Ear wax and clearing ears

[DougK]

I see a lot of questions on this forum on ear clearing problems. I to have some problems, I typically have to go very slow but can get down. I can't say I really paid a lot of attention to this particular issue before diving, and it is entirely possible that this problem has gotten worse as I have gotten older, but I have very bad ear wax build up. I first started noticing this a couple years back when I would have a itch in the ear, would scratch in the ear area and find wax on on my finger. At times, a chuck will actually fall out into the outer ear and I will feel it and reach in to remove it.

On two occasions I have had to have a med clinic flush my ears and I have seen an tube shaped plug of wax come out of my ear. These two were necessitated by the wax building up to a point that my ear stopped up when I would lay on my side while sleeping. My suspension is this has been an on going problem that never caused problems until I started diving. The only clue I ever had was when flying I would sometimes have pain and stopped up ears on some landings, but not all. I fly regularly.

I recently stated using a over the counter ear wax softener. Don't yet know who well this will work.

Anyone one with a medical background, or similar experiences, on here able to offer any thoughts? Would a good flushing right before a dive solve a lot of my problems? And is the anatomy of the ear such that the wax which I believe is only between the ear drum and the outer opening, causing problems with blocking the Eustachian tubes?

 

[iamrushman]

don't know where you are but a pharmacy will carry ear cleaning kits and some sort of solution for your problem. you can always see a ear nose and throat professional for a check up.

 

[fnfalman]

The question is that whether or not ear wax is an impediment to equalizing. I don't know.

I have a lot of ear wax build up too, but I can equalize with ease with my head in practically any position, including upside down.

 

[JohnN]

Anyone one with a medical background, or similar experiences, on here able to offer any thoughts? Would a good flushing right before a dive solve a lot of my problems? And is the anatomy of the ear such that the wax which I believe is only between the ear drum and the outer opening, causing problems with blocking the Eustachian tubes?

I have the same problem and have found if I don't have the wax removed, it will swell with water after multiple days of diving to the point where my hearing is badly attenuated.

My lovely wife is a PA, so she has no problem digging in there with a cerumen spoon. Ear drops do not work for me. . .

 

[iluvtheocean]

there is a big difference between the drops like the oils vs the C... Acid ones. (i can't remember off top of my head whether it's carbonic or which and no bottle in front of me)
oils don't work on me... and the acid works.. but do need to flush afterwards..

 

[TMHeimer]

I'd see a specialist. I've never had problems (except swimmers ear, which ear drops basically prevents). I've used Q tips my whole life, which most will advise against, so though I've never had problems, I don't advise this.

 

[mikeycanuk]

No problems with my ears but my sinuses on the other hand...oWWWWWW. Ephedrine worked, I just had to remember to take the 2nd 8mg pill after the SI at the beach club in Coz. Weren't hitting anywhere near our PO2 max depth limit so no worries there (re:ephedrine)

 

[Lorenzoid]

I have long had excessive wax buildup. And when I began scuba diving, it became problematic. It wasn't so much difficulty equalizing as it was that the wax would become deformed, dislodged or something to that effect and muffle my hearing for days or weeks afterwards--essentially until it either miraculously fell out or was removed. I had some success removing it using over-the-counter kits, but one time I just couldn't get it out, so I had a doctor flush it out. Even the doctor seemed startled by the size and hardness of that wax plug! So I had such treatments every year or two--and each time an impressive plug of wax came out--until the last few years when I have found that the wax does not build up as fast as it used to when I was younger. I'm not sure there is a correlation between buildup and age for everyone; mine was definitely more severe in my 30s and 40s than it is now. Keeping my ears free of excessive wax definitely helped me.

 

[TSandM]

Cerumen, or ear wax, is a normal product of the cells lining the external auditory canal. Some people do accumulate it, and on very rare occasions, you can get muffled hearing if the cerumen is completely impacted. However, it does not impact equalizing the pressure, unless you have somehow managed to trap an air pocket between the cerumen impaction and the drum. Trouble equalizing is due to difficulty getting air up through the Eustachian tube into the middle ear, and that process has nothing at all to do with the external auditory canal.


You might enjoy watching THIS video, which has a lot of information about ear anatomy and function. In addition, there is THIS excellent article from the folks at DAN.

 

[ccx2]

DougK , i would say start swabbing your ears on an everyday basis after you shower with a Qtip, a warm shower moistens and softens ear wax and you can wipe it out if its not a big thick accumulation. Start this after you have had your ears cleaned well by whatever means you chose to get the heavy accumulation cleared that it sounds like you have because maybe you don't swab/clean your ears on a regular basis.
Your Outer Ear ,ear canal, to your ear drum is about a 1 1/2 tube into for head that if you layed on your side and poured fluid into your ear it would fill up with a teaspoon full and you could lay there forever and it would not drain into your head, your eardrum is a seal that would prevent the movement of fluid in or out of your head. From your ear to your eardrum is a moist area that secretes thru the skin ear wax and collects dust,funk , ect from the environment you inhabit. Unless this gunk is cleaned/flushed on a regular basis it can cause a plug to form and give you problems with hearing, equilibrium,and as you may have found out water pressure can push this plug into your eardrum and cause pain. I have for as long as i remember have always swabbed my ears after a shower because i don't like the wet feeling in my ears and like to have a clean feeling in my ears so i have never had a earwax accumulation. When one swabs the ear be careful not to touch the eardrum , it can cause trama and if you touch it once you will quickly learn the feel of probing to close to the eardrum, but feel free to get as close as you like to clean well, just be careful.
Most people that have a problem with there ears while diving is caused by inner ear /sinus pressure inside their head, on the other /inside of their eardrum in the sinus passages if they are blocked by snot . When the water pressure on the eardrum from the outside of the ear is pushing the eardrum inward causing pain the diver trys to equalize the pressure on the eardrum by pinching the sinuses of and blowing thru the sinus to equalize this pressure, if the the sinus is blocked on one side or both with snot between the nose and eardrum it makes this difficult and painful to equalize the pressure on the eardrum.
Anyhow, get your outer ears cleaned well, keep them clean and you shouldn't have any problems , unless you have sinus congestion and then its a whole diff ball game.Good luck.