I never thought that the ears, being sound sensors, can become source of sound too, until quite recently. Not so long ago I learned the importance of taking good care of the ears, and that involves refraining from too much cleaning of the ears, because this causes damage in the ear canal. Little did I know that tinnitus, eardrum puncture and hearing loss may come together.

The eardrum or the tympanic membrane is a delicate membrane that divides the outer ear from the middle ear. It has a special function of transmitting sound from the surrounding to the tiny bones in the middle ear called the ossicles. Thus, the eardrum has a marked importance in conduction of sound waves along the auditory pathway.

It was one of those instances of overzealous ear cleaning that caused me my ordeal. I used to insert cotton swabs inside my ears to clean them up, but I never thought that this could be injurious. When I inserted the cotton swab deeper into my right ear, I felt a sharp pain. My right ear could not hear, and what was more, there was a high screech of a strange sound. 

The pain and the ringing sensation did not go away the next day, so I went to a doctor to know what has gone wrong with my ears. The doctor used an instrument called otoscope to see what was inside my ears. There was a lump of earwax, which according to him was like shoved farther inwards, but it was not much of an obstruction. There was also a clot of blood in my eardrum, but he was not sure whether there was a rupture. 

The physician said perforated eardrums heal themselves within a few months. He suspects that my right eardrum has suffered from a perforation. Aside from pain, two of the disconcerting symptoms of this injury are hearing loss and tinnitus. Eardrum damage in my right ear has led me to live a short, but unforgettable, ordeal. 

I was on medication for three months. I took antibiotics to prevent infection; I was on analgesic to cut the pain out. It gradually healed as time went by. Three months after, I visited the same doctor to see if my right ear has gone back to normal. A series of examinations were made. 

My hearing became normal, but there was still the high-pitched ringing, which the doctor could not explain. 

Just three months ago, I read over the internet about natural remedy for tinnitus. Eardrum perforation might have started it, but that was no longer a concern. Now the ringing is no longer as frequent as it was before. 

My name is Alice, 27 years old.