Help! WDW in 9 Days but Hearing In Right Ear Way Down (Wax), Very Annoying

[proteus]

I like for everything to be as close to perfect as possible for my vacations.

A few weeks ago after a lot of swimming I noticed a decline in hearing in my right ear. I tried popping it which usually works, this time it had no effect.
It doesn't feel like water at all but more like wax.

Has anyone tried the solutions found at your local drug store? Which one is the best in your experience? Going out to the store at lunch today, this is driving me nuts.

 

[sunshine1178]

Depending on your insurance, you might want to go to a doctor or nurse practitioner and have them clean your ear. They can use a solution of peroxide and warm water to flush the wax out. It is a big help, and I only pay my co-pay when I go to get it done.

 

[emh1129]

First, you want to go to your drugstore and buy Debrox. It's an ear-wax removal aid. You just put a few drops in your ear and you will hear bubbling noises (while it breaks up the wax).
If this doesn't solve it, then it at least makes it MUCH easier on your doctor when she/he flushes out your ear.

 

[proteus]

Depending on your insurance, you might want to go to a doctor or nurse practitioner and have them clean your ear. They can use a solution of peroxide and warm water to flush the wax out. It is a big help, and I only pay my co-pay when I go to get it done.

I am covered by insurance but as we only get two weeks of vacation per year I would prefer not to take the time off or I will have to change my plans.

 

[travlnman1]

When i feel as if I have excess wax I candle my ears.
Go to any health food store and see if they have candleing candles.
They are hollow bees wax candles.
Get a paper plate and cut a hole in the center and put the candle through the hole (so any ash that falls, falls onto the paper plate)
Lay on the floor with your ear up towards the ceiling.
Light the candle.
It will take about 15 minutes to do and all the ear wax gets sucked out of your ear and into the hollow candle.
It's very painless and very cheap!! Way cheap and better that the Dr's or even the drops.

 

[hearts8701]

swimmers ear they sell in in the resort gift shop

 

[Teresa Pitman]

How you treat this depends on if it is actually a build up of wax (which can be easily treated with a little peroxide and water) or if it is "swimmer's ear," an infection of the outer ear canal, which can be treated with over the counter drops you buy at the drug store.

Teresa

 

[proteus]

When i feel as if I have excess wax I candle my ears.
Go to any health food store and see if they have candleing candles.
They are hollow bees wax candles.
Get a paper plate and cut a hole in the center and put the candle through the hole (so any ash that falls, falls onto the paper plate)
Lay on the floor with your ear up towards the ceiling.
Light the candle.
It will take about 15 minutes to do and all the ear wax gets sucked out of your ear and into the hollow candle.
It's very painless and very cheap!! Way cheap and better that the Dr's or even the drops.

Ear candeling is a hoax and multiple studies have been done showing that the residue isn't from the ear but from the candle (try it on a dummy ear and you will see). There are also videos on the internet which you can review.

The FDA also has issued warnings about them as the practice is dangerous and people have damaged their ears. "Candles marketed with health claims are classified by the FDA as medical devices. As such, they are illegal to market without FDA approval, which none of them have. During the past few years, the agency has banned the importation of auricular candles marketed by at least four Canadian companies." The people who make them claim that it was an "ancient practice"; Ancient Tibet, China, Egypt, the pre-Columbian Americas, and even the mythical city of Atlantis are cited as possible contributors. None of this has ever been corroborated by evidence.

A friend who is a massage therapist tried to add this to her services. Her insurance company said this is a dangerous practice and they would not cover it.

 

[EdiePA]

"Swimmers Ear" drops will NOT treat an active swimmer's ear infection. It can be used after swimming to dry up water and prevent infection. For an active ear infection, you will need a prescription from the doctor for an antibiotic ear drop.

I second the recommendation of Debrox if it is wax. Use it for a few days to soften the wax and then you can flush with an ear syringe and warm water.

Edie

 

[DisneyKT]

My friends son just had to go to Docs for swimmers ear it wouldn't clear up.
I can't remember what the name of the drops they gave him but he was on it for five days.

