[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I hate Ear Wax (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/11/2006 10:43:16 PM EDT
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The last few weeks when i wake up my ears have been plugged up. Taking a hot shower and flicking them by running my finger across the little cartalge flap would open them up. Well i got sick of it so I bought some ear drops to get the built up wax out. I am thinking the build up comes from pushing in earplugs. I put 5 drops in my right ear like the bottle said and let it sit for about 15 minuits, then let it drain out. It got worse. It sounded like i had an earplug in my ear, i couldnt hear anything out of it and i almost felt disorianted because of it. I needed to get this fixed. I went to the drug store again and picked up another set of ear drops that had an ear bulb to flush the crap out. Put 10 drops into my ear and let it set for a good 20 minuits or so then went into the bathroom and used the bulb to shoot warm water into my ear. Some small pieces of wax came out but i was still deaf in my right ear. Frusterated and sad I went on the internet and did a few searches about ear wax online. While reading i was flicking my still wet ear out of desperation when suddenly i could hear! Then 2 seconds later... it cloged up again. So like a mad man i went flicking my ear and then it opened up again and I can hear perfectly fine. Infact my left ear feels like its only at 90% compared to my right Flicking my ear like that must have acted like a plunger and disloged what ever crap was sticking in my ear cannal. Tommorow i am going to redo my right ear in attempt to get the glob out and also do the left ear to see what damage i can cause. When using the ear bulb dont trust your fingers for the water temp, your hands can be cold and the water will feel warmer than it is. A nice cold blast of water to the ear is not a welcome thing. You guys have any other recomendations on how to clean out ear wax? |
I've always had terrible ear wax, but since i started scuba diving it has pretty much disappeared. Even if I only get to go on dive trips a couple of times a year, it really thuroughly flushes everything out - and then I can keep it clean with q-tip (wantonly ignoring the "safety warnings"  ) for the rest of the year.I know it's not useful advice, per se - I'm just commiserating with you, because I know how irritating it is. |
That sounds like it has potential for a future Classic Arfcom Thread!
WTF 
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+1 My Wife uses those ear-candle things. I laughed my ass off at her when she first tried it, but aparently it works very well. |
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I have Meniere's Disease so I know that ear wax and ringing/vertigo can be a huge issue. An ear, nose and throat specialist told me to pour one cap of peroxide in each ear at least twice a month and let it "boil" for as long as I can hear it bubbling, pour that out of my ear, and repeat. Since I've been doing that my Q-tips come out relatively clean. I can tell when it's time for a good "boiling" though ... my ears start popping and ringing and feel clogged. Ear Candles don't work. The gunk that they claim to get out of your ear is actually part of the candle itself. I know because I bought two of them and burned one in my ear, was amazed at the gunk, and then burned the second one over an empty glass and got the same results. Anyway .. try the peroxide. My grandmother was into home remedies and tried to get me to use urine once, but I absolutely refused. My sister, however, was not as fortunate. She's never had ear issues since, but no one is pissing in my ear ... not even me. 
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Make sure you don't end up with a butt candle. 
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Go to the store and buy Murines Ear Wax Removal. It bubbles in your ear and breaks it all down. Then you use warm water with ear syringe that comes with it. Works really well. www.murine.com |
I dont know, it sounds fishy 
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| I have to do the ear flush with a bulb about 4 times a year. I find that the hotter you can stand the water the better it is. It usually takes me about a dozen or more squirts in the ear to dislodge all the wax. I try to shoot the water in at an angle, hoping to get some behind the wax clump so it will push it out. |
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Put a couple of drops of baby oil in each ear before bedtime. Put some cotton balls in your ears to soak up the oil and goo that runs out, and use an old pillowcase. In a few days, your ear canals should be virtually free of any unnecessary wax. You need some wax in your ear, but not a whole lot. Once you've got the wax buildup under control, you can just do the baby oil thing once a week or so. I would suspect that you might be slightly allergic to the material your ear plugs are made of. Thry a different brand, or shit-can the plugs and go for hearing protectors, as another poster mentioned. Good luck, and I hope you get some relief from this aggravating problem. |
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I have been plagued with too much ear wax my entire life. I have tried every over the counter remedy from Murine to Bausch and Lomb to ear candling. All of these will work for mild ear wax buildup. For heavy buildup like I have the ONLY thing to do is go to your doctor and have him remove the wax. They take a huge stainless steel syringe and fill it with warm water and blast the wax out. There is no way you are going to be able to do it yourself. It is very uncomfortable but when your ear pops open and you can suddenly hear it is like Christmas. Stop trying to remove the wax yourself and go to your doctor. |
I have the same problem. and +1 to the doctor. Last time, I had a solid plug removed (I forgot what he used, but he actually pulled it out). It HURT LIKE HELL (he warned me, and even tried to talk me out of it) but when it was done, I could hear again. It was like going back in time a few years. I turned the TV down for once. 
