I think I need my ear cleaned professionally

[jmarques]

I recently notice that I'm having to turn up the volume alot more to hear anything. My wife complaints all the time that I listen to TV and Music way to loud and details seem more difficult to discern.

Q-tips don't seem to be cutting it anymore. Have I lost my hearing or do I just need a pro to clean them?

Has anybody had noticable shift in the hearing before?

[legionserial]

Do you have a cold or anything like that at the moment?

[SuicideNote]

There are earwax dissolving products at your local drugstore. If it bothers you that much, see a doctor.

[jmarques]

Originally Posted by legionserial

Do you have a cold or anything like that at the moment?

Oh no. I feel ok. I think I just keep pushing that ear wax further in and just having trouble digging it out.

Originally Posted by SuicideNote

There are earwax dissolving products at your local drugstore. If it bothers you that much, see a doctor.

It doesn't physically bother me. It more of an inconvience at this point, but maybe there are some products someone could recommend for me. Are the any brand name I should look into?

[chazba]

A few years ago I went to the Ear Nose and Throat doc to see about a longterm sore throat. While he was checking me out, he pulled from each ear a wax ball about 3/8" in diameter. My hearing improved but I had to quit smoking to make the sore throat go away. My 2cents

chazba

[dementedchord]

it's well worth checking into... sometimes you can compact the wax into the ear as much as clean it with q-tips.... can you pop your ears??? if you cant that's a sign of eustacian tube dysfunction... and sometimes indicates an inner ear problem as well...

[RAK]

Check out something like Debrox or any over the counter ear-wax breaker upper. They're just eardrops, but as with anything like this, I'd make sure you follow the directions. There are also one's that come with little squeeze bulbs to flush stuff out.

Having said that though, it's not a bad idea to have your ears professionally flushed out every now and again, it's something you should be able to have your GP do at your next check-up.

I would try the over-the-counter stuff first, if that doesn't work, maybe go see someone. If you're experienceing any pain, or physically feeling blocked, it may a eustachian tube issue.

If it's not a physical feeling, and just a hearing issue, you might want to go in for a hearing test, if the ear-wax dissolving doesn't work.

But keep in mind that most of us (I'm certianly not) are not doctors, so it's always good to get a professional opinion.

[Foo-bu]

i've actually been told many times that q-tips aren't good for your ears. they're decent for cleaning out the wax and dirt on the inner ear lobe but as for actually getting out the wax in your ear, they can actually make things worse because you can push wax further back in your ear canal. also if you go too deep you can do damage too. its recommended that you get a proper ear flush every few months. for this you could see an audiologist or fins some places that do ear candling.

[jmarques]

Thanks fellas for the info!!

[bkcaud]

Hi,

I thought I'd chime in here since I am an audiologist (and kind of a newbie at home recording trying to learn). First, I agree with some of the comments here that Q-tips are not really recommended for cleaning the ear canals. They are great for cleaning the nooks and crannies of the external ear, but visualize what happens with a black powder rifle and ram-rod and you get a good idea of what can happen with ear wax in the ear canal when a Q-tip is used.

I see this all of the time as I look in ears, wax deep in the ear canal (it is produced in the outer 1/3 of the ear canal and should never be that deep), and it will often have an indentation from the q-tip.

Someone mentioned ear candles. I would absolutely, under no circumstances EVER use an ear candle. They are a hoax. We did some experimenting with these in graduate school and there is no way you can produce enough "suction" to remove anything from the ear canal with them. At best they are a waste of money and at worst they are potentially dangerous. In fact I have seen one person who had hot wax from the ear candle drip down and burn a hole through her eardrum.

The only way to be sure if earwax is the problem (and it certainly could be, especially if the change has come on relatively suddenly) is to have someone look in the ear with an otoscope. Believe it or not you can have quite a bit of wax in the ears and still hear just fine -- as long as sound waves can transmit past the wax and to the eardrum, even a significant amount of wax won't affect hearing much. But if the ear canal becomes fully occluded you will notice a significant (usually fairly sudden) change to your hearing.

You can certainly try the over the counter kits such as Debrox, etc. They work well for many, but if you don't notice a fairly dramatic improvement in your hearing, I would encourage seeing your physician or an audiologist to look in the ears and then have your hearing evaluated.

