Earplug Causing Infection

I have a -20dB musician's earplug with the triple-flange design. This morning I was at an event which was a constant 80dB so I had them in as a preventive measure. Now they might have been dirty or I don't know what, but after taking them out I noticed that the inside of my left ear felt "scratched" and now there's increasing pain in it, like it's getting inflamed. I just cannot win. No earplugs - risk of damage, earplugs - risk of infection.

Just wanted to vent.

I was scheduled to go to a get-together tonight, it's super cold and rainy outside, guess I'm skipping it because the last thing this ear needs now is cold, moisture and a loud bar...

 

Try the pro plugs.
love glynis

 

Actually I've decided to get custom-molded silicone plugs. Those should be perfectly smooth, no potential to scratch the skin. Also very easy to disinfect (I have an isopropyl alcohol spray handy, a few puffs of that should kill any microbe).

I just hope the ear infection goes away without spiking the tinnitus

 

First of all, you do not know that you have an ear infection - it could simply be an irritation.

Second, ear infections come in multiple varieties: the one you could legitimately be worried about with your ear plugs are outer ear infections (ie in the canal), which can generally be treated with topical drops.

These are less worrisome than middle ear infections (otitis media), which are probably even less worrisome than inner ear infections (those can cause irreversible damage to your inner ear).

So in short: relax, and if you are concerned, go see a doc so they can examine your ear canal with an otoscope.

 

Thanks a lot for that, @GregCA . I'll have a beer and chill out.

I spend a fortune on supplements and exercise and meditation and all sorts of stuff that's said to make immune systems stronger, hopefully it will now pay the investment back.

 

I'm kind of an expert on outer ear infections, unfortunately. If it's just sore, it's probably just inflamed and a little rest and relaxation will fix it. You will most definitely know if it's getting worse because there will be pain and possibly drainage that will keep you up at night. But at this point, it's probably just irritation and a signal that you should stop using earplugs and buy a pair of noise canceling headphones. Also, if by chance it does turn into a fungal infection the most common drops (like clotrimazole) shouldn't have any effect on your hyperacusis or tinnitus.

 

Thanks @BuzzyBee . What made you have recurring infections?

Update: a night has passed since my original post. I could sleep decently and although the ear pain is still there it went down noticeably, so it seems to be on the right track. I'll remain in the apartment today as well to avoid exposing it to winter cold and hopefully it will heal by Monday.

 

You may want to rinse the plug after you do the above, as isopropyl alcohol might be ototoxic...

 

Sounds like its healing and on the right track!

The reason I get so many infections is because my ear canal doesn't produce wax or clean itself. Irritation causes skin build-up and aspergillus (which is a pretty common mold) grows.

The good news is that if your ear canal does get worse and you do have to get drops, the drops shouldn't affect your tinnitus if your eardrum is intact.

 

I’m in a similar position as you.

Last Saturday I got my ears suctioned as they were both blocked with wax. 3 bottles of olive oil just wouldn’t cut it to ‘self clean’.

Anyway, one ear got irritated and imflamed. Went to the walk in the next day and had it confirmed. Painful but after al7 days the pain is gone.

I still feel some ear fullness and a sensation that air is “escaping from my head” but not as bad as it was.

Hoping it continues to get better. According to the net the prognosis of war inflammation is very good and responds well to treatment but will probably just clear up on its own accord.

I also feel my hearing is slightly muffled, very slightly though that I hope is just the result of imflamation.

 

Throw your plugs in the pocket of your pants, wash pants in the laundry.

 

This has happened to me... I wear plugs while driving my race car. I think it's just inflammation, as I have not had an ear infection since I was a kid. You should be okay, just keep an eye out for any other symptoms.

 

Update again: it's now Monday, irritation/infection began on Saturday morning. It is still there but continues to heal.

As I'm 99% sure that it was caused by the flanges scratching the delicate skin within the ear, I've already reserved an appointment to get custom-molded musician's silicone plugs with -25dB attenuation, and until those are ready I've switched to wax plugs.

