Ears Ringing and Damaged Eardrums

I would have to tell you the truth that while I’m writing this, I can hear my ears ringing though faintly. The first time I noticed it was eight months back. During this time, I didn’t know what I was experiencing. I would rub my ears, poke my fingertip into the hole, or shake my ear lobes. Hoping it would disappear, I had no luck. The screeching tone inside my ears would come and go.

It was only after two weeks that the condition came to my knowledge and understanding. I had tinnitus. I came to know that the high tone in my ears is due to some structural damage in the delicate region between my outer and middle ear, although this idea does not appeal to me. The strange tones would always remind me that my ears are no longer functioning normally.

The attending specialist at a private clinic told me I was one of the more than fifty million people in the country with the condition. My tinnitus was a moderate one. A few unfortunate patients experience severe ringing symptoms that hamper their normal living. It affects the social life of others. Some people have trouble hearing properly over the ringing noise. The most annoying thing about it is that you cannot tune it out like a radio. It takes time and effort to learn how to manage it and cope with it.

My ears have been examined. The doctor found a small rupture in my eardrum. Ears ringing due to eardrum perforation are not uncommon. The doctor told me that. According to him, people from kids to old adults come to the clinic complaining of ear pain and some deafness caused by perforated eardrums. Some of them experience tinnitus. My condition was a little strange because I had tinnitus but my hearing was hardly affected.

I was given antibiotics (I only took two), painkillers (I didn’t need them), and some reminders. The last is the most important because it is about cleaning the ears properly. Using cotton tipped swabs is not a good way of cleaning your ears. They have the tendency to push the earwax farther into the ear canal, making it more difficult to remove. Also inserting foreign objects into the ear canal increases your risk of eardrum damage and a ringing ear.

The ruptured eardrum has already healed but I still hear some dull humming noise. Ears ringing are no longer a problem. I am sharing this story to let people know the proper way of taking care of their hearing.