Re: Ear Surgery Advice
Having my left ear 98% closed and right ear 100% I had to stop diving for 10 years because I couldn't equalize. It sucked. Once it got to the point that I'd be out of the water for weeks with ear infections every time I surfed, I still didn't get the surgery. It took almost getting hit by a forklift at work 3 times in 3 weeks to finally make me wake up. By that point, I was 80% deaf and had extreme Tinititus where your head rings like a bell nonstop.
Typically they won't let you do both ears at the same time because it's a fairly serious surgery. Like a 5 hour process if you do the slice the ear off and drill your skull routine like I did. I had multiple doctors through the process tell me to make sure the guy you have do the procedure has done ALOT of them. Not hard to find them these days as it's more common. If they screw up, you've got nothing but nerves around your ear canal and it takes them 5 hours because it ain't straight and it ain't easy. They hit the wrong nerve and half your face goes slack. Forever. Before they drill, they slice the skin off your canal and after they drill they pack it back in on top of the fresh bone. If the skin doesn't take they have to skin graph and you're out of the water for 10-12 months. When they pulled that packing out of my ear, I passed out. It felt like they pulled one of my testicles out through that little hole, I'll never forget it.
That is all a bit scary which is why I put it off for so long. Also, I was just a surf bum and didn't have the insurance coverage. Once I reached the point of almost dying because of it, there was no other option. Fortunately by that time I grew up a little and had good medical coverage. With all that was said above, I'm a huge fan of this procedure. It improved my life on an unprecedented scale. I was out 6 weeks with the first ear and 4 with the second which my doctor told me was one of his records.
I didn't have an ear infection or any issues at all for 10 years after the surgery. In the 5 years since then, I think maybe I've had 3.That is unreal after fighting issues for the 15 years prior to the surgery. The best thing of all is......I can hear again. I'll never take that for granted again. It was miserable for me and those around me.
The only regret I have is that first infection I got 10- years later. It was about the first year of this latest el nino and the fish were going bonkers. I was on a mission and I was on fire. I dove on that ear infection repetitively until I got an inner ear infection which turned into positional vertigo. Gnarly for a while. Then, when I finally got rid of it, the tinititus came back and it hasn't gone away. At the time, I also lost about 15% of my hearing in my right ear which has continued to get worse. Maybe as bad as 50% now. It totally sucks. I regret pushing it now and would choose differently now.
Don't screw around. GET IT DONE. It will improve your life and you'll get to live in the promised land with no ear issues for a long time. It's epic.
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I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10
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