Wish you well.

Bryce

[Reggie]

Originally Posted by bkcaud

Someone mentioned ear candles. I would absolutely, under no circumstances EVER use an ear candle. They are a hoax. We did some experimenting with these in graduate school and there is no way you can produce enough "suction" to remove anything from the ear canal with them. At best they are a waste of money and at worst they are potentially dangerous. In fact I have seen one person who had hot wax from the ear candle drip down and burn a hole through her eardrum.

Thanks for the warning. My girlfriend has suggested I try this, but now I think I will stay away...

[RAK]

Originally Posted by Reggie

Thanks for the warning. My girlfriend has suggested I try this, but now I think I will stay away...

Yeah, not that you need more advice than from someone who is an audiologist, but I also know that to be a bad thing.

In my experience, when I had a blocked ear along with pain, I first tried the Debrox, then when to see my GP who gave me some noise drops and clarinex. When that didn't work I went to an ENT who continued the drops, but my eustachian tube still didn't unblock (that was the problem by the way). I ended up getting a myringotomy (pretty basic, normal procedure, especially in kids) and that seems to have soloved the problem. But my hearing was never affected.

[mikeh]

It is good to have someone like bkcaud chime in. I've had significant hearing loss in part from an inner ear disease and in part from years of rock and roll.

I've had ear surgery (which did help some) and now wear hearing aids in both ears (which are needed to conduct normal day gig business activity). Reference CDs are my friends when mixing .

bkcaud has reinforced everything I have heard (pardon the pun) from numerous audiologists and ear specilists (given my significant loss of hearing and the impact on my musical passion - I have become a sponge for hearing related information). Q-Tips (or anything) inserted into the ear is a problem waiting to happen).

If your hearing loss (however sudden and unexplained it may be) is as bad as you suggest - I would immediately seek medical attention (it may be as simple as a cleaning - but if it more than that, better to find out sooner than later to take whatever precautions you can).

While on the subject of hearing - use protection!!!!!! If I would have known what I now know I would have used protection years ago. While my ear disease certain stole a lot of hearing - I would likely have more left if I would have taken precautions.

Once hearing is lost it does not come back (naturally this does not apply to the temporary issue of ear wax). For a musician, short of losing fingers - loss of hearing is about the worst thing to face.

[Myriad_Rocker]

Not too long ago, I had a problem hearing out of one ear. I went to the doctor and they told me I had an ear wax build up (yeah, it's gross). They used this thing that would spray warm water in my ear and break all that stuff up and drain it. It didn't hurt or anything but the water pressure against my ear drum was pretty loud and annoying. But at least my ears were clean. They did both sides.

After that, the doctor told me that q-tips really only cleaned the walls of the ear canal and pushed a large part of the wax back against the ear drum. Over time, it just builds up until you block your ear. He also said that as long as about 1% is clear, you can still hear.

[bkcaud]

I appreciate the point brought out by mikeh. If there is a sudden hearing loss, this can be a serious medical condition. If you sense just a minor blocked feeling like you would if you had an earplug in, it may be wax or as others have mentioned, a eustachian tube dysfunction which will create pressure on the eardrum, or even middle ear fluid (fluid collecting behind the eardrum), like is common in young children.

There is, however, a somewhat rare condition called a sudden sensorineural hearing loss, where the hearing can go completely in an instant. We see one or two people with this problem every month or so who report this and will often see a "dead ear" or profound hearing loss in one ear. Usually this occurs unilaterally, but I have occasionally seen this in both ears, which is tragic. The key here is to seek medical attention ASAP. Most Ear, Nose, and Throat physicians will prescribe a steroid for 10 days or so, which will often help restore the hearing -- at least partially, however this does not happen in all cases. There is a lot still not understood about the causes, but many are believed to be viral, while others are an autoimmune inner ear disease, where the bodies immune system attacks the inner ear.

Sorry to provide so smuch information on this, I just wanted to warn that if you feel the hearing is completely gone in one ear it is an urgent problem. Be persistent and insist on seeing an ENT as soon as possible. Most ENTs consider this a serious emergency and if you mention sudden hearing loss will get you in same day if at all possible. Studies show that the steroids have to be started within 2-3 days or efficacy drops dramatically. Often ER physicians and primary care physicians do not understand this problem well and don't understand the urgency, so if anyone ever experiences this or knows someone who does, please be persistent as you seek medical attention and get to an ENT as soon as you can.

