Tinnitus from Getting Slapped in the Ear — ENT Said I Have Perforated Eardrum

[Sam T-G]

About three weeks ago I got slapped in the ear and ever since I've had a ringing in my ear. I went to the ENT and was told I had a perforated eardrum.

Has anybody had a similar issue or know someone who has? Should I expect this to go away or will I be stuck with this forever?

The ringing makes me feel tremendously anxious and has affected my ability to focus in my lectures.

 

[MrCrybaby]

About three weeks ago I got slapped in the ear and ever since I've had a ringing in my ear. I went to the ENT and was told I had a perforated eardrum.

Has anybody had a similar issue or know someone who has? Should I expect this to go away or will I be stuck with this forever?

The ringing makes me feel tremendously anxious and has affected my ability to focus in my lectures.

There have been case studies of individuals with perforated eardrums from blast trauma (terrorist attacks) with successful recovery. I'd say your odds are very, very good as long at the eardrum heals normally (which it almost always does).

To help relax in the mean time you can try mindfulness techniques. I hope that you have a smooth recovery and that this experience instills empathy for chronic sufferers in you

 

[Sam T-G]

There have been case studies of individuals with perforated eardrums from blast trauma (terrorist attacks) with successful recovery. I'd say your odds are very, very good as long at the eardrum heals normally (which it almost always does).

To help relax in the mean time you can try mindfulness techniques. I hope that you have a smooth recovery and that this experience instills empathy for chronic sufferers in you

I appreciate you taking the time to help ease my mind about this. I had never really put much thought into what it must be like for someone with chronic tinnitus, but now I realize how debilitating it could be.

 

[CHLOE_EE]

I hope you are a short term T sufferer, 3 weeks is enough time to make you anxious for sure. I think it will pass.

You take care of those ears okay..no more slapping your ear, whoever did that to you, rip them to shreds so they NEVER do it to anyone again.

I developed T 5 1/2 months ago; and when I went to the ENT, and I am a grown woman, so when my ENT asked me if I ever got slapped in the ear - I was like what, that's absurd..but I guess its a boy thing..

Hang in there, protect your hearing, get some ear plugs, no headphones for a while..(or ever)..and I hope your T fades soon.

 

[Sam T-G]

I hope you are a short term T sufferer, 3 weeks is enough time to make you anxious for sure. I think it will pass.

You take care of those ears okay..no more slapping your ear, whoever did that to you, rip them to shreds so they NEVER do it to anyone again.

I developed T 5 1/2 months ago; and when I went to the ENT, and I am a grown woman, so when my ENT asked me if I ever got slapped in the ear - I was like what, that's absurd..but I guess its a boy thing..

Hang in there, protect your hearing, get some ear plugs, no headphones for a while..(or ever)..and I hope your T fades soon.

I was slapped due to a slapping competition (it was a good idea late on a friday night in college), and I think it will be my last. I've been using headphones, but mostly just listening to podcasts and everything on very low volume. Should I stop doing that? Thank you for your response

 

[MrCrybaby]

I was slapped due to a slapping competition (it was a good idea late on a friday night in college), and I think it will be my last. I've been using headphones, but mostly just listening to podcasts and everything on very low volume. Should I stop doing that? Thank you for your response

A lot of advice on this forum (ear plugs, avoiding headphones, etc) are based on having noise induced tinnitus. Wearing hearing protection in loud settings (concerts, construction sites, loud parties, subway trains) and avoiding loud noise through headphones (when working out, to drown out city sounds) is good for prevention of noise induced tinnitus/hearing loss/etc.

Please check with your ENT about how to best allow your ear to heal (I imagine using plugs could be a bad idea) since you are not the usual case seen on this forum. Different causes have different needs, know what's best for you!

 

[CHLOE_EE]

I was slapped due to a slapping competition (it was a good idea late on a friday night in college), and I think it will be my last. I've been using headphones, but mostly just listening to podcasts and everything on very low volume. Should I stop doing that? Thank you for your response

Yes, sounds like a boy thing...maybe let's not do that one again

I would call your ENT as PP suggested, with a perforated eardrum maybe you cannot wear ear plugs. I do not have noise induced, but was told by my ENT, check the decibels where you are...if its overly loud you want to protect your ears b/c once they are damaged, you have a problem.

What did your ENT advise?

As for headphones, personally, I would never put them on my ears again, I rarely if ever have worn them tho...nothing is worth finding out - if I ring after wearing them..so not tempting fate..I listen to the TV now at as low as volume as I can hear.

 

[Tybs]

I was slapped due to a slapping competition (it was a good idea late on a friday night in college), and I think it will be my last. I've been using headphones, but mostly just listening to podcasts and everything on very low volume. Should I stop doing that? Thank you for your response

Play it safe right now. No concerts, no bars and parties, no headphones, definitely not before your eardrum healed up. You have a very good chance of recovering, don't throw this away.

