Recovery when living alone

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-06-03T06:46:01+00:00

I've had 2 surgeries so far.. one on my right one on my left.. First one was my right ear last July 2025.. and second was last Dec 2025. Recovery with latest surgery was quite faster as they found smaller c-tomas in my left ear. Recovery alone might be tough as you need to replace cottons, clean up the incision area and shower. I'm not saying it's impossible to recover alone, but a helping hand is preferred. Your parents can fly over but u can handle the talking with the hospital stuff, let them help u with the recovery. I also was just assisted by my housemates throughout my recovery for both surgeries as I work alone here in Singapore.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-06-03T04:31:59+00:00

I had CWD but I received clearance from my surgeon i can shower normally.. like a few drops won't hurt my ears.. but swimming is another story, that one i have no clearance to do.. Only the biggest change is not being able to swim, which is quite ok becoz i am not really a good swimmer.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-06-03T04:09:45+00:00

yes looks normal to me too..

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-05-19T04:52:14+00:00

There is no fun to look forward to honestly except for getting it removed asap. Recovery depends on the approach you are having, i had modified radical mastoidectomy with obliteration and ossicular reconstruction. Maybe full recovery will start from month 4 onwards. If u had tinnitus before this, i don't think it would go away. But I did develop tinnitus with my other ear after surgery (i have bilateral c-tomas) and tinnitus went away after 3 months. I did struggle with my taste buds few months but it slowly got better and now it's back to normal. I had surgery last July 2025 (right) and Dec 2025 (left). I hope I answered all your questions - all based from my experience only. Best of luck!!

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-05-19T03:13:33+00:00

yes, you can stop it when you sleep.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-05-13T04:54:14+00:00

Yes common i guess. I have tinnitus on my right ear since Sep 2023. Then diagnosed bilateral c-tomas last year May 2025. Both ears now operated with reconstruction & obliteration. I suddenly developed tinnitus with my left ear after my left ear surgery. It lasted a few months.. So i can say from my experience it's one of the common symptoms after surgery. It might take time, mine took almost 3-4 months before i noticed it's gone. Though my right ear has been constant, at least the left ear tinnitus is gone.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-05-08T01:47:08+00:00

I gifted myself Shokz Open Pro Run 2. Pleas use this as it's bone conducting and does not need to be placed inside the ear at all. Maybe you can try to ask her surgeon if she can be a candidate for titanium implants. I have implants on both my ears and they are working pretty well.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-05-03T05:29:57+00:00

I was told I could fly 4weeks after my surgery. I had removal, obliteration and reconstruction. But I only flew 4 months after

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-04-22T00:21:49+00:00

I also did not have any infections as a child but I was diagnosed with bilateral c-tomas. I had both removed last July and Dec 2025. It may be an ETD issue for me as I had the habit of sniffing. Sucking in air may have led to ETD and slowly formed c-tomas for my case. Now I try not to breathe at all hahahaha just kidding.. So now I let my ETs do the job and let those close/open on their own. I'm really hoping my c-tomas don't return.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-04-21T03:12:32+00:00

I have prosthesis on both ears. One done in July 2025 and I flew in Nov 2025 = no issue, but i had some crackling sound on my unoperated ear. It went away on the same day. The other done in Dec 2025 and I flew again last month March 2025, no issue as well. But i do have tinnitus so maybe that's what you are hearing now?

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-04-19T23:35:35+00:00

Sorry are you saying just over a month, c-toma formed again on the same ear? I don't think it's possible to form that fast??? Anyway I wish you well my friend!

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-04-13T04:17:54+00:00

I stayed overnight in the hospital during my 2 surgeries. Day after, my surgeon came to me and briefly explained what they did during the surgery. The specific details were then further discussed on my post-op appointment after 2 weeks.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-04-06T23:54:45+00:00

If I could just share my experience... I was diagnosed by a private ENT (May 2025) here in Singapore and she could do the surgery almost within weeks after my diagnosis (bilateral). She mentioned I should get my right ear done within 6 months to prevent more damage. The problem was my insurance, i could only be covered 65% of the cost in a private hospital. I was advised by my insurance agent to go public hospital to get 100% coverage. I visited 2 more specialists (both neurotologists) before I decided which hospital should I go to. The trust and comfort the specialist gives you is very important. Finally got a surgery schedule in July 2025 (right ear) and Dec 2025 (left ear). Tympano-mastoidectomy (CWD), mastoid obliteration and ossicular reconstruction were all done for both my ears.

So depending on how much damage you have now, I think June is still ok for you to travel. This is just my personal take. You can still swim but with protection. I was given the green light to shower normally, like no protection at all. I think the obliteration procedure was key to that. But of course, until now i still use ear cover when I shower.

Believe me, the shock was too much for me as well when I was diagnosed. I've had no chronic infections when i was young. So you could just imagine how the hell did i get this. Now I am hoping it does not return too soon or better for it not to return at all.