Thanks - fortunately isopropyl alcohol dries up very quickly (it's the same stuff that's sprayed on you before getting an injection) so there shouldn't be any residue. Only dead bacteria. Haha.

Hope your infection continues to heal! Also, please be careful with suctions, there have been some bad experiences around this forum with those. If you ask the doc he can also do wax removal with a little spade-like thingy which is much quieter.

Ah, the magic washing machine! I just recently realized that you can also just throw in dirty shoes and get them out clean. Much simpler than doing it manually.

Best of luck to you, too. Ears are delicate little things...

 

When you get mold, what is it like? Do you feel a constant itch? My girl's complaining that her ear canals have been terribly itchy (but not painful or inflamed) for weeks and I'm trying to figure out what's causing it while she's waiting for her appointment with the doc. Could it be fungal?

 

I normally just use foam earplugs and after usage throw them away, but nontheless i sometimes feel a bit of irritation in my outer ear canals. But mostly it resolves the next day.

Getting now some smaller custom molded earplugs for less loud stuff.

 

Have you tried wax? I used foam for a few months back in college and they have always irritated my ears, too. Wax is very comfortable (but blocks too much noise in social situations, that's why I need musician's plugs too).

 

No never tried wax, do they have the same NRR as foam plugs? I am always happy if they block much noise so i don't have to listen to people talking

 

I get the itchy ears too, but it usually doesn't correlate with the infections. I'm not sure what causes the itchy ear but I think it may be that the ear canal gets dry due to hormones, allergies, whatever and then the skin just itches. A tiny bit of olive oil rubbed around the inside of the ear canal near the opening (not dropped in, and NOT much) sometimes helps. I generally do not advise putting any sort of substance in the ear, but when the itching is really bad the tiny coat of olive oil can be soothing.

Fungal infections, in my experience, hurt like crazy. If the itching has been going on for a while and not becoming painful and ache-y, it's probably just dry skin in the ear canal.

 

Hi everyone, I just saw this post while I was going through the forum for my symptoms. My ears were getting irritated from the constant ear plug use and went to my ENT today. He said it's a fungal infection and prescribed me Clotrimazole based ear drops. I am very hesitant to put them in @BuzzyBee, @GregCA can you guys let me know if using them won't affect my tinnitus?

Also what other choice do I have to use ear plugs? Is there any that will provide me with enough noise attenuation for stuff like traffic and won't cause this irritation? I am really in a fix because I have to travel 30km everyday for work
I currently use 3M 1100 but want something soft, less harsh that won't cause these stupid irritatiosn and ear infections. Can anyone please help? How are wax earplugs?

@hans799

 

Custom moulded earplugs. Etymotic, Westone, ACS, are but a few brands offering these. They are custom fit to your ear canals, cost about $150-250, but are worth the investment, they last several years.

 

I will go to my audiologist and check them out. The reason I ask about its effectiveness is that I live in a third would country with traffic / honking all along. I travel by my car only but still need some protection. Do you think they would be enough (if I get a 25 dB filter) for those traffic situations when I have hyperacusis?

 

Unfortunately, no, nobody can assure you that there won't be any side effects. However, if your ear drum is in good shape (not perforated), the drops should stay in your ear canal.

Why do you feel you need to wear ear plugs in traffic? Is the sound uncomfortable to you? Have you measured its loudness? Do you drive a car?
Other options include ear muffs or noise cancelling headphones.

 

My ENT didn't say anything about the eardrum. He just told my ear canals are all red and it's a fungal infection from constant use of ear plugs. He told me to use the drops and then if they don't help, he would clear everything from a vacuum. I don't know how he plans to clear and infection from my ears using vacuum. Have you heard anything like this before? Also when you say eardrum is not perforated, are there any symptoms I would feel for that? Right now I only feel slight itchiness in my ears, and slight discomfort while wearing earplugs, other than my usual hyperacusis and tinnitus. There was a mild / dull ear pain when it all started, but it's mostly gone now.

 

He could be thinking of ear syringing or microsuction.

Sometimes there is, such as hearing loss, or tinnitus, but quite often it is not noticed. The way to know is to take a look at it (the ENT doc can see it with an otoscope).