Ears Again Full of Wax — Audiologist Recommended Ear Irrigation — Recommendations?

Hey all TINNITANIUNS

Brief history.

Tinnitus in left ear, for years, got used to it and habituated.

In November my ears became blocked, went to the walk-in clinic where they confirmed my ears were full of wax (couldn’t even see ear drum).

One weekend they became so blocked, I got them microsuctioned which alleviated the build up/deafness.

The day after I got irritation in my right ear, back to the walk-in clinic, they prescribed ear drops and it healed within 10 days.

Lately I’ve noticed I can hear tinnitus louder than it was before but coming from left side of head/ear that varies between a high pitched noise/static/Ssssshhhh noise that masks the long habituated tinnitus.

I went for a hearing test today and the audiologist said he couldn’t do it because my ears were once again full of wax. I saw the camera when he went in, ear drum just about visible on the right side, and a different colour residue on the left side. He asked if I had any pain/discharge from left ear as it ‘may’ be infected. I have mild inconsistent pain in there.

He said they would need cleaning before a hearing test to be performed to get accurate results and recommended ear irrigation as it was sticky and some ear wax may be on the drum.

He said it was up to me whether to do it or to go to the GP to see if it is infected.

What would you all recommend to do? I don’t want to make tinnitus worse but curious if it will go back to baseline once my ears are cleared. Obviously he has no guarantee that it will.

Many thanks in advance for your answers!

 

Hey,

I’ve just been through a similar dilemma. I had one impacted ear which dulled my hearing and as it turned out too was infected. The doctor told me I’d need to get this cleaned out but was apprehensive after a Microsuction procedure worsened my mild tinnitus and also gave me hyperacusis . See my latest thread... I got manual extraction and am now using Canesten ear drops and all seems to be fine, thankfully x

 

Just to update

I had my ears cleaned today (tinnitus is still there at the increased volume). He said that there is wax on my ear drum that he can’t get off and gave me ear drops (olive oil) and go back in 1 week to see if that gets it off.

I also did a hearing test. It showed a loss in my tinnitus ear - I think a dip at 6 kHz of about 30 dB. He said he will retest it next week. I did a hearing test a year and a half ago and was told my hearing was perfect.

Question, do you think it’s because of the wax wasn’t on drum or a sensory loss?
He also did mention that after 40 this would be normal (I am in my mid 30's).

 

Suction and flushing was never advised by my ear specialist at "Michigan Ear Institute", He uses a manual tool with magnification. The tool looks like a tiny ice cream scoop. Works great and no problems or pain. Severe tinnitus for 8 years.

 

I've had my ears syringed 3 times now because I have bad wax build up. I don't want to have it done anymore because I think it made my tinnitus worse.

Does anybody recommend Earol? I have some but am really afraid to exacerbate my symptoms more.

I'm having a really bad few days. It's gone louder. I have a new noise which takes my total to 7 noises and my left ear is vibrating really bad. I'm getting into panic mode now...

 

Who did the syringing?

 

Take a Valium if you are in panic mode. I had wax cleaned out last March by an ENT and he used a suction machine. Sometimes tinnitus is related to medications, poor sleep, stress, etc.

 

Hi, sorry maybe I should have put that I have had them done 3 times but only once since I had the tinnitus. And it was done by a referral from the doctors. A nurse. She did it for a living.

Also it was done months ago but it definitely made them worse. But my actual concern is putting oil in them to try and clear some of this wax. I know it will be impacted again - as it always is. I'm just at the back end of a cold too so maybe that's why they're so bad but it's just worse than they've ever been and its scaring me. I'm 1 and a half years in by the way.

 

Did you tell them?

 

@Chilliwoman

Earol is fine as I use it regularly and have no problems with it. As you know it is olive oil that comes in a small aerosol bottle, enabling the oil to be easily sprayed into the ear canal. I prefer it to the conventional method of using a pipet to administer the oil.

Eardrops will not make your tinnitus worse. If you have a build-up of wax it is important that is removed as problems can result which include: Increase in tinnitus, difficulty hearing, itchiness, dizziness, ear infection and more.

