Ok Doc's why? - AR15.COM

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Posted: 10/26/2004 11:08:26 PM EDT

I had an ear infection a few weeks ago, & y'all said no Q-tips for ear cleaning. I have done so for many yrs, & I have always heard the old elbow expression.

So why shouldn't Q-tips be uesd for ear cleaning, & what the heack should?

My ears always itch after a shower until I Q-tip em. Then their fine. So what's the prob??????

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:10:10 PM EDT

[#1]

I always use them, or if its really bothering me and Im not at home, I'll improvise with something

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:11:30 PM EDT

[#2]

One quick slip and you will experience a large reduction in you ability to hear.

I use Q-Tips too!

ETA: about a year ago my son managed to get a kernel of unpopped pop corn stuck way down deep in his ear, it took three appointments to get it out.

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:11:57 PM EDT

[#3]

Qtips should be fine for ear cleaning, but excessive q-tipping can lead to external otitis, or quite simply an inflammation of the outer ear.

you may have a skin condition that predisposes you to itching after showers. check with you doctor and make sure you don't have eczema or some other complication.

-45

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:12:16 PM EDT

[#4]

Al used a pencil eraser with the rubber taken out in Married with Children

[peg]but the erasers still in there Al[/peg]

[al]that's not the eraser peg[/al]

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:13:40 PM EDT

[#5]

I've always heard that one wong move and you're eardrum will get a cotton headed stick puncturing it.

Shooting's bad enough on my ears.

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:19:58 PM EDT

[#6]

Nah there's really not a whole lot of danger of rupturing your eardrum, unless you really like to use the elbow grease.

Cotton is abrasive to this soft area of skin, though, and since earwax is helpful in congealing pathogens, by q-tipping too much you run the risk of a)creating small cuts in your ear; and b) infecting them with the bacteria in the earwax

An ear infection is best treated with antibiotic drops or hydrogen peroxide. If your ears itch, you should try one or the other and see if that clears it up. If not, then you may need a prescription medication to treat your condition. As I said before, consult your doctor if it is a chronic problem and he should be able to make a sound diagnosis.

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:22:13 PM EDT

[#7]

The docs used to tell me horror stories about slipping up and tweaking my eardrum or putting too much pressure on the eardrum.

I used to end up compacting the earwax with q-tips until it became a problem. This was before I ever heard of the home ear wax removal kits (in the olden days). I had to visit the doc to get the crap cleaned out every year or so. Have a corpsman remove earwax for you sometime!

You'll stop using q-tips in the ear canal guarenteed!

(edited... I don't want to be disrespectful and misspell corpsman.)

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:25:58 PM EDT

[#8]

TMI alert
After decades of regular q-tip use, I started to get some 'clogging' in my left ear. After rooting around for treatment info, found out about hydrogen peroxide. Went ahead and dribbled a capful in each ear, and got out an amazing collection of debris / old wax. Two treatments on the 'clogged' ear cleared it right up.

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:27:45 PM EDT

[#9]

it's good stuff, the best bathroom-surgery technique for ear infections, IMO

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:29:13 PM EDT

[#10]

Just not that funny this time. (that's why)

Posted: 10/26/2004 11:52:13 PM EDT

[#11]

My ears itch from the water that gets in from the shower. The Q-tips just dry my ears out enough to make them not itch. I have never had a wax problem that I know of. I did usre a wax removal kit on my infected ear, & got some bubbeling action from it,but not the other. No action on the 2nd use.

Posted: 10/27/2004 12:46:48 AM EDT

[#12]

Use #556 for ~~WD-40~~ a .223 round - Ear wax removal.

Posted: 10/27/2004 5:40:08 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
I had an ear infection a few weeks ago, & y'all said no Q-tips for ear cleaning. I have done so for many yrs, & I have always heard the old elbow expression.

So why shouldn't Q-tips be uesd for ear cleaning, & what the heack should?

My ears always itch after a shower until I Q-tip em. Then their fine. So what's the prob??????

I am a Q-tip user myself...I am a medical transcriptionist and I do some typing for and ENT doctor. The other day we typed a report of a patient who was cleaning her ears w/Q-tip after a shower when the phone rang...she answered the phone with Q-tip still in her ear and shoved it in her ear..she broke her eardrum.

Posted: 10/27/2004 5:46:05 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I had an ear infection a few weeks ago, & y'all said no Q-tips for ear cleaning. I have done so for many yrs, & I have always heard the old elbow expression.

So why shouldn't Q-tips be uesd for ear cleaning, & what the heack should?

My ears always itch after a shower until I Q-tip em. Then their fine. So what's the prob??????

I am a Q-tip user myself...I am a medical transcriptionist and I do some typing for and ENT doctor. The other day we typed a report of a patient who was cleaning her ears w/Q-tip after a shower when the phone rang...she answered the phone with Q-tip still in her ear and shoved it in her ear..she broke her eardrum.

OUCH! That hurts just thinking about it. I guess then, she couldn't hear who was calling her?

Posted: 10/27/2004 5:53:50 AM EDT

[#15]

Q tips pack the ear wax in lol...sooner or later, you'll have a very sore ear. I won't even tell you how I keep my ears clean, as the outcry would be deafening, but it's worked for me, and I've never had an ear infection since I started doing it. (I had one ear infection, and it was one too many...vowed never to go down that road again).

Posted: 10/27/2004 5:55:10 AM EDT

[#16]

Never put anything smaller than your elbows into your ears!!!

Don't you people listen to your mother?!?!?!?

Sgtar15

Posted: 10/27/2004 6:30:27 AM EDT

[#17]

A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WILL NEVER TELL YOU TO STICK ANYTHING RIGID IN YOUR EAR CANAL. LIABILITY.

Posted: 10/27/2004 7:42:13 AM EDT

[#18]

There are several OTC preparations that can be used to rinse ears after shower/swimming, etc. One is called Domeboro. It's is basically an astringent that helps dry things out. You can make something similar by diluting vinegar 1:1 with water and using it to wash your ears out. Q-tips can cause very small scratches in the ear canal which can lead to a hellaciously painful infection. As others have said, they also act like a battering ram to pack wax deep in the canal.

Posted: 10/27/2004 7:47:40 AM EDT

[#19]

You caanot be trusted with Q-Tips.

First obtain written permission from your (ignorant) physician and then apply for a Federal Q-Tip license before using them.
Local and State rules apply.

Posted: 10/27/2004 7:50:26 AM EDT

[#20]

were these pre-ban or post-ban q-tips?

Posted: 10/27/2004 7:51:33 AM EDT

[#21]

Try cleaning your ears with a .45

Sincerely,

Dr. 1Walker

Posted: 10/27/2004 7:54:47 AM EDT

[#22]

ONLY USE QUALITY COTTON SWABS, My wife got the cheep brand and the cotton came off in my ear, WORST experiance ever, I had to sleep with it in there, tried i vain all night to get it out just kept pushing it deeper (huhu) finaly had to go to the doc to have it flushed.

Posted: 10/28/2004 4:19:58 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
ONLY USE QUALITY COTTON SWABS, My wife got the cheep brand and the cotton came off in my ear, WORST experiance ever, I had to sleep with it in there, tried i vain all night to get it out just kept pushing it deeper (huhu) finaly had to go to the doc to have it flushed.

The cheap ones never work right. The cotton always unwinds, & there not soft.

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