Blocked Ear

[rockyracoon]

My ear has been blocked for 2 days and it's driving me mad, I've tried olive oil, Otex and solution of bicarbonate of soda. Is there anything else I can try?

Thanks :)

[237SJ]

What do you mean by blocked? Do you mean that your eustachian tube is blocked? If that is the case, maybe a menthol/eucalyptus inhalation would help.

[anneasquith]

rocky, look at the related questions below, may help,

[woofgang]

what are your symptoms? pain? deafness? what?

[rockyracoon]

It's blocked with wax and it's driving me mad, no pain just a whooshing sound like the sea and a loss of some hearing.

I'll look at related posts.

Thanks all

[woofgang]

if otex doesn't do it then you may need to get it syringed.

[anneasquith]

my gp has prescribed exterol for me. it works where others don't.try your chemist.

[rockyracoon]

Anne, I'll try and get some of that, thanks.

Thanks again to you all, I'm sitting here with olive oil dripping down m neck :(

[douglas9401]

Speaking as a chronic sufferer, olive oil and, a week of patience and a visit to the nurse for a good sloosh out.

[rockyracoon]

3 weeks at our practice Douglas, my mate's a nurse and she said she'd do it after 2 weeks but I think I'm going to blackmail her down to one week.

Oops, did I say blackmail, I meant barter ;)

[Sqad]

No....you need it syringing....see your GP.

[bravejordy]

If your problem turns out not to be a build up of wax, but your eustachian tubes (as 237SJ suggested), you might want to try something called an Otovent kit, which is a basically a plastic adaptor and a balloon which you inflate using your nose and causes your ears to pop. After suffering an ongoing problem of becoming partially deaf in my right ear for about six weeks every year (this has occurred every year around the same time for the past four years). My GP examined me and confirmed it wasn't wax and after trying me on antibiotics and hydrocortisone drops (all to no avail), finally last year he referred me to an ENT specialist. Unfortunately by the time my appointment day came, the problem had cleared of its own accord. Nevertheless I still went to see the ENT doctor, who suggested the next time it happened I should buy an Otovent kit (they cost around £7.00 but I should imagine they're available on prescription too). My ear once again became blocked about 5 weeks ago so I bought myself one of these kits and it cleared the problem instantly. Like I said, it might be worth considering if, like me, your problem is not wax.

[Sqad]

If seeing your GP for ear syringing is a problem.......nip to the chemist for hydrogen peroxide 3% and buy a dropper.

Bad ear uppermost....put a few drops in and keep the bad ear uppermost for about 15mins. Straighten up and with the ear facing downwards...wiggle it...and with a bit of luck out will come the wax.

This can be done 3or4 times a day.

Getting it syringed is best though.

[jno]

if you go down the Sqad route, a video clip of you wiggling your ears would be welcome

[Sqad]

jno.........LOL.

A video clip of "wiggling" ANYTHING would be entertaining.

"Wiggling".....defn.....holding the lobe of the ear between the thumb and index finger..........and "wiggle."

[Tilly2]

Sqad, does the wax come out in a blob or does it trickle?

[Sqad]

Tilly.......with luck........a blob, but usually it trickles out in a brown mess.

[jno]

try to put a wick in it as it comes out; you may need lighting if there are power cuts during the storm.

[whistonian]

Don't worry Tilly a container is placed under the ear to catch the water and mess.

[rockyracoon]

Many thanks to you all for your answers, I'll try to get to a chemist today but have absolutely no idea where one will be open locally to me.

And to you sqad, muchas gracias.

[Sqad]

de nada!