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There are various ways described online OP. I've found the simplest is to lean that side of my head down, massage the ear and pull gently on the earlobe to help shift the water to a spot in the ear canal where it can drain more easily. If that doesn't work, I lie close to flat on that side with my head on a towel, with a heating pad set on low underneath the towel. Simple gravity will do most of the work, the heat helps some of the moisture evaporate and it feels good! Debrox won't hurt anything and if there is a bit of residual wax it will soften it and make it easier to dispel.
I've had this happen after snorkeling / diving. Very painful. My ENT doctor scooped it out w/ a little vacuum device. One of the things he told me was to not (ever) use q-tips to "clean" my ears - which I did frequently before the issue. I was inadvertently pushing the wax back in the ear, where it got stuck/got hard and couldn't escape. I've never put another q-tip in my ear, and its never happened again.
Side note - my grandmother recommended an old home remedy of half alcohol/half vinegar in a small syringe to flush out the ear. Works great.
Up till my 80s, I used to go to the pool regularly to do laps. Blockage of an ear canal from water was a common occurrence.
I hadn't tried any of Parnassia's ideas, but I thought all of his suggestions were good and would have been useful as a back-up if my own method did not work.
Like Parnassia, I used to lean my head sideways with the affected ear downwards. Then I would start hopping on the leg on the affected side. That always worked, although the time spent doing it varied. Some blockages resolved instantaneously and some took a few separate attempts.
My hypothesis was that surface tension had allowed the water molecules in the ear canal to adhere as a droplet next to the eardrum. The degree of adhesion may have also involved the amount of wax in an ear at any given time. I imagined that the sudden jolt of landing on a heel would distort the globule of water, causing it to break up and drain.
Anyhow it always worked for me, even though it sometimes took several attempts.
Thank you so far for the suggestions. I will definitely try all of them.
If anyone else has any ideas, please keep 'em coming.
By the way, I know not to use q-tips, so I didn't mess around with that. I though it would clear up on its own, but I've had it for over a week now and it hasn't. Uggh! The Debrox seems to have made it harder for me to hear out of my left ear, so I'm reluctant to use more of it.
I though it would clear up on its own, but I've had it for over a week now and it hasn't. Uggh! The Debrox seems to have made it harder for me to hear out of my left ear, so I'm reluctant to use more of it.
A WEEK? IMHO time to have your ear checked by a pro! The Debrox itself probably isn't creating the problem but it might have softened some residual wax that has since shifted to a different spot in the ear canal, interfering with your hearing and possibly preventing residual water behind it from draining. By this time its possible any wax has absorbed the water and expanded in the process, making the problem worse. You're looking at an ear infection if you don't have one already. When I've tried my little tips, the water in my ear hadn't been a problem for a week, more like a few hours. Typically, the ear cleared by itself shortly after that.
Question: when you used the Debrox, did you also flush your ear out afterward? One of my ear canals tends to trap wax due to the shape. This works like a charm for me, at least it has for the last 40 years. The Debrox wax removal kit I have came with a small syringe bulb for just this reason. Put the liquid in the ear, let it sit for 10 minutes or so, then flush the ear with warm water using the syringe bulb. I lean over the bathroom sink so I can see what if any wax was removed. You can make your own wax softening solution instead of buying it, but Debrox is convenient and less messy. If you have continuing trouble with ear wax, buying one of these inexpensive syringe bulbs may be worthwhile.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-18-2022 at 12:35 PM..
I have always had a clogged feeling in my ears for years. No wax. Finally I am on Prednisolone. It's an anti-inflammatory drug that can be used in the ears or eyes. 4 drops in each ear twice day. I must say after being on this 1 month my ears do not feel as clogged.
My ear got blocked after being in a pool. I really don't think it's an ear wax issue as I just went to the doctor to get that taken care of.
I just started using Debrox today, but I'm not sure it will work since it's for ear wax?
Anyone else had this issue. Is there a way I can resolve it without going to the doctor?
Thanks.
Trust me it’s ear wax . I dealt with this for the entire year of 2021 (don’t know why, but it happened after swimming. Could’ve been a COVID thing, don’t know). Debrox didn’t work for me, The only thing that did was a ear wax removal kit (spray bottle with warm water). After few minutes of emptying ear crude into container, I was golden.
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