Bugger - I've made my blocked ear worse by trying to self-syringe it... help....

[JessePinkmansHoody]

Last week I went to walk-in centre before work as my on-and-off blocked ear had become VERY blocked and wasn't clearing. Nurse said I had a "wall of wax" and gave me olive oil drops (to be used for 4 days) and then sodium bicarbonate drops (to be used from Sunday) and an appointment for Fri (22nd) to get it syringed if still needed by then.

I dutifully used the olive-oil twice a day. It seemed to clear a bit but nothing actually came out as I had expected it might once it softened. I started with the bicarbonate of soda drops but straight a way it went REALLY blocked again!

Yesterday at work I googled the issue and found that people successfully self-syringe their ears with a bit of warm water so last night I did the same.. I just squirted a bit of warm water in the direction of my ear hole from an oral syringe a couple of times and let if trickle down (I could feel it.)

Since then its been much worse. Nothing has come out at all (even the water?!) and its actually a bit painful now, not just blocked. I can't really hear out of it at all :( It's like being under water and making me feel a bit "almost dizzy".

Help?

Go to your doctor!

Don't worry too much..softening up the wax also increases its size, and you have probably just moved it closer to your eardrum.

see if you have an ear clear clinic in your area. many are walk in.

I did this with homemade bicarb drops and the same thing happened. I went to the doctor, who told me that there was about a month-long waiting list for the ear-syringing clinic, and my ear was as you describe for several weeks. I bought a bottle of Otex with the ear syringing thing.

The ear syringing thing did work in the end, and I didn't need the clinic. HOWEVER, you need to persevere, ie 10+ minutes at a time of rinsing with warm water. Very satisfying when it finally worked...

You have my sympathies!!

Please go and get it looked at. A lady on here did this to her husband a couple of weeks ago and he ended up with a perforated eardrum