Ear wax plugged up?

Go to an ENT if you still can’t hear right. something doesn’t seem right, based on your description. Not a doctor, but I’ve got a fair bit of patient experience with this shit.

An ENT has a suction rig that is the best for this shit. I've had my right eardrum rebuilt twice and the ear has pretty much lost the ability to spiral out the wax as it is designed to do. The NYT Sunday magazine did an article on ear spoons last week, an Asian guilty pleasure of wax removal. Prevention? Run the shower stream into your ear canals when you bathe.

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Originally Posted by JayPowHound

Bumping because this happened to me last night. Woke up around 2am with a definite impairment in the left ear. Gave the earlobe a tug and it cleared.

Up again at 3 and the tug didn't work. Tried q-tips and apparently just made things worse.

Went to the local minute clinic this morning and the nurse started out excited, apparently she's one of those pimple popper types who enjoys this type of thing.

Anyways, she started the irrigation pumping in high pressure water/solution through what looked like a ball-inflating needle.

It was uncomfortable to begin with, but productive given the mess in the basin. Then after a few squirts it turned into intense pain / blood and I had to pull away.

She got the attending and it seems I had irritated everything a bit with the q-tips and the water blasts further inflamed the ear drum.

Now I'm on antibiotic/steroid drops for a week and still can't hear.. its like a noise canceling ear bud is stuck in there with no audio.

WTF.

First time I've ever had anything like this happen and the doc (let's be honest here, PA at the clinic) said the other ear is perfectly clear.

I've got 5-7 days on the drops to heal things and then they want to try irrigating it again.

Maybe I should see an ENT instead and feel lucky my drum is (allegedly) still intact?

Sounds like impacted earwax. Q-tips are the enemy. I never use anything in my ears anymore (even the cute scapula thingy). Only a once every 2 -3 months baby bulb syringe irrigation. I fill a glass with 1/4 vinegar, 1/4 isopropyl alcohol and 1/2 warm water. Then irrigate both ears 6 or 7 times gently and then leave them alone for another 2 or 3 months unless there is a problem.

This cured all my ear issues. The recipe was from a diving forum. Initially there may be a really stubborn chunk of impacted wax but it will come out with time. The vinegar is to make it slightly acidic and prevent mold and infection. The alcohol is to air dissolving and dry out after.

Since you had blood I'd suggest an EMT if it doesn't clear up soon. The last thing you want is a strep throat infection that goes into ears or something like that. Blood sounds nasty but it could just be from skin irritation.

Good luck!