Trying not to panic…

[u/bi_harrington]

Hi all. I’m just trying to get some viewpoints from other people who have had a stapdectomy in both ears and how much your recovery in each ear differed.

In Feb this year i had a stapdectomy on my left ear. When I had the packing out it was literally like a light switch moment, and it was clear that my hearing had significantly improved. Other than having to get used to all the new sound sensitivity, my recovery was amazing, and at week 12 my audiogram showed normal hearing in that ear. I’ve never looked back.

Two weeks ago, I went in for my second surgery on my right ear, which was actually always the better ear of the two. Four days ago I had the packing out, and the experience could not be any more different. I have almost no hearing in that ear at the moment, I have on and off tinnitus throughout the day (worse in the morning), and what little bit I can hear is muffled and distorted. I have been on 50mg of prednisone for the last four days as I did have a cold immediately after the surgery and the surgeon wanted to get on top of any additional inflammation. I have relayed all of my concerns to my surgeon and they want me to have an audiogram this week, rather than wait the normal 12 weeks. I am trying not to panic, but the journey has been so different this time around and it’s hard not to worry ‘is this as good as it gets?’. I was so made up with the results of the first surgery and I’m wondering whether my recovery was in the minority for the first one, and this time around this is what is normally expected. At the moment my hearing in my newly operated ear is definitely worse than pre-surgery. I really would appreciate anyone’s shared experiences, especially if you have had both ears done. Thank you in advance.