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ear wax removal


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19 hours ago, bezerk said:

You should not need a specialist for ear wax removal, it is a minor procedure! 

 

Sorry bezerk, but some people, like myself, definitely need to see a specialist for this.  I have a perforated eardrum, and I've even had some quack specialists try to flush out the earwax with a syringe full of water.  Absolutely the WORST thing you can do in my case.  All that does is create a severe ear infection, and potentially making the perforation in my eardrum even larger.   Not a minor procedure!  Luckily, I've found a specialist who listens to me, and understands my situation.

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23 hours ago, bezerk said:

You should not need a specialist for ear wax removal, it is a minor procedure! 

 

100% agreement on that. It's a job usually done by the clinic's nurse with nothing more than a syringe and warm water. To facilitate the process it is recommended that you apply a wax softener to your ear for a couple of days beforehand.

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Wax softeners, in my experience, are pointless. When you ears get to the point of being significantly blocked, the "softeners" just add more blockage. Candle-waxing is also a bit of insane folklore that no one should ever try.

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8 hours ago, suegarn said:

Sorry bezerk, but some people, like myself, definitely need to see a specialist for this.  I have a perforated eardrum, and I've even had some quack specialists try to flush out the earwax with a syringe full of water.  Absolutely the WORST thing you can do in my case.  All that does is create a severe ear infection, and potentially making the perforation in my eardrum even larger.   Not a minor procedure!  Luckily, I've found a specialist who listens to me, and understands my situation.

Sorry there are exceptions to every rule.  In general it is a minor procedure.  I am a RN with many certifications and have flushed many an ear.  Usually with a bit more intense treatment than warm water and syringe.  Again always there are exceptions to the rule.  So rephrase for most people it is a minor procedure. 

If you have a perforated eardrum you need more than wax clean out anyway. You need treatment to heal the perforation, and sterile water does not cause ear infections.  Happy you have found a specialist.  You are dealing with more than ear wax! 

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4 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

Wax softeners, in my experience, are pointless. When you ears get to the point of being significantly blocked, the "softeners" just add more blockage. Candle-waxing is also a bit of insane folklore that no one should ever try.

Well then your experience is apparently quite limited and poorly informed. For a number of years I have had to have my left ear de-waxed 2 or 3 times a year, but the right one never - there's just some imbalance in the left. In the time I have experienced this I have probably lived in 4 or 5 different towns/cities and been to at least 4 different doctors for treatment. Depending on the state of the wax, a frequent request from the doctor is that I use a softener for a couple of days beforehand to make the removal via syringe easier. NOT AS A REPLACEMENT FOR SYRINGING. Every single time I have had the treatment the procedure has been performed by the clinic's nurse, not by the doctor, and whether you have or haven't used a softener beforehand will usually be detected by the nurse. You need to try a decent doctor-recommended softener, as opposed to a pick off the pharmacy shelf. Some softeners do work quite well. No doubt some don't, or don't work as well.

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No need to get all huffy: I did say "in my experience". I've been having my ears cleaned in Canada since I was 20; I am 64 now. I've been through it all, many times.

"You need to try a decent doctor-recommended softener, as opposed to a pick off the pharmacy shelf." Thanks, Mom.

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8 hours ago, bezerk said:

Sorry there are exceptions to every rule.  In general it is a minor procedure.  I am a RN with many certifications and have flushed many an ear.  Usually with a bit more intense treatment than warm water and syringe.  Again always there are exceptions to the rule.  So rephrase for most people it is a minor procedure. 

If you have a perforated eardrum you need more than wax clean out anyway. You need treatment to heal the perforation, and sterile water does not cause ear infections.  Happy you have found a specialist.  You are dealing with more than ear wax! 

I've had a perforated eardrum for over 60 years, had skin graft surgery twice, wasn't successful.  Had too many infections to count as a child, and each time it was right after a doctor flushed out my ears with a syringe.  Have been to numerous specialists in Canada and Mexico, and they've all said the same thing...."Never let anyone use water and a syringe in your ears".  I also have irregularly-shaped ear canals, so wax gets trapped and cannot come out on its own.

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Dr. Ricardo Heredia in Chapala removed the wax from my ears twice, with excellent results, for, as I recall, 300 pesos.  The second time he found that the wax needed to be loosened or dissolved by using ear drops for a few days before flushing with water would do the job.  I'm currently in the U.S., where the cost of having a physician flush out my ears would, of course, be a great deal more, so I'm using carbamide peroxide ear drops, which can be purchased over-the-counter (as they can be in Mexico); will then, if necessary, use an ear syringe with water; and go to a physician only as a last resort.  (Drops and syringe cost $3.33 at WalMart.)  Removing ear wax is not a big problem.

