Earlug Crap !!

[mikmas]

Why were we gifted with earwax!!
My hearing's not the best on a good day but the last week listening to hifi has been a complete waste of time.
Resorted to olive oil ear drops this evening in anticipation of a visit to the nurse for a scrape out.

Anyone know of any other remedies or substances that work for regular maintenance?

[Svend N]

https://10j3g049wux115njj73utex1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/themes/drain-doctor/images/logo.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqi5AfkD30J0cnmgON9XIH73nnwwxw2 BtZac_fgfOEQiiiBY-k

:D

[mikeyb]

Your elbow ?

[Stratmangler]

Follow the procedure 55 seconds in

UNvcysI4zwE

[mikmas]

Thanks for all the very useful suggestions chaps - will definitely try them :lol:

.. keep 'em coming

[Len Co]

Hopi candles - may as well singe that thatch growing inside your lugs while you're at it!

[Pigmy Pony]

Thanks for the tip Mark, it worked a treat -it did both ears at the same time! Left me with a bit of a headache though.

Oh wait, the label says 'roman candle'. Came in a box with another hopi candle called 'depth charge'. Might try that one next time :)

[ReggieB]

I had problems with earwax for a while. The cure for me was to stop using cotton buds to clean my ears. It turned out, all they were doing was compressing wax into the deepest part of my ear. Since I've stopped using them, and just let nature do its job, my earwax problems have gone away.

[Sherwood]

A couple of these fellows should sort you out! Not sure they stop eating when the wax is gone though!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/25/plastic-eating-bugs-wax-moth-caterpillars-bee

Geoff

[Minstrel SE]

should we get our ears washed out then? I use cotton buds but do we need to go swimming and stuff to give our outer ears a good swilling out?

I might go and get my ears checked. I dont like going to the doctor though

[Len Co]

Ear syringes don't get much of a look in these days but when I was a kid there were always 2 or 3 hanging about in the sideboard drawers. Can be very effective and somewhat ornamental if left casually on the coffee table, great conversation pieces!

[Oddball]

I use a small ear wax scraper . Usually after a good hot bath and a soak under the water for a fair few minutes !!
But I dont recommend it for everyone . The scraper is like a small metal spoon and you need to be really really careful. Plus , a soak for someone with a plug of wax may trap bugs / bacteria in the ear canal and cause you to get an ear infection!!

[Len Co]

I heard a rumour Dyson are working on an attachment for the hand held model.

[Stratmangler]

I use cotton buds

Don't!
Just don't - you shouldn't be using anything that can reach that far inside your ear.

[mikmas]

Well - seems things of moved on since the last time I went for a squirt and scrape. Our local NHS practice had ditched wax removal all together since the nurse with the long finger nail retired :lol:

I now have to wait (possibly weeks) for an appointment at the hospital where my wax will be 'micro-suctioned' out - a process which (as usual) is actually scarier than it sounds. Apparently an entire film crew goes in armed with a vacuum pump and you get to see all the action on a monitor while they excavate the gunk.
Makes the whole London fatberg thing sound like a side show...

Incidentally - one thing I have learnt in the decades dealing with this shenanigans is to never, ever stick anything solid like a cotton bud, hair clip or scraper in your lug in an attempt to DIY the job :nono: ... not if you like the joy your hifi brings.

[walpurgis]

How about submersing each ear in turn into an ultrasonic cleaner bath? ;)

[RobbieGong]

Well - seems things of moved on since the last time I went for a squirt and scrape. Our local NHS practice had ditched wax removal all together since the nurse with the long finger nail retired :lol:

I now have to wait (possibly weeks) for an appointment at the hospital where my wax will be 'micro-suctioned' out - a process which (as usual) is actually scarier than it sounds. Apparently an entire film crew goes in armed with a vacuum pump and you get to see all the action on a monitor while they excavate the gunk.
Makes the whole London fatberg thing sound like a side show...

Incidentally - one thing I have learnt in the decades dealing with this shenanigans is to never, ever stick anything solid like a cotton bud, hair clip or scraper in your lug in an attempt to DIY the job :nono: ... not if you like the joy your hifi brings.

Absolutely ! not worth the agg' not only are you packing the wax tightly further into your ear, (effectively making matters worse), one slip and ...... :eek:

[hifinutt]

ears are very precious , having done a good many ear syringes [ which is very satisfying but nerve wracking as a major source of litigation]

some good guidelines here

Don't use your fingers or any objects like cotton buds to remove earwax. This will push it in and make it worse.

Earwax usually falls out on its own. If it doesn't and blocks your ear, put 2 to 3 drops of olive or almond oil in your ear twice a day for a few days.

Over 2 weeks lumps of earwax should fall out of your ear, especially at night when you're lying down.

There's no evidence that ear candles or ear vacuums get rid of earwax

Speak to a pharmacist about earwax build-up. They can give advice and suggest treatments.

They might recommend chemical drops to dissolve the earwax. The earwax should fall out on its own or dissolve after about a week.

Don't use drops if you have a hole in your eardrum (a perforated eardrum).

Not all GP practices remove earwax
Some can:

flush the wax out with water (ear irrigation)
suck the wax out (microsuction)
These treatments are usually painless. You might have to pay to have them done privately.

Preventing earwax build-up
You can't prevent earwax. It's there to protect your ears from dirt and germs.

