When I was 12 I had a really bad ear infection. It was causing a lot of pain and my equilibrium was all screwed up, I couldn't stand or walk without falling over. I had ear problems a lot as a kid, so I had an ear doctor I went to a lot. We went to him and he was very concerned about meningitis. He performed an operation right there in the office.
He basically cut through my ear drum to relieve the pressure and get the fluid out. He injected lidocane (or some painkiller), but it was a bacterial infection, so he didn't think it would work (the infection blocked it or something). So, he sliced thru my ear drum and I felt everything. It hurt like nothing else I ever experienced. So much that it went past the point of pain, I was just in shock. It was a throbbing pain/shock for a little bit. It oozed for a few minutes. It was too tight of a space, so he couldn't stitch. I just had to wait for it to heal. It was pretty painful for a few days.
My hearing is less than 10% in that ear now, but the difference from 10% to 0% is pretty major, so its not too impactful.
It hurt a lot, though. I wonder if it was above board, or he just didn't know what to do. I had to follow up with a spinal tap a few days later.