Canesten solution

[doglover1973]

Hello everyone. My ear has been sore & itchy for a month - following trying NHS hearing aids. GP prescribed Canesten - which I've used before. The pharmacy say it's out of stock. GP offered me Otomize - which I'd rather not use. I 've tried to buy Canesten from chemist direct but there's no sign of it yet. Does anyone have any in date Canesten that I could have? I'll send a padded SAE to anyone who's willing. It needs to be in date. Thank you.

[Glenkerry40]

Hi Doglover I use Canesten when I get a ear infection your right about Otomize it’s a lot less unaffected you could ring around other chemists to see if they have stock have the given you a day when it’s back in stock ? Also when my ear infection didn’t clear up they prescribed me a antibiotic ear drops .

[doglover1973 in reply to Glenkerry40]

Thanks Glenkerry40 That's a great idea. I'll ring round all the chemists. The pharmacy at the surgery just said it was unavailable. I thought they meant everywhere but maybe they didn't. This is fungal I think. My ear got damp & mouldy wearing the HAs.

[Glenkerry40 in reply to doglover1973]

one time when I was prescribed it I couldn’t get any as it was out of stock your surgery has a duty to find stock for you Be careful of your ears get wet or moist keep your domes cleaned with alcohol wipes or just a clean tissues I never wear my HA’s at bedtime I have bought a pair of Aftershoks Bluetooth headphones they sit in your outside your ears on the bone by your ear lobe so no harm to your inner ear you can play nature Sounds if you can’t wear your HA’s and if you get a spike they can help reduce the buzzing by streaming white noise to your ears or nature sounds they are expensive but well worth it I can position mine to wear at night in bed Amazon sell them .

[doglover1973 in reply to Glenkerry40]

Thanks Glen. I'm not wearing the HAs .. and my T is less manageable. I've seen the Aftershokz headphones in the BTA shop. Do they work if you've lost a lot of hearing? I've lost all the high frequencies in one ear .

[Glenkerry40 in reply to doglover1973]

I have hearing loss I can hear without my HA’s depends how big is your hearing loss are you deaf without your HA’s ? I have found them very good to mask any tinnitus noise has your surgery trying to get your ear drops ?

[doglover1973 in reply to Glenkerry40]

I can't hear in my right ear without my HA and even with it speech isn't very clear . It's difficult to mask the T in that ear . No. The surgery aren't doing anything. I did ask my GP again this morning but got no reply.

[Glenkerry40 in reply to doglover1973]

your regular chemist should put a order in but it may take days you can ask your chemist to try and get your ear drops from another chemist if your hearing is tha bad in one ear they may not work for you the Bluetooth headphones can your hear anything music I’m that ear without your hearing aids .?

[doglover1973 in reply to Glenkerry40]

Not really no. I can't hear high pitch sounds. Only low ones. Thanks again Glen. I'm going to call all the chemists tomorrow.

[Fridays_Child_62 in reply to doglover1973]

The Aftershokz headphones work through bone conduction, so in theory don't need your ears. I tried them (but from a different supplier) and found the sound quality poor. I could hear their sound through my ears as well as bones and it was tinny. They provide ear-plugs for your ears, but when I blocked my ears the headphones then sounded muffled. I guess they are OK if you are dependent on bone conduction and they should be fine for listening to speech on the radio.

[doglover1973 in reply to Fridays_Child_62]

Thanks Fridays_Child_62 That's very helpful .

[Suz_2]

hi - u can find Canesten in online pharmacies and amazon.co.uk ( with quick delivery)

[doglover1973 in reply to Suz_2]

Thanks Suz_2 I've ordered some from chemist direct but it's not arrived yet.

[Suz_2 in reply to doglover1973]

hope it arrives soon - yeh , best to have backup supplies for when local pharmacy doesnt have any. Sorry to read u are having this problem with yr hearing aids - u waited so long for them and were giving them a good try. I think u said in an earlier post that they had a flower type head rather than a dome?

[doglover1973 in reply to Suz_2]

Hi Suz_2 I must admit I'm disappointed to run into trouble but I know you were too - when you tried HAs. I've got one flower dome and one mould. The flower dome is uncomfortable but the mould makes my ear hot & sweaty. No easy answers.

[AgedCrone]

I had itchy ears long before I used HAs & before I had tinnitus….of course I scratched them & made them sore….my GP thought I was making a fuss about nothing …….so as I wasn’t seeing an audiologist, I saw a dermatologist privately- he diagnosed Dermatitis……he prescribed some cream (long time ago can’t remember what it was ) to use for 7 days & said to then use Vaseline applied sparingly…..& to repeat the cream if things didn’t settle down,….although it wasn’t 100% effective….& I now use HAs I can wear them quite comfortably.

Have you spoken to your audiologist…….they treat ear problems all the time,& things have probably progressed since I was treated years ago?

[doglover1973 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thanks AgedCrone That's very interesting. I have naturally itchy skin so perhaps it's no surprise my ears haven't taken well to HAs. How do you go about finding a dermatologist? Long queue for a follow up to Audiology.

[AgedCrone in reply to doglover1973]

Your GP will be able to advise you…..but to see an NHS Dermatologist the wait maybe quite lengthy.I’d seen the doctor I saw before - when I had a nasty post viral rash……so I phoned his secretary & saw him privately.Haven’t needed to go back for my ears, & that was 5+ years ago.But I  would say in this hot weather I do find my ears do get itchy so I just take my hearing aids out…wrap a tissue round a QTip & dry my ears…..seems to help.

[doglover1973 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thank you. It's good news that your ears have been fine for 5+ years .. I would've put it down to the hot weather but the same thing happened last year when I tried private HAs in much cooler weather . I'll ask my GP to refer me. I'm used to long waits. It took 1 1/2 years to get the HAs.