[RAK]

Originally Posted by bkcaud

I appreciate the point brought out by mikeh. If there is a sudden hearing loss, this can be a serious medical condition. If you sense just a minor blocked feeling like you would if you had an earplug in, it may be wax or as others have mentioned, a eustachian tube dysfunction which will create pressure on the eardrum, or even middle ear fluid (fluid collecting behind the eardrum), like is common in young children.

There is, however, a somewhat rare condition called a sudden sensorineural hearing loss, where the hearing can go completely in an instant. We see one or two people with this problem every month or so who report this and will often see a "dead ear" or profound hearing loss in one ear. Usually this occurs unilaterally, but I have occasionally seen this in both ears, which is tragic. The key here is to seek medical attention ASAP. Most Ear, Nose, and Throat physicians will prescribe a steroid for 10 days or so, which will often help restore the hearing -- at least partially, however this does not happen in all cases. There is a lot still not understood about the causes, but many are believed to be viral, while others are an autoimmune inner ear disease, where the bodies immune system attacks the inner ear.

Sorry to provide so smuch information on this, I just wanted to warn that if you feel the hearing is completely gone in one ear it is an urgent problem. Be persistent and insist on seeing an ENT as soon as possible. Most ENTs consider this a serious emergency and if you mention sudden hearing loss will get you in same day if at all possible. Studies show that the steroids have to be started within 2-3 days or efficacy drops dramatically. Often ER physicians and primary care physicians do not understand this problem well and don't understand the urgency, so if anyone ever experiences this or knows someone who does, please be persistent as you seek medical attention and get to an ENT as soon as you can.

Very interesting stuff. Thanks for info. A steroid was one of the things the ENT tried on me for my blocked eustachian tube problem, but it had no effect. That's when I decided on the myringotomy. But again, my problem was not one of any hearing loss.

[gtrman_66]

Originally Posted by jmarques

I think I need my ear cleaned professionally

You were very wise not to post this one in the cave

[tkingen]

My Ear, Nose and Throat doctor told me to tilt my head and pour a little hydrogen peroxide into my ear. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then tilt your head back the other way to pour it out.
This does help!

[jdier]

Originally Posted by jmarques

I recently notice that I'm having to turn up the volume alot more to hear anything. My wife complaints all the time that I listen to TV and Music way to loud and details seem more difficult to discern.

Q-tips don't seem to be cutting it anymore. Have I lost my hearing or do I just need a pro to clean them?

Has anybody had noticable shift in the hearing before?

I sell equipment (non audio) to some ofthe major hearing aid companies. I got to sit through and ear exam and as the tech looked into the patients ear he made the comment that you should never use q-tips in your ears as they are much more likely to push dirt and hair down into the ear canal.

While he was inspecting the ear he found a single hair that had been pushed down and was heald against the eardrum with a little bit of wax. He pulled it out with a tweezers and explained that it should make a significant differnence.

I asked "If I cannot use q-tips, what should I use?" and he said to just flush your ear every day while in the shower with warm water. Let it flow into the canal and sit for a while, then drain out as you rinse your other ear.

He also suggested that I visit an audiologist to have my ears cleaned. Said it is quick and easy.

Also warned against things like ear candles as the suction they create can in many cases be too strong for the eardrum.

Hope this helps.

Jim

[ecktronic]

Originally Posted by jmarques

I recently notice that I'm having to turn up the volume alot more to hear anything. My wife complaints all the time that I listen to TV and Music way to loud and details seem more difficult to discern.

Q-tips don't seem to be cutting it anymore. Have I lost my hearing or do I just need a pro to clean them?

Has anybody had noticable shift in the hearing before?

The docotrs say to use luke warm olive oil and clean out your ears with that. Thats if it is a wax build up, if not you could be goin deaf. Im paranoid about going deaf but dont do anything about it.

Eck

[jmorris]

Years ago I had a nasty ear ache. Went to doc, he pulled out tons of garbage from both ears. It was like I just put on headphones with what I then could hear. Bent paper clip works but goes to doc for ear flush. It’s a little uncomfortable but worth it in the end.