clogged ear

[Nohal]

This usually happens to me on my flight home but clears up after awhile. The last time (after two weeks) I went to the doctor. I tried debrox and sudafed but neither worked. It turns out I had wax buildup which they flushed out of my ear. One of the best doctor visits I ever had and well worth the price of co pay.

 

[scrhsa]

Don't use Q-tips. Lie down on your side and put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into your ear. It will start to bubble up. After about ten minutes, wipe it clean with a tissue or soft cloth. Repeat this 2 or 3 times a day. If it doesn't get any better after a couple days, see a doctor.

This is what the doc told me to do for my dd when she was little. We had to do it pretty regularly for awhile.

 

[MataHari22]

I would not stick anything in my ear, or use anything. It could be wax, or it could be an ear infection, or it could be congestion....could be all kinds of things. I have problems with my Eustachian tubes because I had radiation for head and neck cancer, and a couple of times, I had very bad problems with my ears, and I could not hear, at all. It was miserable. Dr. thought he would have to put tubes in my ears, but both times, we waited it out and after 4 months it was pretty much cleared up. He did not want to put the tubes in, only as a last resort. But, my point is, if you don't know why your ears are clogged, don't go messing with them, you could make it worse. I was telling my ENT all the things that people were telling me to do, and he told me never to do any of them.

 

[AppleDumpling]

This is what the doc told me to do for my dd when she was little. We had to do it pretty regularly for awhile.

Some people are more predisposed to excessive ear wax and infections than others. It can be hereditary.

FYI, a doctor told me they are seeing more of this now with people who use ear buds frequently. If you or your child has these issues often, and uses earphones to listen to music, it's healthier to use traditional headphones that go over/outside the ears.

 

[loves to dive]

So to summarize for OP, to see if it's possibly ear wax, lie on your side, put a few drops of peroxide in it, let it sit and bubble and crackle, then tilt your head and let it run out. Repeat on other side. If this doesn't work and you have a water pik, put it on the gentle with warm water and shoot it in there, that should flush it out. If it's drainage, try some sudafed. If it hurts at at all, go to the doc, a doc in the box will be fine. Do not, under any circumstances stick a QTip in your ear and dance around the bathroom in front of the closed door, someone might come in and hit you. But, if you decide to do this, please video it, we might enjoy it.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

An FYI regarding my own experience. About a year and a half ago I made an appointment with the doctor to get my ear cleaned out. It had been feeling congested and full. Doc looks and says it is clear, nothing there. To summarize a year long quest, I have been to the ENT three times, had my hearing assessed by an audiologist, had 2 CT scans, been to the dentist for possible TMJ and got a new mouth guard. Took steroids twice and antibiotics once. There is nothing wrong. Still have congestion and ringing in the ear but no cause found.

I only saw this because on my first visit I was sure it was a wax build up and it was not.

 

[MataHari22]

An FYI regarding my own experience. About a year and a half ago I made an appointment with the doctor to get my ear cleaned out. It had been feeling congested and full. Doc looks and says it is clear, nothing there. To summarize a year long quest, I have been to the ENT three times, had my hearing assessed by an audiologist, had 2 CT scans, been to the dentist for possible TMJ and got a new mouth guard. Took steroids twice and antibiotics once. There is nothing wrong. Still have congestion and ringing in the ear but no cause found.

I only saw this because on my first visit I was sure it was a wax build up and it was not.

Did they ever put you on decongestants or anything like that? I was on Flonase or was it nasonex? I forget, but it smelled like roses, and I could not stand it. And I think also was on Zyrtec for a while.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Did they ever put you on decongestants or anything like that? I was on Flonase or was it nasonex? I forget, but it smelled like roses, and I could not stand it. And I think also was on Zyrtec for a while.

Yes, I did try one of those nasal sprays. And I tried the Neti-pot. Thanks for thinking of it though.

 

[ols386]

I had that not long ago. I went to the doc, he looked and said it had wax build-up, and they removed it. Took about 10 minutes.

 

[andiraye]

One of my ears was completely clogged and I put off going to the ENT because the notion of having something put into my ear canal completely freaked me out. Turns out I needn't have worried. Cleaning my ears out of was completely painless and took less than 7 minutes.