Ear wax removal

[Whatadayyyy]

Does anyone have any ear wax removal tips? My DC aged 7 has wax build up and can’t hear out one ear. Been to doctors twice since start of January and they keep giving drops which have been useless, they say they won’t syringe kids under 16. I am desperate, any wax removal tips?

Ask for a referral to audiology and let them check it is just wax causing the hearing issue (and not glue ear). Appointments should be within 6 weeks. Most audiology departments can refer internally to ENT for syringing or micro suction.

Agree! NEVER use force.
Syringing can be sage in the right, trained hands. That is why nurses have quite a lot of training.

1. The ear canal should be examined first, something one cannot do oneself.

2. You are examining it to see the extent of the wax, the nature of it, ( is it hard or soft enough to extract?)
   You should be deciding if it is indeed wax or ( especially in a child) a foreign body...skin debris from possible Otitis Externa ( Ezcema in the ear canal), infection, in which case extraction should not be attempted by an untrained individual as it could cause perforation and needs to be treated first with oral/ topical antibiotics with possibly a steroid component.
   If you can see the eardrum, is it blocked with wax, or, can you see bulging of the eardrum, possibly indicating a build up of fluid behind the drum, in the Eustachian Tube? Common after colds/viruses and where attempted extraction would be futile.

I love anything ear wax. Your description is wonderful.

Sorry from a weird Sporner

I got a tool. It is like a very soft rubber spiral. I don't see how it could damage your ear because it is not hard enough. You'd have to shove it in there like an absolute idiot to do any damage. You put it in your ear and turn it gently and the mush inside your ear goes up the spiral, like an archimedes screw.

I used olive oil for a couple of weeks to get the wax really soft, then used the spiral tool to extract the mush. It worked fine. I was very gentle with it and did not force it.

My 10 year old has had this problem. I'd stop putting drops in, they don't work and can make it worse. I pay to have my daughter's micro suctioned. It doesn't hurt and the relief they feel is immediate. Honestly, can't recommend it highly enough. It's not cheap. I pay £50 for one ear, £80 for two but money well spent.

I have a syringe similar to this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154839704059?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E67VsdB8Aa3XMRpvh1EB9-Raesn1tku_35l9-tN8NwYoltgFILamJhoCd_gQAvD_BwE

Before using I add olive oil drops. Depending how badly blocked they are will depend on how far in advance I put them in. I then use warm sterile water to flush out the ear. Doing it in the shower with steam or bath is good.

The first time I used it I needed to do it a few times over a couple of days to get it all.

i use this on all my children. You just have to make sure you read the instructions and when syringing the ear be very gentle, don’t push it in too far and slowly and steadily keep the flow of water going.

Alternatively definitely go to somewhere that can sick the wax out.

It's annoying how nhs services differ. I've always been taken seriously with DD and with her various checks, she's always been referred to ENT and she's had hearing checks etc and every time the ENT doc has got out those Chinese style digging tools and removed ear wax. Also ENT prescribed DD as a toddler, Ted equivalent which GPs won't prescribe to kids but consultants will.

I use something like this on my DC too. The tip directs water to the sides of the ears not the back so it's safer.
DC has had years of trouble with ear wax. Multiple syringings by GP when he was little. Microsuctioning by ENT consultant a few times. As he grew older he started refusing all treatment ( he has asd and sensory issues). Eventually wax was removed by consultant under general anaesthetic. When they blocked again consultant was reluctant to keep repeating the GA (understandably!) so in desperation I bought this. It took a while for him to get used to it and, like pp, the first time I had to repeat the procedure over several days as ears were so blocked. Now he tells me he wants when he wants his ears washed out a couple of times a year. It works well.

Are there any nurses offering this service privately? In our area (lots if elderly) there a couple that advertise. They might not do under 18 but worth asking.

I keep reading posts saying you can't get it treated on NHS anymore but you can...I had a blocked ear, saw my GP he did a referral to Specsavers there and then, less than 24 hours later I was sorted. GP's can do the referral for microsuction but not sure about children.

When was this? There was something in the news earlier this week that various health trusts who used to offer were stopping it altogether. Mine (or possibly my surgery) will only syringe if you say you are in pain, but it is definitely patchy coverage.

@Latenightreader About 2 months ago. You can't get syringing but you can get referred for microsuction. Well I could! They did a referral, same way as any other NHS referral, I called up the booking line and was in the next morning.

A smartphone otoscope from Amazon worked for me but of course there's a risk of damaging the ear. Reckon you could get loads out before getting near the eardrum though

You'll need to go private. Costs about £80 for both ears.

A lot of pharmacies and hearing aid companies also do microsuction.

I think you must be really lucky.
Most places don't do it on NHS now

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe - have you ever opened up a candle before using it. I suspect you'll find that astonishing too.

Have you tried to self refer to Audiology service. Some counties can.

This explains the dangers of ear candling pretty well

Have to say @purpleme12 I was really surprised, but I also have an amazing GP surgery. I can't fault them at all.

I agree with this.
2 weeks of daily olive oil and then lie in a warm bath for half an hour with a gentle tug of the earlobe to let the water in, the wax just melts out.

Bath after bath after bath, lying low so the water gets in your ear and around your ear then Otex.
I have used olive oil effectively in the past, but when I had impacted wax water was better - I'm guessing because it's to do with viscosity?
Do NOT put a cotton bud or anything similar down, even right at the start, as you will impact the wax. Also if its inflamed/red I don't think you are meant to use Otex.
Best of luck - it's miserable business.
Syringing privately is £50 round here - I didn't want to, but I was deaf in one ear and worried about permanent damage and all my GP could do is apologise and tell me to keep using olive oil!

Oil on its own is pretty useless. From my own experience with this, I recommend using sodium bicarbonate drops, which you can buy from any chemist. I first used these after being deaf for a week in one ear, cleared it right away. You need to warm them a little, put them in and try to get your little one to stay put with the ear facing up for at least a couple of minutes. They might hear a little popping and crackling - that’s a good sign. Then get them to flip over to let stuff drain out. You might get a result right away, but if not keep it up for a few days.
Some pharmacists do micro suction now, so do Specsavers, but I don’t know if they have an age limit.
Good luck!

There was a long article in the Daily Telegraph on Monday - some people, including me, have earwax that reacts with olive oil and expands. I had been telling our practice nurse this and she had scoffed at the idea. I use the drops that have peroxide in, but am lucky our surgery still washes me out!