Wax Removal and Tinnitus

[Purpelle]

Hi

I had wax removal in January and it exacerbated my tinnitus. I had no consent form or information on risks or contraindications given to me. Is this standard practice? I wouldn't have had it done had I known making existing tinnitus worse is a known risk.

The wax I had was soft and caused me no problems, I just thought removing it might help and my sister had seen him and had good results (she had very painful impacted wax and deafness)

My tinnitus had been a bit more noticeable as I was stressed and depressed and also I think this is the reason I didn't think of any potential risks myself.

I went from barely perceptible tinnitus to it being much more noticeable. I've been so ill with it since. To know it was avoidable and that the audiologist didn't tell me.

Will it get better? Will I get over this anger, self hate, hate and grief I feel? How can I do this? Is there anything I can do? Is there anything I could try that might help either how I'm feeling or how loud it is/my perception of it? I'm finding it hard as the increased noise serves as a reminder. It's made me suicidal at times. And all for nothing, I got no benefit form wax removal aa I had no symptoms.

I had soft wax in one ear and a tiny bit in the other. I informed the audiologist I'd had tinnitus for 2 years. It was clear that he didn't think it was causing my tinnitus but he didn't mention any risks to me so I didn't think I shouldn't have it done. I think I was vulnerable as depressed. I also thought I was just going to have microsuction as my wax was soft but he irrigated first. Not for long but it was painful. I don't know why I didn't say no as wasn't what I expected. I guess because my sister had it done and I just trusted him as a professional. I've since found out not advisable for tinnitus. And microsuction is risky too. I don't get why he didn't tell me? I'd have been happy to pay and be given some good advice. It's so upsetting . The water in my ear after irrigation made me uncomfortable so I googled that evening and that's when I saw all the information or risks and contraindications. I also found out I had previously been on sites that said the risks but must have skimmed them as I was biased from my sister's experience and I was only trying to see the likelihood of wax removal improving my tinnitus and not reading fully or thinking of risks. I thought wax removal was like having your teeth cleaned. I just didn't think. I blame myself a lot as I am usually very cautious and methodical. I also worry that I then caused it all by being as stressed and obsessed as I have been. I think I was just depressed, hopeful and a bit desperate. I also wanted to do something to try and be proactive with improving the things in my life that were getting me down. And then I made it into a real problem! I can't get over it! How it was all preventable and avoidable.

My quality of life has greatly diminished. I've had massive problems at work. Stressed out my mum with it all who is unwell herself.

All I wanted to do was sort out the things that were bothering me so I'd recover from my depression. I didn't think I was going to make this problem worse. How do I get over it? Especially since it never bothered me before as it was so quiet.

Help desperately wanted but please dont doom and gloom me as I am on the edge.

Many thanks in advance.

[doglover1973]

Hello Purpelle. The good news is .. You won't always feel the way you do. An increase in tinnitus is enough to put anyone on the back foot. It happened to me last summer. There are lots of things you can do on the road to recovery. These things won't cure you but they'll reduce your distress, help you cope & bring light relief. Have a look at the BTA website. It's a great place to start. Above all. Be kind to yourself. You're not to blame.

[Purpelle in reply to doglover1973]

Thank you for your reply. I just feel so stupid that I didn't look up the risks and so upset that the audiologist didn't tell me. I really couldn't hear it before this. I am so depressed that I made this worse for myself.

[doglover1973 in reply to Purpelle]

You musn't blame yourself my love. Some people are more prone to tinnitus than others. You already had tinnitus so it might've flared anyway - for any number of reasons. What matters is where you go from here. Being anxious & upset will keep the vicious cycle going. I suffer from anxiety and have to work on staying calm so as not to make the T. worse. Try to forgive yourself and the audiologist . Then you can go forward with ways to help yourself.

[Happyrosie]

You should not blame yourself for having your ears done. Tinnitus can be caused by a lot of things and indeed by nothing in particular. If you don’t have wax removal then the deafness is hard to cope with. As doglover says, have a good read of the BTA website for reassurance and help. Come back to us here on the forum for for reassurance or to tell us how you’re getting on.

[Purpelle in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you for your reply. My struggle is that I had no other symptoms so didn't need wax removal . I could hear perfectly fine. I just thought it might help my tinnitus . The audiologist didn't warn me of the risks and irrigated my ears with no drops having been used prior which was painful. And then did some microsuction. It's now been 4 months and is significantly louder. I cry every day that I have been so unlucky.

[Happyrosie]

I must say I’ve never been warned about T - but then I’ve had T for so long. I wouldn’t expect an audiologist to warn about it, though. I feel nauseous after ear wax removal but dont get warned about that either. It’s just my reaction to events. My own view for what it’s worth is that you can be warned about 100 different possibilities and this would put you off getting out of bed, leave alone crossing the road! Life is full of risks

[elsieadams]

I know that this so very frustrating. I have had Tinnitus for the past six years and some days are bearable and other days I feel like sticking my head in a bucket . We have to be our own researchers unfortunately. I suffer from manic depression , arthritis and grand mal epilepsy. While doing some research I found that the anti depressant mirtazapine can cause Tinnitus and I was on that particular medication six to seven years ago . Is it coincidental or the reason for the development of this condition. The ENT specialists say it could be a for warning for deafness but I do not think so as the ringing feels like it is in my head and my ears pick up and magnify this sound. There is so much not known. I find that I have to try to be calm and any chaos try to avoid. The sounds of nature are good in helping mask the ringing as well as getting out of the city once or twice each week. My doctor has put me on another med for depression 30mg of duloxetine. This particular med has side effects which I have not experienced . But, it is helping relaxing me, take away anxiety and feel much happier and more will in getting things done. The T is still there but much less bothersome. I have never had wax removal from a professional but with your results do not plan to. Try not to blame yourself but perhaps get some help with depression issues . We can not let this take over the joy of life but find a way to bring joy back in . Life is precious and the days go by so fast. Bad things happen and sometimes we think there is no way out but we have to take care and find a path that will work for each of us. I hope you can find the path back for you. Blessings Elsie

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Dear Purpelle

I'm sorry to read about the difficulties that you are experiencing with tinnitus. I would also agree with the other forum members here who have suggested that there is no value to beating yourself up about the micro suction procedure and revisiting what might have been or what could have been said just delays the process of getting used to tinnitus and living well with it.

Tinnitus can happen for a number of reasons - physical causes like ear wax build-up, obstruction or blockage typically do have to be removed. If left for long enough, they can potentially hide ear infections and make access to treat them more complicated.

It's also not unheard of for tinnitus to increase immediately after a wax removal - the shift from an ear being blocked or obstructed to experiencing a full spectrum of sound again can be overwhelming at first and need a little time to settle down.

For the tinnitus you've discussed to be problematic at this point in the year does suggest that there may be other factors making the situation more difficult to cope with - stress and low mood being amongst the ones which you've mentioned.

If you can talk to a hearing therapist or audiologist with an interest in tinnitus, they will surely tell you that anyone can habituate to tinnitus and live with it - because that's a process of shifting the way that you think about it. If you view it as a terrible thing which has been done to you, which is ruining your life, it's tough but not impossible to move beyond that view of the condition.

If you view it as a condition which can just happen, for no reason, that it's nobody's fault, taking away some of that blame and negative self-talk can make a difference and let you focus on moving forward and getting better.