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my situation. In short, I had something my ENT called 'glue ear" fluid behind the ear that would not drain. Suggested the tubes and we scheduled the procedure. Unfortunately told me nothing of the after effects except I would hear perfectly after the operation. He told the truth, but he didn't tell me of the negative after effects, like not being able to hear certain bass sounds, hearing myself talk, and feeling like I was underwater. After 12 weeks I had the tubes removed and over a 2 week period my hearing returned to normal. So my answer to your question is yes , my hearing returned to normal, but it took time. Like the doctors say, all cases are different, but reading these posts most do return to normal.View Thread


I also said I would provide updates as well so here goes:Upon agreeing to leave my tubes in for 3 months, the ent Dr. said he would take them out. Unfortunately due to the hurricane on the East coast, the tubes remained in for an additional week. This past Monday, I had both tubes removed and had the holes patched. Dr. said that they would heal in approx. 2 or 3 weeks. The hearing in my left ear has returned to "normal". That was a success. The hearing in my right ear, which was the cause of all this drama, is as it was prior to the tube insertion. Feels like its clogged with wax. I'm going to give it a few months to see what happens, and if it doesn't improve I'll find "another" ent Dr. But there's optimistic news here; one ear out of two improved is not bad. I thought it would be a lot worse. Best of luck to all. Things do get better.......................with time.View Thread

Again, this is for anyone who may need advise like I did. Its been 2 months since the tubes were inserted. On Monday I saw my ENT doctor & informed him that I wanted these things out asap. He checked my ears & said they were clear so we set the date for removal, October 29th. As for my hearing after 2 months, it still isn't "normal". Although I can hear, it still doesn't sound "right" when I speak. It still is like I'm underwater. It's not as upsetting as it was in the beginning,you get acustomed to the new way of hearing, and chewing anything crunchy eliminates all hearing whatsoever. All you hear is the crunching. Its so annoying. I wish I can say my hearing has improved but unfortunately it has not. I'll let you know how it goes after they come out. I figure the sooner they come out, the sooner I'll get my normal hearing back.(or not, so I've been told.) As always best wishes to all...............................View Thread

I hope this posts in the proper place, if not my apologies. I'll reply later with another update for those just beginning this process. For anyone who may read this...don't be discouraged . As bad as you may think it is in the beginning, things do get better.View Thread

Two weeks ago I had the tubes placed in my ears. Read the earlier posts and you'll see that I was unprepared for this procedure. Here's where we are today.....My doctor said that after 2 weeks my hearing would improve. Well, it did not. I still feel like I'm underwater when I talk and I still can't make out some sounds BUT the good news is that after 2 weeks I have become used to the new way of hearing. Eating anything crunchy is not a good idea as it sounds REALLY LOUD in your head but all things considered its not a major issue. The panic mode has passed and everything is settling down. I'm sure as time passes ( for all of us) our hearing will return. The one thing I realized is that when we first heard the change in our hearing we all panic . Its justifiable. We just were unprepared. I'll let you know how thing go later. My best to all. Hang in there. JDView Thread

See my response to jbangs on page 10 of the site.
ENT said that hearing should return to normal in a few weeks, but I should keep the tubes in for another 7 weeks to make sure ears are drained & tubes reopened. If I want them out he'll take them out anytime I want, but I'm going to keep them for the 7 weeks & then I'll make up my mind whether to get them out or not. It depends on how my hearing improves at that time. He said hearing will improve soon and that my hearing will return to pre-procedure levels after the tubes are removed or fall out.I'll let you know how things go weekly & I hope I can help someone out there who finds this site and needs some type of answers like I did. Thanks again to all.View Thread


Sorry to keep bothering you but I thought of another question.....when I initially went to my dr. he said I had fluid in both ears. I had 3 options...I could wait for it to drain on its own (it had already been a month), I could have him pierce my eardrum with a needle and have him suction both ears out right there in the office ( that just didn't sound like a good idea at the time) or go in and have him knock me out, drain my ears and put tubes in.Regretfully I chose the tubes. Heres my question...when I see him on Monday I'm sure he will check my ears. IF he tells me my ears are clear of fluid and are not infected, the tubes did their job, so would it be possible to have them removed to begin the healing process. I understand that keeping them in if need be would be the proper choice but if I don't need them the sooner there out the sooner the holes repair themselves and the muffled noises in my head will stop. By the way I can't begin to tell you how helpful you and all the "patients" on this site have been during this event. Thanks again......View Thread

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