Ears are no longer syringed using the old method of squirting water into the ear under pressure to remove the wax. Wax is now removed using ear irrigation which is much safer. However, this must be done correctly as problems can sometimes result making tinnitus worse. The correct way is to apply ear drops 3x a day to each ear for ten days prior to having the wax removed. This thoroughly loosens the wax making removal easier and problems less likely.

When the build up of wax cannot be removed using irrigation, microsuction is recommended. Again, eardrops should be applied to each ear 3x a day for 10 days before having microsuction. Failure to do this may result in an increase in tinnitus. I have had ear irrigation 3 times and microsuction the same and never had a problem. Each time I applied ear drops using the method I have described.

Some people are not advised of the correct preparation prior to having wax removed. This is often the cause of problems afterwards. Some people believe manual removal of earwax using a curette is safe. This is not true, as problems can still result if ear oil is not applied in the way I have described above.

To help prevent wax build up apply earol 2 to 3 times a week to keep wax soft enabling it to exit the ear naturally.

Michael

 

No I didn't. It was a few months back and I thought they were just irritated. I have managed it for a while but this last few days have been so hard!

 

You should tell them.

 

Thank you for your reply and advice regarding the Earol. I shall start using it and hope this is just a build up of ear wax. I haven't done anything to warrant this noise level so hopefully it will calm down.

 

Really? Well I do have a Doctor's appointment on Friday (my Dr also has tinnitus) so I'll ask her to let them know. She was the one that referred me which I find strange considering she has it too! I'll never have it done again. Ever.

 

@Chilliwoman, lot of good videos on Tinnitus Talk home page. Some people got total remission. I’ve never seen them before today.

 

Yes let them know and file a complaint. If they are hurting people someone needs to be notified. Giving people hearing damage is not just a given. Their job is to heal, not hurt.

 

I have seen 7 ENTs and 4 audiologists over the years. I find it interesting every one of them told me they also have tinnitus. Even my GP has it. I’m thinking some are not all telling the truth. It’s probably easier for them to dismiss tinnitus if they show they handle it just fine.

 

Tinnitus is very common and a lot of people that have it are able to habituate quite easily, and may never need to be referred to a specialist clinic for treatment. It also comes in various degrees of severity. Mild, moderate, severe or extremely severe. Some people may need to take medication to help cope with it as it can be very disruptive to a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. The ENT doctors and Audiologists that you have seen are probably telling you the truth, when they say that they have tinnitus. What they do not know, is how debilitating it can be for some people, because the only way a person can know this, is by experiencing severe tinnitus.

Furthermore, ENT doctors are not tinnitus specialists they are physicians. They treat the Ear, Nose and Throat. When a patient comes to them complaining of tinnitus, they are looking to treat underlying medical problems within the auditory system that is causing the tinnitus. The actual tinnitus they do not treat as this is not their area of expertise. When the tinnitus is noise induced, the patient should be referred to Audiology to see either a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management.

Michael

 

Thanks for this information. I'm going to try and get a referral from my Doctor. She gives me the impression that she struggles with Tinnitus herself but her approach is somewhat cold. She tells me I have to,... wait for it..... "Live with it". What a tool. Anyway, thanks again and I will keep you updated on any treatments.

 

Completely agree. Given more time and space, I would have elaborated similarly. When I go to a doctor or specialist, I'm there for severe tinnitus and any related issues. The doctors and specialists I have seen have mostly dismissed me with worthless advice and backing it up with their experience with tinnitus.

The last audiologist I went to last year claimed to have tinnitus. Which made me trust him. He told me to get back out there and live life and not put hearing protection on around normal everyday noises, including restaurants, family and friend get togethers, vacuuming, vacationing, etc., but use hearing protection around power equipment, concerts, clubs, etc. He says I will mess up my hearing more if I over protect. At that time I was three years in and doing extremely well, with my tinnitus more moving towards a mild state. So I took his advice, and over the following year, my tinnitus become unbearable. All those things he suggested to not cover up ended up destroying me. Today my tinnitus is extreme. I have ridiculous T and H. Clearly if he had tinnitus in any significant way, he would never have given such ridiculous advice leaving me a basket case for life. I don't know where these people come from with such out of touch advice and trying to back it up with what ever minuscule tinnitus they have. I also never go to concerts, clubs, etc. I still protected whenever I thought it was too loud, but I upped the threshold based on his advice.

