Ear wax

[Petrichorwheels]

No. No oil or anything. Lady was most dismissive of bicarb of soda which she said removed a layer of skin.
She had all sorts of letters after her name, and was recommended by the hearing aid people as someone who deals with difficult customers!!!
She did say that oil should not be necessary. Wax is the ears natural production and naturally should come out under its own steam.
Her fees, which seem to be the norm round here, were £20 for an inspection; £40 to have one ear cleaned; £60 for both ears.

You can't really expect GPs to do this can you. They only get paid £150,000 to sit at the end of a phone and refer everyone to A&E. When I was having big trouble my GP asked me to send a picture of my ear. She said she couldn't see anything wrong. On that basis I'm a doctor too. She offered to refer me to Hospital but warned me there was at least a three year waiting list. I went private and had a couple of the hosepipe jobbies that did little. Then I found this lady. Magic.

difficult customers in what way Jedburgh?
interesting what you say about bicarb, or a bicarb solution I assume.
Did she offer a guarantee for clearing?
(I do have a memory as a young lancashire child about a nurse at the GPs using a great mega metal syringe on me (something you might use for icing a horse's birthday cake) on me - it was pretty painful, and so I can well understand why they don't do that these days, but it was very effective, and I emerged into a world of positively psychedelic soundscape - i swear I could hear the grass grow without drugs.
Could you please do me a favour and PM me this woman's details?

 

[Petrichorwheels]

do keep the replies coming folks - thanks to all.
what a jolly helpful place this is.
I promise to give an update in time.
(hell, typing and reading is possibly the only stuff I will be able to "hear")

 

[winjim]

Targeted ads are working anyway.

 

[oldwheels]

We get it done free on NHS Scotland by a practice nurse. I get my ears checked by an audiology technician every 6 months and she tells me if is needed or not. A few drops of almond oil is put into the offending ear or ears twice a day for at least a week before the wax removal using warm water and a small electric pump.
Works for me.

 

[geocycle]

Our GP has stopped doing wax. Believe it or not they told me to go to specsavers!

 

[DRM]

Our GP has stopped doing wax. Believe it or not they told me to go to specsavers!

We had this hassle trying to get a relative sorted, we were told chemist, or specsavers do it now, the gp doesn’t do it anymore, quoted between £50 to £60, and to put olive oil in the ear for a week prior to the appointment, it’s ridiculous that the gp doesn’t do it now, it’s wearing having to keep shouting at people in order to be heard

 

[Spiderweb]

My experience with Specsavers was excellent. Cost is £60 and uses micro suction, I needed 2 visits (no extra cost) to clear the wax in my left ear.
Specsavers recommend Earol, use this daily for at least a week before you go, helps soften the wax prior to suction.

 

[Brandane]

We get it done free on NHS Scotland by a practice nurse.

Not in North Ayrshire! I was told the NHS no longer do ear wax removal and they suggested Specsavers. Which is where I ended up going, and having the suction thing done. What a lovely job that must be for somebody who thought they would be spending their working day getting people to read letters on a wall chart .

 

[Brandane]

I’ve used this, works really well

I’ve used it in conjunction with a large syringe with warm salty water

https://tvidler-official.com/tvidle...EMRIahX59TzV-DbJ0m3vqZZZhe2Jrw88aAp3-EALw_wcB

Not doubting your success with this, but there's no way I would be pushing a scaled down oil well drilling bit into my ear in the hope that it would get through any blockage and pull the wax out - without damaging anything else. The ear is very delicate, and as my Dad used to say, never put anything smaller than your thumb in your ear!
Spooky, but as I was typing this, an advert came on the TV for Otex eardrops. Never seen the ad before. And I don't even have a "smart" TV, so it can't have been monitoring my thoughts .

 

[DaveReading]

I think I need my ears unblocking, but I'm looking around for someone/somewhere that can do it while I wait.

 

[oldwheels]

Not in North Ayrshire! I was told the NHS no longer do ear wax removal and they suggested Specsavers. Which is where I ended up going, and having the suction thing done. What a lovely job that must be for somebody who thought they would be spending their working day getting people to read letters on a wall chart .

This is NHS Highland who otherwise are pretty useless as too much is managed, or mismanaged remotely. It may depend on the individual practice.

 

[mikeIow]

I have suffered with my ears producing too much wax.
Every few years get them syringed out at the GP
A couple of years back, suffering again, I was told the NHS no longer offered the service: find someone privately.
I failed to make a decision for some time (a year or more!) - various places, all sounded around £60 for both ears.
Then our GP (Leicestershire) decided they would do it again…..so in I went.

Appears to be down to local practices, I suspect.

Does feel rough to remove a medical health thing like that from the service we all pay for…but then the NHS is rather a bottomless pit to throw money into…..& syringing ears is an easy thing for other businesses to take on, perhaps 🤷‍♂️

I’ve always been advised to pop olive oil drops in for a week before having the Ear Service. Have also used Otex in the past.

 

[classic33]

I think I need my ears unblocking, but I'm looking around for someone/somewhere that can do it while I wait.

You'd have to wait whilst they did it, no other way really.

 

[DaveReading]

You'd have to wait whilst they did it, no other way really.

Gosh - you know, you're absolutely right ...

 

[Bazzer]

When away diving, I use a 50:50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. I don't know of it cuts through wax, but helps to keep water based infections at bay.