Ear wax / tinnitus

[TL10]

I think I may have a build up of ear wax as when I swallow food or just saliva my ears pop a bit. Has anyone found that removing ear wax has helped their tinnitus or made it worse? Thanks in advance for any replies

[Poppycat1234]

My ears pop when I swallow or yawn also, but I've been told that this is due to eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) rather than wax build up. It's to do with the opening off the small tube that passes between the nose and ears to equalise pressure in the ears. I was offered a nasal spray to try and reduce the popping but didn't get much improvement. As far as wax removal I've read stories of people developing tinnitus after wax removal procedures, in particular noisy procedures ike microsuction.

[TL10 in reply to Poppycat1234]

Thanks for your reply. Did you get offered the nasal spray from your GP?

[Poppycat1234 in reply to TL10]

It was through an ENT. They also gave me instructions for a nasal rinse that I used a couple of times a day for a few months but again that didn't help much if at all.

[Hillman51]

Hi ... if you can clear it yourself, please do....had mine microsuctioned nearly 7 weeks ago now.... had a whistle / ringing in my left ear ever since, had tinnitus before it was done, but it was just like a fan on constantly, which didn,t bother me too much.... ears don,t seem the same since it was done... 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[bantams]

Hi TL10, I had earwax removed just before the covid lockdown due to my GP wanting to see if it was causing the ringing noise in my left ear, unfortunately it made no difference.

Now at long last I have a ENT telephone appointment in September.

[Hidden]

Ear wax will make your tinnitus sound louder the one thing is you must do is don't allow ear wax to build up it will only cause more problems regularly put olive oil every week at least on bedtime syringing is not ideal for tinnitus as it can make your tinnitus worse you can get your ears micro suctioned but not all doctors provide this I go private for a small fee never get water in your ears even when showering or swimming use ear plugs like cotton wool or buy from any chemist.

[Happyrosie]

I try to not let the wax build up by using bicarbonate of soda drops(costs less than two pounds from the pharmacy). I was advised NOT to use olive oil as it does soften any wax there but makes the build up worse. My surgery has not, for some time, offered syringe removal and waiting list for micro suction is long. I have it done privately for £120.

It improves T because one can hear the real world better, and does not make my T worse.

[TL10 in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you Rosie

[OnlyMe2]

Like any other procedure or coping mechanism, I think it depends on the individual.

For me, I had a surprisingly large lump of wax removed a couple of years ago and it made absolutely no difference to my T, but I could hear more clearly.

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hi TL10, thank you for posting.

Ear Wax build-up, as many community members have suggested, can be a factor in tinnitus developing. If it is the only reason for tinnitus to have developed - i.e., you don't have a problem with your hearing, you've not been subject to noise-related damage to your ears, you don't have injuries or ear infections - there's a good chance that tinnitus can diminish or disappear if ear wax is the only reason for it to be present.

This section of our website may offer some reassurance and context for you -

tinnitus.org.uk/ear-wax

[TL10 in reply to TinnitusUKPat]

Thanks mate but unfortunately I’ve had Tinnitus for about 25 years no doubt from loud music / playing the drums with no ear plugs. I was just hoping it may ease it as I know there is no cure 👍🏻