How to Treat a Ruptured Eardrum
Ruptured or perforated ear drums can cause a lot of pain and in several cases can result in hearing impairment. Excess pressure or an injury caused while poking inside the ear canal can become the cause of rapture in the ear drum in which case proper and timely treatment is essential.
Instructions
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1
Start an antibiotic dose. Doctors prescribe an antibiotic in almost all ear rapture cases because antibiotics not only prevent an infection in the ear from spreading but also help cure the infection. Remember that self medication can be very dangerous at times. To avoid getting into further medical problems, avoid choosing an antibiotic yourself. Instead, ask a doctor to prescribe the right antibiotic.
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2
To ease off the pain, take Advil, a nonsteroidal and anti-inflammatory Ibuprofen brand. However, some people do not do too well with Ibuprofen. If that is the case, you can use Tylenol as a replacement.
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3
It is important to keep the affected ear dry until the rapture heels completely. Avoid excess bathing and especially swimming because chances of water entering the ear canal are great while you bathe or swim. However, if it is imperative to get wet, ask your doctor to provide you with a patch which you can wear to keep your ear dry during the healing process.
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4
Keep the affected ear as warm as possible because it not only speeds up the healing process but will also reduce pain. If you are using a heating pad to keep your ear warm, make sure that the pad is not too hot or you will end up with blisters all around the ear pinna. If you want to make your own heating pad, put some rice in a clean sock and tie the sock. Heat the sock for about thirty seconds in a microwave and use it to keep your ear warm by pressing the sock against the outside of your ear.
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5
If will take approximately two months for the ear to heal on its own. However, if the rapture was too bad and you do not start feeling better after a couple of months, undergoing a surgery as soon as possible is the best and last resort. A surgery to get rid of ear rapture is called tympanoplasty. Remember; undergo surgery as a last resort because surgeries can go wrong at times.
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