Spike from Wax Build-Up

[theekarwash]

Hey guys. I was just at the doc and it seems my ear with the spike is full of wax. They want to syringe my ears on Thursday following two days of olive oil treatment. I'm VERY apprehensive about getting my ears syringed. I got it done 6 months before I had T and I hated it, and I've heard various horror stories of people's tinnitus getting worse following syringing. What do you think my options are? Try olive oil for a few days and see if it helps? I'll ask if they can manually remove it but I'm not holding out much hope. In Ireland it takes months if not years (it took me 13 months) to see an ENT so that's not an option right now. What should I do guys? Syringing sounds very scary to me right now, I need advice. Sorry for spamming the support page lately by the way, I know we're all suffering, I just need some advice and reassurance, thanks a lot.

 

[baz 22]

You could pay to see a private one, north or south of the border.

 

[Dana]

Not too long ago an unbearable spike began in my right ear.
My only hope was that this unbearable spike was due to impacted earwax
I was right.
Went to a private ENT, took the earwax out, I got instant relief.
So yes, earwax accumulation can press on the eardrum and can be the cause of T stepping to another level, maybe too loud to bear, and the removal of the earwax can solve the problem, but removing it by syringing is so risky! Ley's not forget that we are on a forum created by a person who got T because of bad syringing, and there are other members who got their T from bad syringing.

My earwax removal procedure in the ENT office started with vacuuming with an instrument which had a thinner tube than other tubes I had inserted in my ear canal at other ENT'S. That just dislodged the plug a little, the rest of the job was done putting a metal funnel into my ear canal for protection and, while watching everything through a microscope, moving more the wax plug (it was then that I started to hear better with that ear) and eventually pulling it out with some kind of a tweezer instrument.

So there are other less riskier methods to remove wax.

I would like to advice you, but how could I do that, you are in Ireland and I am in another country, I do not know much about Ireland.

You want reassurance. Cannot do that. Syringing is indeed dangerous.
You need advice.

If I were you I wouldn't risk syringing, I would pay for a private doctor to do it with a method different to syringing, like the method I described, or I would ask a pharmacyst about what products they may have for wax removal at home. In my country there are some sprays and also some eardrops that help the wax plug to come out (I guess they soften it, therefore dislodge it .Naturally, the wax should be pushed outward by the permanent skin renewal of the outer ear canal, but that doesn'T happen with impacted earwax)


Try this

http://www.earex.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKE...K3ZkyOlOu6M2hXMmjpZkFHNhBmY-m5KtWEhoChmTw_wcB

Or look for something else on the Internet.
Better safe than sorry.

 

[Dana]

http://m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ear-Wax

 

[Dana]

As you can see in the video in the above link, to put olive oil, or in general vegetable oil, is a bad idea, as it can stay there and get rancid ( you may argue that there is no time for it to get rancid, but I still think it's a bad method, not indicated for earwax softening. I softened wax before removal with H2O2, called "oxygenated water" in some places, although it's not a correct name. You can try softening with a combination of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water, or vinegar and water, like they tell you in the above links.

 

[theekarwash]

As you can see in the video in the above link, to put olive oil, or in general vegetable oil, is a bad idea, as it can stay there and get rancid ( you may argue that there is no time for it to get rancid, but I still think it's a bad method, not indicated for earwax softening. I soften war wax before removal with H2O2, called "oxygenated water" in some places, although it's not a correct name. You can try softening with a combination of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water, or vinegar and water, like they tell you in the above links.

Wow thanks for all the advice! Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to afford a private ENT appointment so I think I'll just try ear drops at home for a week and see if that works, I hope it does.

 

[Dana]

@glynis
Hi, Glynis. How you would advice this boy? He's from Ireland, far away from my country, maybe you have better advices, as you are from UK, so much closer to Ireland.
I hope I didn'T bother you much, as I know you like to help people.

 

[glynis]

Thank you @Dana anytime xxx.

Microsuction is a safer way for wax removal if you have tinnitus and wax removal drops or olive oil in a special bottle with dropper from the chemist prior to treatment as the ear drum itself can get crusted up.
Srynging is ok and not like the old days and only takes a minute and again you need to put oil drops in prior to treatment.
Nothing to be worried about as long as you soften the wax first...lots of love glynis

 

[Dana]

I would agree that the softer the earwax gets, the less dangerous the syringing becomes, because a smaller force is needed, and once the water thrusted gets, after softening, a small space to pass by the earwax plug and get underneath it, is much easier. Or if the softening solution is so good that the plug is not hard anymore, the syringing becomes more like washing than prying. But I would try to soften it with eardrops from the pharmacy or diluted hydrogen peroxide or diluted vinegar, not olive oil.

