ear blockage from wax.. want it fixed!?!
Question: Ear blockage from wax.. want it fixed!?
I was diagnosed with an ear infection about 3 days ago, I was also told that I had alot of excess wax. I have been taking the antibiotics and been doing ear drops that were prescribed. The pain of the infection has started to fade today which is excellent, the only thing is, my ear is completely blocked with wax and I just can't hear anything. Its pretty annoying and I thought the ear drops would fix it but they do barely anything.
Any tips? Thank you so much in advance.
Answers:
It sounds like you have enough wax buildup where you will need to have your ear irrigated. You will need to make an appointment with your doctor to have this done. Having your ears irrigated is a quick procedure in which your physician flushes out your ear canal with warm water or a saline solution. In doing this, the wax is forced out of the ear canal. It is not painful, although it may be a little uncomfortable.
You mentioned that this is affecting your hearing, so I am advising you not to use a Q-tip or any other object to remove the wax, because doing so may make the problem worse, or even cause injury to your eardrum.
The ear drops you were prescribed are most likely to help with the pain in your, not for wax removal, although they may help to soften the wax.
I hope this is helpful and good luck!
You need to soften the wax by placing one or two drops of olive oil in your ear twice a day. When soft, the wax will come out by itself. Never place cotton buds or similar in your ears to try and remove wax, you just push the wax further down the ear canal and cause impaction. You can also damage the ear and cause an infection.
As for syringing and irrigation, this too is not good for your ears. Even an experienced practitioner using the right equipment may cause damage to the ear drum. It's not recommended anymore and I do not know of anyone who offers this service anymore.
Ear wax can be softened by instilling water, mineral oil, baby oil, or glycerin that has been warmed to body temperature into the ear canal. By warming the liquid to body temperature you can avoid discomfort and vertigo which can otherwise occur. Use a softening agent 15 to 30 minutes prior to irrigation or twice daily for five to seven days prior to initiating irrigation.
Choose a position that is comfortable but that leaves the affected ear up and prevents the drops from leaking back out. Pull back on the ear to open the canal and instill several drops into the opening of the canal. You should be able to feel the liquid as it fills the canal. Remain in position for a minimum of five minutes. Then, while holding a cloth to your ear, tilt the affected ear down and allow the liquid to flow out.
Before attempting irrigation, bind your hair up out of the way and place towels around the shoulders, over clothing. With the affected ear tilted down over a basin, use a syringe (the plastic blue bulb syringes work best) to spray body temperature water into the ear canal. Make sure to use a gentle squirting motion to avoid damaging the ear drum. After all the water has drained from the ear canal, use the towel to gently dry the outer ear and ear canal entrance. Then use a hair dryer set on low to blow air past the ear canal to dry the remaining water. Never point the hair dryer directly at your ear.