Eerwwgh - ear wax

so I need to have wax free ears for vestibular function test next week,
so I am just using Earclear, is that enough on it’s own?
last time I had them cleaned GP used a machine to shoot water into my ears
and it made me feel very dizzy and upset/distressed
I really don’t want that done again,
any thoughts appreciated.

Did someone actually tell you that u need to have your ears cleaned before testing? At the dr.'s office they will do it for u if they think it is necessary. what is earclear and how did you hear about it? have u checked with your dr. if that is safe to use?

I totally hear you about when they blast water in your ears- one time i had this done and it made the room spin instantly- I think the water has to be at body temperature or else that will happen. It is kind of a violent procedure and to me doesnt feel that safe. Whenever I have gone to my ents they actually will scrape the wax on the sides of my ear canal and then use this suction tool to remove the rest. It is so much better then the irrigation method u could ask your dr. about that. In the mean time though I wouldnt use a product like earclear without asking your dr. first as it might not be safe.

About the lyrica it comes in 25 mg pills so u could ask to start on that if you feel you are getting side effects.

I agree with Sarah–was it the office that’s doing the test that told you to clear your ears out? They should be able to do that easily for you, instead of expecting you to do it. I don’t know what Earclear is.

It is difficult to get wax out yourself. You might want to soften it up, though, so it can be removed more easily. Put 4-5 drops of vegetable oil or baby oil in your ear the night before and lie on your side for 15-20 minutes, repeat for the other side, using cotton to plug the ears when you sit up and overnight. That may make it easier for them to clean out the wax if you have a lot of it.

The water-in-the-ears test is called the caloric test, and they DO use warm and cold water, and it usually DOES make people dizzy–in fact, if it doesn’t, the test might not have been done right or your ear might not be responding correctly. More info here:

dizziness-and-balance.com/testin … c_test.htm

Good luck with the test. It’s not a picnic, but it’s an essential basic test, and the dizziness from it will pass in just a few minutes.

I used Hydrogen Peroxide every 1-2 weeks, about 1/2 of a cap full from the cap that goes on the bottle. I asked Dr Tim Hain in Chicago if it was safe, and he said it was based on a test that tried several liquids in the ear (water, peroxide, etc).

I never had much luck with the so called “professional” ear cleaners out there - they usually clogged up everything and made it worse, and I had to use the peroxide anyway. I was also told you can use Sweet Oil, but I haven’t been able to find any locally for a long time.