Can I pay to have my ears syringed?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,482
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I think I need irrigation in my ears, I am partially deaf and have tinnitus in one ear. My GP says he can't see the eardrum.

Problem is the next available appointment at my clinic is 7 weeks away :eek: 7 weeks of horrible tinnitus, I'll go crazy. There's no pain so I don't think I can be made a priority case (if you can), maybe I should have lied about not having pain.

Is there somewhere I can pay to have it done? I am currently using olive oil treament to help soften the wax, but I highly doubt it will do the job without syringing. I have also banned the use of Q-Tips/cotton buds.

I don't want to do it myself, or have a forum member do it for a tenner down a back alley, my hearing is a little precious for that. ;)

The real annoyance of waiting 7 weeks, is that I'm not completely sure the irrigation will work, either because the wax won't come out before too much pain, or it's not the wax that is the cause of the deafness/tinnitus.
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  • madlh100madlh100 Posts: 9,893
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    I will chop your ears off for you.

    There will be a charge of £51.50 for the operation.
  • I, CandyI, Candy Posts: 3,710
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    I once had a blocked up ear due to excessive wax, went to the doc and had it syringed and nothing happened, so he gave up and told me to let it sort itself out.

    This had gone on for a couple of weeks and was driving me nuts. I'd tried the ear drops and olive oil, to no avail, then I read somewhere about using bicarbonate of soda. I dissolved some in an ear drop bottle and then scooshed it in and out of my ear rapidly with the pipette, with my head tilted to the side. This blasted the wax away - I could see bits floating in the pipette. I kept at it and it eventually sorted it out. You have to rinse out your ear though as it gets clogged up with soda.
  • MaxatoriaMaxatoria Posts: 17,980
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    there no nhs walk in surgeries near you that you dont need an appointment to get seen? or perhaps a medical school looking for suckers oops i mean volunteers to undergo medical treatment to help the trainee's?
  • Galaxy266Galaxy266 Posts: 7,049
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    If your GP cannot see your eardrum then it could be incredibly painful, perhaps even dangerous, to have your ears syringed. I believe this practice is frowned upon these days, anyway. The method of removing ear-wax today is by suction.

    I think you need to go and see your GP again and, if necessary, ask for a referral letter to your local ENT department. The "Not being able to see the eardrum" certainly warrants further investigation.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,482
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    Maxatoria wrote: »
    there no nhs walk in surgeries near you that you dont need an appointment to get seen? or perhaps a medical school looking for suckers oops i mean volunteers to undergo medical treatment to help the trainee's?

    There's one in manchester, I'll give them a try, thanks.

    Think I'll leave the soda option for now :eek:
  • Hugh JboobsHugh Jboobs Posts: 15,316
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    Pardon?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,565
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    You can buy a rubber ear syringe from boots.
    Use the oil for a few days (keep topping up) then use the syringe.
    If it doesnt work repeat the process.
    Just dont let the oil dry up.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,893
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    HAVE U TRIED OTEX EAR DROPS?? (sorry for shouting)
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,538
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    Even if you have your ears syringed, you will need to use the drops for a week before hand to loosen up the wax.

    Also I don't know how effective syringing is for tinnitus
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 423
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    Have you tried the Hopi ear candles? it wont cure it, but it might shift it some- can't see that it would hurt... You can get them in the chinese medicine shops and some chemists...

    Even if it doesn't work it is quite relaxing

    hope you find some relief from somewhere- I've had tinnitus before and it was awful- luckily it would only last a couple of days, but i had several bouts of it

    all the best

    xxx
  • Miss C. DeVilleMiss C. DeVille Posts: 6,025
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    When I was a kid I used to have my ears syringed out at the doctors, as I used to build up a lot of wax, but sometimes the chemist used to do it for 50p an ear!
  • whitecliffewhitecliffe Posts: 12,006
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    dmuk wrote: »
    I think I need irrigation in my ears, I am partially deaf and have tinnitus in one ear. My GP says he can't see the eardrum.

