Wax ear plug stuck deep in my left ear

[Piranhadrum]

Went to remove the plugs after waking up this morning and a little piece was stuck in there, couldn't get it out and my dumbass pushed it in deeper with a q-tip!!!

I read online that peroxide can help loosen the wax, if not then go to a doctor. I don't want to go to the doctor in this country! :( Freaking 3rd world butchers is what they are.

Got a gig tonight and need to mix some important songs for next Sunday.....HELP!

[haymedic]

Originally Posted by Piranhadrum

Went to remove the plugs after waking up this morning and a little piece was stuck in there, couldn't get it out and my dumbass pushed it in deeper with a q-tip!!!

I read online that peroxide can help loosen the wax, if not then go to a doctor. I don't want to go to the doctor in this country! :( Freaking 3rd world butchers is what they are.

Got a gig tonight and need to mix some important songs for next Sunday.....HELP!

i have this same problem. every year or two i have to get my ears syringed. it sucks...

you can: put warm olive oil in your ears and let it sit for a day or two... sleep on the same side as the ear. (on a towel)... it may just fall out.

you can: go get your ears waxed... they put a candle in your ear and light it... the suction pulls the wax out. (soften it first with warm olive oil).

you can: bite the bullet and get into the hospital and get them to flush out your ears with saline and a syringe.

you can: look online for some witch doctors cure.

s

[-silent-sam-]

When you say wax ear plugs..... do you mean actual ear wax build up? or do you mean you were waring actual ear plugs? Like these --> Ohropax Ohropax Wax Ear Plugs at Smallflower.com

Assuming you mean actual ear wax build up.... this is my advice


I have heard it's not good to stick anything in your ears....and I have heard that even know q-tips and ear candles appear to work, they often don't do anything and sometimes make things worse. However I am pretty sure I heard all that stuff here on GS.... not from a doctor. Not being a Doctor myself I don't actually know what works and what doesn't.

That being said.... you should be able to go to any drug store and get special ear drops that will make the ear wax get dry and crusty, and then it will just come out itself, sometimes with the aid of a bit of water (some products come with a little tiny turkey baster thing so you can squirt water into your ear)

This isn't a quick fix though..... you put the stuff in your ears every night for a couple days.

Either way I have heard that aside from going to the doctor.... this and water is the best / safest way to clean your ears.

Again I am not a doctor...... but I am pretty sure using this stuff once isn't going to make you go deaf.


If you mean that some of a actual wax ear plug is stuck in your ear..... then Id go see a doctor.

[Jay-]

Hardened wax should be handled by a physician.

Iv had a blocked and inflamed inner ear for 8 years. ~SUX~
Nothing helped but a shot of steroids. It makes the ear drains larger and the hope is that the infection can come down.

No workie.

[surflounge]

here's a thread with some help
Fluid behind Eardrum after virus - - - - - - help

[hobson182]

My brother had the same problem as yourself a couple of months ago. He made a trip to the Doctors to get them syringed, took about 5 minutes and everything was sorted.

Hope this helps.

[narcoman]

Olive oil in the ear works well. Otex isn't bad - order it online if you can't find it in local shops. Ear candles are dangerous - too hot and you'll scar your inner ear...painful..... and the extraction process can damage the ear. Stay WELL away from ear candles.

Other than that - take a holiday to the UK and get 'em syringed !!

[mprewett]

If you had a *good* doctor, I'd recommend that, but without one, you're relying on your own good technique.

Just *stay away* from anything that uses a pressure differential to remove anything, like an ear candle. Yes, it can create a vaccuum and thereby draw the wax out, but the vaccuum will also pull on the eardrum itself. Not good.

Peroxide is used mostly because it bubbles in the ear and it feel like something is happening. Its actual efficacy is limited.

Look into Colace. It's a stool softener you can often get in liquid form. It'll work without any side effects as near as I can tell.

If there is fiber of some kind in the wax from the earplugs (to keep it all together) then you will likely have some difficulties extracting that unless you get lucky.

Above all, do some research and be careful!

[Piranhadrum]

Thank you for all of the help everyone!

Good new is that I'm hearing in stereo again, but I must tell how I returned to this state!!!!

First off all, like I said, I live in St. Kitts while my wife attends Vet school here. Fortunately I'm playing music more than I did back in the states, as the local thrive off of live music and opportunities are everywhere.

Many of you reading this might think paradise, and yes it is down here- all of the Leeward Islands are. But the reality is that St. Kitts is a developing third world country. Images poverty, police corruption, shady government policies, inflation, weekly food and gas shortages are everyday life. Like parts of Africa really. Anyways, long story short the hospital is not exactly the cleanest place either.