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+1 A few years ago I took a trip to florida, went swimming and got some water trapped in my ear canal. On the flight home, the pressure screwed with my hearing and my ears were bothering me for several days. I had a normal check up scheduled and asked the Dr. about my ears. He said I had some buildup and he could have the nurse flush them out, if I wanted. I agreed. First they put in some drops to soften everything up. Later they flushed everything out with warm water. It didn't hurt, but felt very uncomfortable. Afterwards, I was amazed with my new Superman super-hearing powers. I could hear a gnat fart from miles away. |
| +1 for the ear wax candles. I must admit I thought they were pretty ghey as first. You'd be surprised how much wax they do get out of your ears. I cleaned my ears daily after taking a shower. So one night my lady friend made me try them and it took about enough wax out of each ear to make a birthday candle. I was quite amazed that that much wax could be in your ear. For under $10 I'd say it's your best bet. Store that sells them. |
Well, I used to go to the doctor for it also, until he told me I could do it at home with a bulb type ear flusher. Works like a charm. I have irrigated out clumps of wax that are 1/4 inch long. |
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I don't want to piss in anybody's Cheerios, but I read an article where they tested ear candles. They taped the candle to a dummy's head and were unable to measure any suction whatsoever. In short (I can't find it anymore), they concluded that there was simply no way these things could actually pull a vacuum hard enough to remove ear wax. After thinking about it, I kind of agree with them. Interestingly, they tried a candle on a poor ear wax-plagued individual, and compared it to a second candle that they let burn on it's own. The two candles looked identical. It seems that the "ear wax" you find in the candle, isn't. |
| I use peroxide and a little blue bulb. About a minute or two with the peroxide doing it's thing then body temp. water from the bulb,....repeat as necessary. I used ot have a metal loop that worked to dig some out but lost it somewhere. You can get plastic ones on the net. I've gotten some sizeable chunks out, some about the size of a pencil eraser. I just started swimming and had both ears clog up but now everything seems OK. |
I think it has to do with the salt water. After a recent trip to the Caribbean I had a funny sensation in my ear...I was tugging on the top if my ear to straighten the canal, and a clump of wax the size of a small pea fell out. It was nasty, and I was appalled by my own filth
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No, it doesn't. Neither does a lit cigaratte butt.
Yes, what he said. The REAL way to get rid of ear wax, per a nurse I used to date, is:  Use it on a low to moderate setting with the hottest water you can tolerate. It really works. |
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Did anyone consider that the ATF guy in the hearing protection picture was just drawing down on the wax? In all seriousness, a doctor can get it out pretty easy most of the time, when I was doing factory work I had to wear ear plugs every day and I ended up with some bad wax. If you have insurance don't even think twice about going to the doctor, your pay after insurance will probably be less than whatever thing you buy to do it yourself.
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be careful with ear candles www.rcsullivan.com/www/forum/harris/candle.htm i use an ear pick like this (without the ghey cotton ball on the end). It works just like a shovel 
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Ear candles are hippy snake-oil. I've had a wax problem all my life. I've used peroxide, alcohol, q-tips, paper clips, and everything else. I'd have to visit the doc once a year or so, and have the big stainless steel syringe treatment. I finally looked around and found this thing. Back when I bought mine, the big one (Master Blaster) was 39.95 plus shipping. They cost more now but they work 100%. Beats the doctor visit, and you can do it in your shower. YMMV. |
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+1 on going to see the doctor. If you have a good amount of buildup it can be nearly impossible to get out yourself. Plus, the doctor can look in with his otoscope to check if he missed any, and you can't. After you have the buildup removed, the best way I've found to prevent it from happening again is to use the dreaded Q-tips, but soak them with rubbing alcohol first. The alcohol helps dissolve the wax so it doesn't just get pushed in. If you're having trouble getting far enough in, try pulling the top of your ear up and back at about a 45 degree angle. If you don't have steady hands DO NOT TRY THIS, because you could cause a lot of damage to your eardrum. But that method will help prevent you from getting build up again as long as you do it every couple days. The peroxide would probably work, too. I've never tried it as the alcohol has done it for me. The ear candles did not work for me. Maybe they work for someone, somewhere, but not with me or anyone I've known. -Greg |
Usually in the shower, I just tilt my head right next to the nozzle and let it pressure-wash my ear canal. That usually does the job. |