Has anybody's eardrum popped and had an infection after that?
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Answers:
If that infection you had four months ago was your first middle ear infection as an adult and it resulted in a peforation, the fact that you have had another ear infection is worrisome. As an aside, the infection you have now needs to be diagnosed by a doc because outer ear infections are different than those that cause eardrum perforation (middle ear infections).
It is normal for small children to have ear infections, but repeat ear infections in adults are NOT NORMAL unless they have had them continuously since childhood. Even then, there are problems that can be quite serious if left unaddressed.
You should see an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doc) to get a full examination and consider a temporal bone CT. Also, recurrent one-sided ear infections in an adult have to be worked up for a possible mass in the nasopharynx (the area of your throat above your soft palate) as this can cause obstruction of the eustachian tube.
Another possibility is an acquired cholesteatoma...a collection of debris in the middle ear space which slowly grows, causes repeat ear infections and erodes the bone around it.
You should not ignore this problem. Although this may just be a case of recurrent ear infection, it is more worrisome in adults.
Other Answers:
Yep, and it sucks. There is nothing worse than tasting the ear drops (not because you put it in your mouth, but because you have a perforated ear drum and it seeped down your Eustachian tube). Yuck.
I'm sure everyone's case is different. I have no medical expertise but I have a hole in my right eardrum. I am assuming that is what you mean by "popped" I found out by having recurring ear infections that would not go away. My dr. sent me to a specialist to have my ear cleaned out and he discovered the hole. I had to have surgery because my mastoid (I think it is a bone behind the ear) was infected. They cleaned it out and tried to repair the hole. The maistoid part worked but I still have the hole after 2 surgeries. They wanted to try again but I said when and if it gets infected again, I will do the surgery. That was about 8 years ago and I've been o.k. Now I have to wear an earplug anytime I shower because it is dangerous to get water in your ear when you have a hole in your eardrum. I don't want to scare you but I was told if I get water in my ear and it gets infected again, that I could get meningitis. You might want to call and ask your dr. if you need further treatment. If you just mean "popped" as in the noise like when you are in an airplane, this is probably no big deal. You probably just need to get treatment again. It is not uncommon to get ear infections after an illness. Some people are just more prone to them. You can try decongestants and ibuprofen but you may need antibiotics too.
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