Recurrent Ear wax build up.. yes a wonderful Monday morning subject :)

[HelenePA]

Okay my dd who is 9 has ear wax problems We ARE seeing an ENT for the problem her next appointment is on Thursday so no need to tell me go see a dr.. we are seeing the best in the area for it.. She had "surgery" to remove all the wax in December (the 30th to be exact) it was so bad she has to be put under for it.. the whole thing took 5 minutes and cost 3000$ yes 3000$ We owe about 200$. Well today I get a call from the school nurse saying my dd was pulling at her ear so she looked in it.. (can school nurses even do that? ) and the wax is back She goes on to pretty much berate me for it.. what else can I do? its not like I'm shoving wax in her ears at night or something Anyway since its back what is the next step they will take? Tubes? does that help with wax? I thought that was for fluid? We can not keep putting her under to get it out.. even at 200$ a pop its going to get expensive! I know its affecting her hearing.. she already has a delay. this sucks..

 

[PaulaSue]

My youngest has something in her ear and the school nurse has all the tools neded to do that. (TG it was not a bug which I hear is often )

WOW! 3,000 to take it out.

My older 2 get a lot but thankfully not that much. My oldest it the worst and now and then the doctor has taken a chopstick looking thing and dug it out. I use q-tips 2 times a week and also have used the sprays which I don't think help at all. I just do it after their hair wash.

Sorry no help but it does bump the thread for you. I'm interested in seeing what advice others have to offer.

 

[HelenePA]

the dr charged 68$ yep the rest was all hospital stuff.. 3000$ for ear wax..

 

[Pixiedust34]

Q-Tips aren't recommended by doctors because they can push some of the wax far into the ear and cause it to be impacted.

Have you tried ear drops made to loosen wax? Or drops of hydrogen peroxide to break up the wax?

 

[wdwmom2]

Some children are just notorious for ear wax buildup. Believe me, nothing you did wrong. Shame on the school nurse for berating you!!!

In the office, we use 2 different methods to remove wax. One is the loop, that PaulaSue is talking about. Only done by the docs. Basically it is just digging the wax out. The other is a waterpik. No one in the office likes to do it except for me. So I always get asked to do it. Basically I am just flushing the ears with a hydrogen peroxide/warm water mix. Soft, gooey wax is easier to remove than the hardened wax. You should see what I get out of some ears....beads, pencil erasers, balled up pieces of paper, the list goes on.

Maybe you could talk to your doc about routinely flushing the ears at home, just using a bulb syringe. Ear tubes will not help with wax, they just allow fluid to drain from behind the ear drum.

 

[HelenePA]

We've been using debrox since 2 wks after the surgery what else can I do at home? I don't use qtips I know better since I had many earaches as a child I had it drilled in my head nothing smaller than my elbow goes in my ear

 

[Mkrop]

DS7 has developed this issue "suddenly" as well and has had to have "surgery" two times. Luckily nothing as drastic as putting him under though. Both times the nurse has put in some Debrox to soften it up, then 10 minutes later she comes in with water (maybe there is hydrogen peroxide in it) and with a syringe that had a curve tip she tilts his head and keeps flushing it. First time a huge clump of hard stuff came out, this last time (last week) it seemed more soften and gooey.

His other ear is starting to clog but since there is a hole they wont remove it yet. I have been doing the Deborx in that but I dont think it is helping.

I asked how I should prevent this in the future, they told me some kids just have that excessiveness, and to do Deborx in each ear once a week but if that does not work, then up it to two times a week. How the heck am I suppose to know if it is helping or not???

The regular ped is handling this, they have not recommended an ENT as of yet.

I am concerned too bc DS7 has other physical delays, the teacher says there are foucs issues, and now a piece of this puzzle may be that the kid cant friggin hear

 

[Boo'sMom]

we've used debrox before, but the warm irrigation works the best.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I've had wax build up problems for 15 years. I went to a specialist who told me after I was pregnant the follicles in my ear changed and there's nothing to worry about.
I go to the doctor every 5 months and get "cleaned out".
I found all those otc drops would just make it wirse.
I do put in hydrogen peroxide to loosen it before i get to the doctor.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ah, I subject I am well versed in.

