To get my ear syringed out of 'ear syringing clinic times'

[Northumberlandlass]

My left ear has been blocked now for two weeks. I saw GP who passed me onto District Nurse. They said I needed to use olive oil for 2 weeks, then come back.

SO, I called this morning & asked if I could have an appointment for tomorrow (singing in a Christmas concert tomorrow night) to be told that the 'ear syringing clinic' is only on a Tues / Thurs from 2-4. I nicely told her that I couldn't do that as I work 25 miles from my GP's & that I work those days.

So, I called the GP's & explained, asked what could be done. They said the Practice Nurses aren't allowed to syringe ears now & that the GP's aren't trained too. She suggested that I call the District Nurses back & ask again.

Called District Nurse who offered me an appointment today at 3.15 ...I became parrot like and said I couldn't do today, but I was off tomorrow (DS Nativity) and begged them to squeeze me in or Friday.

NO NO NO ! ONLY IN EAR SYRINGING CLINIC TIMES ! I can't get there. So, I was told there was nothing they could do.

AIBU to expect them to help me ???

The stupid thing is, ears are supposed to be precious.

Clearly the NHS no longer thinks so.

I think timed clinics are a bad idea in general practice unless it's a clinic where a variety of professionals are involved eg diabetic clinic with nurse, GP, chiropodist, dietitian all around the same afternoon, or if liquid nitrogen is only delivered once a week for a wart clinic. For asthma, smears, ear syringing there is no sensible reason why these need more than 1 nurse involved and why they can't be more flexible. It may be worth a politely worded letter asking why they are so restrictive about the timing of ear syringing and asking them to review their policy of not having more flexibility in the system. The sad thing is that under the current GP contract things that don't get QAF points like ear syringing are prioritised less than things that do like asthma and smears.

I think we need a mumsnet campaign on this issue :)

My surgery does it at certain times (practice nurses who are there 5 days a week 8.30-5 doing all sorts) but they seem to reall hate doing it. You have to go to the GP who gives you a chit which you then take to the nurses who tell you to put oil in for two weeks (even if you say you have done this they send you home for a further two weeks) then they will syringe while sighing and tutting generally. I once waited for an hour, with a baby and older child, then when they took me I was 3 minutes past the allotted time and they told me I had to come back!

I have very waxy ears but have found that I can mostly keep it under control but using Audiclear 2/3 times a week. I'm needing syringing again at the moment tho but just can't face it.

The first time I ever had my ears done it was agony.
They used a stainless steel huge syringe and pumped warm~hot water into my ear with force.
And the last time water was eased into my ears at optimum temp it was soothing and got the job done.
Good luck with the lug holes :)

hermionestranger I had my ears suctioned a couple of years ago when I had a nasty ear infection and it was bliss. I'm sure the poor guy doing it thought I was weird when I was sighing with delight

Actually, that was interesting because I wasn't presenting with a 'normal' ear infection and NHS 24 told me I was imagining things.

24 hours later I was barely able to walk as it had affected my balance so badly so my DH took me up to OOH at the hospital. Eventually (3 hours) later saw the doctor who looked in my ears and jumped backwards in surprise.

Turned out I had a massive fungal ear infection, apparently my ear canal was basically covered in white fibres.

I was made to wait in A&E while all the doctors came for a look (which I wouldn't have minded but it was quite sore!).

My husbands ears blocked and I made him visit Doc as I was sick of repeating everything and listening to him whisper at everyone it also puts him in a foul mood....we live in Cyprus so 57 euro's thank you very much!!!! hope you manage to get time off and kiss all those lovely NHS staff :)

"I don't understand when ear-syringing became a specialist subject"

I had a relative who was working within NHs as a patient representative (sorry cannot recall exact job title) when this came in. It was a direct result of patient group lobbying.

As a poster earlier in the thread pointed out, it's a procedure which carries the risk of complications, some serious. Patients who had been damaged by this procedure carried out by those without specialist training campaigned so that no-one else should ever be harmed like that again.

In our area it became a hospital only procedure for a while. Having trained nurses in the community seems far more sensible.

PLEASE don't Get someone untrained to syringe your ears! My step father is utterly, completely deaf in one ear after a bad syringe job done by a GP's 'assistant' (probably receptionist) years ago, and has had several painful (and unsuccessful) surgeries to try to fix it since.

I don't understand why managers aren't granting time off for these appointments when it is clear that they have to be at fixed times. I'm a manager and would always grant time off under these circumstances.

my dh had his ears syringes a few times, but the ear was blocked again after only a couple of months.
now he goes to the ear clinic (I have linked before) every couple of years or so.
they explained that syringing can cause little fissures in the ear canal and the ears defence mechanism is to make more wax to protect the ear. thus the quicker build up.

