Wax on Eardrum / Wax Removal

Hello all,
I need advice on wax removal. I recently went to see my GP in order to get a referral to a ENT specialist. He looked at my ears and saw that my ear wax was pushed up against my ear drum. This happened because I have been using ear plugs a lot recently due to having worsened tinnitus after party and being afraid to cause further damage.

He wanted to flush my ears but I refused after seeing the stories here. Did I make the right choice here? Should I have let him just flush them out.

I will seeing the ENT soon but I wanted to ask what I could do in the meantime. I was told to get Debrox my another doctor but I have been too afraid to use it. Would olive oil help at all? What other ointments can I use in preparation before the ENT specialist.

Any help is appreciated.

P. S.
I know there are a lot of threads covering ear wax removal. However, I could not find much information when it came to people having wax on their ear drums.

 

I believe you made the right choice. You have got to soften the wax with those drops. This takes more than a week. Hopefully someone here had a positive experience of a doctor scraping the wax off of the eardrum with manual tools...

 

Hi @Chris,

The ear wax pushed up against your ear drums needs to be removed. As you know there are various methods of doing this. In your situation since you are going to ENT the best is microsuction. Even if it is manually removed using a curette, which I don't recommend, problems can still occur as someone mentioned in this forum recently. You should apply eardrops to each ear 3 times a day for 7 to 10 days before ear wax is removed using either: ear irrigation or microsuction which are the preferred methods in use today.

I have had earwax removed by irrigation 3 times and microsuction the same and haven't had any problems. My tinnitus can reach severe levels and it hasn't been made worse. Apply eardrops/olive oil as I've suggested for 10 days in your case. Preferably have a ENT consultant or Registrar do the microsuction at a hospital and not have it done at a independent clinic that you walk into from the street.

Best of luck
Michael

PS: Since the earwax is pushed up against your eardrum irrigation might not be successful and for this reason microscution is the preferred method. This advice was given to me by my ENT consultant.

 

I find that the sodium bicarbonate drops get rid of it with out need for syringing/ suction.

 

My mom needs to have wax removed from her ears. Her doctor told her to use olive oil for a week to soften the wax before her wax removal appointment. I advised that she buy drops from the pharmacy. The drops that she got say that one is to use them 2-3 times a day for 3 days (not to exceed 3 days). It says on those drops that the wax is supposed to flow out by itself (that no further removal by a doctor is needed). What do you make of all of this @Michael Leigh?

 

@Bill Bauer

If your mom is using olive oil eardrops? Applying this 3 times a day to each ear for: 7 to 10 days before having the wax removed will not cause any harm. I have had earwax removed on 6 occasions. Three by microsuction at hospital and three by irrigation at my GP medical centre by a nurse. On all occasions I was advised to use eardrops as I've mentioned above and had no problems.

It is true earwax should exit the ear naturally and irrigation or microsuction are not usually required. However, nothing is certain and some people will need the wax removed by irrigation or microsuction. Some people prefer manual removal by curette but it's not something I recommend. Please read the post below that I wrote on another thread that you might find helpful.

All the best
Michael

Microsuction and Irrigation.

The ear canal is lined with wax the medical term cerumen. Small glands in the ears produces the wax and protects the skin of the canal by preventing bacteria, dirt and other foreign substances from entering. Under normal circumstances the wax passes out harmlessly but sometimes a build up can make the ears feel blocked and one might experience hearing loss, itchiness, sometimes pain and even tinnitus.

If using eardrops doesn’t clear the blockage a visit to the GP surgery for removal of the wax using irrigation might be necessary or in some cases going to an ENT clinic for microscution.

A few people have contacted me and raised concerns about irrigation and microsuction and asked whether they are safe for use on people that have tinnitus? I also had a lengthy discussion with someone in this forum last week, who’s adamant the tinnitus was made worse after having microsuction. This person had done all the right things. Applying olive oil eardrops to each ear for two weeks prior to the procedure and still ended up with problems. I therefore believe, the health professional doing the microsuction, wasn’t as skilled and adept as he or she should have been. This is unfortunate, as the person in question had no way of knowing this and is now enduring more discomfort.