    Problem is the next available appointment at my clinic is 7 weeks away :eek: 7 weeks of horrible tinnitus, I'll go crazy. There's no pain so I don't think I can be made a priority case (if you can), maybe I should have lied about not having pain.

    Is there somewhere I can pay to have it done? I am currently using olive oil treament to help soften the wax, but I highly doubt it will do the job without syringing. I have also banned the use of Q-Tips/cotton buds.

    I don't want to do it myself, or have a forum member do it for a tenner down a back alley, my hearing is a little precious for that. ;)

    The real annoyance of waiting 7 weeks, is that I'm not completely sure the irrigation will work, either because the wax won't come out before too much pain, or it's not the wax that is the cause of the deafness/tinnitus.

    I had simular to you, but the syringing didnt actually work and was told to just keep on using the olive oil. I actually got quite use to the blocked feeling and was very sceptical but they did eventually clear!
  • davidmcndavidmcn Posts: 12,086
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    I had similar problems - Earex drops and then rinsing out using a pipette worked for me.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 941
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    When you say a 7 week wait at your clinic, is that at your GP surgery? Most practice nurses will syringe ears, takes 10-15 minutes. I can't believe that you have to wait 7 weeks, that's shocking.
  • _ben_ben Posts: 5,758
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    I, Candy wrote: »
    I'd tried the ear drops and olive oil, to no avail, then I read somewhere about using bicarbonate of soda.

    You can get ear drops that have this in (or am I thinking of hydrogen peroxide)? They are very effective at dissolving wax, although I only used them when absolutely necessary as they can lead to a painful ear infection.
    daveetwo wrote: »
    You can buy a rubber ear syringe from boots.

    I tried this at our local boots and they insisted they only sell syringes to registered drug addicts. In the end I got into the habit of putting my head on one side (then the other) in the shower to let the warm water in - I've been doing it for years and never had ear problems since.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,565
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    _ben wrote: »
    You can get ear drops that have this in (or am I thinking of hydrogen peroxide)? They are very effective at dissolving wax, although I only used them when absolutely necessary as they can lead to a painful ear infection.



    I tried this at our local boots and they insisted they only sell syringes to registered drug addicts. In the end I got into the habit of putting my head on one side (then the other) in the shower to let the warm water in - I've been doing it for years and never had ear problems since.

    Wronng type! lol thats a hypo as in when the police say "allo allo, what we got ear?":D
  • MintMint Posts: 2,192
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    NHS Walk-in Centres don't do ear syringing. In London there are private Walk-in Centres called MediCentre where you can have it done. Not sure if they have any clinics in Manchester.
  • fortytwofortytwo Posts: 1,298
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    c4rv wrote: »
    Even if you have your ears syringed, you will need to use the drops for a week before hand to loosen up the wax.

    Also I don't know how effective syringing is for tinnitus

    It's not, all the syringing in the world will not get rid of tinnitus.
  • davidmcndavidmcn Posts: 12,086
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    fortytwo wrote: »
    It's not, all the syringing in the world will not get rid of tinnitus.

    It will if the tinnitus is caused by wax.
  • ToriamathToriamath Posts: 1,083
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    Yes I paid around £50 at a private clinic to have my ears syringed because I couldn't wait. The feeling of relief afterwards was great. Good thing you're using the olive oil as well :)
  • mike1948mike1948 Posts: 2,156
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    Some branches of Boots have a private doctor you can see - at a price. Alternatively, if your GPs' surgery has more than one doctor, ask to see another,.

    I had bad wax and, like you, was told they could not syringe my ears for several weeks. I went to the local NHS walk-in centre who told me they do not do it. Eventually I got it done at my GPs' surgery.

    These days I put a few drops of Earex Advance in my ears every so often. This stops the wax building up.
  • StoppingServiceStoppingService Posts: 1,479
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    Hi

    Up until I contracted an ear infection from her, I used to have the Practice Nurse at my GP surgery "syringe" my ears when a course of ear drops alone hadn't unblocked them.

