Scrutable

My ears are bunged up with wax and as you might expect my hearing is impaired as a consequence. But not across the board. I can hear the radio, including the DJs' witterings no problem but I can't hear the tv unless it is turned up to 11. I can still hear people on the phone. I can't hear the sound of running water - the bath appears to fill in silence. I can't hear the front door opening - MrsH came home earlier than expected on Monday and damn near gave me a heart attack when she came into the lounge and spoke to me (my back was to the lounge door so I didn't see her).

Sounds like the blockages are filtering out some frequencies more effectively than others.

A source close to your ear might be able to by-pass blockages to some degree by transmitting more of the sound power through the bone of your head.

I think specsavers do ear debunging now but it isn't all that cheap.

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:42 am I think specsavers do ear debunging now but it isn't all that cheap.

MrsH's surgery refers people to Specsavers for that now as GP nurses don't do it any more. Went to the GP yesterday but they insisted I continue with the ear drops for two weeks even though the wax is not compacted.

JQH wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:09 pm

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:42 am I think specsavers do ear debunging now but it isn't all that cheap.

MrsH's surgery refers people to Specsavers for that now as GP nurses don't do it any more. Went to the GP yesterday but they insisted I continue with the ear drops for two weeks even though the wax is not compacted.

That's annoying, are they hoping it'll all drizzle out?

Nowhere near as bad as what you're experiencing but my left ear frequently feels a bit 'full' and sometimes kind of crackly and stuff. It's not massively impacting my quality of life or anything but it's almost constantly slightly annoying and I'd love to get it looked at but am too tight to shell out on a private consultation at the moment. Maybe soon though.

I suspect that's exactly what they're hoping.

Maybe I'll get lucky and it will.

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:16 pm

JQH wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:09 pm

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:42 am I think specsavers do ear debunging now but it isn't all that cheap.

MrsH's surgery refers people to Specsavers for that now as GP nurses don't do it any more. Went to the GP yesterday but they insisted I continue with the ear drops for two weeks even though the wax is not compacted.

That's annoying, are they hoping it'll all drizzle out?

Nowhere near as bad as what you're experiencing but my left ear frequently feels a bit 'full' and sometimes kind of crackly and stuff. It's not massively impacting my quality of life or anything but it's almost constantly slightly annoying and I'd love to get it looked at but am too tight to shell out on a private consultation at the moment. Maybe soon though.

Specsavers will do a basic test for free (as I recall).
I had hearing loss/tinnitus in one ear, so I had their test, and on the basis of that asked my GP for a referral to ENT.
It seems I probably had a viral infection of the nerve, so there's not a lot that can be done. Initial diagnosis was NHS though.

I'm supposed to be on a referral for the hearing aid clinic, but I may have to go private.

JQH wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:09 pm

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:42 am I think specsavers do ear debunging now but it isn't all that cheap.

MrsH's surgery refers people to Specsavers for that now as GP nurses don't do it any more. Went to the GP yesterday but they insisted I continue with the ear drops for two weeks even though the wax is not compacted.

Lucky you getting to see a GP. Our GP wouldn't have let you in through their barbed wire defences for that.

You can get DIY ear syringing kits from the pharmacy, or online, for a few quid. Requires a willing relative, friend or other assistant. It's not difficult. When I was a child, my mother used to get me to put my head on one side, tip lightly warmed olive oil into my ear, leave it for a bit, and then suck it out with a small syringe. The kit would have a more effective solvent and a purpose-shaped syringe.

A bit different but I have slight permanent hearing loss affecting some upper-mid frequencies in my left ear. When it started I picked up the phone at the office one day, put it to my left ear and thought the phone was broken.

As such things often do, some improvement occurred over time and its basically fine to live with now. It did change my taste in music though - things like choral singing, musicals, etc are actively annoying now. (As is death metal, but thats nothing to do with hearing changes). Seems like above a certain level of complexity I'm trying to "track" it too much.

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:16 pm

JQH wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:09 pm

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:42 am I think specsavers do ear debunging now but it isn't all that cheap.

MrsH's surgery refers people to Specsavers for that now as GP nurses don't do it any more. Went to the GP yesterday but they insisted I continue with the ear drops for two weeks even though the wax is not compacted.

That's annoying, are they hoping it'll all drizzle out?

Nowhere near as bad as what you're experiencing but my left ear frequently feels a bit 'full' and sometimes kind of crackly and stuff. It's not massively impacting my quality of life or anything but it's almost constantly slightly annoying and I'd love to get it looked at but am too tight to shell out on a private consultation at the moment. Maybe soon though.

I had a GP tell me to pour a teaspoon of warm (not hot!) olive oil into my ear, leave my head cocked to the side for ~30 seconds and then cock my head to the other side, and have a tissue to catch the olive oil/ear wax. Then repeat if necessary. She reckoned that this worked better than any of the ear wax dissolving solutions, and was less likely to damage the ear drum than syringing.

Martin_B wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 1:01 am

discovolante wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:16 pm

JQH wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:09 pm

MrsH's surgery refers people to Specsavers for that now as GP nurses don't do it any more. Went to the GP yesterday but they insisted I continue with the ear drops for two weeks even though the wax is not compacted.

That's annoying, are they hoping it'll all drizzle out?

Nowhere near as bad as what you're experiencing but my left ear frequently feels a bit 'full' and sometimes kind of crackly and stuff. It's not massively impacting my quality of life or anything but it's almost constantly slightly annoying and I'd love to get it looked at but am too tight to shell out on a private consultation at the moment. Maybe soon though.

I had a GP tell me to pour a teaspoon of warm (not hot!) olive oil into my ear, leave my head cocked to the side for ~30 seconds and then cock my head to the other side, and have a tissue to catch the olive oil/ear wax. Then repeat if necessary. She reckoned that this worked better than any of the ear wax dissolving solutions, and was less likely to damage the ear drum than syringing.

I've had success with this. Test the temperature of the oil with a finger before pouring it into your ear.

Put the oil in a bowl in a basin of blood heat water, perhaps.

In the interests of thoroughness I think you should try filling it up with warm mouse blood.

I remember when olive oil was only available in tiny bottles with a dropper top from the chemist for precisely this purpose.

I do use the olive oil droppers. They're better than nothing but they don't sort it.

shpalman wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:55 pm In the interests of thoroughness I think you should try filling it up with warm mouse blood.

4 cc, plus three small pieces of wood?