Ruptured eardrum

This is really something better for urgent care than the ER.

I've had them from basketball contact. I was advised to use good earplugs in the shower, and to get very good expensive ones if I planned on swimming.

A few years later(this year) I started swimming and starting getting swimmer's ear(minor infections) a lot. So no more swimming until I want to drop $150-200 on earplugs according to my ENT.

good to have the rupture evaluated.

the size of the tear will determine how long it will take and what the situation is in terms of healing and treatment.

I ruptured mine a number of years ago, wave hit me while kitesurfing. Took probably a few months of healing before it was good again (from what I recall).

I would assume you could use ear plugs to swim, but I didn't swim during my rupture.

Go see an ENT doctor (otolaryngologist) - not your internist or family physician. Smaller perforations heal on their own, but it takes time. Larger perforations require surgical repair. Only an ENT has the proper tools and training to evaluate your perforation. If surgery is necessary, it is a minor procedure, and the drum can usually be repaired with a paper patch.

Swimming with a perforation is not recommended unless you have a custom earplug made from an impression taken of your ear that is ordered from an earmold company- even this does not keep all of the water out. If water gets into your ear it will go into the middle ear (which is usually protected by an intact eardrum) , and can easily introduce an infection.

I ruptured an eardrum waterskiing. Yes you need to see a doctor, depending on the size of the rip ... it may heal on its own in a few months. Mine didn't and I had to have a skingraft to get the cells to close the gap. I would guess you are out of swimming for 2-3 months if it heals on its own and well 4 to 6 months if it doesn't. I would really not want to swim with a torn eardrum. Even putting in plugs would tend to change the pressure on an eardrum that is trying to close.

Jsully,

I didn't go to the ER. I went to an emergency walk in clinic. Believe me. My wife is an ICU nurse so I know ERs are for actual emergencies.

Lucky the doctor said my ear drum was really red but he couldn't see any tears. He gave me some eardrops and said give it a week. If it's not any better I'll go to an ENT

I use ear drops after each swim and have the bottle in my helmet at T1. This has worked well for me. I've tried the over the counter wax based ear plugs and did not find them comfortable.

I have torn both my eardrums, one twice. They healed on their own, but I needed to take precautions when swimming and I found that silly putty worked great when plugged into my ear. I know they sell “wax” plugs, or probably some overly price medical grade ones, but the .99 for silly putty was perfect and one egg is a lifetime supply.

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The fact that you experienced pain when water entered your ear canal would suggest that you do have a perforation. Urgent care docs miss a lot of perforations, and so do family practice doctors and internists. My guess is that you will continue to experience pain if water enters your ear canal.

I have worked in the hearing profession for 30 years, and have worked alongside many ENT's. I have seen primary care doctors miss perforations over and over again!