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.
Moreover, the cotton swab and the bobby pin actually have the opposite of the intended effect; they push the earwax further down into the ear canal where it can become stuck and lead to infection. The tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is a thin layer of cone-shaped tissue that separates the outer ear from the middle ear. It facilitates hearing by transmitting sound vibrations from the air to the bones in the middle ear. How Does It Work? The tympanic membrane is called the 'eardrum' for a reason. (Tympanum, by the way, is Latin for drum).