1. Switch ENT's. There are better ones out there to manage ear wax. And 3000 bucks? Come on.

2. Your dd will need to go and get her ears reg. cleaned out by an ENT. Reg. cleanings are simple and no need to be put under. Unless your dd is phobic about getting her ears cleaned. Then you got a problem there.

3. Using debrox, hydrogen peroxide, etc....irritates the ear and makes it produce MORE wax.

4. My issue was allergies in which I have excema in my ear. Hence not being able to use chemicals in my ear. It tears it up and makes the problem worse. I use excema cream in my ear to try and keep that at bay.

Staying on top of getting them reg. cleaned is the key. Once you have a buildup you get irritation and it is a vicious cycle.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

Has anyone here "candled" a child's ears? Our DS had ear problems around age one, had tubes, and a lot of wax build-up. I read about candeling the ears, talked to his ENT dr, and it worked. Needless to say, he hasn't had one ear infection since, no wax problems either.

 

[720L]

I have the same problem...excessive ear wax. I go in about once a year for removal. The Dr told me to flush my ear once a week with half white vinegar, half alcohol. (use that ear bulb syringe thingy). It does seem to help, I used to have to go in twice a year or more, and would always get swimmers ear in the summer. I also have eczema of the ear which is fabulous. Itchy ears. The vinegar/alcohol helps that also.

 

[themarquis]

I could write the book on earwax

Yup. I've probably gotten my ears impacted a couple of times a year every year since I was a kid. Not to the point of surgery (not sure what they did?? ) but to the point of drs water-piking my ears (flushing them out with a machine) and/or digging stuff out. It gets all hardened up in there up against the eardrum and forms a rocklike plug! Not only can you not hear a thing but it hurts and I used to end up with an ear infection or eardrum irritation each time.

The issue is - and this is most likely the case for your daughter -- that there is something about the way the ear canal (or whatever ear bits and pieces there are in there ) is shaped that can make it hard for the earwax to come out. Mine are very narrow, probably due to genetics and frequent ear infections as a kid. Hence, earwax forms deep in the ear but is not able to naturally move outward and fall out o the ear (as it does for most people). Thus, the crap gets stuck in there.

For the last three years, I have had zero impactions requiring a doctor's visit. Here is what I have done to prevent them. It's basically a matter of keeping on top of the issue by vigilantly trying to remove wax BEFORE they get impacted.

1) frequently flush out the ears. After they get cleaned by the doctor, have her put some warm (not hot) water in her ears every day or every other day, like in the shower or via a baby ear bulb. Let the water sit in there for ten or twenty seconds, and then have her turn and shake her head to get it out. Don't have her do this when the ears are full of gunk (like right now!!) 'cuz ... trust me on this ... the water will get down near the eardrum and get stuck BEHIND a plug of wax and never come out. Do this frequently and the wax won't build up. You can put some drops in her ears afterwords to dry them (swimmer's ear drops?) because you don't want it to be damp and gross in there all the time 0-- good conditions for an ear infection.

2) if they get to the point of STARTING to get full of earwax/impacted (before it starts hurting or she can't hear anymore), get a baby ear bulb or blunt-tipped irrigation syringe (the doc can give you one) and irrigate the heck outta her ears. have her stand in the shower or put her head over the sink, fill the ear bulb with something like 75 percent water and 25 percent hydrogen peroxide (make sure it is body temperature!!! too hot or too cold = uncomfortableness and even dizziness/nausea), stick the ear bulb firmly into her hear and squirt as hard as she'll let you (you want to get the water really moving to dislodge that wax). YOu're going to have to do this several times so set aside a chunk of time in your calendar, 'cuz it's gonna be a while. Have her shake that water out in between bulbs of water. She can also gently rub the outside of her ear and push on the flap. Eventually with a lot of time and effort and fingers crossed, you will get those suckers cleaned out! She shold be able to tell you when they feel clean and her hearing seems better. Use those drying ear drops afterwords to prevent an infection.

3) No q-tips or anything else IN the ear canal. Trust me on this -- it will push that wax down deeper and cause problems. However, you can take a q-tip and gently clean around the opening to the canal and go in a tiny bit, like a millimeter or something, to clean out any wax that's made it out to the surface.