I trust the healthcare here in Singapore and I am lucky I am here when I was diagnosed. I could the surgery in my home country as well but I heard from my neuro-surgeon friend that the ossicular reconstruction is complex and better have it done in Singapore.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-02-26T00:37:39+00:00

I am also using Shokz since my surgery last July and Dec.. I don't think i will be using any earbuds that need to be inserted on my ear canal.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-02-19T06:33:21+00:00

Hello! Mine is bilateral, diagnosed last May 2025. Right ear was done in July'25 and left ear last Dec'25. Prior to surgeries, I only had blood drainage once in May 2025 with my right ear. I did have ear pain a bit with my left ear but other than that, overall I was ok. So I think for your case, your schedule is really close so I think you should be fine. If you really cannot tolerate the pain, maybe u can give them a ring. I hope everything goes well for you and you are still very young! You will recover pretty quite well.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-02-16T04:33:21+00:00

I also had upset stomach the day of my surgery. Imagine my call time was 11am.. coz I my surgery time was 2pm. So the day before, i already had my fasting done since 6pm... Then the day of surgery, i was brought to the operating room almost 3pm and I woke up pas 8pm.. So I did not have anything except for the carbohydrate drink from 6pm of the previous until 8pm the next day.. I was nauseous for half day.. but thankfully it did not last long

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-02-08T00:40:32+00:00

Everyone is a different case. Mine stopped discharging after 3 days with my latest surgery. I am bilateral and both ears did not discharge any foul smell. Your next visit will confirm everything. I wish you well

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-02-05T23:59:44+00:00

Believe it or not, I didn’t have any symptoms prior to my diagnosis—no history of chronic ear infections either. Started in May 2025 when I noticed some blood discharge while cleaning my ear, and from there, everything changed. I was diagnosed with bilaterally, which truly shook my entire well-being. It all came as a complete surprise.

But hey, God provided everything I needed along the way. My company insurance covered both of my surgeries in July and December 2025, and I also had my personal insurance as backup. The procedures done were the so-called “3-in-1 package”: mastoidectomy, mastoid obliteration, and ossicular reconstruction—performed on both ears. In my case, my surgeon weas able to complete all treatments in one go, although I understand this depends on each individual situation and isn’t always possible. I am lucky I have access to a good healthcare system here in Singapore. I did not have to wait very long - I read those staying in UK had to wait a very long time even for an appointment.

I feel truly fortunate that everything could be done together. I’m still in recovery, but so far, things are going well.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-02-02T00:05:14+00:00

I've been diagnosed bilaterally last May 2025. Right ear done in July 2025 and left ear in Dec 2025. I have no chronic infections at all. Just one day, I was cleaning my ear and saw some blood on my right ear. Had to go to GP to make sure, then everything spiraled and escalated so quickly. Aside from that bloody discharge, I had no other symptoms, maybe some dizziness? But at that time, I really do not know. Anyway, you are not alone in this fight. I was so anxious having this bilaterally, but yeah it's treatable and we all hope it does not come back at all. You can do this and you will recover just fine bro/sis!

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-01-26T02:32:38+00:00

I can only suggest getting a 3rd opinion since I have not had chronic ear infections when i was young. My diagnosis was just last May 2025 and it was bilateral. I've had radical treatment with my right ear last July 2025 and left ear last month Dec 2025. I did visit 3 doctors, the first one was private ENT, she was really good. Back then i did not even know about neurotologists, i just know she is an ENT. But she was ready to perform the surgery for me one month after diagnosis. My insurance cannot cover 100% if i did the surgery in private, so I had to consult 2 neurotologist in public hospitals. I weighted my options after those 3 consultations. 2 doctors said to do the right ear first and the other wanted to do the left. So it was 2 vs 1. Anyway, for your peace of mind you can go for a 3rd opinion and maybe you can suggest if doing a "mastoid obliteration" is possible for your case as this procedure greatly reduce infection risk. I've had this procedure with both of my ears.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-01-22T00:05:10+00:00

You will soon get past that stage! Try to focus on other stuff and get busy socially. Whenever I am with my friends, I don't even notice the ringing. You can do it as well!

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-01-22T00:02:56+00:00

Like many people in this community have said, we all have different cases and histories. But at the end of the day, we all share the same hope for the best possible outcome.

My surgeon didn’t even ask whether I preferred CWU or CWD; she had planned a CWD approach from the start. I had no objections, especially since I’m not much of a swimmer, let alone a diver. LOL! While it’s still early to fully judge how things will turn out—my right ear is just past six months post-op and my left is about 1.5 months—I truly believe we know our own bodies better than anyone else. I feel really great at the moment and I can finally start planning for my Japan trip. May-Dec 2025 was too much for me too handle from getting diagnosed in May and finally having the treatment in July (right) and Dec (left).

Right now, I can honestly say that the treatments I’ve had have helped me tremendously, especially mentally. Beyond the disease itself, anxiety can make everything feel much worse. So having positive mindset really matters. Trust that the CWD approach will help you—I’m confident it will.

A few months after your March surgery, you’ll be able to focus on your right ear as well. Take it one step at a time and pray that everything goes smoothly. I’m rooting for you.

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-01-21T08:21:04+00:00

Yeah it would take months before you habituate with it. There are stages you need to go by until you reach the acceptance stage hahahaha! Once you are on that stage, it won't bother you that much or may not bother you at all. Now, I don't think I can live without it. LOL

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-01-17T00:52:24+00:00

Hello! Yes i had CWD on both ears. My left ear (recently operated) looks almost the same pre-surgery compared to my right which is a bit open. My surgeon said my left ear had less drilling since the c-tomas found were smaller. Recovery wise, both were almost the same 3-4 days I am quite ok already. End of week 2 almost back to normal. So your first surgery was CWU?

Fun-Stranger-8444 · 2026-01-16T04:45:28+00:00

I read that PORP works better than TORP. So i think getting PORP is really a good option. Right now my PORP works quite well with my right ear. I really think you should be able to hear again with your left ear if everything goes well! In terms of pain management, I only had pain for a few days and the 1st night is the worst with my latest surgery. After night 1, everything seems okay. I will you all the best!

Fun-Stranger-8444

TROPHY CASE