Blocked ears
Author
Discussion

jinkster

Original Poster:

2,418 posts

185 months

Tuesday 8th December 2015
quotequote all
I am currently suffering from blocked ears. It sounds disgusting but the wax seems to have blocked both my ears. I shower at least once per day to find this quite strange.

I've been to the doctors and they have suggested I put olive oil in them to try and help it loosen.

Yesterday some of the wax came out of my right ear and my ear is very painful. Went to the doctors again today and she said some of the wax is in there and could be pressing on something which is causing more pain with no sign on infection.

What can anyone suggest?

Composite Guru

2,499 posts

232 months

Tuesday 8th December 2015
quotequote all
I had the same and putting olive oil in them is the best way. Just make sure you get the stuff from the chemist as the cooking stuff is not good enough.
They will ask you to do that for a couple of week and then reassess.

Docs seem pretty hesitant to syringe ears nowadays but will do it if no other options are there.


WinstonWolf

72,863 posts

268 months

Tuesday 8th December 2015
quotequote all
Do NOT, under any circumstances put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear!

Loosen it with oil then go back to the docs, most have a clinic where they'll syringe them out for you.

NorthDave

2,537 posts

261 months

Tuesday 8th December 2015
quotequote all
I'll probably get shouted at for this....

I bought some Otex (I think its called) and used the whole bottle as per the instructions. I was still deaf so I filled the sink with luke warm water and used the squirty bottle to fill the ear with warm water. After a couple of goes a big blob fell out and I could hear again.

I now keep the empty bottle and semi regularly 'sluice' my ears out. Probably bad for you but it seems to work for me.

jinkster

Original Poster:

2,418 posts

185 months

Tuesday 8th December 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the help. Doctor recommended I didn't use Earex. No movement for a while. Off back to docs tomorrow. More paracetamol due to pain in the right ear!

WinstonWolf

72,863 posts

268 months

Tuesday 8th December 2015
quotequote all
Ibuprofen is probably more effective than paracetamol as it reduces inflammation. You can alternate with paracetamol at two hour intervals if it's really bad.

br d

9,072 posts

255 months

Wednesday 9th December 2015
quotequote all
Due to an illness as a young kid those little hairs that move the wax around (scilia?) don't work in my right ear so it gets properly blocked from time to time.
The "soft" ear drops and olive oil don't touch it, I use Otex and blast it out. You do have to be careful with repeating it too often though, I overdid it once and burnt the inside of my ear which was agony for about 4 days!

illmonkey

19,810 posts

227 months

Wednesday 9th December 2015
quotequote all
Book an appointment with the nurse to clean them. It's warm water pumped into your ear, while you hold a cup to catch it coming out. Very strange sensation, but gets it all out. Then they show you, it's grose!

Mattt

16,664 posts

247 months

Wednesday 9th December 2015
quotequote all
I had this recently, just used Otex for a week as advised by Doctor along with filling the ear with warm water in the shower and gently rubbing the outer ear with a cupped hand.

mph1977

12,467 posts

197 months

Wednesday 9th December 2015
quotequote all
illmonkey said:
Book an appointment with the nurse to clean them. It's warm water pumped into your ear, while you hold a cup to catch it coming out. Very strange sensation, but gets it all out. Then they show you, it's grose!
irrigation is no lonmger routinely offered in many places and hasn;t been for a number of years ...

illmonkey

19,810 posts

227 months

Thursday 10th December 2015
quotequote all
mph1977 said:
irrigation is no lonmger routinely offered in many places and hasn;t been for a number of years ...
really? I had it done less than a war ago. We're a little village though, maybe the telegram got lost.

Steviesam

1,424 posts

163 months

Thursday 10th December 2015
quotequote all
I have this issue regularly.

Messing around with the doctors to eventually get them washed out is a waste of time.

I now go to a private ear man, who uses "Micro suction". Teeny tiny vacuum, just sucks the wax out. 2 mins and £60 for both ears and I am done.

He went mad when I said I had been putting oil in.....reckons it just makes the wax swell up and you go deafer!

WinstonWolf

72,863 posts

268 months

Thursday 10th December 2015
quotequote all
I had mine hoovered out in ENT recently, it's bloody lovely if a little weird biggrin

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 10th December 2015
quotequote all
WinstonWolf said:
I had mine hoovered out in ENT recently, it's bloody lovely if a little weird biggrin
I came out and thought I'd developed bionic hearing. hehe

WinstonWolf

72,863 posts

268 months

Thursday 10th December 2015
quotequote all
el stovey said:
WinstonWolf said:
I had mine hoovered out in ENT recently, it's bloody lovely if a little weird biggrin
I came out and thought I'd developed bionic hearing. hehe
I might yet end up with it, titanium ear bones are a distinct possibility for me yikes

jinkster

Original Poster:

2,418 posts

185 months

Saturday 12th December 2015
quotequote all
Had my ears hoovered a the local private place - still awaiting the bill! He took a layer of skin from ear drum off too. I can hear now and much better. However when I lay down at night they feel a little tender. Lets hope that will go soon!

wiliferus

4,214 posts

227 months

Monday 14th December 2015
quotequote all
illmonkey said:
mph1977 said:
irrigation is no lonmger routinely offered in many places and hasn;t been for a number of years ...
really? I had it done less than a war ago. We're a little village though, maybe the telegram got lost.
+1 Had mine done in November, surgery didn't bat an eyelid when I asked to book.

I'd gone completely deaf in my right ear. Used some off the shelf ear wax softener for a week before hand.
The nurse said it was a tad stubborn but the relief when the 'plug' popped out was unreal!


Ste1987

1,798 posts

135 months

Monday 14th December 2015
quotequote all
I used to have that problem as a kid. I do miss the days of getting water pumped into my ear and the sensation of being able to hear again!

Vipers

33,497 posts

257 months

Monday 14th December 2015
quotequote all
WinstonWolf said:
Do NOT, under any circumstances put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear!

Loosen it with oil then go back to the docs, most have a clinic where they'll syringe them out for you.
They always say that, been cleaning mine out with cotton buds for over 40 years now, never had a problem.




smile

WinstonWolf

72,863 posts

268 months

Tuesday 15th December 2015
quotequote all
Vipers said:
WinstonWolf said:
Do NOT, under any circumstances put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear!

Loosen it with oil then go back to the docs, most have a clinic where they'll syringe them out for you.
They always say that, been cleaning mine out with cotton buds for over 40 years now, never had a problem.




smile
Yeah, I did exactly the same thing for forty years without a problem...

They're going to cut my ear off and drill my skull out in the new year to fix a problem that *may* have been caused by using earbuds in the ear canal.

Trust me, you don't want to fk your ears up yikes