If you stay on top of this, I think you can get control over the situation. Her hearing is precious and hearing issues negatively impact in-school learning, speech, and comprehension, so it's important!

 

[themarquis]

Ah, I subject I am well versed in.

1. Switch ENT's. There are better ones out there to manage ear wax. And 3000 bucks? Come on.

2. Your dd will need to go and get her ears reg. cleaned out by an ENT. Reg. cleanings are simple and no need to be put under. Unless your dd is phobic about getting her ears cleaned. Then you got a problem there.

3. Using debrox, hydrogen peroxide, etc....irritates the ear and makes it produce MORE wax.

4. My issue was allergies in which I have excema in my ear. Hence not being able to use chemicals in my ear. It tears it up and makes the problem worse. I use excema cream in my ear to try and keep that at bay.

Staying on top of getting them reg. cleaned is the key. Once you have a buildup you get irritation and it is a vicious cycle.

I agree with everything you said ... sounds like the op's dd's doctor is not treating the earwax problem appropriately (or keeping on top of the issue). I wasn't aware that hydrogen peroxide irritates the ear, but that makes sense.

One doctor did mention that some people like to use a ... erm ... stool softener in the ear because it ... well, as you can imagine, softens it up. I think it is colace or something in liquid form, just dripped into the ears. Soemthing I never ended up trying

 

[LuvOrlando]

My DS12 has had this problem since he was a little kid, it never occurred to me t could cause severe trouble and his Dr's never mentioned it. In his situation it seems to be related to allergies because whenever his nose kicks up I also notice the wax getting worse. Luckily it has never needed a Dr's intervention. I hate to say it but I do take care of it myself using a Q-tip, but I slowly & gently pull the cotton on the end out to make a flat fan like shape so it catches the wax when I twirl it slowly and gently in there, never ever deep, maybe 1/8 inch and if it goes further DS will yelp. He does sit perfectly still for me so unless you have a kid who will sit it's probably a bad idea. I only use the brand because the others do not have enough cotton on the end to pull into a safe size fan, I think the way they come is too firm to help him anyway. I use each side only one swirl then toss it and go through at least 12 q-tips per cleaning. He needs this to be done about once a month but up to once a week during peak allergy seasons. I know how bad it is by the first swirl, if he's clear I leave him be but if it's thick I know to check back the following week ect. The odd thing is no-one else in our family has it. No Dr told me how to care for this, I just figured it out on my own but it must be working because he seems fine.... it's gross but he's fine.

Don't feel bad about it, you didn't know what was going on. I bet the reason it gets so bad in girls is because their hair covers the ears up and you can't see what's going on in there. In my DS's case he has short hair so I can see it easily and tend to it immediately. Now that he's 12 he can feel it and will sometimes walk up to me with a bouquet of Q-Tips and ask me to take care of him.

Here's the thing, in my DS's case the stuff can come out, I can see it and just help it along to keep him more comfortable because it does make him hard of hearing. What the Marquis is saying is totally different, if you can't see it building up by looking at the outside rim of the ear you may have what she/he has so I think you should do it that way, not mine.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I agree with everything you said ... sounds like the op's dd's doctor is not treating the earwax problem appropriately (or keeping on top of the issue). I wasn't aware that hydrogen peroxide irritates the ear, but that makes sense.

One doctor did mention that some people like to use a ... erm ... stool softener in the ear because it ... well, as you can imagine, softens it up. I think it is colace or something in liquid form, just dripped into the ears. Soemthing I never ended up trying

You have to baby the ear esp. after a cleaning because the ear is irritated from the build-up and cleaning.

I did get impacted 2 yrs ago. Yes, I got sick of it and let my ears go for 8 months. Shame on me.

Anyway after the OP had the "surgery" you have reg. appointments to stay on top of the problem. OP's ENT should know better. That is where my complaint is with your ENT OP.
If they are "the best" they may not look at wax build up as something that is a big deal and perhaps assign it to a lower priority.

My ENT is an allergist as well as a ENT head/neck surgeon. So she understands the allergy part with my ears in relation to my issues. She looks into this issue and stays ontop of the latest research of why.

I did get cortisone shots along with my cleanings sometimes because my ears were so bad, raw, red, etc...

