What should I do about this problem? My ears get so waxy that I am unable to just clean them with a q-tip. The wax is wet and sticky and it causes my ears to get extremely itchy so deep that I can't scratch it. At times I also feel like my ears are clogged and I can't hear as well. I have heard about ear candeling but not sure if this will help.

Any suggestions would be helpfull. Thanks.

First, stop using a q-tip to clean your ears (never put anything smaller than your elbow inside your ears). Second, go to your doctor to get them syringed to remove the wax.

Some people just produce a lot of wax. My ENT says he has regular client list of people who come in about every 6 months for a car wash. I go once a year. He sprays high volume solution (feels like wand from a car wash) in your ear, and catches the overflow with a big canister. As one could expect, all sorts of stuff comes out...Some of the wax is clumped together in the form and size of a pencil eraser. It's amazing how much better you feel....And can HEAR.

He also has said that one can purchase an OTC solution (drops) that you put in your ear daily....And it comes with a suction ball....Looks like one you use with a baby. The drops break up the wax and the ball sucks it out.

As Akazie says, NEVER use a q-tip.

Hope this helps.

Ex

Thanks for the resposes. I will try some ear drops. I have always been nervous about putting drops in my ears but I guess that is better than using a q-tip. Any suggestions on what type or brand and where to get it from?

I just had the same problem AFTER using a Q-Tip on Friday to clean my ears. Here's the thing - I have used q-tips religiously every single day since I was a kid to clean my ears. Never had any problems. Then, I was out of Q-Tips and didn't have any for about 3 weeks. On Friday, I finally got some, cleaned my ears after my shower, and all of a sudden, my right ear plugged up. Now this was after (gross I know) pulling out a big clump of wax. I thought, "Ohhhh, I have more in there", so I proceeded to use the other side of the Q-Tip and next thing I know, my right ear is completely clogged. I can only hear 1/2 way out of it and everything is muffled.

So, I bought Murine ear removal system at Walgreens. You have to put drops in there and keep your head tilted for about 10 minutes. It says on the box to do this twice a day for about 4 days. Then, you can use the syringe ball thing to flush out the ears with warm water. I just tried that and it made my ear feel more clogged.

No insurance here, so I really can't go to an ENT and get my ear flushed. Does a regular doctor flush the ears or do you HAVE to see an ENT? Anyway, this episode has really made me see the light and perhaps using a Q-Tip is not the best way to clean your ears. Obviously, they are supposed to self-clean. This sucks. :mad:

My ENT uses a thing that looks kind of like a crochet needle to pull the wax out. Much better than the flushing, in my opinion!

I agree that you should never use q-tips to clean your ears. All it is doing is pushing wax further in really. I used to go in once a year to have the Dr. clear out my wax until I found the Ototek loop. There a a small (tiny) loop on the end and has a ear guard to prevent the tip from going in to far and it really works. They are not expensive either.
Julie:)

You can irrigate your ears at home, too. I've had to do that with my kids.

Get a baby bulb syringe, water as hot as you can take it and a catch basin. Fill up syringe with hot water and SLOWLY squirt in your ear, letting water run out in basin. This will take about 5 minutes each ear. Make sure your water in as warm as you can stand it, because that will melt the wax so it can be washed out.

Works great and is cheaper than a trip to the dr.! :D