Ear Wax Removal - take care clinic

[easysurfer]

I had to get ear wax removed again. This time not at the doctor's office as before but at a Walgreens Take Care Clinic. The process was similar, but instead of one big flush like at the doctor's office, this procedure was more of several little squirts with later removal. Total time, about 30 minutes and now I feel reborn again .

I suppose I'm one of the "lucky ones" (sarcastically said) as this was the second time in 4 months that I neeed the "oil change" . The person at the clinic said, all I really need to do is use hydrogen peroxide about once a week to clean out the earwax that way. Then I won't have to come back. I'll have to really consider that.

 

[powerplay]

There's also Debrox ear drops, but hydrogen peroxide is much more LBYM. Glad you got the issue taken care of at Wags.

 

[Major Tom]

The first signs I get that I need to dig out the hydrogen peroxide and warm-water bulb squoosher are when water gets caught in my ear while showering.

About 20 years ago, when I were t' young lad (badly attempts British northern accent), I went to a doctor to have my earwax removed. The wax was badly impacted, but it came out after a few hours of trying. The doctor also told me that I had an immaturely-shaped ear canal. It didn't mean much to me at the time, except making me the fodder for some silly jokes.

A few weeks ago, I was reading in a magazine in a doctor's office that if you have an immature ear canal, it can cause hearing problems along the lines of difficulty figuring out what people are saying if they are not looking at you while talking, or if they have an accent different from the one(s) you are used to. That describes my problem with hearing to a tee, and it was quite a relief to have it explained to me. My SO gets a bit fed-up having to repeat herself when we're in conversation, but she's kind of used to it by now. At least I know what causes the breakdown of my "fuzzy logic".

 

[easysurfer]

There's also Debrox ear drops, but hydrogen peroxide is much more LBYM. Glad you got the issue taken care of at Wags.

I've been using Debrox. Had sucess in the past but not much recently. I'm gonna try to peroxide in the future.

 

[haha]

A few weeks ago, I was reading in a magazine in a doctor's office that if you have an immature ear canal, it can cause hearing problems along the lines of difficulty figuring out what people are saying if they are not looking at you while talking, or if they have an accent different from the one(s) you are used to. That describes my problem with hearing to a tee, and it was quite a relief to have it explained to me. My SO gets a bit fed-up having to repeat herself when we're in conversation, but she's kind of used to it by now. At least I know what causes the breakdown of my "fuzzy logic".

Maybe I have that problem too. I cannot understand British English, on TV at least, other than the posh BBC accent. The rest I could get better if it were French or Spanish. Did I ever have trouble with Trainspotting!

Ha

 

[Major Tom]

Maybe I have that problem too. I cannot understand British English, on TV at least, other than the posh BBC accent. The rest I could get better if it were French or Spanish. Did I ever have trouble with Trainspotting!

Ha

You're not alone ha. Some of the regional dialects, particularly from the north, sound almost like a foreign language to this Worcestershire lad

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been doing DIY ear irrigation for years with hydrogen peroxide. I use a diluted solution of 1 part peroxide (already a 5% solution) to 3 or 4 parts of water.

It is not for ear wax, but rather to cure ear canal itchiness caused by hay fever. Still, the side-effect is that my ear canals are always clean, and I can hear a pin drop!

 

[omni550]

I have been doing DIY ear irrigation for years with hydrogen peroxide. I use a diluted solution of 1 part peroxide (already a 5% solution) to 3 or 4 parts of water.

It is not for ear wax, but rather to cure ear canal itchiness caused by hay fever. Still, the side-effect is that my ear canals are always clean, and I can hear a pin drop!

How do you instill this into your ear? Just a few drops? Pour it in? Some other method?

omni

 

[LOL!]

My mom cleaned our ears out with H2O2 back in the early 60s. We don't do it as much with our kids, but it is a well-known method. Put it in with an eyedropper.

 

[Redbugdave]

I have never had my ears plugged up with wax, so I don't understand how you can have it happen in the first place. Don't you guys run warm water in your ears while in the shower to clean your ears once in a while? When your ears get plugged, other than gradual hearing loss, do they itch or what? I occasionally take a bobby pin and carefully clean my ear canals out if I get an itch...

