Ear Wax - deafness

Dr told me to try Otex Combi - looks a bit like DIY irrigation. Have not tried it yet.

GranntA11i

I went to the nurse with itchy ears and sensation of something moving in my ears following a severe threat infection. Nurse looked inside both ears and said no wax but people can often get strange a condition after infections so try old fashioned steam inhalation and buy Ear Calm from chemist. Ear Calm is a spray and definitely helps with the itchy feeling - only downside is smelling fish and chips because the spray is basically vinegar and water!!!

I have been putting olive oil in my ears for a week now and am to return to doctors today to have my ears syringed. I can't wait. Please wish me luck!!

Good news BluebellGran . When I bought my little syringe I didn't have much faith that it would be up to the job. I was pretty clogged up. But lo and behold, after two or three good swishes, out came the plug of wax. It's an excellent little device. I'm glad you've got your hearing back.??

Success!!!! Olive oil spray for a few days followed by a good syringe using the one that was recommended!! Nice big glob came out.
Thank you all. I can hear again!

I had a problem last year after a very bad bout of flu which left me deaf in one ear for several weeks. The nurse insisted I use warm olive oil every night with no cotton wool in it (use a towel on the pillow) and it eventually worked. She did irrigate them with the noisy machine prior to this which didn't work so I was so relieved when my hearing came back it's a horrid feeling!

Laying down in the bath is ok Auntieflo but sometimes the water gets behind the wax and I am a bit deaf in that ear until it sort of goes pop and is then fine. This can be some time later!

Are the bicarbonate drops bought or home mixed ? If so home mixed what are the ratios please

Sometimes I will lie flat in the bath, so that my ears are submerged under the very warm sudsy water, and this softens any wax that I may have.

I have had this problem for years and regularly had my ears syringed using drops to soften I have used various brands over the years. The one time I used bicarbonate drops I had an allergic reaction and my ears felt terrible. The last time I went to my previous surgery ( recently moved and not gone about ears to new surgery yet) although I had wax in my ears they would not syringe as they said they could see the drum and will only syringe if they can't in case the springing perforates the drum. Very frustrating when you still feel as if your ear is partly blocked. I may send for the device mentioned and see how I get on.

I asked to be referred to the local ENT dept a couple of years ago. I attend every six months where a lovely lady 'hoovers' my ears. It takes seconds and is a blissful relief! There are private surgeries who do this at a price but well worth it I would think. e.g.www.earwaxclinic.co.uk

Hildajenni you should be on commission LOL

Another suffer here, have just ordered the syringe and ear drops , thanks for the advice everyone. Our surgery not keen on ear syringing either, certainly not routinely, but will do it if necessary.

The reasons for not irrigating routinely are very well put by Teetime. Our surgeries refer people to the treatment room where I work for ear irrigation. We issue an advice sheet which asks people to use olive oil or almond oil 2/3 times a day for a week then sodium bicarbonate ear drops twice a day for another week. The oil softens it (can be room temp or warmed) and the bicarbonate starts to break it up. This usually softens it adequately for irrigation and occasionally it comes out on it's own. As we work for the NHS we are not allowed to promote any particular company hence oil and soda bic however as long as you use something it is better than nothing. There is very little research about ear wax and products (I doubt drug companies would make a fortune out of wax removal!). We use an electric machine called a propulse 3 which has controls and is safer than a big syringe which used to be used. The NHS Trust has protocols about irrigation because of the risk of damage and we have to follow them in case of complaints. Microsuction is safer but not done in GP surgeries - can be done privately. Boots and Specsavers and probably other companies do both for a fee. We do not perform it "every year" etc which a lot of older men especially think is necessary. Of my patients today - one was going to audiology (funnily enough although the ENT surgeons don't approve of irrigation, the ENT audiologists insist on it!), one had a lot of wax and could hear after and one had no wax at all so the problem was not caused by wax so was not performed as it is outwit protocols. We are not allowed to perform this on anyone under 16 in case of damaging a child's hearing. This is an NHS Trust in Scotland. I hope this helps explain a bit. GP surgeries can decide what they want to do as they are private businesses - some will do it, some not.

I saw my gp for a referral for an audiology test recently. GP checked my ears and said they were clear of wax and sent off the referral. When I went for the hearing test (very soon after) the audiologist said I had wax in one ear so she couldn't test accurately! We made another appointment and she said to soften the wax with oil before getting it syringed at my surgery. I asked if I could use almond oil as I use that on my cuticles when necessary and she said that was fine. Since when the surgery nurse has syringed my ear clear and I have had the hearing test, which showed mild hearing loss in that ear. It still feels as though there is some blockage there though

I used to suffer with very itchy ears, and felt as though I needed a good scouring. I tried Sterimar Audiclean and no more itching. When my nose is congested I use Sterimar Nasal spray, and it seems to help at the first signs of a cold. They are both salt water sprays, and have helped me.

Husband has one of those syringes and thinks they're very good.

Thank you HildajenniJ, I have ordered the syringe and Earol for delivery tomorrow! I will review on here.
Thank you all for your comments and help.

I got it on Amazon greyduster. here's the advert I've only used mine once, but now I'll never need to go back to the surgery for ear syringing. It was so easy to use, and very effective.

My mother has been going through this. We are not hopeful that clearing the ears will improve her deafness much, but there's not much point in getting her tested for a hearing aid until the wax has all been cleared out. She is supposed to squirt Earol in once a day, but is very forgetful about it and also doesn't like doing it.

The GP will then syringe the ears, but it may be the suction method Lazigirl mentioned.

On a recent thread on this subject, one GN (a nurse) said that baking powder was more effective, as it dissolved the wax rather than just softening it. I hope she will come along to this thread and confirm that.

OH has had trouble with his ears too - besides not hearing well he had pain and the GP syringed them and got some wax out. However the ear then got an infection which the GP said the syringing probably caused as they use a slightly disinfected water to do it.(France). We then went to a very good ENT surgeon who after inspection used some noisy machine which gave the ears a great clean out. He had a good look in the ears and told him he had a sort of dermatitis in the canal and in some places the skin was damaged and he could see the bone!! He prescribed a mixture to put into the ears daily and then went back after three months. The mixture had prevented most of the wax coming back and remaining in the ear but it was still not completely healed. We are due to go back again soon.

Yes Teetime. Good reasons why syringing routinely no longer recommended. I took my elderly mum to audiology clinic, she wears a hearing aid, and they used suction to gently remove the wax, after she had used olive oil for a few days.

I too used to need to have my ears syringes pretty regularly but have been told to put olive oil in them very regularly perhaps once or twice a week. This does seem to help and recently I have gone longer between the need for syringes. However different nurses and hearing clinic staff seem to reccomend different amounts. Some say just small drops others say loads?!

The practice of regular syringing was stopped several years ago now on the advice of ENT surgeons who were seeing a lot of damaged ears and research showed syringing was indeed causing scarring and trauma. Syringing is carried out under specific clinical circumstances and not as a routine and only ever after a softener has been used for at least a week. DH suffers the same narrow auditory canal problem as you grandma60 but has extensive damage in one ear now due to a very traumatic syringing on one occasion. He has just come back from the GP having had blocked ears for several months and was told to inhale steam, use a saline nasal spray and be patient.