    I looked around the internet and discovered home-treatment versions were available - at that time only from USA. Chemists in the UK told me they weren't approved for sale here, so I imported one. Fortunately, illegal or not, they're now sold here - so I recommend you get these:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/CERUMOL-EAR-DROPS-REMOVE-WAX/dp/B0055GEUH8 and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medicare-Plus-Ear-Syringe/dp/B003Y7G4CY

    It's important to be mindful that your ears are more delicate and easily injured than you're usually aware. Be cautious, take your time (e.g. 1/2 hour per ear) and keep the forces on the syringe's bulb and your ear canal LOW!

    Observe all these precautions:

    1. Soften the ear eax overnight (with the Cerumol, a light oil) for at least 3 consecutive nights before "syringe day"; use a small piece of cotton wool as a "stopper" to keep the oil in. Remove the cotton wool each morning, but leave what oil remains, in place.

    2. Use separate receptacles for your "input" and "outfall" water, e.g. thoroughly cleaned washing-up bowl and sink respectively. This is so you don't inadvertantly return previously removed flakes of ear-wax into the ear. The "input" water must be at body-temperature, i.e. luke-warm.

    3. Insert no more than the tip of the "bulb" into your ear; you mustn't "plug" the ear canal with its nozzle because if you do, when you squeeze the "bulb", you risk bursting your ear-drum - losing your hearing in that ear forever.

    4. Be willing to make 6 applications of "input" water at 5 minute intervals. As the wax continues to soften (and be flushed out) due to the warm water, you might be surprised how the amount of wax removed can increase, as you proceed!

    5. When finished, wash the "bulb" in fresh warm water with a dash of antiseptic (e.g. Savlon, TCP). Pump the "bulb" to expel that water and leave out to dry somewhere warm.

    6. Guard your ear syringe like your toothbrush - don't share it with others!

    Regards
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 520
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    Try your local private hospital's ENT department if the pain is unbearable!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,482
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    Cheers for the advice, I may have a go at it myself. Can't see it working as I'll be too cautious but for a few quid it's worth a shot.

    Interestingly, in a video on youtube, a doctor recommends NOT to use a vegetable oil such as olive oil as it can go rancid, but actually recommends the other chemicals, such as peroxide. I think that video may be old though, as olive oil is generally recommended by everyone today.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMwrh11TXo
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,129
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    Moosifer wrote: »
    Have you tried the Hopi ear candles? it wont cure it, but it might shift it some- can't see that it would hurt... You can get them in the chinese medicine shops and some chemists...

    Even if it doesn't work it is quite relaxing

    hope you find some relief from somewhere- I've had tinnitus before and it was awful- luckily it would only last a couple of days, but i had several bouts of it

    all the best

    xxx

    DO NOT use Hopi Ear Candles. They do not work. They aren't used by the Hopi Indians...that was made up by the person who started making them.

    There are also health aspects that can make things worse. The wax impregnated in the cylinders can fall into the ear burning and causing infections. Drs see alot of people who have had ear problems casued by Hopi Ears candles.

    The waxy residue that you see in them when they remains are cut open is not ear wax but the wax and remians of the candle itself.

    They do not work since the only method they can possibly use to ermove the wax from the ears is reducing the air pressure in the ears and hence the vapour perssure over the wax to the point where the wax boils off at body temperature which would mean it first going in to a liquid state before boiling to become a vapour (unless ear wax sublimates stright from solid to vapour which I think it does does).

    I have tried to find the vapour pressure at which ear wax boils at body temperature but can't however based on over 20years experience as a chemical engineer I would say you'd have to get to near full vacuum which requiers a vacuum pump not a flame on top of a waxy tube...firstly the tube would collapse in on itself and secondly your ear drums would rupture.

    Any feeling of 'hearing better' etc is placeboic...I've had it done to myself to see what it's like and there's no way it works based on physics, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer. i.e. if it does work then it's showing totally new physical phenomena not seen anywhere else in the world as it's breaking the known 'rules' of science.
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