Impacted Ear Wax :(

[John9514]

Hi all, I'm sadly a new tinnitus sufferer. T started when I had an earwax impaction in November (~3.5 months ago) and got wax removed - Dr. said it was one of the biggest impactions he's seen. Even so, I didn't think ear wax could cause chronic tinnitus? Could this be temporary though after over 3 months of it with no sign of it stopping? Has anyone else experienced prolonged tinnitus after earwax compaction? Did it stop for you? Please help I'm going crazy

 

[Atlantis]

Hi all, I'm sadly a new tinnitus sufferer. T started when I had an earwax impaction in November (~3.5 months ago) and got wax removed - Dr. said it was one of the biggest impactions he's seen. Even so, I didn't think ear wax could cause chronic tinnitus? Could this be temporary though after over 3 months of it with no sign of it stopping? Has anyone else experienced prolonged tinnitus after earwax compaction? Did it stop for you? Please help I'm going crazy

Ear wax impaction can't cause tinnitus... Maybe you listened music too loud

 

[Aaron123]

Ear wax impaction can't cause tinnitus.

From the American Academy of Otolaryngology:

Excessive ear wax, especially if the wax touches the ear drum, causing pressure and changing how the ear drum vibrates, can result in tinnitus.

http://www.entnet.org/content/tinnitus

 

[John9514]

Thank you for your replies.I want to know if it can cause *chronic* T rather than temporary. Anyone know? I can't find an answer online.

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Hi John. I think I am in a similar position to you. My tinnitus started in August last year. The doctor said I had a huge amount of wax in my ears. I started to put olive oil in them twice a day. The tinnitus disappeared after 3 weeks so I stopped using the oil. However, in February, my ears started to feel clogged again and I couldn't hear clearly so I had my ears suctioned (wax removal). Since then (19th February) I have had this constant horrible sound in my right ear. I went to the doctor this week and he said that my left ear is clear of wax but my right ear still has dried wax in it. However, he didn't attempt to remove because he doesn't think that it's the wax that is causing it. He has given me Betahistine Dihydrochloride tablets. He said that if the noise is still there in two weeks time, he will refer me to ENT.

 

[John9514]

Caroline, I hope your T clears up! Let us know how the betahistine works!

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Will do . I am going to continue with the olive oil drops also. It worked last time. Hope yours gets better too.

 

[John9514]

How much olive oil do you use?

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Well it is good news so far. My T was definitely quieter last night and could hardly hear it today. It is coming back, slightly, now though. Not sure if it's the oil or tablets that are helping.

Last August, when my ears were full of wax I used a lot of olive oil; 3 drops every night, morning and sometimes during the day or afternoon. This time I am using two drops just before I go to bed. I am also warming some of the olive oil and putting it on a piece of cotton wool (which I put in my ear). For the drops I use Cerumol olive oil drops from Boots. The olive oil that I warm up and put onto cotton wool is Boots own make (it comes in a decent sized bottle - Olive Oil B.P. 1973). I don't use the Cerumol olive oil to warm up and put on cotton wool because that bottle is tiny and it would be too expensive to do it that way.

I'm wondering if you have also got some wax left in your ear. The oil is worth a try. It doesn't work straight away. I've been using it, this time, for the last week and a half. Also, it can make some weird noises when you put it in your ears.

 

[John9514]

Thanks, Caroline, I'm wondering that too! I'm going to give it a try. I'll let you know if it helps Great news about your T as well! Best of luck.

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Hi John - Have you started using the oil yet? How is that going? I stopped taking the medication today. I think it is making things worse . I started hearing other noises in my good ear (only briefly though). I got really scared so decided not to continue with them. I will have to get in touch with my GP on Wednesday so he can refer me to the ENT. I am still carrying on with the olive oil though. I'm hoping it won't do any harm.

 

[John9514]

Hi Caroline, I decided to wait until my ent appt April 1st to clear the olive oil treatment with the doc. As far as I know, it's perfectly safe but I, too, am scared to do any more damage. I'll keep you posted if there is a change in my condition, hopefully a change for the better you do the same!!

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Yes, that sounds sensible! You managed to get an ENT appointment quickly! Did you go through your GP/NHS? I've heard that the waiting list is about a year here with NHS.

 

[John9514]

I made it a few months ago. Very frustrating how long the wait is!!

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Let us know how the appointment goes. Fingers crossed it is just something simple like earwax

 

[John9514]

Same to you!! Fingers and toes crossed!

 

[RAY]

To stop any wax buildup in future try sodium bicarbonate ear drops use once a week, a couple of drops in the affected ear/ears and job done, tried olive oil, didn't do me any good just made the wax sticky and hard to come out on its own but with SB drops it dissolves the wax so no need for micro suction or any other manual procedures

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Thank you Ray. Will try that

 

[Rust]

To stop any wax buildup in future try sodium bicarbonate ear drops use once a week, a couple of drops in the affected ear/ears and job done, tried olive oil, didn't do me any good just made the wax sticky and hard to come out on its own but with SB drops it dissolves the wax so no need for micro suction or any other manual procedures

@RAY, have you found that the sodium bicarbonate drops have any affect on your tinnitus? My GP has prescribed me them after olive oil drops have failed to remove wax. I am nervous though about using anything that can potentially affect my tinnitus, so any input would be much appreciated! Many thanks
R

 

[RAY]

Hi Rust
I can say that having used SB drops for the past 18 months or so I haven't noticed any increase in my T they do work very well in my case. It took almost a week to get all the wax out of my ears using them in the first instance twice a day, but having got the wax out I keep on top by using them once a week and to date all is fine and my ears are clean the Ear Health clinic where I go every 8 months to get a check up says she has never seen such a clean pair of ears so it must be working . just to add I do wear two hearing aids all day for moderate hearing loss so keeping on top of the wax is a priority for me anyway good luck

 

[Hariz Nonis]

I just applied olive oil into my ear canal. How do I drain it out? Or will it drain out on its own? I really hope to get an answer as I'm new to this

 

[CarolineWelsh]

Hi Hariz. That happened to me. It did drain out eventually. The oil got stuck in there because I had so much wax in my ears. Also, the wax seems to expand when you put the oil in but I think this is normal. You have to keep applying oil for quite a long time. However, I had to have my ear wax micro suctioned by ENT in the end.

 

[bill 112]

Heard somewhere that wax can cause both temporary and chronic T,something to do with excessive pressure on the eardrum?I use to get mine cleaned every 3 months to be safe,apparently wax blockages can be more serious than we think.

 

[Rust]

Hi Rust
I can say that having used SB drops for the past 18 months or so I haven't noticed any increase in my T they do work very well in my case. It took almost a week to get all the wax out of my ears using them in the first instance twice a day, but having got the wax out I keep on top by using them once a week and to date all is fine and my ears are clean the Ear Health clinic where I go every 8 months to get a check up says she has never seen such a clean pair of ears so it must be working . just to add I do wear two hearing aids all day for moderate hearing loss so keeping on top of the wax is a priority for me anyway good luck

Thank you Ray!