But you can keep using ear drops to soften the wax. This will help it fall out on its own and should prevent blocked ears.

Causes of earwax
You might have earwax build-up because:

you just have more wax in your ears – some people do naturally
you have hairy or narrow canals (the tubes that link the eardrum and outer ear)
of your age – wax gets harder and more difficult to fall out
of hearing aids, earplugs and other things you put in your ear – these can push the wax further in
How to tell if your ear is blocked with earwax
You can have:

earache
difficulty hearing
itchiness
dizziness
an ear infection
sounds such as high-pitched tones coming from inside the ear (tinnitus)
Once the earwax is removed, these symptoms usually improve. If they don't, see the nurse at your GP practice.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/

[struth]

oddly, or maybe not, ive been using ear buds most of my life. doc says ive got nice clean ears(i dont tell him lol) just have to be careful and not just bung it in..i get an ear spray due to a long time dermatitis thing i got at work. the ear buds help with that too, but dont have to use it so much now.
i wouldnt advise anyone to follow suit tho, as it is tricky to do it right.

[mad-moon]

Otex

you should not insert anything smaller than your finger...in your ear

[struth]

Otomize ear spray currently, and its the best one ive been on i think.

[Pigmy Pony]

Interesting that Phil (hifinutt) mentions high-pitched tones as a symptom of blocked ears.

I had my ears syringed a couple of years ago, as I was almost deaf in one ear. Ever since then I've had a high-pitched whistling. Remember the high frequency tone that used to come from televisions when turned on? Exactly like that.

I only used to get that noise after a night at a concert or a rave. Now it's all the time. :(

[mikmas]

Decided to go private and have now booked for Monday to have the wax microsuctioned, can't really deal with waiting weeks for NHS :steam:

Was recommended by the Practice Nurse so should be OK - and £45 ain't going to bust the bank balance (less than I would spend on a new stylus..)

[struth]

https://hearology.uk/img/blog/cartoon.jpg

:D

[Audio Al]

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/

[Oddball]

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/

Good on you Al ;)

[mikmas]

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/

Yup - that was posted earlier by hifinut :)

Hate to say it, but the advice on that NHS page contains contradictions that could cause more confusion than clarity :(

[hifinutt]

Decided to go private and have now booked for Monday to have the wax microsuctioned, can't really deal with waiting weeks for NHS :steam:

Was recommended by the Practice Nurse so should be OK - and £45 ain't going to bust the bank balance (less than I would spend on a new stylus..)

hopefully you are using something to soften the wax prior to this

[mikmas]

hopefully you are using something to soften the wax prior to this

Yep - been doing olive oil ear drops for just over a week now :)

[mikmas]

Just a bit of an update on this .. and a repeat of the warnings about sticking stuff in your ear :(

Had the microsuction biz last week and was utterly gobsmacked by the amount of skunky looking evil gunge that came out - bloke reckoned much of it had been in a long time too; previous efforts with syringing had not delivered the goods it seemed (which I kind of suspected) and I had compounded it by poking around with my finger trying to pick it out :doh:

Added to this was his conclusion that the ear was also infected - apparently a result of water creeping under the impacted wax and providing a breeding ground for bacteria so have just completed a week of treatment with Otomize spray which seems to have done the trick.

On top if all this, he also noted that there was a build up of gunk in the middle ear preventing the ear drum from responding so I've also been doing steam inhalation with added menthol crystals... according to the nurse this could take anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks to have an effect :(

In short. not much joy to be had with music appreciation of late - just glad that there is some light at the end of the tunnel and I can at least hear stuff around me without added boom, random echo or crashing waterfall sound effects :lol:

[alphaGT]

There is a product on the shelf, “Murine Ear Wash Kit”. It has a bottle of hydrogen peroxide gel, and a squeeze bulb to shoot warm water in your ear. I’ve used it many times, about every 6 months or so, and am always amazed at the large gob of wax that comes out. I sure as heck don’t want big balls of wax just falling out when they feel like it! Who knows where you may be when it happens? But it’s perfectly safe, and completely effective.

Russell

[Pigmy Pony]

After using your ear wash kit, put on some headphones (not your best ones) and play a Kanye West CD. That should work a treat, as his music really sucks :D

[Audio Al]

After using your ear wash kit, put on some headphones (not your best ones) and play a Kanye West CD. That should work a treat, as his music really sucks :D

:exactly::lolsign:

[struth]

Just a bit of an update on this .. and a repeat of the warnings about sticking stuff in your ear :(

Had the microsuction biz last week and was utterly gobsmacked by the amount of skunky looking evil gunge that came out - bloke reckoned much of it had been in a long time too; previous efforts with syringing had not delivered the goods it seemed (which I kind of suspected) and I had compounded it by poking around with my finger trying to pick it out :doh:

Added to this was his conclusion that the ear was also infected - apparently a result of water creeping under the impacted wax and providing a breeding ground for bacteria so have just completed a week of treatment with Otomize spray which seems to have done the trick.

On top if all this, he also noted that there was a build up of gunk in the middle ear preventing the ear drum from responding so I've also been doing steam inhalation with added menthol crystals... according to the nurse this could take anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks to have an effect :(

In short. not much joy to be had with music appreciation of late - just glad that there is some light at the end of the tunnel and I can at least hear stuff around me without added boom, random echo or crashing waterfall sound effects :lol:

Otomize is very good. Ive been on it for a few years