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Ear wax removal.

personally I would not trust them with my specs let alone my ears , unless i knew exactly what training they had . its a very complex thing requiring updates and competancies . its one of the highest causes of litigation in practice nurses

my good lady had the msifortune to oder her specs from her branch and they did this . they also did it a second time , very very incompetant sadly and they made a lot of errors , i rarely get angry in shops but when i see how she was treated i nearly blew my top in there !!

36437967_1581496601977820_4457202276787814400_n by /url], on Flickr
 
https://www.themdu.com/guidance-and-advice/case-studies/ear-syringing

Cerumen impaction (also known as ear wax) is a common presentation to a general practitioner (GP). Ear syringing is often the treatment of choice, and most GPs see a minimum of two patients per week for ear syringing.1 It is considered by most to be effective and safe. However, 1 in 1000 patients experience major complications following syringing.1 As a consequence, one in five medico-legal cases involving GPs are related to ear syringing.1

This article will discuss the composition of ear wax, why it accumulates, treatment options and potential complications, to assist GPs in safely managing this condition.

knowledge and understanding of normal ear anatomy is essential in the correct management of impacted cerumen with the use of ear syringing. The following is a brief review of the external ear and tympanic membrane anatomy.

The external ear consists of the pinna, ear lobe, conchal bowl and external acoustic meatus (Figure 1A). The blood supply is from branches of the external carotid artery. Innervation of the ear is from multiple nerves including the cervical plexus, trigeminal nerve (CNV), facial nerve (CNVII), glossopharyngeal (CNIX) and vagus nerves (CNX). Side effects of ear syringing, which will be discussed later in this article, involve many of these nerves.

The tympanic membrane faces downwards and laterally (Figure 1B). 
The external auditory canal (EAC) curvature is different in adult and paediatric patients. To visualise the EAC and tympanic membrane in the adult, the pinna should be gently pulled upwards and backwards. In paediatric patients, the pinna should be pulled downwards and backwards.

irrigation, or ear syringing, should be performed only after taking a full history, doing an ear examination and explaining the potential complications to the patient. It is also important to ensure appropriate assembly and use of equipment.12


https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2015/october/ear-wax-management/


 
Micro suction came to my attention on pfm quite a few years ago in a similar thread.
A specialist in London was recommended and I went there. Brilliant.
Since then, had it done locally with great results.
 
Had mine microsuctioned and it was a similar story to the OP’s, night and day difference. I now maintain my ears every week with a boots ear cleaning spray, that’s very good.
 
canonman said:
Micro suction came to my attention on pfm quite a few years ago in a similar thread.
A specialist in London was recommended and I went there. Brilliant.
Since then, had it done locally with great results.
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Any chance you remember who you saw in London?
 
ToTo Man said:
I had a similar 'wow' moment when I got my ears syringed around 8 yrs ago. Coming out of the GP surgery everything sounded like glass shattering into a million pieces, it took a couple of hours for my brain to damp my senses back down (similar to the sensation you get when you remove ear plugs after a gig).

I wouldn't like to have my ears syringed again though as the pressure of the water jet against my ear drum felt like it could rupture it. I've been in 'preventative' mode ever since, periodically dropping some OTC sodium bicarbonate drops in my ears to keep things loose/moving. The bicarb started to irritate and ache after I while so I switched to almond oil drops which I found were gentler.

I've become lazier in recent years and instead of dropping it into my ears I soak a cotton bud with the oil and use that to coat my ear canal after I've cleaned them. (Yes, I know cleaning with cotton buds is considered one of the worst things you can do to your ears but it's a habit I can't break as my ears get intolerably itchy when there's too much wax in them. They also however get intolerably itchy when they're stripped clean of wax, hence the application of almond oil! BTW - I don't do this myself obviously, I get someone else to so they can see exactly where the wax is and remove it whilst avoiding to push any wax further into my ear canal.

