Patient complains of frequent blockage of ears with difficulty in hearing. Most of the time, it is without pain. This may be a case of impacted EARWAX.
Wax cerumen is secreted by glands in the outer meatus and is conveyed to the exterior by movements of the jaw carrying dust and other particulate matter with it. Particularly those working in dusty atmosphere suffer from it. The wax accumulates in the meatus and eventually blocks it. Any attempt to remove it, pushes it inwards. This cause deafness, especially if the wax gets soaked with water. Hard wax may cause pain.
Symptoms of an earwax impaction include:
Decreased hearing
Dizziness
Ear pain
Plugged or fullness sensation
Ringing in the ear
Cough
More serious symptoms could mean you’ve developed an infection. Watch for:
Serious pain
Drainage from the ear canal
Itching
Odor coming from the ear
Fever
See your doctor if you think you may have any symptoms of an earwax impaction. Other conditions may cause these symptoms and it is important to be sure earwax is the culprit before trying any home remedies.
Go to the hospital if:
You have a severe spinning sensation, loss of balance, or inability to walk
You have persistent vomiting or high fever
You have sudden loss of hearing
Blockage, or impaction, often occurs when the wax gets pushed deep within the ear canal. Earwax blockage is one of the most common ear problems doctors see.
The most common cause of impactions is the use of cotton swabs (and other objects such as bobby pins and rolled napkin corners), which can remove superficial wax but also pushes the rest of the wax deeper into the ear canal.
Hearing aid and earplug users are also more prone to earwax blockage.
A doctor can diagnose earwax blockage (or eardrum perforation) by listening to your symptoms and then looking into your ear with an otoscope (ear-scope).
Wax may be removed only when it causes symptoms. Wax is removed with a wax hook or syringe. When there is no urgency to remove the wax, it can be softened by drops of verbascum Thapsus or mullein oil. Instill it in drops, couple of times a day. Use of syringe and water is advocated by a qualified physician since damage may cause deafness due to rupture of the drum.
Pulsatilla
Usefull for hard ad black coloured wax.
Lachesis
Usefull for thick -yellowish wax
Psorinum
Usefull for bloody red coloured wax
Causticum
usefull for offensive wax