Getting ears syringed...Any good?

[Chrisoldinho]

Never had it done before, what exactly does it entail and does it cost or is it through the NHS?

Also once you've had it done once my friend at work says it's something you need to start having done often, is this true

Chris.

[vnb]

I had this done about 10 years ago. Went to gp,nurse did it. Took about 5 mins. Iirc it's a jet of water and clears out the wax build up. All I remember thinking was that wasn't as bad as I thought, and yes I could hear clearly afterwards.

Probably need to get it done again, as I am starting to miss things again.

[Chrisoldinho]

pardon

Thanks for the post. I'll contact my GP

[Naaktgeboren]

Had my ears done a month ago, it can be a little uncomfortable but the results are very good, after you have had it done, you should apply ear drops (1 in each ear) once a week, if you stick to that routine, you will not need to have them syringed again.

** edit **

Before a nurse will syringe your ears, she will tell you to apply tea tree oil for 7 day's. You will absolutely stink for 7 days :D Problem with doing this is it will add to any deafness you are currently suffering from, can also affect your balance.

[Achy]

My sister had it done by her GP about 15 years ago, she was in a bit of pain afterwards.

Then she recently had to have surgery on her inner ear, coz it had become diseased and was slowly destroying her hearing.

The surgeon said it could possibly have been caused by the syringing. (Although seemed just as quick to not point the finger or blame !!!)

[Pecker]

It's uncomfortable, it's free, and it works...unless your hearing loss isn't caused by a build up of wax at all, but by turning your AV system up too loud.



Steve W

[Digger]

You'll probably be booked in to see the nurse in 3-5 working days. Between now and then drops of warm olive oil or similar neutral oils should be fine, try and use them twice a day in each ear. You will need to lie down on one side for 20 minutes or so for them to take effect. Use a small cotton wool ball damped lightly smeared with petroleum jelly to keep oil in and not on sheets/sofa etc. Best not to go for the over the counter drops such as Otex and the like as they fizz and pop a bit too much, and are a bit too strong for sensitive ears.

Try and persuade the nurse to make the water as warm as you can tolerate, and the job will be over quicker.

Above all use the drops beforehand, as this will lessen the chance of any damage being done to the eardrum due to you not softening the wax enough.