Help my ears are blocked!

Ears are not something we usually think about. They sit comfortably on the side of our head doing their job. Our ears are not just for are not only for communicating and hearing speech. They also help us to navigate our world. Our hearing helps us locate where sound is coming from and improves awareness of our environment. Our hearing system also houses our vestibular (balance) system, which provides us information about orientation and balance.

Hearing adds to our sense of safety as we interact in our day to life. When all is going along normally, we do not even notice our ears. We take our hearing and balance for granted.

Hearing can change abruptly if wax blocks your ear canal. When this occurs, losing our hearing can feel like an emergency. The effects of sudden change in hearing can cause…

• discomfort
• a blocked or heavy sensation
• a mild to moderate hearing loss,
• reduced ability to locate where sound is coming from (especially if one ear is more blocked than the other)
• tinnitus – ringing in the ear(s) – especially if the wax is touching the ear drum
• wax blockage can affect balance – due to pressure or temperature changes in the ear
• a sense of disconnect from the world
• wax blockage can affect our sense of balance and orientation

Importantly hearing blockage can affect feelings of safety, due to reduced environmental awareness

If our ears block up, suddenly – our sense of hearing becomes very important. We wonder what is down our ear canal. What caused it to block up? How can I fix it?

Slow build up

Wax blockage often accumulates slowly and stays under the radar. As we gradually hear less and less, we get used to missing some sounds. It is often the high frequency sounds we lose with partial blockage, which are important for hearing speech. Normally, wax moves from the ear drum to the ear canal entrance and out of the ear.

Wax build-up happens when the normal process gets interrupted on the way out. The wax can’t complete its journey out of the ear canal. If the path gets blocked on the way out more wax builds up behind it. Various factors can interrupt this process, for example:

• narrow or bendy canals can cause more wax to build up.
• dry skin in the ear canal can stop the wax moving along.
• using cotton buds or other objects in the ear can take away the protective coating,
• having a small obstruction in the ear canal can start the build up.
• Using earplugs, earbuds or headphones for long periods of time.

Why the sudden blockage?

Sometimes the blockage can fill the whole ear canal, having the effect of wearing personalised earplugs. This gradual change can go unnoticed for a long time. Eventually something causes the ear to fully block for example:

• Sleeping on that side and pushing the wax deeper into the ear canals or sealing it around the edges
• getting water down our ear canal. When it can’t escape, there can be a sudden increase in the blocked up sensation.
• Trapped water can cause an ear infection, which can be painful.
• Some ear drops melt ear wax onto the skin of the ear canal and ear drum, increasing the wax blockage. This is why we recommend using olive oil or almond oil rather than Waxol or Cerumol drops.
• Pushing the wax down onto the ear drum can also cause this.

What to do when you ear block up

Do not..

When our ears have blocked up, it’s crucial to avoid pushing anything into the ear canal. This is now even more important than normal. We have all heard “not to put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear.” Now is the time to heed this advice. Once the ear canal is blocked, the blockage needs to be moved outwards, towards the ear canal entrance. It is very difficult to do this if you do not have the right tools (like suction).

Also do not use Waxol or Cerumol drops. They can melt the wax and stick it to the ear canal and ear drum. This can increase the blocked up feeling and makes it more difficult to remove the wax with suction.

Do..

It is a good idea to put olive oil or almond oil into your ear canal. The oil surrounds the wax and “unsticks” it from the skin of the ear canal. This can give some short term relief from the blockage.

Make an appointment to have you ear suctioned. Suction is the safest way to remove earwax. It is performed using a magnified ear light. The light gives a full view of the ear canal, ensuring the wax can be safely removed with a small suction tube.

At your appointment

We will ask some questions to understand what is happening with your ears. We would also like to know about any previous ear history.

We will let you sit on our special ear clearing chair “Clarence.” After you have been elevated to the right level, Maree will look in your ears and will let you know what she sees. She will clear any wax or blockages with suction. Sometimes olive oil is used. It helps loosen (unstick) the wax from the ear canal. This makes the process more comfortable for you.

Helping people experience the relief of clear ears is the best part of the day. It is so great to help people to hear clearly again. They enjoy feeling the air blow in their ears once more.

It is so great to bring joy.