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12 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

I am 64 now. I've been through it all, many times.

S'ok. If you pay attention to your elders you'll get wiser with each passing year. By the time you get to my age you'll know everything.

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If you want to obfuscate the issue by throwing in irrelevancies, please go to a different thread where they might coddle you. (I'll point out the obvious for those who missed it: 44 years of earwax cleaning. You flat out stated I had no experience.)

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I wear hearing aids and need to keep my ears clean. For some reason every time they are checked they are clean. Very occasionally when it itches therein, I will use cotton Q tips. And I have no problem. I know we are not supposed to use them. But so far no problem and it seems to keep them clean therein, even though the experts say they wont.

I am no expert. I just know that  Q tips work for me.

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Using cotton buds is really a question of common sense, right? They are great for cleaning in and around the ear canal. They are not great for trying to reach deeply into where wax gets blocked, because the tip can only push junk in; it can't pull. A doctor will use a scraping tool for that, and a cotton bud to finish up.

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I would advise to be very, very careful in using peroxide in your ears. If you have an infection or a delicate or perforated eardrum you could make your situation worse. In fact peroxide should not be used in your ear. Unfortunately, there are doctors who don't agree.

Fifteen years ago,,my husband went to an ENT who specialized in ear problems in the Caribbean where there are many cases of ear infections because of scuba diving, salt water, and being in the pool everyday exposing our ears to the element. The doctor used peroxide to remove earwax in my husband's ears. As he could not remove the wax in the first attempt, he repeated the procedure three days later and collapsed one eardrum. Believe it or not, for giving him a collapsed eardrum, this good doctor had the gull to charge for two visits at $75 each--according to him, it was not his fault. Yes, a total of $150.00 US $ to make his clogged ears worse. My husband had to wear a plug for two months, hoping it would open the eardrum and of course no more diving for a long time.

I agree with Computer Guy that Dra Teresa Morales is good for that procedure. She uses a mild rinse and pulls the clog with a long, pointed tweezer. I was standing next to her, and you wouldn't believe the stuff that came out---from dark brown to light brown. She takes her time and pulls it out piece by piece. My husband goes every 18 months or so for about 8 years now.

She also says that we should never use peroxide in our ears or in our mouth. People who do and have no problems (yet) are lucky. It's just a question of time before they do.

Edit :

Sorry, i meant collapse the

ear canal ....

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I´ve been rinsing my mouth after brushing with a splash of hydrogen peroxide and a couple drops of tea tree oil in water for about 20 years. Now I´m 67. It stopped my gum disease and negated my top-notch Canadian dentist´s prediction 20 years ago that I wouldn´t have my teeth for more than another 5-10 years max.

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On 10/25/2016 at 10:37 PM, mudgirl said:

I´ve been rinsing my mouth after brushing with a splash of hydrogen peroxide and a couple drops of tea tree oil in water for about 20 years. Now I´m 67. It stopped my gum disease and negated my top-notch Canadian dentist´s prediction 20 years ago that I wouldn´t have my teeth for more than another 5-10 years max.

 

I'm glad you could keep your teeth intact. You have diluted a splash of peroxide with oil and water, which is different than using it pure.

You probably wouldn't have any more teeth if you had used it pure. Peroxide in high concentrations can cause ulcerations and desquamative

 gum tissue.

 

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FYI,  I had to give up on DIY ear wax removal and go to a medical clinic presided over by a Nurse Practitioner, where a Medical Assistant flushed out my ears.  She removed much wax from one ear, rendering it clear according to the inspecting NP, who told me to continue to use carbamide peroxide drops in the mostly clear other one and return if needed.  Don't yet know how much that will cost me with Medicare.

Re hydrogen peroxide, I was advised by a dental assistant to use it in my Water Flosser.  So much conflicting information!

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On 10/28/2016 at 3:59 PM, gypsyken said:

Re hydrogen peroxide, I was advised by a dental assistant to use it in my Water Flosser.  So much conflicting information!

Hump!! I agree. That's why you have to go by your experience and others' as well. Do your research and use your good judgement.

I always check out Mr. Google (preferrably medical sites) before following blindly any doctors' recommendations. Nobody is as concerned for your health and well-being as yourself.

Doctors go by what they learned (and what they understand) and often don't keep up with the new. I was told by a doctor in Canada that HE did not have time to check the Internet for the new. They get updated once every five years. Also, they get influenced by "pharmaceuticals". That tells me a lot.

 

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