 

[Karl28]

My ent just scraped it out with a hook thing

 

[theekarwash]

I would agree that the softer the earwax gets, the less dangerous the syringing becomes, because a smaller force is needed, and once the water thrusted gets, after softening, a small space to pass by the earwax plug and get underneath it, is much easier. Or if the softening solution is so good that the plug is not hard anymore, the syringing becomes more like washing than prying. But I would try to soften it with eardrops from the pharmacy or diluted hydrogen peroxide or diluted vinegar, not olive oil.

Thank you @Dana anytime xxx.

Microsuction is a safer way for wax removal if you have tinnitus and wax removal drops or olive oil in a special bottle with dropper from the chemist prior to treatment as the ear drum itself can get crusted up.
Srynging is ok and not like the old days and only takes a minute and again you need to put oil drops in prior to treatment.
Nothing to be worried about as long as you soften the wax first...lots of love glynis

So you think syringing may not damage my ears further? I'm still really apprehensive about it honestly.

 

[dboy]

So you think syringing may not damage my ears further? I'm still really apprehensive about it honestly.

I had a bad experience. The gp insisted it was 'irrigation' rather than syringing because it used a little machine to pump water gently into my ear. Caused me a lot of discomfort and louder tinnitus and was part of a chain of events that put my ear health in freefall. Sorry to disagree with Glynis - just giving my personal experience.

I put olive oil in my ears regularly, but never had any problem with that (as far as I know). Seems to just keep the wax moving. I did however find using peroxide eardrops caused my tinnitus to get a lot louder, although it seemed to go down again after a few weeks. Manual removal with small instruments by a sympathetic doctor is the best option in my experience... if it is available. Sorry if this is all confusing - we seem to have different experiences.

 

[glynis]

Make sure you use wax drops or olive oil a few days before to soften the wax and I can't see their being a problem.
With either one you can get a spike for a day or two but should not cause you problems long term.
Try not to worry ....
It is important to soften the wax first to soften and crusted wax on your ear drum...lots of love glynis

 

[theekarwash]

Make sure you use wax drops or olive oil a few days before to soften the wax and I can't see their being a problem.
With either one you can get a spike for a day or two but should not cause you problems long term.
Try not to worry ....
It is important to soften the wax first to soften and crusted wax on your ear drum...lots of love glynis

Do you think just using ear drops on their own would work to clear out the wax? I've started using Cerumol.

 

[glynis]

If you use it every day for at least two weeks you can ask for your ears to be checked after and then if not clear you get it removed .
Then at least you tried your self.
Dont get poking cotton buds down your ears though....lots of love glynis

 

[theekarwash]

I had a bad experience. The gp insisted it was 'irrigation' rather than syringing because it used a little machine to pump water gently into my ear. Caused me a lot of discomfort and louder tinnitus and was part of a chain of events that put my ear health in freefall. Sorry to disagree with Glynis - just giving my personal experience.

I put olive oil in my ears regularly, but never had any problem with that (as far as I know). Seems to just keep the wax moving. I did however find using peroxide eardrops caused my tinnitus to get a lot louder, although it seemed to go down again after a few weeks. Manual removal with small instruments by a sympathetic doctor is the best option in my experience... if it is available. Sorry if this is all confusing - we seem to have different experiences.

Did you soften the wax prior to syringing?

 

[dboy]

Yes, with olive oil if I remember correctly.

 

[theekarwash]

Went to see a nurse today and she said the wax is starting to soften after two days of ear drops. I've also found a place that does microsuction nearby which I may consider. Still contemplating what to do though, have had quite a bit of pain in the affected ear after running in the cold yesterday.

 

[Tweaker]

Went to see a nurse today and she said the wax is starting to soften after two days of ear drops. I've also found a place that does microsuction nearby which I may consider. Still contemplating what to do though, have had quite a bit of pain in the affected ear after running in the cold yesterday.

What did you decide in the end? how did it turn out for you?

 

[william adams]

My ENT had me put peroxide in both ears twice a day for a week and then he microsuctioned them out. The microsuction was extremely loud and uncomfortable and the he used a metal instrument to get a stubborn piece of wax. I had a spike for a week after that and wasnt happy with the procedure. My wife cleaned her own doing the peroxide for a week 5 minutes in each ear twice a day and then bought an ear syringe and the wax came out and wasnt unpleasant.