A couple of days ago, I was cleaning out my ears very carefully with q-tips (I know people advise against this, but I am very cautious when I do this), and all of a sudden, I felt a little loss of hearing in my right ear (more like it was plugged up like when you have to pop them when going up a steep hill). I have been using q-tips for sometime now to do this, and this has never happened. Since I am doing this very carefully and slowly, is there still a chance that I may have done some harm, or did I simply compact some earwax and push it further into my ear?

I tried using Debrox (the #1 earwax removal solution) a couple of nights ago, but only used it once, and flushed my ear out with water soon after (which I read later that you should not do). When I first put the solution in, I could not hear (much like water getting in your ear). You are supposed to tilt your head to the side for a few minutes so that it can sink in, which I did.

In any respect, it says to do it twice a day for four days, or until your problem is solved. However, it also says that you should not use it if you have a perforation of the eardrum. Could I have possibly perforated my eardrum with the q-tip? What are the symptoms of a perforated eardrum? Again, I did it slowly and gently when I was cleaning. I want to use the Debrox again, but I don't want to use it if I am going to cause further harm.

I still have that plugged up feeling in my ear, and would like to take care of it. I can hear out of it. It just feels like it is plugged up.

Pushing ear wax in farther as well as the possibility of causing damage such as a perforated ear drum are exactly why you should NEVER use a q-tip to remove ear wax. Ear wax is there to help prevent dirt, dust and debri from entering the ear canal. If you feel you have excess wax that forms then you should use debrox ear drops routinely to keep the wax soft and it will come out on it's own. Since you are not sure what happened while using the Q-tip you need to see your doc and get this ear checked out before any further damage is done. In the future remember that ear wax comes out on it's own so there is no need to remove it. If you have excess wax use the debrox as I mentioned.

Anon,

Here's what I conjecture happened. You had lots of wax with a small hole in the middle where sound was easily getting through. The Q-tip pushed the wax and closed the small hole.
I've found the Debrox and Murine system and others (carbamide peroxide) to be only marginally uselful. NOTHING beats a professional cleaning. Some GP are NOT skilled at this if you have a complicated or very small canal- an ENT is a better idea.

THEN perhaps weekly carbamide and flushing to keep things clean might be a good idea. Warm glycerine does much the same thing.

Q-tips are for the outer ear. It's too risky to get them close to the eardrum. They can also cause canal abrasion and introduce fungal infections. Use with care!