[cmascatello]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorjuggles I have this problem too, let me explain why I struggle to resolve it..... I'll get a muffled, blocked sound in my ear. I'll see the doctor, he'll tell me to 'put warm olive oil into the ear to soften the wax.' I go home and do that, and the oil expands the wax and causes my ear to become inflamed and extremely painful. I will then go back to the doctor who will try and syringe it, which will be unsuccessful, because my ear is too inflamed to squirt water in at high pressure. I then wait for the inflammation to die down, return to the doctor, who will then tell me to put warm olive oil into the ear to soften the wax before he/she can syringe it. It's a common pattern that I see all the time with doctor's. A circle that I don't know how to break.

I would tell you to go see another doctor. I used to see an ENT on a fairly regular basis when I was a kid b/c of ear infections and inflammation and was never instructed to use a kitchen remedy. Check and see if you can find Debrox or Murine ear drops and use those rather than olive oil. Both contain a lubricant and a bit of a peroxide to create a loosening effect.

If your ears hurt or you are experiencing the noticeable hearing loss as mnetioned earleir it is imperative to go see a doctor ASAP. The MD will refer you to an audiologist if there is fear of lasting damage that needs testing.

 

[luukas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallijonn If you open and close your jaw as far wide as possible, and side to side, do your ears 'pop' or make a sound? You have too much ear wax.

Hmm... I guess I do have a bit of earwax in my right ear. Must be quite deep in the ear canal though. Maybe I'll try some Remo-wax later today.

 

[plainsong]

Yes, Finnish doctos recommend remo-wax. If things still aren't better in the morning, a nurse will use a syringe, and it will work since the remo-wax has loosened it up.

 

[imported_euphoria_attack]

from my experience as a medical student, any gp can 'syringe' out an ear. this carries a pretty high risk of eardrum perforation; 1 in 1000 procedures results in major complications. (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...i?artid=116671 - study published in bmj. also see http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...i?artid=116671).

using something that will dissolve the wax is a much much much better option than syringing and should be tried first. ask your chemist or doctor. failing that, there is a suction method which is a hell of a lot safer than squirting water in. the suction method carries a very small risk of perforation - the person doing it would have to be very bad indeed to screw up the suction method. syringing is not current best practice in australian medicine.