Posted by Randy McCray on July 16, 2002 at 20:57:48:
In Reply to: Tympanoplasty - ear problem posted by Ingo on July 16, 2002 at 07:24:07:
My fiance is an audiologist who works closely with a neuro-otologist (not just an ENT, he specializes ONLY in ears). They see cases like this frequently, as in at least 3 or 4 per week. According to her, you shouldn't expect medical clearance for 3-6 weeks depending on how well you heal. Her doc even says no nose blowing, airplane flights or drastic altitude changes since all those types of pressure differentials can displace the prosthesis. As for hearing sensitivity, she says you may feel a bit lopsided for a while since there is no doubt some packing in there that will eventually be removed or may dissolve on its own. Depending on lots of things, you can probably anticipate full 100% recovery within 3-4 months but that's only if you follow all instructions to the letter. I think you'll probably do well by laying off playing for a while until the doc says its okay. Take care and happy healing!