Well, I fell trying a hs fs 3 yesterday(almost made it!) and slightly perforated my left eardrum. I went to the doctor today and got some drops. Apparently it's mild, so I could be healed in a matter of 5-7 days, but it's still a bummer. Of course this pales in comparison to the femur injuries on the board!! <BR> <BR>So has anyone suffered this same injury? What was your treatment and recovery time? How long were you off the water?

Happened to me on my right ear. I should be able to start riding on monday. Took 3 weeks to heal.

Manny - did the doc recommend any drops or any outside treatment (other than time)?

I was told wearing a helment could prevent this injury.

hahhah - funny one Debbie. Hey, what's a "helment" anyways?!? lol <BR> <BR>Yeah, helmets with earflaps do help, although I've heard of folks with this injury even while wearing a helmet with flaps. Helmets aren't my thing though.

he gave me some drops, ciprodex, and antibiotics.

I busted my eardrum and it wouldn’t heal. It continued to bust every time my head went under water. I had to have a patch of skin taken from the back of my ear and patch the whole. Unfortunately the first patch shifted, missing the whole, so we had to do the process over again. I was out of the water for about 5 months. <BR> <BR>(So let it heal before pushing it) <BR> <BR>Oh yeah, after the first surgery that didn't work, my brilliant doctor thought that it was patched so he poured alcohol into my ear. The Alcohol went straight through the whole and hurt incredibly worse than a busted eardrum ever thought about. I liked to have broken the arms off of his chair and lost my cookies in his office. (Lesson two don't clean your ear with alcohol if you suspect a punctured ear drum.) <BR>

Yeah I made that mistake myself, Josh. I didn't think I damaged the eardrum at first, so I got some swimmer's ear drops, which are 95% alcohol. Not a good feeling.

Manny and Josh - when did your earing start to go back to normal? The high pitched squeal in my left ear is really starting to get annoying!

Helmet People= The ear flaps will save you.

It happened to me and it was really painful. I ruptured the eardrum, and because of the lake I was in it got infected. The inflamation was so bad that the doc couldn't get medicine in the ear for a few days and I lost all hearing in that ear for a few weeks. It took over a month to heal all the way up, but to this day I still can't hear low sounds (sub woofers) very loud in that ear. I ruptured it about a year later on a really soft fall and the pain wasn't nearly as bad the second time through...but my ear is so weak I always wear a helmet with ear flaps now!

wear ear plugs. The best ones are the plyable silicone type. They will keep water from going through the hole into the middle ear AND if you don't have ear problems they will help prevent eardrum rupture. Helmets help too but both plugs and helmets are the best thing.

Yeah I was checking out proplugs.com and they recommend vented plugs for watersports to prevent rupture due to water trauma. I'll have them in a couple of days so I'll post on what they're all about...

david - i think it took about a week to get all my hearing back. <BR>I ordered proplugs but i cant get them to fit perfectly anyone got any tips on puting them on and how they should fit?

Swimmers earplugs, they seal completely. I had a badly perforated eardrum once, I was back on the water a couple of weeks later with those in there.

I took a couple of falls yesterday (forgot my helmet <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/angry.gif" border=0>) and got a load of water in my ear. Just spent 4 hrs in a hospital in Phoenix <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/angry.gif" border=0> <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/angry.gif" border=0> for them to tell me that I may have ruptured me ear drum but definitely have an infection of outer &amp; inner ear. <BR> <BR>Needless to say the doc recommended earplugs...

Manny - the only advice I have for you is to print up the proplugs sizing sheet. It's a pdf file on their site, and you print it out and size up the plugs for your ear size. I'm hoping I get it right...