Treatment for tympanitis takes 1-2 weeks to heal. Tympanitis will have congestion, redness and swelling of the tympanic membrane, and there will be thickening of the tympanic membrane, resulting in ear pain, ear discomfort and even hearing loss. It is usually treated with antibiotic ear drops or oral antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment usually reduces the pain symptoms significantly in 2-3 days, but other symptoms may persist for some time, including the subsiding of the tympanic membrane congestion, which may last for some time. Tympanitis is part of otitis media, so it is important to avoid colds and chills, which can easily lead to infections in the nose and nasopharynx, and pathogenic bacteria can retrograde into the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, causing otitis media and tympanitis. It is also important to avoid water, which may cause tympanitis or otitis media if the water is unhygienic.