I have exactly the same thing, grommet inserted two weeks ago, instant impression of deafness in spite of normal hearing test, whooshing, muffled sounds, heartbeat at night, the whole thing.
What reassures me a bit is that a lot of people have complained about this on the web, but not many have come back on the web afterwards and said, yes, it's still awful, it's been a year and it never went away. I'm hoping they haven't come back on because their symptoms DID go away, slowly, and they just forgot to come back on with news.
My teenage son also had a grommet inserted, a couple of years ago, and he says he had the same symptoms but doesn't remember how long they lasted, and I don't either. He didn't say anything at the time about actually HEARING differently, and I know his ear drained for several weeks. Mine hasn't drained anything at all, so I figure (no help from the doctor) that there's a eustachian tube blockage further down and it'll just take time to drain, either out the ear or through the sinus passages (sorry to be graphic).
But I agree, this is so irritating, I feel as if I'm talking to everyone from the bottom of a well !
Give it some time and we'll both see if it clears up by itself. I'm making a note to myself to come back on the site in six months to say how things developed.
Later that day i WISHED i hadn't had it done! i had all the symptoms as you whoosing muffled sound all of it, a couple of days later it got worse i was crying, i thought i was going mad, i was so affraid that the loud whooshing noise and muffled cotton wool head, was permenent, but as days and weeks went by, it has got soooo much better, and i guess as days go by its improving more, my only annoying problem is that at night i still get the whooshing, i do find by putting ear plugs in it lessens the whooshing, and i'm hoping in time my ears will be back to normal with no whooshing, the cotton wool feeling has gone, and my earing is ok, i know its awfull now but i'm sure as days go by it will get better for you. I do know that i would'nt have it done again, i would sooner suffer with all the pains i was having.
i already have tinnituss in my left hear fro 28 years i have learned to live with it.
Hi , I had gromets put into left and right ears to help me to have less pressure in my head whilst on aeroplane. The first set i had it was muffled, had the heartbeat at night was so loud, and after 2 weeks the right one fell out. The hearing became normal. The left one remained for four months and I had a loss of hearing and the heartbeat whilst it remained. However my second set of gromets has had a completely different result. I could tell the difference immediatley after coming out of theatre. I could hear clearly and it wasn't muffled. My hearing was 95% compared to the normal 100% and after two weeks it cleared up even more. For some reason my right ear seems to push out the grommet earlier than the left ear and two months later it fell out. I still have the left one in but it became blocked and I cant feel that air going through that ear which tells me its working properly. My surgeon said the ears will react differently each time the operation is done. You can have them removed by the ear specialist without an operation. I think you should get them taken out and try the procedure again. I know the pain you went through, but have them removed and you will be grateful. Than consider having them again. They are not permanant so that is wat is great about the gromets. See ent again.
Just to give an update - I had the grommet placed in February, had all these whooshing sounds/heartbeat sounds and discomfort anywhere with noise (restaurant or concert quite painful !). During the summer I asked him to take it out and he did. I've flown several times since then and no discomfort. However about a month ago I was putting together a do-it-yourself chair and leaning over with my head down for about ten minutes, and suddenly I felt a whoosh of liquid shift in that ear, as if I had water in the ear after a shower, but definitely inside. Nothing came out since there's no grommet or hole in the eardrum, but I certainly know there's something in there. I hesitate to have a grommet put in again, especially since I can now fly without discomfort. So I can live with this status quo and I'll only consider doing a grommet again if it gets worse. Interesting comment below from someone who had a grommet put in twice with two completely different results. Wouldn't you think that some ear specialist would LISTEN to all of us and research this uncomfortable phenomenon ??? !!!
It will go. I had it for 2 weeks afer I had my grommets fitted but the whooshing and hearing my heart beat went. I have never experience ear pain after but I must say that my hearing is not as good as it used to be. The doctor said that with these infecions before grommets insertion I would have had a bad hearing anyway and that it is a tough bargain. But I am sure the whooshing in your ear will go