Not saying you should avoid sounds totally though, just the loud occasions: a normal environment is actually good while the ear is healing. The brain needs its normal sound input.

 

[Naruto]

Hey there *waves*

So, I'm in the same boat as you. Slap to the ear - now experiencing tinnitus. Couple things: First, you said your is a constant "ring", so I assume it's high pitched? Mine sounds like static form an old television set...

How bad is your perforation? Mine is at 40%, my ENT told me—he "thinks" I have a high possibility of my ear drum healing on its own.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Has anybody had a similar issue or know someone who has? Should I expect this to go away or will I be stuck with this forever?

The bad news
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/slap-induced-tinnitus.31586/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...when-6-7-men-attacked-me-and-my-friend.37940/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/beware-of-your-ear-being-slapped.30911/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/setback-after-daughter-slapped-me-on-my-ear-twice.31713/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-from-a-slap-on-april-7th-2019.35740/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/one-slap-on-the-ear-was-all-it-took-to-get-tinnitus.39929/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/slap-induced-tinnitus.31586
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/slap-induced-tinnitus.31586
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...with-shaking-feeling-throughout-my-body.32372

The good news is that T after a burst eardrum often goes away months after the eardrum heals.
See the second quote from the first study quoted in the first post in the thread below. The study followed a bunch of surviving victims of a terrorist attack. Most of them had eardrum damage, and most of them had experience their T fading months after their eardrum had healed.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441/

 

[Bobby B]

There was a guy in my office, he slapped his ear hard cupping his hand, as he was trying to kill a mosquito... ear drum rupture which took 3-4 weeks to completely heal. No tinnitus for him though, I guess he was one of those genetically lucky people who will not have tinnitus even with sudden hearing loss.

 

[AnonymousWasp]

hey, i'm also in a similar situation as you as i got slapped in the ear lightly exactly one month ago. i was really drunk and didn't notice anything until the morning after. Ear felt clogged so i went to the doctor the next day and they gave me prednisone which didn't really seem to help. i then started to develop a very mild tinnitus that sounds a little like a white noise. I went to an ent and told him what happened. we were listening to music when it happened so all he told me was that it was a coincidence that i got slapped the same night i was listening to loud music and that i'll have tinnitus likes for the rest of my life. i really just refuse to believe that especially now after it does seem like it's getting much better even after just a month.

now i've noticed my ears are popping a little bit more and my tinnitus fluctuates from already pretty quiet to not even noticeable at times. i've also noticed my ear is a lot less clogged now than initially and seems to be getting better. i've stopped lifting because when i lift i feel a lot of pressure in that ear and my tinnitus increases along with when i flex my jaw hard. however it does go away right after i finish my set. i just wanted to check in with you and see if you had smilies symptoms and if you have gotten any better? i have a zoom meeting with another ENT tomorrow so i'm going to be sure to address him all my concerns and what i think. also forgot to mention i did a hearing test and i DO NOT have a perforated eardrum

 

[Kriszti]

hey, i'm also in a similar situation as you as i got slapped in the ear lightly exactly one month ago. i was really drunk and didn't notice anything until the morning after. Ear felt clogged so i went to the doctor the next day and they gave me prednisone which didn't really seem to help. i then started to develop a very mild tinnitus that sounds a little like a white noise. I went to an ent and told him what happened. we were listening to music when it happened so all he told me was that it was a coincidence that i got slapped the same night i was listening to loud music and that i'll have tinnitus likes for the rest of my life. i really just refuse to believe that especially now after it does seem like it's getting much better even after just a month.

now i've noticed my ears are popping a little bit more and my tinnitus fluctuates from already pretty quiet to not even noticeable at times. i've also noticed my ear is a lot less clogged now than initially and seems to be getting better. i've stopped lifting because when i lift i feel a lot of pressure in that ear and my tinnitus increases along with when i flex my jaw hard. however it does go away right after i finish my set. i just wanted to check in with you and see if you had smilies symptoms and if you have gotten any better? i have a zoom meeting with another ENT tomorrow so i'm going to be sure to address him all my concerns and what i think. also forgot to mention i did a hearing test and i DO NOT have a perforated eardrum

You are very early in. Your tinnitus can be either from the slap or the loud music, probably nobody ever will be able to tell you the exact cause. But seems like yours are already fading. After a noise trauma sometimes spontaneous recovery happens. ENTs know close to nothing about tinnitus. And also what is a curse can be a blessing too considering tinnitus, that it's totally uncertain and unpredictable what will happen, how it will behave. There is no two cases exactly the same.
If I were you, I'd give it time (ears take so long to heal) , protect my ears, and never ever go to a place where loud sounds can happen without earpro.