[AgedCrone in reply to doglover1973]

When  my ENT  surgeon sent me for a hearing test…he told me not to waste my money on Private hearing aids…he said a lot of his patients who took the Private  route ended up using the NHS …as although  the private hearing aids worked fine they went up increasingly in price and they now find the NHS ones just as efficient. A friend has just paid £2000 for each hearing aid & at the moment is raving about how good they are …..but I think ….how much is there I need to hear that I want to pay £4000 for?Rather have a nice holiday listening to Caribbean calypso music through my NHS H AIDS 🏖

[doglover1973 in reply to AgedCrone]

Totally agree with you. I got a refund on my private aids and I'm glad I did. The NHS ones are just as good - if not better - and the NHS audiologist was much more helpful than the private one. I learnt a valuable lesson there. It's best to wait for the NHS 🙂

[AgedCrone in reply to doglover1973]

I must say I use Specsavers for my hearing aids. I started off using the hospital but the number of times I turned up and the audiologist was in training,  and everything I asked her …knowing nothing at all about hearing aids …she kept on replying “I’ll have to ask my manager”. Who wasn’t on site and I presumably would wait for an answer at my next appointment.Then I heard that Specsavers had a contract with the NHS & I could walk to the shop from my last house and even now I find I can make an appointment within 24 hours…. and if you have anything unusual they refer you to an NHS ophthalmologists very quickly.

[Katejo1963 in reply to AgedCrone]

I have just had hearing loss in 1 ear. I have an appointment with Scrivens optician for a hearing test but was told that an NHS test at a hospital prevents me from having an assessment by Scrivens for a full year and would only allow me access to NHS hearing aids.

[AgedCrone in reply to Katejo1963]

I don’t 100% understand the NHS rules re  hearing tests but I think hearing and optical tests are only allowed once per year on the NHS but that may only be for over 60s.But with Specsavers I needed to get my eyes tested for a test I needed,  and they quite happily made that appointment with no charge…..I have never actually heard of Scrivens opticians…..are they  just an individual optician…..do they have a contract with the NHS for audio?  You really do need that.It sounds as if they are keen to sell you private hearing aids.As I said in my previous post…. NHS hearing aids are just as good as expensive private ones…& Doglover agreed with me.  It’s up to you of course but I would definitely ask around locally & see what most people do in your area….it sounds a bit odd to be told you can’t have more tests with Scrivens….. as far as I know with SS you have as many tests as they say you need. I know it might be a bit awkward …but what do you think about going in and asking  them  to explain what they mean ?I would just say I can’t afford private hearing aids if I need a hearing aid will you provide me with an NHS one…together with all the after care?I’m about to go back to SS with my NHS hearing aid asking them why it  plays music in my right ear…. and it’s not my tinnitus because it goes away as soon as I take the hearing aid out.Good luck..hope you can get it sorted.

[doglover1973 in reply to AgedCrone]

Yes. I believe SS are very good & very efficient. My mum has been there. It's easy access whenever she needs to see someone. My GP sent me to ENT at the hospital due to single sided deafness and ENT sent me onto audiology but the wait lists are silly.

[AgedCrone in reply to doglover1973]

I got an apt with an NHS Ophthalmology Consultant the next day with SS,& just today I have spoken to their audio department & when I told her one of my hearing aids plays music when I click the zapper to open my car door…( stop,laughing it’s really annoying ) she offered me an appointment tomorrow..but I have another apt..so I have to wait until next week….hardly a chore in today’s climate.

Of course it may differ by location..but I have found them very proficient, pleasant people.

[doglover1973]

Morning Glenkerry40 I've got some Canesten thanks to you 🙂 First chemist I rang had just one left. They said it may not come back in stock. That's a shame.

[CroquetMan]

Hi Doglover, Like you I had a lot of trouble with itchy and infected ears when I started using hearing aids. They irritate I think because they are a foreign body in your ear. My audiologist obtained moulds that were less allergenic. That helped. I was advised by an ENT Consultant to use a very thin smear of vaseline on the aid mould to form a barrier between the mould and the skin. That also helped. Also my GP prescribed Otomise for ear infections. It is a small spray, that I think has a steroid base, and it clears up infections and itchiness very quickly. I always have some around but hardly ever use it. Lastly, I have one piece of advice from my own experience, and that is to wash your ears each morning. I was never told that, but I just tried it and it seems to have helped. Good luck.

[doglover1973 in reply to CroquetMan]

Thanks CroquetMan That's all very good advice 🙂 It's a relief to know someone else has solved the problem. It gives me hope. I'm reluctant to use Otomize .. Has it ever made your tinnitus worse?

[CroquetMan in reply to doglover1973]

I have had tinnitus for over 40 years, and used Otomise for about 36 years. I never percieved any affect on my tinnitus from using Otomise. However I only used Otomise very very infrequently and then never for more than a couple of days because it acts so quickly for me. My tinnitus has worsened in the last year after previously being relatively stable. I did not mention in my previous reply that I clean my ear moulds daily with soap and water. Some people use antibacterial wipes. Cleanliness, anti-allergenic moulds and a smear of vaseline on the moulds has worked very well for me. I am not an audiologist or a medic so you probably should check all this with qualified people. Good luck.

[doglover1973 in reply to CroquetMan]

Thanks CroquetMan I really value your advice - as you speak from experience. You've had T for a long time too. How are you coping with your T now it's worse? Btw I'm a Somerset fan 🙂

[Glenkerry40]

Hi when you say wash yours ears? I never get water in my inner ears and only wipe my outer ear out.

[CroquetMan in reply to Glenkerry40]

I agree with that, just clean the top of the ear canal without pouring water in.

[Glenkerry40 in reply to CroquetMan]

I agree never get water in your inner ear