After attempting to remedy my ear plug wax issue with peroxide, we went to the ER. Not exactly and ER, but more of a 'oh sorry, you'll have to wait forever'. The locals say you go there to die, and I can see why. Mosquito's and ants all in the ER, old equipment, liquid medicine in old water bottle containers, rusting oxygen bottles and just general dirtness. Waiting there, locals came in with one thing or another. One guy had half of his foot missing, maggots making the homemade bandage bubble with life. He must have come from deep in the country side on the back part of the island where a lot of locals rely of off their own crops and fishing. This is just one example. I was seen before he was. Clearly they don't have their priorities straight!

The nurses and doctors come across incompetent. The one doctor didn't know what to do, which was apparent after she aimlessly used large forceps to attempt to 'pull out' the wax. Instead I felt as if someone was poking at my brain. I never felt so much pain. PAIN people!! She was guessing where the wax was!!

After that, we waited for another hour for them to get warm water- which they thought would break up the wax and dislodge the stuff. Well, they got this huge ass syringe and shot the water in my ear with full force. I pushed the nurse away, because it was damn near boiling!!!! And the collection dish to catch the water had small blood spots on hit, which is freaky because so many people have HIV/AIDS on the island. My ear just started ringing like crazy, then I refused any more treatment and considered flying back to the US to see a specialist. I couldn't believe it.

They wanted to try one more thing, using smaller tweezers. We waited an hour and a half and when I saw the tweezers were the size of the forceps- we walked out. It's funny because, you don't have to sign anything to leave the hospital. They don't even bother taking your weight or blood pressure.

Finally my band mates who are studying at the nursing school here saved my hearing. They came over and gave me some good pain numbing drugs and were able to successfully 'scrape' out the wax with the proper tool. We had one hour to spare before sound check as well and ended up playing the best gig to date last night!

I wanted to share this because yesterday made me appreciate three things even more, that I do not take for granted....

1. People close to my heart in life
2. My hearing(take my eyes, but Lord not my ears)
3. The healthcare in the states

Don't take anything for granted. One stupid thing I did yesterday morning really turned my life upside down for while. Being able to hear is my lively hood. I hope I'm not painting a bad picture of St. Kitts, there is beauty here and there are people who are capable of doing great things, I have many local friends. It's a real different way of life- slow to progress and still holding on to many old traditions. And that I'm grateful to be experiencing.

Thanks for reading,
-Tom
Leeward Fate | Facebook

[chris319]

Finally my band mates who are studying at the nursing school here

I have to ask this: Given the level of medical care in this place, who in their right mind would ever choose to study nursing there?

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by chris319

I have to ask this: Given the level of medical care in this place, who in their right mind would ever choose to study nursing there?

to help improve the situation?

[kafka]

Originally Posted by Piranhadrum

Finally my band mates who are studying at the nursing school here saved my hearing. They came over and gave me some good pain numbing drugs and were able to successfully 'scrape' out the wax with the proper tool.

Originally Posted by chris319

I have to ask this: Given the level of medical care in this place, who in their right mind would ever choose to study nursing there?

Well, musicians with access to pain numbing drugs, apparently.

[Piranhadrum]

Originally Posted by chris319

I have to ask this: Given the level of medical care in this place, who in their right mind would ever choose to study nursing there?

There are three medical schools here and one veterinary university. The professors are either from the US, UK or Canada. Because the laws are different in this country, these schools can operate year round- as opposed to the US. When they were founded over 30 years ago, they all started out of foreign medical professionals coming to help aid the communities on this island. The schools offer their services to the locals in exchange to build facilities for education on the land. So instead of going to vet school for 5 years, it cuts it down to 3 1/2. All of the studying and much of the hands on work is done here, and then the students go to clinics for another year in the states.....take the board exam, which is like $6,000(!!! so much for that gear I was looking at!!!), and then it's off to being a Dr.

[Space Station]

Wow Piranhadrum's story is insane...you could have easily ended up with no hearing.

I'm suffering at the moment with blocked ear syndrome..I had a cold, sore throat, then my ear sealed over..doc says it's blocked with wax. But I have to use olive oil for 2 friggin' weeks before they will syringe it out..

I am 4 days in and am going mad..it's driving me nuts..literally..I feel on the edge of madness with it!! I'm going back tomorrow and if they dont do it then Im gonna pay a private doc to fix it..cant stand another day like this!

Been using olive oil, otex express for 4 days..no change.

[teo]

Hang in there, syringing it if the plug it's too hard (yuck!) can either not work or request a dangerous higher pressure to wash it out. Trust the doctors and wait.

(I'm no doctor, so don't trust me...)

[christmasjones]

wow, reading Piranhadrum's post about the trip to the hospital made me cringe. I'm glad you are ok now (even though this was posted so long ago)