I think I would call my Docs office and ask what they would recommend. Good Luck and have a great Vacation

 

[proteus]

Thanks everyone, I'll give Debrox and try and if it doesn't work will make an appointment. I'll let everyone know how it turned out.

 

[Kay1]

Where we live, we have clinics in WalMarts and Publix and maybe other stores. They're staffed by nurse practitioners and have good prices and are open weekends. That would be my first suggestion.

My son did have wax in one ear and we bought the least expensive ear wax kit at CVS and that worked. You could also try a decongestant to open things up. You could ask your local pharmacist for guidance.

Good luck.

 

[emh1129]

Thanks everyone, I'll give Debrox and try and if it doesn't work will make an appointment. I'll let everyone know how it turned out.

Good luck! And if you end up going to the Dr. they will probably thank you a thousand times over, since the wax will come out SO much easier if they have to flush
(can you tell I've had to do this a few times? )

 

[Maureenmouse]

I had the same thing happen to me. I think i actually pushed the wax down into my ear canal with a Qtip. ( I know why did I put it inside the ear...) My hearing was really poor in my right ear, so I finally decided to go get ear wax remover. i bought Debrox. It took about 4 days twice a day, and then the wax actually just popped out of my ear onto my hand. It really worked for me. I've tried other ear wax removers before, but they did not work as well and I always ended up having to go to the doctors.
Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[Tammysue5]

The debrox is a great product for this.... You can use warm water/peroxide and flush the ear out..... Just did DD9s ear out this way... took about 3-5minutes of gentle flushing w/syringe and out 'swam' a piece of wax about the size of a pencil eraser. She could feel it and has had no problems since.

 

[dogluva]

I have problems with my ears. I have to get them cleaned about once every four monts. I go to an ENT. YOu have to be careful when you use peroxide to clean them out-the water didn't dry and caused bacteria to grow in my ears. Just recently I had swimmers ear. YOu can tell if you pull on your lobe and feel pain. I had to get drops to clear it up. Good luck, I hate when my ears are clogged.

 

[seeking pixie dust]

My ENT recommends mineral oil (couple drops a day) - it helps losen the wax. However, it could be that the wax has been building for some time and only a doctor will be able to clean it out. Unless you go see an ENT, the nurse or general practice isn't quite as gentle getting out. I have a problem where the wax pulls dead skins cells off my ear and it builds up easily. I just made an appointment this morning to get it cleaned out. Not as bad this time as last, but I've lost some of the hearing at times, had dizzy spells, etc.. Good luck.

 

[Psychodisney]

I would recommend going to the doctor or acute care. During our last Disney cruise, I felt like I had water in my ears or wax. Just a clogged feeling. During the flight home, it was obviously not just my ears being clogged. Turned out to be a double ear infection. They irrigated my ears, gave me antibiotics and prednisone too. It would be a bummer to get on a plane and find out the hard way that you should have seen a doctor!

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Dh has this problem often and we just use the kit from CVS. The key is when you go to use the bulb syringe thing, to squeeze it really hard, and "blast" the wax out of there.

He has gone to the DR. in the past, and they just use a WaterPik- so you could use that if you have access to one.

We've also done the candles, and I have to say they definitely work. They don't get nearly as much of the was out, but if you take it apart at the end, you will see the ear wax going up. I did this with a whole group of girls during a spa weekend, and we DID burn a dummy one to see if the theories of them not working were true. There was a definite difference. The placebo just gives a powdery residue. The candles used in our ears had actualy browny/orangy wax in them. Of course after that I had to buy more to bring home for DH. He doesn't think it's quite as effective, but the benefit is it doesn't hurt as much as blasting your ears with water! I imagine anything involving fire is going to be discouraged by the FDA, but that doesn't make them a hoax.

 

[jlima]

Where we live, we have clinics in WalMarts and Publix and maybe other stores. They're staffed by nurse practitioners and have good prices and are open weekends. That would be my first suggestion.

I second this. CVS here in Las Vegas has the Minute Clinic and they are open until 8 pm. If you work 9 - 5, it wouldn't interfere.