ear feels blocked

Emmabob. · 06-06-2015, 10:31 AM

I've had a cold recently, everything else has cleared up but my ear still feels blocked, I can't hear much out of it when I'm upright, its slightly better laid down. I don't think its wax or anything (never had any issues with it) but its really really annoying. I feel half deaf, everything in my right ear is quiet & muffled. its been like this about a week & half now?

Anyone got any advice on clearing it?

Epicene · 06-06-2015, 02:08 PM

I just had this! My hearing has only just come back after 2-3 weeks. It started with a cold but developed into an ear infection which was treated with antibiotics. Go to your GP to check what's going on in your case and DON'T stick cotton buds down there or anything, you'll make it worse.

Emmabob. · 06-06-2015, 02:32 PM

Aren't ear infections always really painful? I'll stop poking at it, it's itchy inside and I keep poking earbuds in it to try stop it itching.

Cacoethes · 06-06-2015, 02:50 PM

You can get olive oil from pharmacies and some big shops like tesco for ear blockages. My ears get blocked a lot and it really helps.

Pi.R^2 · 06-06-2015, 10:00 PM

What makes you think it's not wax apart from that you've not had an issue with it before? Itchiness can be associated with ear wax. As Beckie said, you can get ear drops from a pharmacy which can soften and loosen the wax (if it is wax) so it comes out naturally. It can take a couple of weeks though, so patience is required! And don't get stick anything in your ears, as it just makes it worse, however tempting it may be. It also could just be a left over symptom from the cold and therefore will go away of its own accord soon anyway.

Emmabob. · 07-06-2015, 10:40 AM

Just figured if it's wax, it'd have come on sooner/later/any other time than when I got the cold. Caught it off my boyfriend and he said his hearings just getting back to normal so, I hold out hope that I won't need to be poked at by my gp..

Epicene · 07-06-2015, 11:51 AM

If it is itchy inside it could be an infection. It could also be eczema. Definitely stop poking at it though. Infections can be painful but not always.

Animad · 07-06-2015, 08:57 PM

Just because it started with your cold does not mean it's not wax. Wax builds up slowly and likely inflammation/ blockage etc from your cold had affected your ears and this could've started it causing more of a problem. It doesn't sound like an infection, per se as they tend to cause a lot of pain both in the ears and around the jawline but it is possible, however it does sound like excessive wax and just because your boyfriend doesn't have it it doesn't mean you don't. There's not going to be anything negative from using an ear cleaner, if it's a minor infection it may even resolve it, however if you don't and it is a buildup of wax then it'll continue to worsen and cause it to become totally blocked and your hearing may go in that ear until it is sorted, which will be harder to deal with. Also, if your ears are blocked with wax they're more likely to become infected and as well as that the ear canals can become inflamed due to the wax and, if it carries on for some time, can become thickened in the long term which will increase the risk of wax build up in the future as well as infections developing so you really is worth trying. If it does become painful or your ears become blocked or it worsens then get it checked out by a doctor. In the meantime, as said by others, it's worth getting some ear cleaner and cleaning them twice daily for a week and if it's not resolved then get it checked. And as mentioned, do not use cotton buds. If you're unsure what to do or want to make sure this is what is going on then a pharmacist could give you further guidance and may help you pick the best product for your which may be an ear cleaner or just olive oil sold for that purpose.

Emmabob. · 08-06-2015, 02:40 PM

ta people. woke up this morning & it feels about 90% cleared :)