 

HI @Mark A

Some of the advice your Audiologist gave you I agree with particularly the overuse of hearing protection. Use properly they can be helpful but overuse can make your auditory system more sensitive to sound. Please click on the links below and read my posts, particularly Hyperacusis, As I see it. Although your Audiologist he may not someone that practices tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management. There are various treatments that included: TRT, CBT, counselling and sound therapy.

Using earplugs is not the solution as there is a tendency for them to be overused. You need to see a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in Tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

I agree and can relate to this. It's a fine line to tread between protecting and not protecting. Not everyone's situation is the same, nor are all of those 'normal' situations you listed always at safe noise levels, whether one has hyperacusis, reactive tinnitus or not. I've always tended to go for less/no ear protection as much as possible, but also be calmly aware of sound levels and try to be in situations that don't require it. Doesn't always work out well.

 

I understand the reasons to not overprotect. But occasionally over protecting doesn't cause permanent damage like occasionally under protecting does. With the advice of the audiologist, I naively went into public using my plugs less. As a result, I now have dramatically increased my baseline by 2x to 3x. And now I'm back to the dark days of when all this began 5 years ago.

 

Where exactly did you stop using your plugs?

 

As I have mentioned in my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it. Wearing earplugs to suppress normal everyday sounds is not a good idea. However, someone that is new to noise induced tinnitus and also has hyperacusis (oversensitivity to sound) may find using "noise reducing" earplugs temporarily helpful. Most people that have hyperacusis have suffered noise trauma. In other words they have Noise induced tinnitus. This type of tinnitus usually improves over time with or without treatment, depending on the person and the severity of the tinnitus and hyperacusis. This can take from 6 months to 2 years to occur.

If a person hasn't habituated to the tinnitus within one year, then I recommend seeking professional help with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management - these are just suggestions, because some people may need to see a specialist 6 months after the onset of tinnitus. Again, this depends on the severity of the tinnitus and how it is affecting a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. Some people habituate to the tinnitus within the time frame I have mentioned: 6 months to 2 years. The hyperacusis may improve too. Although some people habituate to their tinnitus they still find oversensitivity to sound (hyperacusis) problematic which often results in tinnitus spikes.

To address this problem some people resort to wearing earplugs and keeping away from sounds they find irritating. Unfortunately this doesn't cure the problem and the longer it is left untreated additional problems may occur that I wrote about in my post: The complexities of tinnitus and hyperacusis. The link is below. The answer isn't earplugs it is treatment. Unless hyperacusis is treated problems with oversensitivity to sound can become a long term chronic problem if one isn't careful. Hyperacusis is treated by wearing white noise generators to desensitise the auditory system. This form of treatment should be done under the care of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist as counselling may also be needed.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-complexities-of-tinnitus-and-hyperacusis.25733/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

“Usually improves over time”. Key word “usually”.
If people would read others messages properly, he said he hadn’t been overprotecting or using ear protection normal situations as recommended by his audiologist.

@Mark A would you say you have had hyperacusis all these years or has it developed as a result of following your audiologist’s advice?

 

I was completely free of hyperacusis when I saw the audiologist. I was there for a hearing test because my tinnitus spiked. I described to him how I live with tinnitus and when I protect myself. That’s when I received his lecture about over protecting, which I didn’t think I was doing.

 

Visiting friends at their homes, restaurants, grocery stores, gym (not weight room), in the car, etc. I still would protect if any of those got very loud. I still avoided louder restaurants. Before the lecture, I would protect if I was scared noise would go up without notice. But I would wear plugs maybe a half hour a day, or an hour more if in the gym weight room.

 

What got me to this point is water under the bridge. Whatever mistakes were made can’t be taken back. I just have to take it, and I don’t know how I’m going to do that anymore. This stuff is loud. I can’t escape it anymore.

 

Can any of you recommend any decent ear plugs? I have some ear-dial ones I bought from amazon. They are ok-ish. I have small ear canals so I struggle to keep general ones in. Also they seem to irritate me. Meaning, when I talk or touch my head etc it's really loud inside. If that makes sense...