn to for help.
Reply: ----------------------------
First of all, it may still be possible to get a successful result from tympanoplasty despite your prior history. It is true that re-operations for tympanic membrane perforations have somewhat lower success rates and it would be necessary to aggressively treat any concurrent ear, nose, and throat conditions that might contribute to chronic ear disease such as allergy or chronic sinusitis. Given your past surgical history though, if you were to consider another attempt at surgical treatment I would suggest you might consult with an ENT specialist whose practice is limited to the treatment of ear disease, known as an otologist, if there is one located near you.
In regards to the symptom of ringing (tinnitus), there are probably multiple factors contributing to this symptom in your case including the perforations of the ear drums, chronic ear drainage, allergy, as well as possible sinus problems. Addressing each and every potential contributing factor may lessen the tinnitus, but I am sorry to say that there is no single uniformly successful treatment for tinnitus. I generally emphasize distraction or masking techniques such as the use of broad band noise to "camouflage" the tinnitus, possibly combined with the occasional use of mild sedatives such as alprazolam (Xanax) to help manage bothersome tinnitus.
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Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
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