Ear Wax and Apnea

Wulfman... wrote:

49er wrote:Thanks Den. I thought using a a Q-tip was not advised as the thought was it pushes the wax further into the ear?

It's not. But, I used the word "gently" in my post and am very careful when I do so. So far, no problems. That's why I do it once or twice a week......to try to remove it before it builds up and solidifies.


Den

.

Thanks, now I understand.

49er wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:

49er wrote:Thanks Den. I thought using a a Q-tip was not advised as the thought was it pushes the wax further into the ear?

It's not. But, I used the word "gently" in my post and am very careful when I do so. So far, no problems. That's why I do it once or twice a week......to try to remove it before it builds up and solidifies.


Den

.

Thanks, now I understand.

I've heard that you're not supposed to put anything smaller than your ELBOW in your ear. OooooooK.
Anybody ever seen anyone use a paper clip? I have but I've never been THAT desperate.


Den

.

I keep a medium size paper clip clean and handy, bent into a long U-shape, to gently extract the excess wax
that only makes my ear canal itch when there is too much of it. I have learned to only reach in so far,
in order to avoid touching the nerve that makes me nauseous.

Wulfman... wrote:

49er wrote:Thanks Den. I thought using a a Q-tip was not advised as the thought was it pushes the wax further into the ear?

It's not. But, I used the word "gently" in my post and am very careful when I do so. So far, no problems. That's why I do it once or twice a week......to try to remove it before it builds up and solidifies.


Den

.

If you think that's dangerous, I use the cap from a BIC pen, it's like a sharp plastic shovel. I treat it very carefully, so far I haven't noticed it coming out of the other ear. Jim

chunkyfrog wrote:I keep a medium size paper clip clean and handy, bent into a long U-shape, to gently extract the excess wax
that only makes my ear canal itch when there is too much of it. I have learned to only reach in so far,
in order to avoid touching the nerve that makes me nauseous.

I've used a flat bobby pin. works great

Wulfman... wrote:...That's why I do it once or twice a week......to try to remove it before it builds up and solidifies.


Den

.

What causes it to solidify, once again, is water. Water is the enemy; avoid using water as a cure, because it is not nearly the best or most comfortable way to approach this.

Avoid water in the ears under any circumstances, as it just complicates the issue and creates a vicious cycle that will lead you either to an ENT in a timely fashion, or down a path that is much darker and dangerous.

'If your earwax dries out naturally, it will flake off. That is how it is supposed to work.

If you introduce water, the earwax does not dry out and flake off, it turns to goo. Goo, you do not want in that location.

If you introduce water and at some point the goo dries out, it still will not flake off, because it is equivalent to what happens to loose dirt when introduced to water, which is that it first turns to mud (hence the characterization "goo") and it then turns into dried mud, or hard mud clods. And that is exactly what will happen inside your ear canal.

Keep the water out; dry it out quickly if some gets in. You can also use the alcohol/borate solution for "swimmer's ear" (the alcohol dries out the water). Put a drop or two of that in, and it may dry out the goo, at least, giving it a chance to flake off naturally.

palerider wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:I keep a medium size paper clip clean and handy, bent into a long U-shape, to gently extract the excess wax
that only makes my ear canal itch when there is too much of it. I have learned to only reach in so far,
in order to avoid touching the nerve that makes me nauseous.

I've used a flat bobby pin. works great

My mother taught me how to use the bobby pin, but they are so hard to clean I hated to toss them.
I can reuse a painted paper clip as long as i can clean it with alcohol.
When I got my first hearing aid, I had an insane ear canal itch, and the audiologist
suggested I swab the itch with a Q-tip and alcohol, but to clear out the excess wax first to avoid pushing it deeper.
She agreed my paper clip and technique were quite acceptable.

I use the big sized safety swabs. They are sold in kid's stores. That can't go too deep in my ear canal so no issues with hurting the ear drum.

Unless you remove the excess wax first, the swab will push it in further.
My audiologist said so. She should know, IMHO.

I was curious about this too. My first experience with the cpac dr. was to tell me my ears were full of wax???

Nothing else was mentioned so on my own I drop a few drops of peroxide and rinse with water...now I'll start finishing with a hair dryer since I'm schooled about water being so harmful.

Thanks.

There are ear wax removal kits with some sort of softening liquid and a squeeze bulb.

There are also mechanical gadgets that have a wide disk that keeps you from going too far into the ear canal.

Google ear wax removal.

Many doctors say only they should remove ear wax. They may be right, but funny how the right solution always rings the cash register, isn't it?

Even if you do it the "right" way, don't overdo it. Ear wax is there for a good reason to clean and protect your ears. If you clean it out too much, your ears may be more susceptible to infections and other problems.

It sounds awful, but I use a large safety pin and stick the "loopy" end into my ear canal and use that to scoop out the wax. I do have to use judgment to not go too deep, so you could hit your eardrum if you go too far or get your arm bumped.

Here's a thread from last year about ear problems and CPAP... It may or may not be useful:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=97953&p=908078&hili ... he#p908036

Here's another:

viewtopic/t59817/Ear-Problems-after-CPA ... cover.html

I've had a lot of problems with my ears since starting CPAP, including pain. I don't think it has anything to do with ear wax, though, but who knows it might. The CPAP creates pressure all night and removing that in the morning can create pain or a feeling of fullness. I do get a lot of ear wax build-up in my ears, though. When I get around to it (not often) I use a syringe with some hydrogen peroxide to put a few drops in my ear, lie down and let it sizzle for 10-15 minutes. Then I use a bulb syringe and warm water to rinse it out. I might repeat it once. Then I lie down on that side and let it drain, then do the other side later. Don't do this all the time though because hydrogen peroxide will completely disintegrate the wax. Your ear needs some wax. I just do it now and then because mine get so much wax build-up that I can't hear as well and it does not work its way out on its own.