I am 75-year-old deaf male, 189 lbs, 5 8 tall. I am currently living in Panama as US ex-pat. I dropped my Medicare plan B for obvious reasons. I still do not have health insurance right now and I live about 20 miles from nearest hospital or medical center and I have limited transportation options at this moment. The subject of this query is in regard to my right ear canal. Back in 1944, I had Mastoiditis and required surgery to clean out the air sacs behind my ear. Recovery was uneventful until about three years ago (give or take, but when first noticed). The first thing I knew was an itchy sensation that seemed to be aggravated by my hearing aid mold that I wear all day. Well, I d scratch the itch (by gripping the mold and rubbing it against that itchy spot) and it d be OK for a while and this continued for over a year until this itchy discomfort would very, very gradually progress to a point where it became a bit uncomfortable and I d have to remove my mold to get relief.... Lately, the past few months, I ve been applying olive oil, Hydrogen Peroxide, alcohol, Otosporin all in various combinations and would get temporary relief for a few days and this discomfort would return. I d read about an Iodine treatment, using Atomidine and Oil of Magnesium and applied them in 50/50 proportions and......WOW!!!! Wotta burn!!! Right now most of the burn has abated about 95%, but I d just discovered most of the current burning on the outer parts of my canal entrance and am currently treating it (overlooked initially). I also tried this solution in my left ear and there was no burning, so I guess I do have something in my right ear canal. I m very careful not to let the Q-tip go past the first ridge inside my canal and I start swabbing there and outwards, squeezing some of the solution to flow further inside.... At this point, the symptoms appear to be improving a lot and I haven t worn the ear mold the past two weeks. But, I can feel a bit of a throbbing from time to time with periods of no discomfort. Strange, isn t it??? Main discomfort now is when I press on the flap of skin in front of the canal entrance, there s a slight burning sensation which I think will go away in a few days (like the middle of the outer canal), since I ve already started treating this area a few days ago. I d started the treatment for the mid-outer canal about 10 days ago.. Yes, lots improvement since, but not entirely gone. I can pull on my lobe and experience minimal discomfort, coming from the canal entrance. There has never been any pain associated by pulling on my ear this whole time, just a tickle that grows to a bit of pain as long as I left my ear mold in and removing it provided relief. No nighttime discomfort experienced. I am on SSA benefit only and cannot afford major treatments and any advice you can offer will be helpful. If you suspect basal or squamous cell disorder, then I will have to accept the consequences, since I can t afford the medical care to survive. I have squamous cell spot on my forehead that I had to have treated all my life every 5 years (freezing, radiation, and surgery and it keeps coming back). This Atomidine/Magnesium solution treatment has almost cleared up this condition as of now. I am in excellent health as of now with BP and cholestrol under control and no major health issues yet.