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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Remedy To Unblock Ears

Okay this all started about 1/2 weeks ago I woke up with my ears blocked and the more and more I try to unblock it gets worse and then after a couple of days i started to feel dizzy when I started to unblock it and I had diarrhea now I just leave it alone and it s like I hear less and less I told someone and they told me to put water in it to and tilt my head to the side and let it sink in and after 2 minutes tilt my head back and the water will come out warm the next day it never did plez help any suggestions?
Mon, 8 Sep 2014
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ENT Specialist,  's  Response
Hi. All your symptoms sound like they are due to impacted ear wax.

I am guessing that your attempts to unblock your ear may have involved inserting an earbud or something similar into your ears. Excessive manipulation of the ear canal can trigger a nerve called as the vagus nerve ( supplies the back wall of the ear canal) and that can cause you to feel dizzy and can also precipitate diarrhoea (through a parasympathetic response). Pouring water into the ear will only make the wax swell since wax absorbs some of the water and this would impact it further into the ear canal.

I would strongly recommend that you have your ears looked at by an ENT specialist and have the wax removed under microscopy. There is a small possibility that this is not impacted ear wax if the ear clogging started after a cold or blocked nose. In which case it may be a eustachian tube blockage for which the treatment is different. You ENT specialist will be in a position to identify the cause accurately and treat you for the condition.

Here is some trivia on ear wax that you may find useful:
Ear wax is produced by glands present in the outer part of the ear canal which is close to the ear pinna. The skin in the outer ear canal grows outwards at the speed of 1 to 3 mm per day. Wax that is produced is expelled out on its own along with the growing skin. Therefore there is no need to try and remove the wax from within the ear canal.

By inserting an ear bud the wax is pushed inside the canal into a narrower bony region from where the skin is tightly adherent to the bone and hence does not grow outwards. Hence the wax stays there, dries up and gets impacted. This can cause decreased hearing and also pain if it gets infected.

The best way to remove ear wax is by cleaning the ear canal superficially by the edge of a towel or handkerchief after a hot water bath. For those with large amounts of sticky wax may need to put drops that help dissolve wax.

Remember, ear wax is protective. It prevents entry of dirt, reduces infection and even prevents insects from entering into the ears.
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Suggest Remedy To Unblock Ears

Hi. All your symptoms sound like they are due to impacted ear wax. I am guessing that your attempts to unblock your ear may have involved inserting an earbud or something similar into your ears. Excessive manipulation of the ear canal can trigger a nerve called as the vagus nerve ( supplies the back wall of the ear canal) and that can cause you to feel dizzy and can also precipitate diarrhoea (through a parasympathetic response). Pouring water into the ear will only make the wax swell since wax absorbs some of the water and this would impact it further into the ear canal. I would strongly recommend that you have your ears looked at by an ENT specialist and have the wax removed under microscopy. There is a small possibility that this is not impacted ear wax if the ear clogging started after a cold or blocked nose. In which case it may be a eustachian tube blockage for which the treatment is different. You ENT specialist will be in a position to identify the cause accurately and treat you for the condition. Here is some trivia on ear wax that you may find useful: Ear wax is produced by glands present in the outer part of the ear canal which is close to the ear pinna. The skin in the outer ear canal grows outwards at the speed of 1 to 3 mm per day. Wax that is produced is expelled out on its own along with the growing skin. Therefore there is no need to try and remove the wax from within the ear canal. By inserting an ear bud the wax is pushed inside the canal into a narrower bony region from where the skin is tightly adherent to the bone and hence does not grow outwards. Hence the wax stays there, dries up and gets impacted. This can cause decreased hearing and also pain if it gets infected. The best way to remove ear wax is by cleaning the ear canal superficially by the edge of a towel or handkerchief after a hot water bath. For those with large amounts of sticky wax may need to put drops that help dissolve wax. Remember, ear wax is protective. It prevents entry of dirt, reduces infection and even prevents insects from entering into the ears.