 

[Amethyst]

Gaaaah! Sounds like an excellent way to give yourself an infection!

I was taught never to put anything smaller than my elbow into my ear canal.

A.

I occasionally take a bobby pin and carefully clean my ear canals out ...

 

[NW-Bound]

OK, I guess I have to tell y'all more about my DIY method...

I occasionally take a bobby pin and carefully clean my ear canals out if I get an itch...

Well, as mentioned earlier, my hay fever (allergy) often causes my ear canals to itch. I used to scratch it with a tooth pick and once caused an infection.

No, don't do that! See my safe method below.

How do you instill this into your ear? Just a few drops? Pour it in? Some other method?

omni

Umm... I use my Water Pik (for dental cleaning and gum irrigation) to squirt the solution into the ears. The sizzling of the peroxide instantly stops the itch (for me at least). Ahh, what a relief!

Then, I would go lay down, so that the bubbling solution would drain itself out. If one uses just plain water, it may stay against the ear drum for a long time, affects the hearing (just like when one goes swimming and gets water in the ears), and drives one insane until it dries out.

Running the peroxide solution occasionally through the Water Pik also sanitizes it.

I used to have a little ear irrigation kit sold in drug stores. It had a little bulb to squirt the provided solution into the ear. This solution had glycerine, as it was a bit oily. One can buy that, then switches to the cheaper and plentiful hydrogen peroxide solution once the provided solution is exhausted.

Again, I do not use the 5% hydrogen peroxide solution straight from the bottle, but dilute it 1-to-4 with water.

 

[Moemg]

My SO gets a bit fed-up having to repeat herself when we're in conversation, but she's kind of used to it by now. At least I know what causes the breakdown of my "fuzzy logic".

Most guys have this problem . It is not ear wax . It is years of tuning us out so you can watch sports on TV .

 

[haha]

Most guys have this problem . It is not ear wax . It is years of tuning us out so you can watch sports on TV .

Once I had an earache from swimming in a duck-polluted lake. My insurance had a big deductible so I decided to cure it myself by putting a mashed garlic clove down there. It didn't get any better so I enventually had to see a doctor anyway. His tech started irrigating my ear so he could see in, and out came the garlic clove. He says, Hmm, what's this

I felt embarassed, and never put any more garlic in my ear. However I do still use it when I go out on the Olympic Peninsula, to keep the vampires away.

Ha

 

[NW-Bound]

LOL!

I was surprised that the doctor didn't say "Ah hah, this garlic must be the cause of your ear ache!"

 

[NW-Bound]

OK, I am not the only one who has discovered another use for Water Pik. See the link below, which also tells one probably more than one wants to know about ear wax.

By the way, there are cases where one should not irrigate one's ears, such as having a perforated ear drum, etc...

Ear Wax

 

[Amethyst]

From the link:
"Two populations are known to have a high incidence of excessive/impacted cerumen: individuals with mental retardation and the elderly. (Roeser et al, 1997)."

So...which is it, earwax-impacted folks? (I am pleased to announce that I have hardly any ear wax, according to my doctor ).

Amethyst

 

[Major Tom]

From the link:
"Two populations are known to have a high incidence of excessive/impacted cerumen: individuals with mental retardation and the elderly. (Roeser et al, 1997)."

So...which is it, earwax-impacted folks?

Amethyst

Well I've been having to deal with build-ups of earwax since my 20's, so I guess that only leaves one possibility............

 

[NW-Bound]

From the link:
"Two populations are known to have a high incidence of excessive/impacted cerumen: individuals with mental retardation and the elderly. (Roeser et al, 1997)."

Strange phenomenon, oui? How does one explain that?

So...which is it, earwax-impacted folks?

The two factors do not have to be mutually exclusive, you know?

(I am pleased to announce that I have hardly any ear wax, according to my doctor )

Don't be so quick to dance, my lady. You'll get one of the attributes, if not sooner then later.

 

[73ss454]

Once while on vacation Hawaii DW and I were swimming in the hotel pool and I started to get a strange feeling in one of my ears. It was annoying me enough to take a trip to the Dr.. He tried to irrigate it and the wax refused to come out. So he said he had an idea and came back with a water pic. Kind of strange but the wax came out and DW and I went back to the pool.