 

[Lucky4me]

I go once a year for ear wax removal. My ENT has a high tech looking machine with a camera on the end of it, he can go in and see what's in there on the computer screen. A miniature tweezer grabs hold and pulls it out. I suppose a child would need to be sedated, but I didn't. The first time I went, I had been having hearing problems and ear infections for months. I was pretty much deaf by the time I went in. I couldn't hear over the phone and people had to yell for me to hear them in person. I thought I would leave with a hearing aid.
I could hear so well when he was finished, I had to put my hands over my ears when people talked because everything seemed so loud. It was incredible. I had no clue it was impacted ear wax. I keep my ears very clean, but he said it wasn't about that. Just some people make more wax than others.

I think that's really fast for your dd's wax to build up like that. Hopefully the ENT will figure it out without resorting to a $3000 treatment.

 

[720L]

You have to baby the ear esp. after a cleaning because the ear is irritated from the build-up and cleaning.

I did get impacted 2 yrs ago. Yes, I got sick of it and let my ears go for 8 months. Shame on me.

Anyway after the OP had the "surgery" you have reg. appointments to stay on top of the problem. OP's ENT should know better. That is where my complaint is with your ENT OP.
If they are "the best" they may not look at wax build up as something that is a big deal and perhaps assign it to a lower priority.

My ENT is an allergist as well as a ENT head/neck surgeon. So she understands the allergy part with my ears in relation to my issues. She looks into this issue and stays ontop of the latest research of why.

I did get cortisone shots along with my cleanings sometimes because my ears were so bad, raw, red, etc...

My ENT also has me put cortisone cream on a qtip and gently put it in my ear (for the eczema). I only do that when it gets really itchy. Do you love getting your ears cleaned? I do......I feel like a dog when you itch them where they can't reach....LOL....

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My ENT also has me put cortisone cream on a qtip and gently put it in my ear (for the eczema). I only do that when it gets really itchy. Do you love getting your ears cleaned? I do......I feel like a dog when you itch them where they can't reach....LOL....

Oh yea. Now I will say that I have been able to keep it at bay recently in the past yr. The reason is I hit premenopause and for whatever reason my wax stopped building up.

Now I am using some of what "the marquis" is doing because I my ears decided to change. I rinse them with warm water in the shower and use Q-Tips to get the stuff coming out. I have been good all yr.

Bad news is my excema started up again. I really need to use some cream because that is when the issues start up for me.

The dry air here in the winter is a killer.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

DS9 had been a late talker. Every time we thought he had an ear infection the DR said that they couldn't see the ear drum. this went on for the first 1 yrs of his life. All the suggested to do was peroxide and water to flush it out. when DS turned 2 we had gone again for a suspected ear infection. This time the DR suggested an ENT. When we ?'d about the lack of talking they said that boys are slow talkers. We always thougth he would be an early talker since we had 2 older ds. We went to ENT. They couldn't suck out the wax bc it was soo hard. They gave us special drops and went back. He was tied in a papposse and they sucked out the wax. In the process they found a polyp growinging in the ear canal. Steriods were used- polyp went away (TG!). By the time DS reached 3 his speech was blossoming. The wax kept him from hearing so he wasn't speaking. We went every yr for ear cleaning.

FF to 1st grade, Took DS to ENT. There was soo much wax and soo impacted the dr suggested Surgery as the only way to safely remove all the wax-- 5 min procedure. Well they took him in for surgery and it took over 20 mins to remove all the wax. The skin started to grow around the wax. The ENT never saw such a bad case of wax. When DS came out of the OR -- he was in soo much pain-- any noise was soo loud for him. He kept asking for bandaids for his ears. He did not do well coming out of anthesia- soo combative. We took him back 6 months later == ears were very clear.

A yr later he told me he was not hearing well-- went back and they sucked the wax out again. So far we have not found a magic number of how often to go get them cleaned. His ENT he has had since 2 left the children's hospital so I have to see who else can see him.

Trust a your instincts. I knew his lack of talking was not right-- dh kept brushing me off and so did the Peds. Now I know to be more assertive and their care. DS had many issues that I believe were all related to lack of hearing. We were even asked to withdraw him from preschool at 3yoa bc they deemed him a safety issue. that is when BT3 was brought in and he started to get special ed preschool. To see him today he is such a totally different child.