I've read about the suction procedure but am worried about the SPL generated by a vacuum that's literally only a few mm's away from your ear drum causing damage to your hearing. I even find the noise generated by an electric shaver uncomfortably loud when doing my sideburns! Mind if I ask which aspect of the procedure you found uncomfortable, was it the noise level or the sensation of a hard object in your ear canal?
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It was just the sensation of having something noisy wiggling around in my ear. Not damaging, just not the most pleasant. 100% worth it though.
 
My ear wax build up got so bad that I completely loss hearing in one ear, and the other was about 20%. ENT doctor had to use a pick, similar to what dentists use to scrape teeth, to remove the wax. It was if someone had shoved a stick of chalk in my ear, and broke it off. About 1 inch long, and 1/4 inch diameter. Too much time playing in the ocean.
 
ToTo Man said:
I had a similar 'wow' moment when I got my ears syringed around 8 yrs ago. Coming out of the GP surgery everything sounded like glass shattering into a million pieces, it took a couple of hours for my brain to damp my senses back down (similar to the sensation you get when you remove ear plugs after a gig).

I wouldn't like to have my ears syringed again though as the pressure of the water jet against my ear drum felt like it could rupture it. I've been in 'preventative' mode ever since, periodically dropping some OTC sodium bicarbonate drops in my ears to keep things loose/moving. The bicarb started to irritate and ache after I while so I switched to almond oil drops which I found were gentler.

I've become lazier in recent years and instead of dropping it into my ears I soak a cotton bud with the oil and use that to coat my ear canal after I've cleaned them. (Yes, I know cleaning with cotton buds is considered one of the worst things you can do to your ears but it's a habit I can't break as my ears get intolerably itchy when there's too much wax in them. They also however get intolerably itchy when they're stripped clean of wax, hence the application of almond oil! BTW - I don't do this myself obviously, I get someone else to so they can see exactly where the wax is and remove it whilst avoiding to push any wax further into my ear canal.

I've read about the suction procedure but am worried about the SPL generated by a vacuum that's literally only a few mm's away from your ear drum causing damage to your hearing. I even find the noise generated by an electric shaver uncomfortably loud when doing my sideburns! Mind if I ask which aspect of the procedure you found uncomfortable, was it the noise level or the sensation of a hard object in your ear canal?
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I get that itch too..I think it's the ear wax and the hair in the ear? So I use audisol and a ear trimmer..but it also could be a yeast thingy? I get itchy flaky scalp and have recently started using a anti fungal shampoo and it's working! So I put some ketoconazole cream onto itchy bit in ear..worked!
 
chainrule said:
My ear wax build up got so bad that I completely loss hearing in one ear, and the other was about 20%. ENT doctor had to use a pick, similar to what dentists use to scrape teeth, to remove the wax. It was if someone had shoved a stick of chalk in my ear, and broke it off. About 1 inch long, and 1/4 inch diameter. Too much time playing in the ocean.
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The guy at Specsavers had to do the same with my right ear, since I'd only been using oil in the left one. Sucking didn't work at first, so he got in there with a little pick to break it up a bit, and then out it came. Glorious.
 
ToTo Man said:
I've been in 'preventative' mode ever since, periodically dropping some OTC sodium bicarbonate drops in my ears to keep things loose/moving. The bicarb started to irritate and ache after I while so I switched to almond oil drops which I found were gentler.
Click to expand...

Otex ear drops have been great for me. no irritation using them periodically, though the softened wax does tend to fall out of your ear unexpectedly so best to rinse after about 20 minutes.
 
I've had my ears cleared via micro vacuum for the last 40 years. I have some pretty damaged eardrums since I was a baby and getting water in the ear has always been problematic, to the extent I was told in no uncertain terms not to get the syringed. I normally go to an ENT specialist to get it done, and the feeling is, indeed glorious.
To the poster worried about a vacuum machine in close proximity to the eardrum, the vacuum unit usually sits in a casing by the floor, and it's just a large section blunt needle on the end of a tube that goes into the ear. I have a mini version at home for clearing out wax/residue from IEMs - and tempted as I have been to try it in an ear, I have managed to resist!
 
