[radrd]

On Sunday I was cleaning the earwax out of my ears with a q-tip prior to inserting my Etys for a little AC/DC while struggling through German homework. When I cleaned my left ear I pressed a little too hard and it hurt a little bit. I figured that it was nothing because it didn't hurt after I was done. So, I put my Etys in with no pain and an hour later Back in Black ended and I took my Etys off. Unfortunately, the left one was a lot more bloody than it usually is (usually there is no blood!). Still it didn't hurt, but blood on the Etys means see a doctor in my mind, and around here the ER is the only doctor open so I reluctantly walked in. After receiving three different lectures about interfering with the natural cleaning ability of my ears and risking serious damage to my eardrum, I found out that (as I expected) I scraped my ear canal, which was no big deal. However, I had to get a tetanus shot and I have to continue putting in antibiotic drops until Monday, plus I can't wear my Etys again until Monday either.

Luckily, my HD280 Pros got here on Monday, the day after my q-tip foolishness. They don't compare to my ER4Ps, but at least they sound good and a new pair of headphones always makes my life better.

radrd is counting the days until Monday, or as he likes to call it Etymotic Day.

 

[zbuddah]

boy that sucks!

and i use 4 q-tips to clean my ears! one in the canal the other in the upper crevice of my ear the other near the bottom of the opening of the "ear-hole" and then i double back in the canal with the 4th q-tip.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

My ears get steadily itchier (especially my right ear) until every few months, they would get so itchy that I have to clean them out--and I would usually scrape out huge blocks of wax...

I really don't get this **** about the natural cleaning ability? What? What natural cleaning ability?

 

[dlow]

Personally, I keep ear wax down by rinsing my ears in the shower (we all shower right?

). Immersing one's head in water (ie. swimming) also does the trick. Afterwards, a gentle swab of the canals with a Q-tip (no deeper than the cotton part), followed by a good firm swabbing of the ear lobe and outer ear.

For people with lots of wax, I heard there are drops that will dissolve / loosen stubborn wax buildup.

 

[radrd]

Quote:

I really don't get this **** about the natural cleaning ability? What? What natural cleaning ability?

They told me something about the little hairs inside your ears pulling the wax out. I guess using a q-tip prevents them from doing their job correctly.

Also, you can actually push the wax further inside your ear. If it sits on the eardrum in large quantities it screws up your equilibrium.

Mostly, I think they just want to stop people from damaging their ears.

Quote:

Personally, I keep ear wax down by rinsing my ears in the shower

I usually clean them right after I take a shower because it seems easier to get the wax out, but on Sunday I forgot, so I was doing it at night. I won't be doing that anymore! However, I am going to continue using a q-tip, but I will be more careful and I might start using those drops occaisionally.

 

[gloco]

Oh boy, thats scary stuff radrd, luckily you didnt damage your ear drum. I only use one q-tip and i barely grab any wax, guess the daily shower does the job pretty well. Although if water gets into my ears it sits in there, which means i do have wax built up (especially in my left ear).

Equilibrium? Man, i tend to be a little tipsy sometimes. Hmm...

 

[gerG]

I've always done the Q-tip thing after I shower. Frequent and careful cleanings has always served me well. I liked kwkarth's advice about using the drops first, then careful cleaning.

I get water in my ears all the time. Water tends to adhere when it gets far enough into the canal (or on the TM). I don't think that it has anything to do with wax buildup. To get it out, I tip my head sideways, put in several drops of isopropyl, let it soak for 30 seconds, and tip my head over and pour it out. The alcohol disolves the water and pours out vary easily (low surface tension, I think).

For you divers, this is very important. You should be using some sort of acidic ear drops before and after every dive. Check out the DAN website for medical reasons and even recipes. I use a mix of 1 T white vinegar + 1 T isopropyl + 1 tsp peroxide. Be sure to use the "good" isopropyl (90% or better).

Sorry about the tangent. I see too many divers who have to pass up dives

because of ear infections.


gerG

 

[dokebi]

Im sorry to hear that. I like to clean my ears often and often violently. I frequently got a little blood on the q-tips. Hope you never do it again.

 

[vb1]

I think the 'natural cleaning ability' that the doctor referred to is the creation of wax itself, wax being the counterpart to mucous in the mucous membranes.
As you all know Mucus serves to protect and clean the tubes.

 

[chych]

Hmm, my ear cleaning system has changed since I got the etys... initially I would use a q-tip once every few days and remove wax. But then I started, in the shower, putting some soap in the ear and washing it off, ever since, the q-tip would remove nothing... no yellow stuff on the q-tip, just nothing... Earwax never appeared on the etys anymore and I can say that my ears are pretty clean all the time. I suppose there is no need for a q-tip if you rinse your ears with soap and water every day, at least for me...

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

you guys are starting to scare me! yeesh, i used to use qtips, but not anymore after it felt wierd when i stuck one in too far. it didnt really hurt, but it realy scared me. and what is the whole thing about the divers???? i have swam for years, and i have always wondered about that..... are you sure its safe? please describe further... thanks

 

[gerG]

Ear infections can be a problem for swimmers. It is an even bigger problem for divers because we undergo some big pressure variations (1 atm at sea level to 4 atm at 100 ft) which forces water all the way into the ear canal.

As I understand it, outer ear infections are caused by the bacteria that normally live in the ear canal. When the ear canal is wet, the cells lining it swell up. Somewhere in the process of swelling and drying, gaps form between the cells, which allows the bacteria to get where it should not be, and start growing. Voila, infection.

The Navy did a lot of studies on their captive volunteers, and found that treatment with an acidic solution would stop the growth of the bacteria. Most swimmers eardrops are some proportion of acetic acid, alcohol, glycerin, and water. I use them after swimming just to get the water out of my ears. I am more fastideous when diving.

The Divers Alert Network (aka DAN) is a medical research organization dedicated specifically to making scuba diving a safer sport. Much of this is through education. They have detailed descriptions of topics like this on their web-site.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/

 

[gerG]

[size=medium]Happy Ety Day![/size]

 

[BDA_ABAT]

Glad it's a happy Ety day for someone. Not for me.

I loaned mine out to my bro-in-law. He's travelling to Europe for business and I felt a little sad seeing him packing up his disks, pcd, and Porta Pros for the ride. Just didn't seem right to not provide him with the isolation and sound quality of the ER4 for a 5 or 6 hour flight.

I've a feeling he'll be hitting up HeadRoom next week for a pair once he gets back in the country!

In the meantime, Grado 125 here I come!

Bruce

 

[radrd]

Quote:

Happy Ety Day!

Thank you very much!

As soon as I finished classes I took a shower and *carefully* cleaned my ears with a q-tip. Since I have had them for almost four months, I went ahead and changed the filters after my little incident with blood. Now I am listening to Aerosmith and my world is good again.

It is very strange going from Sennheiser HD280 Pros on a daily basis and no Etys for a week to Etys again. I can't really explain it, but when I first put these in again, it was like all the music was stuck in the middle of my head with no bass. Of course, that sensation went away by the end of the first song. Now it all sounds right and better than the HD280s. I think these have better bass too, but it is definitely different.

Quote:

I loaned mine out to my bro-in-law.

Wow. I don't think I could do it.

Quote:

I've a feeling he'll be hitting up HeadRoom next week for a pair once he gets back in the country!

It wouldn't suprise me. I balked a little at the price when I was first considering getting mine, but the sound is definitely worth it, not to mention the isolation.