[Vault]

Just a plea to all you out there who get your ears cleaned out once in a while (yeah no graphic details of the gunk that my ears produce).

Had my ears syringed by my doctor today and they are clear as a bell. Paper rustles, I can hear cars coming, all good stuff. Decided to pop the old IEMs in and wisely wacked them down to about 1/2 what I'd been playing them at with all the crap in. You know, just to be safe.

5 mins later.. ears starting to hurt.. not so good. Lucky I caught it this early, but guys and gals who get their ears industrially cleaned PLEASE don't even bother with the cans for a couple of days... let them get used to that sweet, unmuddied sound that is all around you!

 

[bellsprout]

wow a very disturbing mental image of what ur ears look like is forming

 

[rb67]

Pics?

Seriously, I'm considering going to the doctor pretty soon. Anyone in the US know how much it will cost? I currently don't have health insurance.

 

[bellsprout]

Is it really worth going to a doctors just to get your ears cleaned out? You can buy products that cleans ur ears, and despite how everyone says not to, Q-Tips work fairly well.

 

[sidewinder]

Try to wear hearing protection, like foamies, while walking through town, traffic, etc. or while doing daily stuff, like lawnmowing, vacumcleaning, etc. It'll help you're hearing a lot. When taking then out after, say like an hour, you'll hear sounds much sharper and definately louder. I never thought folding a paper or a computer could make so much noise.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

If the audiologist cleans your ears, then you can justify going by also getting your hearing checked too.

 

[bored_student]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try to wear hearing protection, like foamies, while walking through town, traffic, etc. or while doing daily stuff, like lawnmowing, vacumcleaning, etc. It'll help you're hearing a lot. When taking then out after, say like an hour, you'll hear sounds much sharper and definately louder. I never thought folding a paper or a computer could make so much noise.

I live in uni halls of residence (postgrad, undergrad halls tho), and cos I'm a light sleeper I started using earplugs at night, once I realised I was never gonna get sleep otherwise. The contrast is very noticable once I wake up, more detail etc. Good for eavesdropping too. Downside, I now can't get to sleep without them - even night time is noisy now - it's like your brain re-calibrates what it hears as silent.

Oh and don't try eating with earplugs in like that. Sounds very disgusting.

 

[65535]

Ya I don't recommend eating with canal phones or earplugs in, but I think your ears do tune into a certain sound range to protect your hearing, which is why you can't just walk out side a concert and talk on your phones your ears lik eyoru eyes have to adjust to the new suroundings it's adaptation.

 

[unclejr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb67 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pics? Seriously, I'm considering going to the doctor pretty soon. Anyone in the US know how much it will cost? I currently don't have health insurance.

Haha, gross! There is a "healthy" amount of cerumen, by the way.

And speaking of earplugs, I have some of those etymotic earplugs on order - I guess my threshold of hearing pain is pretty low these days - supposed to lower the sound globally by 20 dB and not really change the perception of the sound otherwise. Anyone used these before?

 

[mrdelayer]

I too would like to know how much this would cost, and what sort of doctor I'd have to go to to get this done. Audiologist?

 

[lui_boy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif If the audiologist cleans your ears, then you can justify going by also getting your hearing checked too.

Might as well get custom molds made while you're at it! LOL!

 

[Jemsic]

I got my ears cleaned by a doctor once. The water was hot and it hurt like hell, with that syringe shooting water against the inside of my ear. It turns out I didn't have any wax buildup... maybe that's why it hurt so much

.

I did get an audiogram done. Amazingly, I have better than normal hearing... the guy showed me some graph that says I can hear really high frequencies.

 

[geardoc]

Yes, I use the 20db Ety plugs when driving with the windows open sometime. The new level becomes very natural.

 

[choariwap]

i'm blessed with dry earwax

(i saw a short clip on nat geo once that asian folks have more dry flaky earwax vs caucasians who have pasty thick wax).

never builds up for me, just falls out of my ears naturally

 

[pentachris]

I occasionally get a fair amount of wax build up. My aunt, who used to work in an emergency room, gave me a syringe with a little snip of catheter tube at the end. She said that's what they use to irrigate peoples' ears when they came into the emergency room saying they'd woken up unable to hear. Mix equal parts hot water and 3% hydrogen peroxide, the result should be lukewarm. Fill an ear, let it fizz for a few seconds, roll your head over and while it drains fill the other ear. Repeat several times depending on how gunky your ears are. It really makes a difference!