Recovery time for most patients is about 4 months. During this time many people will experience nighttime pain, stiffness, popping, catching, and feelings of tightness. All of that is normal! In fact, most people continue to experience symptoms for up to a year from the time of surgery.
Normal appearance of the tympanic membrane. (Figures 1, 2, and 3 courtesy of Janet Griffin, MD, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio.) Acute otitis media with effusion. The tympanic membrane is injected but landmarks are still clearly visualized. Acute otitis media. The tympanic membrane is bulging and hyperemic, and yellow purulent fluid is seen in the middle ear space.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Your tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is a stiff but movable oval membrane inside your ear. Your tympanic membrane separates your outer ear canal from your inner ear. A tympanic membrane perforation is a condition where your eardrum has a tear or hole in it. You may have normal or decreased hearing when your eardrum is torn. You may also have ear discharge, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing sound in the ear), or dizziness. Ear discharge may be clear, bloody, or yellowish and thick. A mild eardrum perforation may heal on its own over time.