I had bad and painful issues with my ears as a kid/teenager, infections, blockages etc, and ended up having them syringed many times. To be honest I’d not recommend it unless it is absolutely medically necessary as, as I understand it, once you start on that path the ear starts to over-produce wax and you end up in a loop of having to have your ears syringed quite regularly, which is not good. I’ve managed to get back to a healthy balance over the intervening decades and never need anything more than a few drops of a gentle olive oil solution now and again (this Earol is excellent and totally safe).

PS Yes, the treble gain after syringing blocked ears is amazing, I remember rushing home as a teenager to listen to my then new hi-fi system and being amazed!
 
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mercalia said:
Maybe vaccuum cleaners need to have an attachment?
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Or RCMs be adapted to thoroughly clean and abstract to give you a groovy kind of ear.

A few years ago, after dire reactions from a concurrent flu and pneumonia jab, I ended up after many tests and consultations etc. in a scan machine on a Friday afternoon. The noise I experienced was like nothing before; so bad it shocked me into moving and the Neanderthal attendant then re-started the sequence, but didn't tell me. It seemed to go on forever. With hindsight, it was probably more sensation than spls, but it shook me at the time, so I decided to remain partially deaf until now as the lesser of two weevils. ;)

Having been told at the time by Specsavers' auditory unit and my doctor that no wax was evident, I've often wondered, as my ear canal is particularly narrow and convoluted (meaning that identifying wax via the usual ways may may not have assessed the situation 100%).

This Specsavers (my spec's suppliers) removal treatment looks interesting and affordable but surely, a build-up of wax must be evidenced beforehand?
 
Mike Reed said:
This Specsavers (my spec's suppliers) removal treatment looks interesting and affordable but surely, a build-up of wax must be evidenced beforehand?
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The session involves looking into your ear with a camera at the start, and at the end. If there's no wax to be seen then they won't go ahead and you won't get charged. In my case, there was quite literally a wall of wax in front of the ear drum. I couldn't say "shut up and take my money" fast enough.

Edit: And waking up this morning with 100% clear hearing rather than waiting for half an hour for my left ear to go "..... schhhLOP" was an absolute revelation. Happy days.
 
Micro-suction of the ears will be a great help in improving audio quality only when there's significant wax build up in your ear(s) as experienced by the OP here. Otherwise, it will be negligible or zero effect to audio improvement.

Several years ago I went to the ENT doctor after one of my ears had a blocked sensation. The doctor removed the hardened wax from one of my ears. When I had a look at it, the pea-sized wax looked pretty huge, black in colour. My ears were instantly refreshed after the cleaning session with a nice airy feeling. Back home, the audio surely sounded different, crystal clear sound!

My experience is you don't need to have your ears periodically cleaned if one practices good cleaning habits. I used to clean the inside of my ears with body shampoo but don't do that anymore. I now just clean the outside of the ears and prevent water or shampoo from going into the ears. During my last visit to the ENT doctor, I requested for a Micro-suction although the doctor didn't find my ears to be clogged. After the session, it did appear that my ears were rather clean. No wax build up. Back home, no difference in audio quality.

In summary, what I think is with proper ear cleaning at home, the ears won't get clogged easily and it is not necessary to clean the ears with syringing or visit your local ENT doctor annually for a micro-suction. However, I appreciate that everyone is different and some people may experience more wax buildup than others.
 
Ear wax can be a massive problem. I advise getting some H202 and diluting it in a syringe and using this to fix your ears. Only quite low concentration. My experience is having totally blocked ears following Uni which I fixed with a syringe, and some years later using h202 and finding a good improvement (like changing speakers improvement).

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR EARS. GP surgeries can mess them up. Be careful!
 
Millennium said:
Ear wax can be a massive problem. I advise getting some H202 and diluting it in a syringe and using this to fix your ears. Only quite low concentration. My experience is having totally blocked ears following Uni which I fixed with a syringe, and some years later using h202 and finding a good improvement (like changing speakers improvement).

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR EARS. GP surgeries can mess them up. Be careful!
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I am sure Trump would suggest using some bleach or drain cleaner? ;)
why do we have ear wax? it must serve some purpose?
 
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