In the last few days I have sent e mails to my local MP, and to the Government's Health Secretary and the Labour and Lib Dem Health spokespeople.
This is about my concerns over the removal by many GPs of water irrigation to clear excess ear wax, and my worries over the possible dangers of the procedure of microsuction.
I am posting on here a copy of the e mail. To be honest, I'm just hoping someone, somewhere who is in a position, and has the power, to do something, takes some kind of beneficial action.
Dear Mr. Javid,
I am currently contacting a number of MPs, and organisations such as the RNID, to pass on some of the concerns I have regarding services for the removal of excess ear wax. I have asked my local MP to pass my views on to the Department of Health. But as I have contacted your 2 political shadows, I am also sending my comments direct to you as well.
It is fair to say that many people in the UK require to have a build up of excess ear wax dealt with and removed on a regular basis. This problem affects older people in particular. Quite a few of them are reliant on hearing aids to be able to hear, and a build up of wax can mean the aids don't work correctly.
I think with regard to ear wax removal, there are 2 separate concerns. One is clearly the withdrawal by some GPs of a water irrigation treatment/ service ( often referred to somewhat mistakenly as syringing). I do believe that removing ear wax removal as a core GP service was a mistake, and I wish that you would consider re-instating it. The second issue, which is my immediate concern, is the increasing use of micro-suction, which I believe can in some cases cause/exacerbate tinnitus and may cause some hearing loss . A particular worry I have is that GPs no longer providing the gentler method of water irrigation is pushing more people towards having to have micro-suction carried out at a private provider, and I now believe that micro suction can be a more dangerous and risky procedure.
Please let me share with you my own recent experience:
I had a significant setback in the summer. My ears seem to get waxed up pretty quickly, and for over 20 years I have had them water irrigated/ syringed annually. However, due to Covid, my GP wasn't offering that in 2020. By July 2021, I had been 2 years with no wax removal, and my right ear got very blocked, the worst I have ever known. So in desperation, I went to an audiologist, and paid to have microsuction carried out in both ears. Now this seems to be done with no problems for many people, and for me it certainly did get all the wax out. But I found the procedure incredibly noisy, and particularly traumatic in my left ear, which has moderate tinnitus. It was like a deafening, screeching sound down in the ear canal, close to the ear drum. Anyway, the end result is it has made the tinnitus in my left ear worse, and my right ear, which had only very slight tinnitus before, is worse as well. Added to this my ears have somehow felt weird ever since, a bit like everything has been squeezed or pinched, also a slight feeling of light headedness and being a bit unbalanced. Unfortunately, the woman who did the left ear went at it hammer and tongs, more respite breaks might have helped. It is galling, you go seeking help for a medical problem and things happen which make it worse, not better.
(I would point out that I have never had any problems with the water irrigation method, as done by the nurse at the GPs. This is far less noisy than microsuction, and nothing like as stringent on the ear canal.)
My quality of life has been significantly reduced following this procedure nearly 6 months ago. Each day is a constant battle now against the ringing in my ears and the anxiety and depression that this causes. Some people across the world have suffered even more devastating consequences caused by micro-suction. Some say damage from micro-suction has destroyed their lives.
As an example, one person has posted the following on tinnitustalk.com/threads:
Blue28 has written:
Tinnitus Since:04/2016
Cause of Tinnitus:Acoustic Trauma from Microsuction
"I would like to raise peoples' awareness about the dangers of microsuction, and that this is not an entirely safe method of wax removal.
In April 2016 I had wax removed in both my ears by microsuction. During the procedure there was extended periods of very high pitched whistling, which I now know to be called "clarinetting". It happens when the suction tool is blocked by either wax or dry skin. I didn't know that this sound should not have been happening, I wasn't informed about any dangers. This caused a not negligible permanent threshold shift in my hearing over several frequencies. I now have hearing loss (essentialy high frequency) high pitched and very loud tinnitus, ear pain and hyperacusis. My life has been ruined by this procedure.
I was not made aware of the dangers of this procedure by the ENT who carried out the microsuction procedure.
This is apparently rare (although I have read other reports on the internet when people state they have hearing loss due to microsuction), but it DOES HAPPEN...It happened to me.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT MICROSUCTION CARRIES RISKS, I WAS NOT INFORMED AND HAVE SUFFERED IRREVESIBLE DAMAGE DUE TO THIS PROCEDURE."
Ok, so my main gist is that I believe something needs to be done to bring microsuction under proper/better regulation. It seems that it is increasingly being offered at places like Specsavers, and many audiologists and private "clinics".. When you look at their websites, they present micro-suction as being the best thing since sliced bread, and usually no mention is made that it is a noisy procedure, and that it can indeed cause irreparable harm in some instances.
They usually present a skewed picture of the pros and cons of microsuction as against other methods of removal. In particular, they often try to blur the old style use of a large metal syringe with the more modern method of using a water irrigation machine with a tube and nozzle.( No one would recommend the old squirting syringe any more, but NICE themselves have recommended that water irrigation can be used as a perfectly satisfactory method)
I believe at a minimum that all non NHS providers of wax removal should
1.Be properly licensed.
2.Be required to present more balanced information in their advertising. (Eg do more to point out the risks of the different procedures, particularly those associated with micro suction. Also to stop the mischievous practice of conflating syringing with water irrigation, when they are two quite different and distinct methods,
3. Be required to point out to/remind clients prior to the start of the procedure that microsuction can be noisy and is not without risks.
4. Be required to check whether the client has pre-existing tinnitus, and give a specific warning that the microsuction procedure may make this worse.
5. Be required to ensure all staff carrying out the procedure are fully trained to a certain standard.
6. Only ENT grade equipment to be used.
7. Require a Consent Form to be signed.
8. Make the client aware that they should ask the member of staff to halt the procedure at once if they find it has become too loud. This would allow a short respite break before continuing.
9. Be encouraged to offer to customers a choice of either microsuction or water irrigation.
10. Have an easily accessible Complaints Procedure in place, and make clients aware of it during their visit.
11. There is also the issue of inspection of services that should be considered.
I do wish some MPs would take this issue up, before more people get their ears and hearing permanently damaged. Tinnitus, once caused, is incurable, and I can vouch from personal experience it is a debilitating condition.
I really wish that you as Health Secretary would take an interest in this important topic.
Thank you so much for reading this long e mail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Best Wishes etc