The old fashioned method of ear syringing, using a metal canister filled with water and squirted into the ear under pressure, to remove earwax is no longer used. This method was rather crude and abrasive and could cause problems to the ear. Modern ear irrigation is considered gentler and a safer method. I have had this done three times at my GP surgery without problems. Prior to it being carried out I used eardrops 3 times a day for 10 days to soften the wax.

When the earwax is impacted irrigation might be unsuccessful even after using eardrops. The next step is microsuction. As the name suggests, the wax is literally sucked out using a small handheld wand with a suction tip and is considered to be the safest method of wax removal. I have also had this done three times at my hospital ENT department, which was carried out my consultant who I had every confidence in and had no problems. She is a firm believer in the use of microsuction especially for someone with tinnitus. Again, eardrops should be used for 7 to 10 days before having it done.

A word of caution. Type into any search engine and you’ll probably find a mirosuction clinic in your area, advising how safe and quick it is and that there’s no need to use eardrops to soften the wax. Others might say just use it for a couple of days or the night before coming into clinic. I strongly advise you not follow this advice. People have contacted me after having microsuction and didn’t use eardrops for 7 to 10 days and ended up with tinnitus that they didn’t have before. When they returned to the clinic to complain they were quickly shown the door.

Every medical procedure carries a risk. It is just not ideal to go around with blocked up ears, hearing loss or experiencing increased tinnitus as a result of impacted wax. If one is paying privately, try to find a reputable clinic and use olive oil eardrops in the manner I’ve stated before having microsuction or irrigation. I also advise to use eardrops two or three times a week to keep the earwax soft so it can pass out through the ears naturally and help prevent build up.

Michael

 

Thank you for your reply, Michael. She bought drops containing paradichlorobenzene, chlorbutol, oil of terebinth, peanut oil. It appears that it is 57% peanut oil. The odd thing is that the instructions state that one is to not use those drops for more than 3 days...

 

@Bill Bauer

Because of the additional properties that you mention are present in the oil, I wouldn't use it for more than 3 days. I always buy pure olive oil eardrops. I don't know if a product called "Earol", olive oil spray is available where you are? It is a small vial of olive oil which has a spray nozzle attached and is very effective. http://www.boots.com/earol-olive-oil-spray-10ml-10148536 I use it 2 to 3 times a week to keep the earwax soft and is able to exist the ear naturally. I use white noise generators, because of this a build-up of earwax can occur. People that use hearing aids can also have a problem with earwax build -up, therefore, using olive oil eardrops a few times a week helps prevent this.

Michael

 

Thank you @Michael Leigh

It is not a good idea for her to use a dropper to place actual virgin olive oil into her ears, right?

 

A dropper or pipette is perfectly fine to use when applying the oil..

 

HI @Bill Bauer

Almond oil which can be bought at the pharmacy can be used in a dropper/ pipette if olive oil is unavailable.

All the best
Michael

 

Does the oil have to come from a pharmacy, or can it just be virgin olive oil intended for cooking?

 

Good question @Bill Bauer I told a friend of mine that buying olive oil from a pharmacy is best to use in the ear and is different from virgin oil for cooking. She told me the pharmacist said there is no difference!

We learn something every day
Michael

 

Do you recall seeing any stories on this forum of people using those drops or olive oil and then developing tinnitus?

 

No @Bill Bauer I have not read any posts or know of anyone developing tinnitus using eardrops. There are plenty cases where people have earwax removed and developed tinnitus because they haven't used olive oil in the manner I've described. Apply 3 times a day to each ear for 7 to 10 days before the wax is removed.

 

Dear God please dont get microsuctioning done unless 100% nesserceary, it has turned me from stable to suicidal

 

I have also had wax over my eardrum and I had used olive oil but it was building up a blockage that caused my ears to get muffled and spike like crazy (because I couldn't hear normally) and they had to use micro-suction to get rid of the oil. I am not gonna lie, it was really loud for 2-3 seconds and I spent the rest of the day crying in my bed because it felt horrible but I did not have a permanent spike. It did spike and my emotional state was not great. There are risks with micro-suction and that is for you to decide if it is worth going through it or not. We left some of the wax there and I got eardrops and little by little it came out so I could eventually remove it myself (I know not to poke my ears with my fingers, but I could feel the wax being pushed in when I use earplugs so figured I would remove it before it got stuck on my eardrum, again). I got the build-up by using plugs too much, just like you.