I figured you guys would be the best to ask about this; google throws up mixed answers.
My ear ear has felt somewhat blocked the past 6 months or so. I’m fairly prone to wax (ain’t the human body charming), and I’d feel a bit like a twat going to the doctor about this. I did a search but couldn’t find anything.
I hear that many of the supposed ear unblocking techniques that naturopaths espouse (“ear candling”) just create the illusion of expelling wax, it’s really just some frothy candlewax material.
Ok, I probably should just ask by doc about this. But it’d be interesting to hear your thoughts.
See your doctor. “Stuffiness” in your ear can have a number of causes other than impacted ear wax. Even if it is, a physician has tools and techniques to unplug your ear canal safely (mostly a gentle warm water spray IIRC).
Yeah, you put some drops of stuff in your ear, lay on your side for about ten minutes to give it a chance to fizzle, then squirt water in to clean the fizzy stuff and partially-dissolved wax out. It’s simple and effective.
I’ve actually seen a doctor about this maybe 6 months ago. My ears are super sensitive to earbuds, but because I’m an idiot, I keep wearing them. I’m actually OK if I keep it to just 20-30 minutes every few days, but occasionally I get on hour+ long calls for work, and it definitely causes problems. So much so that I managed to block up my ear to the point that I couldn’t hear a damn thing.
Luckily, I had an appointment to see my doc for my bi-yearly checkup the next day, so I had him check my ears. “Yup,” he says, “they’re full of wax. You shouldn’t use those earbuds.” Yeah, doc, I know. Then I was expecting him to get out the super-dooper-doctor earwax-cleany-thingy, but no. He told me to go home, lay down, fill my ear with hydrogen peroxide and lay on my side for 20 minutes, then wash it out with warm water.
Worked great. So great that earlier this week, when I once again managed to block up my ears from using the stupid earbuds, I did it again and now I can hear again.
And yes, I now have a super-duper nifty new headset that I can wear instead of the earbuds, because lying on my side for 20 minutes with hydrogen peroxide in my ear is no damn fun.
Try the home remedies mentioned here, and if they don’t work, see a doctor. They can safely remove earwax impactions, which can lead to hearing loss and infection.
My ex-boyfriend referred to it as an “audio enema”.
My docs told me that lots of people come in periodically to get their ears cleaned. I felt like an idiot going into the doc as well but they said don’t worry about it and just make an appointment. Next time I will probably ask to see the PA or nurse.
There are places in my area you can go to sit in a chair and have some (non-medical) person dig wax out of your ear. It gets the job done, but it sounds like the clients go mainly because they love the tingly feeling of someone poking around in their ears. And maybe also that the technicians are young women.
If you have a CVS drug store in your area, you can pop in there for ear wax removal. Those are staffed by nurse practitioners. Walgreens probably also does it in their clinics.
The CVS website says $79 for the procedure. However, my dad was just told by the nurse at the Minute Clinic he just went to that if you use drops to soften the wax at home for a day or two, they’ll clean you out for free. No idea if he heard them right (his ears are plugged up! Ha!) but that’s what he says they said.
p.s. DO NOT use ear candling! All it does is make money for people who produce those candles, and can result in burns if the wax drips on you.
I did clinical rotations on an Indian reservation, and this tribe had a genetic tendency towards thick, profuse earwax. We had a book where we could describe our experiences, and one medical student said, “The kids here do not secrete cerumen. They secrete limestone” and something all parents can relate to: “Childhood is a state of amoxicillin deficiency.”
Otex ear drops, leave it in for about 20 minutes and make sure you drain well. Repeat a few times and you won’t have any ear wax left. If that doesn’t work, then go to the doctor. (standard IANAD disclaimer)
I went to the doctors to have it done last week, and I needed it too as the ear had been blocked for days despite dripping olive oil into it (they don’t favour peroxide or propriety substances based on it these days as it can damage the eardrum). If you’ve had it done before, the odds increase that you’ll have to have it done again. I’ve had it several times now.
