Ear Wax

[U4EA]

[..] until I switched back to cans [..]

Short for canals? Or bigass cans?

[PhoeniX]

Anyone had this procedure done? How was your experience?

I had it done when I was still at school as my ears kept popping in and out making it pretty hard to hear anyone. It doesn't hurt and just feels a bit tingly (like turning the shower pressure up and pointing it in your ear).

When you're all done though you will have super hearing for a few hours, things are pretty echohy and it feels like you can hear anything, anywhere and you feel like you're constantly shouting at everyone .

[brisk]

Fucking sucks. Currently almost completely deaf in my left ear, with impaired hearing in the right too. I made the mistake of using cotton wool buds to get it out (it worked actually, but also pushed the rest even further down ) and have been using olive oil for the past few days to make it nice and soft. It's not a pretty sight seeing black shit coming out of your ears, thats for damn sure.

Anyway, irrigation booked for next Wednesday. From what I gather, it's kinda like a water jet sprayed into your ears, removing all the gunk. Looking forward to being able to hear again. Thank fuck I sorted all my mixdowns last week.

Anyone had this procedure done? How was your experience?

You know this is happening because you use in-ear headphones, right?

I had the same issue until I switched back to cans. The hassle isn't worth it.

I don't use in-ear phones.

[brisk]

Why even let your ear wax get that out of control in the first place?

I clean my ears weekly

Never had a problem with it before. Always make sure ears are clean, etc.. but these kind of things happen and if they're deep in your ear canal (where you're not supposed to go anywhere near in the first place) then this is the result. Just one of those things sadly, but I can tell you it's fucking shit being ear-impaired. I've got a new found sympathy for anyone with ear problems.

[brisk]

You may be dizzy after the procedure. That happened to me when I had it done as a kid.

From what I understand, that happens when you use water that is too hot or too cold. It has to be exactly room temperature or it does weird things to your equlilibrium (and gives a vertigo like effect).

I'm almost tempted to ask them to cool it just to experience it, heh.

[Κracus]

Meh, I never clean mine and never had that problem. My wife had it happen to her once while taking a hot shower and the other time in a sauna so it was the heat that caused the wax to move and block the eardrum. She also experienced super hearing when it got fixed.

[xer0s]

Just one of those things sadly, but I can tell you it's fucking shit being ear-impaired. I've got a new found sympathy for anyone with ear problems.

I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus-- the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.

Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people.

[xer0s]

Hearing is also the worst because when you lose your hearing, it's gone for good...

I live with a mild case of tinnitus. It's brutal...

[mrd]

I've had the procedure done a few times. It's never fucked with my sense of balance. Balance is derived from behind the ear drum so unless the stream of water is ripping your ear drum in half (in which case you'd have a lot more shit to worry about than merely having some wax in you ear ) you should be fine. The water is warm, not hot. Like, warm enough to soften wax, ya know? It doesn't hurt, but it feels uncomfortable for sure. In my experience, they blast about two or three full syringes of water in each ear to fully clear it out. I've never actually had it done as a result of an ear infection or anything so I guess if you also have an infection it could hurt more due to swelling and what not.

Also, as someone who was born with a +60% hearing loss, don't ever fuck with your hearing, OK? Especially if music is your hobby/profession (as it is mine, strange as that may seem), the last fucking thing you wanna do is ruin the one thing you can never have back. Wear good ear plugs, stay away from loud, sharp sounds, and if your friends call you a pussy just say "I'll get back to you when you're 60 and fucking deaf and I'm still going to rock shows, fuckass prime"

EDIT: Also, don't use Q-tips, they do more harm than good. As you already mentioned, they just shove the wax further into your ear. Unless you are conscious enough to leave them completely out of your ear canal and only use them to clean your outer ear (in which case you should just use toilet paper.) A sheet of tissue around your pinky is all that you need. The great thing about the human body is that it takes care of itself: the growth of skin in your ear pushes wax out where you clean it in the easily accessible (IE: with your pinky finger) part.

[Transient]

I'm almost tempted to ask them to cool it just to experience it, heh.

Now that I think about it, it's kind of the same vertigo sensation I get when I smoke enough weed.

[mrd]

when I'm high.

On?

[Transient]

Fixed.

[mrd]

Fixed.

Great. Different strokes for different folks, eh?

[Yeahso]

Anyway, he had me lay down on the bench and produced this long thin metal rod. He said it would feel uncomfortable, then inserted it in my ear. It made a fucked up electrical sound, like a cracking noise, and for about two minutes he just sort of wiggled it around. He then pulled it out, and on the end was a gigantic lump of hard black wax.

God it was amazing.

lol, you sure it was your ear?

I just read that sentence back and it's easily the most homoerotic thing I've ever written.

[Therac-25]

No one has posted any of the youtube earwax videos?

[xer0s]

I just read that sentence back and it's easily the most homoerotic thing I've ever written.

I just read it again. Fuck that's funny...

[Yeahso]

lol, you only have to change ear to ass. That's all you have to do.

[Transient]

Impressive.

[Foo]

I don't use in-ear phones.

You ditched the Shures you raved about?

[xer0s]

No one has posted any of the youtube earwax videos?

That's easily one of the grossest things I've ever seen. Right up there with two girl one cup...

[Captain]

OMFG

And the 80s instructional video theme doesn't make it any better.

[LawL]

Jesus christ, please go back into sys0p mode.

You sound like a lobotomized cunt.

We're all too overshadowed by your toughness these days.

[Wabbit]

Fyi, men usually have ear wax problems more than women because they have more hair in their ears. The hair tends to hold the wax. My ex had to have the syringe thing done to clear his ears out a couple of times.

If you have a tendency towards wax building up, you can use some of the over-the-counter drops and a heating pad set to low a couple of nights.

[shaft]

You all disgust me. Especially Kracus.

[brisk]

I don't use in-ear phones.

You ditched the Shures you raved about?

Yeah man, haven't used in-ears for about 8 years now. Mainly cos they break too easily and I got a pair of HD-800's

That and I rarely listen to music outside anymore