MrsMintyMonetarism, your experience was similar to mine. I repeatedly told reception, nurse manager and GP that the itching was driving me insane, and they repeatedly - and more and more aggressively - told me I HAD TO WAIT A WEEK FOR A SYRINGING APPOINTMENT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

When I finally travelled to Central London in the hope of getting help, the ClearEar Clinic were appalled at the extent of the fungal infection in my ear. They said I couldn't have been sleeping with that extent of infection. My fungal spores had gone blue.

Never heard of Hopi candles before, but the idea of putting a lighted candle in my ear sounds insane.

I'm not trying that at home.

Civilon ewww at your fungally blue ear. If you'd come to me I wouldn't have put water anywhere near it after looking in! Regarding the Betterware catalogue earsuckers I haven't tried them but generally wouldn't advocate putting anything with/under pressure in your ear yourself. I can imagine people get desperate though, most patients sigh with relief once their ears have been cleared!

I do agree that some PNs/GPs are jobsworths - UngratefulChild's experience is piss poor and I hope not common. But also some people don't realise that whilst it may seem straightforward washing a bit of wax out it's potentially a risky procedure.

I've been PNing almost 12 years and have never perforated an eardrum, but then would always do my own assessment - if there's very dry wax (despite oiling) I'd send the patient away to oil some more and return another day as the risk of perforation and pain is higher. Unfortunately we don't have microsuction available to us so our criteria are limited.

I went on a course where an untrained PN told us she hadn't asked the patient's history and washed out the ear - not realising he'd had a perforation until the water started coming out of his nose... that's just poor practice and emphasises why training is essential.

I thought that the modern ear-wax drops will soften and break up the wax so it falls or runs out on its own, is that not true?

regarding earwax and drop

"In persons who have a very large amount of ear wax, putting drops into the ear may simply block up the ear and make it wet. Because of this consideration, the optimal method of doing this is to have someone look into your ear first, and act depending on the situation."

same site on irrigation:
"... While irrigation is a conventional and accepted method of ear wax removal, it has many disadvantages compared to removal under direct vision. For example, in the rare instances when there is a perforation under the wax, irrigation may force water and wax into the middle ear, causing a nidus for infection. Irrigation also puts the ear to risk for bacterial infection. Some authors recommend placing 1 or 2 drops of Domeboro, Vosol or Cortisporin otic in the irrigated canal to prevent infection. Irrigation should not be used in ears with perforations.

Sometimes ear wax is hardened and impossible to remove with irrigation. In this situation one may attempt to soften the wax with oil and return in one week for another attempt. Suction may be helpful in this situation.

Water jet devices such as used for dental care have also been used for ear wax removal. While generally effective, this method is judged unpleasant by many patients. There is also danger of perforation of the ear drum using these devices. Special tips can be used to reduce or eliminate this risk."

same site on drops
"NONE OF THESE PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE USED IN PERSONS WHO HAVE A EARDRUM PERFORATION"

Thanks, Sidge. If I can't do it myself, then, I'll have to keep shelling out £60 at the ClearEar Clinic every time I want clear ears.

2rebecca, what are QAF points?

My ears are terrible for getting blocked but my they don't seem too keen to syringe round here. I've tried olive oil etc but it didn't work for me. I now use Ear Calm which you can buy over the counter, it had a nozzle where you squirt it right inside your ear and you can actually feel it working straight away, it kind of fizzes as it softens and breaks down the wax. It's not greasy like some of them either. I've found use this for a couple of days helps me hear again. I now never ever clean my ears or use cotton buds, I just use Ear Calm when I feel a build up. I've tried everything and this out of desperation after being deaf for three weeks and felt like killing someone!

Sorry for the typos on my phone.

viva I watched the whole of that video and was bracing myself for something HUMUNGOUS to poop out of his ear - slightly disappointed

The asscociated links on the right of the video are far more shocking!!

Civilon cor 60 quid seems a bit steep - I do feel for you, ear pain/blockages are so debilitating. I wouldn't blame you in the slightest for trying to remove it yourself witha device as long as no digging and poking went on.

QOF points are Quality Outcome Framework points. They are the criteria we are marked by in primary care and points make prizes, ie meet your points target and you get money in the pot to provide patient services. QOF targets are driven primarily by chronic disease management and health reviews, such as asthma, COPD, CHD, epilepsy, mental health, dementia, cancer, cervical screening, hypertension, ummmmm can't remember any more!

And it's half a day in London. And the John Lewis bill.

I have an Otoscope I bought from ebay but even with positioning two mirrors at odd angles I cannot see into my own ear

I did freak myself out looking in the kids' ears though - I forgot it also magnified

I think I've seen a little camera thing you can plug into the PC if you like looking into your orifices.