I have both eczema detritus and wax buildup in my left ear, already the poorest audiogram numbers.
Lately I’ve gotten ads for various irrigators for cleaning my ear canal(s). I have no doubt that irrigation done by an audiologist or ENT is beneficial, having had a few, but wonder:
Are the commercially available, intended for home use, irrigators effective? When I went in for service (my rechargeable batteries were dying; spec has 30 hours of use, but mine were only managing about 12), my (new; I’ve moved from where I had them for over 2 years - see my prior threads) audiologist said, “You don’t need these molds; try these domes.” - and sure enough, they worked without feedback.
But my first insertion with the left ear had no sound. Pulled it out and found the tip waxed. Cleaned it with my fingernail, and tried again. Still no sound, but this time it came out with a large glob of gray wax. No wonder I couldn’t hear!!!
That cleared it up. But I want to be able to clean my ears. Clearly my careful use of QTips wasn’t getting it, and instead, despite my efforts to pull down, and then out, anything near my drum, was packing my ear.
Do these things (the commercial home-use irrigators) work???
If so, what’s the favorite one, short of a water pik (which I effectively used on my sinus surgery roto-rooter job, but very expensive compared to the various hand-held ear models I’ve seen)?
Thanks.
L8R
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