Hello - I ve had a perforated ear drum in my left ear for about 9 years now. Last April I went on a surfing trip to Indonesia. 14 days of tropical weather and an ear plug led to me getting really bad fungus infections when I returned. I went to an ENT that told me to use clear vinegar to kill the infections and dry out the ears. Didn t work well enough to kill the infections completely and I went to a different ENT that said I needed surgery. In October 2015 I ended up getting a Tympanomastoidectomy to fix the perforation and to also drill out bone spurs. The surgery got rid of the infections but the perforation remained. Fast forward and now I am on a surfing trip in Nicaragua. I want to avoid fungus growing in the back of my ear so I decided to be proactive and drop my ears with vinegar today to kill any fungus before it got out of control. I think that was a mistake - ended up with excruciating pain. Now I am afraid I may have done something bad to the surgically repaired ear. Pain has subsided but I want to be sure I didn t do something that will make my ear drums burst on my flight home or something of that nature. I also would like to have something I can do to make sure I don t get any fungal infections as a result of the tropical climate and ear plugs. Is simply keeping the ear bone dry my best bet? Should I wash it out with something to get the vinegar residue out of there? Today was my first day - here for another 9. I am hoping the vinegar simply evaporates and my ears are fine and dry. Not sure I should look for a local pharmacy for a different solution. Any help would be appreciated - scary being away from my doc with no phone and having flare ups with the ear.