how to clear a blocked ear

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vince
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how to clear a blocked ear

Postby vince » Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:24 pm

Christmas day I woke up with a sore throat and cough , this quickly turned into an aches and pains type flu which wasn't a lot of fun. my problem is one of my ears is blocked pretty bad (I woke up from a nap and felt the ear cavity fill) its much like the blockage you may get after swimming except the gunk is too thick to shift by hopping and shaking head. dr reckons it'll clear itself but it's driving me nuts!!!!! I'm hoping someone here has a whiz bang instant type cure for me.
thanks everyone
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foo on patrol
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby foo on patrol » Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:28 pm

Wax Out drops. :wink:

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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby RonK » Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:44 pm

Tell the doc you want them syringed. Guaranteed instant relief.
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cyclotaur
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby cyclotaur » Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:19 pm

Ear Clear ... or get them syringed. Though if there is an infection the doc might not want to syringe them until it's cleared.

I also used a chemist-bought ear candling kit when in Darwin last year which, somewhat surprisingly to me, actually worked.
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vince
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby vince » Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:56 pm

thanks guys, have been using a wax out type product but I'm not having any real results (yet). i'll see how it goes I guess
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby trailgumby » Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:16 pm

I'd suggest first a saline sinus clearing kit like Neilmed's. That should help make whatever goop is in the canal between your sinuses and ear a little more runny and it may then drain out by itself.

Normally it takes me a few weeks before all that crud is gone when I get a cold or flu. Nose and sinuses are inflamed. The above kit helps me get past it sooner and sleep a bit better by letting the sinus anti inflammation spray get to the tissues it needs to act on.

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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby jules21 » Mon Jan 06, 2014 3:57 pm

if it's properly blocked the only reliable way to unblock it is visit the doc who will blast the stuff out with a syringe. before you visit, go to the pharmacy and buy some Waxol and drop it in your ear(s) for a few days as directed (morning and night) to loosen the wax up (if you don't, that's likely to be the instruction before returning to the doc for the blasting procedure).

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matagi
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby matagi » Mon Jan 06, 2014 6:07 pm

If the blockage is in the outer ear, then waxsol and syringing will help. If the blockage is in the middle ear, waxsol and syringing will be useless.

Given the OP has/had a bad cold, then it's likely the blockage is due to accumulated gunge (technical term) in the middle ear that has travelled up via the eustachian tube. I would suggest steam inhalations in addition to the saline sinus clearing kit suggested by Trailgumby.

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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby trailgumby » Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:06 pm

jules21 wrote:... (if you don't, that's likely to be the instruction before returning to the doc for the blasting procedure).
Forgot about that. Fair point.

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vince
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby vince » Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:12 pm

thanks guys, its seems to be a little clearer today but still annoying, I'm doing steam and saline nasal spray to clear the gunk and i'll just see how that works out for me.
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queequeg
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby queequeg » Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:07 pm

The syringe is instant relief. I had a persistent ear infection a few years ago that was not clearing up. Had the gunk removed three times just to give me pain relief.
I went through two different sets of ear drops, anti-biotics and after it still didn't clear I was given
anti-fungal drops and referred to an ENT specialist. As luck would have it, the anti-fungal drops cleared it up within 3 days!
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how to clear a blocked ear

Postby Dr_Mutley » Mon Jan 06, 2014 11:32 pm

Matagi made a crucial point here that needs to be heeded.... Is it ear canal? Or is it inner/middle ear? As matagi pointed out, the preceding illness would suggest its all inner/middle ear congestion etc (ie eustachian tube dysfunction for the googlers)... therefore u can blindly poke as much crap down the ear canal as u like, but u won't get any relief until u perforate your eardrum (tympanic membrane) doing it, if its all inner/middle ear in origin...

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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby RonK » Tue Jan 07, 2014 7:14 pm

Just had my annual ear syringe. Always play up when it gets hot and the wax melts.

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15wilsonwu
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby 15wilsonwu » Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:45 pm

Im not too sure but i think hydrogen peroxide will work.
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby Stefan_A » Mon Feb 03, 2014 10:41 pm

Whether the gunk is in outer or inner ear, drink heaps and heaps of water and get out and hammer the bike enough to sweat for an hour, preferrably twice a day. This will push a lot of fluid to where the blockage is, and help loosen and drain it.

To help determine if the gunk is in the middle or outer ear, force a yawn, take a deep breath, pinch your nose, purse your lips, and try to push the air out. Do you hear your ears pop readily? Repeat a couple of times. If your ears sound like they are popping ok, then the gunk may be minimal in the middle ear or eustachian tube, or all in the outer ear.

For self syringing the outer ear, it is better to use a lot of very warm water with salt added (and even 10-15% methylated spirits) and give it reasonably forceful short squirts at first. then squirt it in at a sustained lower pressure. You sometimes need to syringe in up to half a litre to get the gunk to start loosening.

best to do this in the bathroom sitting down or lying in the bath. Putting warm water in one ear will make you dizzy and nauseous due to upsetting perception of balance.

If you are a bit of a clutz, don't try to syringe your own ear. As you can very easily damage the ear drum or make the infection worse by flushing too forcefully.

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vince
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby vince » Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:33 am

thanks to all for the helpful replies, as it turned out time was the best cure for my issue. thanks again guys
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chucknitro
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby chucknitro » Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:21 am

vince wrote:thanks to all for the helpful replies, as it turned out time was the best cure for my issue. thanks again guys
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Stefan_A
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Re: how to clear a blocked ear

Postby Stefan_A » Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:56 pm

vince wrote:thanks to all for the helpful replies, as it turned out time was the best cure for my issue. thanks again guys
except for the lost time in which you were driven nuts! :)

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