Does anyone have earwax removed by wire hook??

[Abbaye]

Hi folks, this is a bit of a strange one im afraid!  My brother has had his earwax removed in the UK by a wire hook - it is a much gentler way of removing it (he is mentally handicapped and therefore we try to avoid any distress for him).  We have been getting it done for him whenever we are back in UK but wondered if we would be able to get it done here - our GP here in France is looking into it for us but thought it worth a post here to see if anyone has this done in France.

We are in Brittany, Dept 35.

Many thanks.

Abbaye

[Miki]

In Saint Malo, at the fairly new Clinique D'Emeraude, the O.R.T (E.N.T) chap does a hoover suction type affair but I have seen him use a hook affair to take wax from a friends ear before final cleaning with the hoover, which incidentally I have had done and it is quite comfortable. Ask your Doctor to call him (or his secretary) if you live near to Saint Malo.

[Pierre ZFP]

Last time I had it done (in the UK) it was by the practise nurse who used a nifty little 'gun' like device which did a cycle of squirting warm water (or something) in then sucking all the gunge out.  Apparently very common way to do it now.  Not uncomfortable in the least, just a bit of a whooshing sound, very effective and probably a lot safer than a wire hook. One slip or nod of the head and it could be your eardrum gone.

[Abbaye]

Thanks Miki, thats really really helpful.  Yes we are just 30 mins from St. Malo so thats no prob.  I will speak to our Medicin tomorrow.

Thanks again.

Mandy

[Russethouse]

Abbaye, I too have had the vacuum procedure and its not the least unpleasant - goodness, the guy even uncovered a forgotten grommet with it - then hooked it out !

[Loiseau]

Is it worth putting a few drops of olive oil in the ears each day for a few days before having the syringing/swooshing/picking done?
The only times I have had ears syringed, I was told to do that.   There certainly was no discomfort during the final procedure.

Angela

[Gardian]

I'm definitely a whoosh, rather than a suck or hook man.

Looking forward to trying to explain that to the practice nurse in the village (on the rare occasion when she's around).

Oh, and olive oil helps with the whooshing.

Thinks ......... perhaps 'whooshing' might adopt the same cult status as the dreaded 'doofer'?

[Russethouse]

The memory of having my ears syringed as a child meant it was 50 years before I even thought about having it done again - no whooshing for me - I'll stick with the suck [:)]

[Miki]

The expert at the Clinique previously mentioned was highly critical of the old system of whooshing.

A while back my own Doctor whooshed my ears and I immediately suffered a case of vertigo and no matter what he did, he couldn't get it all out (have you eaten yet !!). He then sent me straight off to the Clinique, where the Doctor there said that it was not good to do that kind of wax clearing (whooshing) to many of the people he receives at his clinic.

By the way, I remember now, it is not a hook but the chap puts in a kind of trumpet affair and pulls it our very gently with special tweezers.

Yes, I would think it beneficial to soften the wax with some kind of treatment before being whooshed or sucked...............

[Loiseau]

[quote user="Russethouse"]The memory of having my ears syringed as a child meant it was 50 years before I even thought about having it done again ][/quote]

Poor RH!  Obviously no one had told your mum about the olive oil drops then!
The only disconcerting after-effect I had was wondering what the loud crackling noise was around my head when I was walking home. It turned out to be the sound of my coat collar rubbing on my neck, rendered almost deafening by my newly-sharpened hearing!

Angela

[Pierre ZFP]

Then of course there's Otex ear drops.  Very effective but a bit messy.  Actually it is just dilute hydrogen peroxide which loosens/softens wax.

RH - I know exactly what you mean about you renewed hearing

You don't realise how bad your hearing is sometimes untill you have your tubes Dyno-rodded but I was told it shouldn't be done too often as it can stimulate the production of even more wax.

Isn't this a fun thread ???

[Abbaye]

Well folks you just never know do you .... sometimes I post a question about something relatively serious (ie a legal question etc etc) thinking I will get a good response, and here I am posting about ear wax and the responses are coming in thick and fast! 

Thanks all for your responses.  In my brothers case, he, as I said, is mentally handicapped (Downs).  He's a gentle soul and he suffers terribly with his ears, always has.  He gets a huge build up of wax and lots of pain - the docs have said his ears are like that of an 80 year old.  Hes also a creature of great habit and does not like change - hes had his ears done with this wire thing for years now as all other methods (including the vaccuum) caused him distress.  I will move heaven and earth to try and get it done here for him - if I cant, well c'est la vie, but you can but try. 

Miki Ill deffo check out the clinic in St Malo first and if not, perhaps they may know of someone who does.

Thanks all again.

 

[Guimbarde2]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

Then of course there's Otex ear drops.  Very effective but a bit messy.  Actually it is just dilute hydrogen peroxide which loosens/softens wax.

[/quote]

 

Years ago when I used Otex, I had a bad reaction and after 4 days the skin and ear hairs sloughed off like a snakeskin. Beware.

[Cassis]

There is a gentler solution (literally) fas long as the wax has not been compacted by poking it.  It is a spray called "Quies Spray Auriculaire" and has a similar effect to Otex but is less aggressive.  It is widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies.  Pronounced 'Key-ez'.  It softens the wax and encourages it to be expelled naturally.  I think it contains some sort of herbal and seaweed extracts.

[AnOther]

I have excessive wax build ups in my ears and have them done about every 6 month's and for 2 or 3 days beforehand put a couple of drops of Cerumol into them with a dropper. This softens the wax which is then blasted out with a warm water syringe, it's not in the least painful in fact it's almost pleasant.

A drop or Olive Oil every day or two can assist greatly in preventing buildup.

[Gardian]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

This softens the wax which is then blasted out with a warm water syringe, it's not in the least painful in fact it's almost pleasant.

[/quote]

I had a feeling that you'd be a 'whoosh' rather than a 'suck' man, Ernie.

 

[Pierre ZFP]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

A drop or Olive Oil every day or two can assist greatly in preventing buildup.

[/quote]

I'm partial to a bit of olive oil in the vinegrette on my salad - will that do?

[AnOther]

Only if you eat with your ears............now that i'd like to see....!

You can't beat a good Whooosh Gardian but then once in a while one does also like the odd s...........err, I think I'd better stop there actually...[:$]

 

[Dick Smith]

When I was but a lad, and a bit of a budding foody, if you wanted olive oil you had to go to Boots to get it, in little medicine bottles. Tasted fine...

[Guimbarde2]

All this talk of olive oil for your ear wax - I know it is more readily available but the finest oil for softening wax, so my great grandmother told me 50 years ago - is almond oil. You don't walk around smelling like a chip shop either!

[Dick Smith]

I'd like to see a chip shop that cooked in olive oil!

I suspect that in the UK, years ago, olive oil was just about the only refined vegetable oil to be found. It would be a bit nasty filling your ears with melted lard, after all. It became a habit?

[RumziGal]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]It became a habit?
[/quote]

Only among wax-laden nuns.

Oh dear, just thought of the candle joke..........

[Cassis]

The lights go out in the dormitory and one nun says to the other, "Where's the candle?"

The second nun replies: "Yes, doesn't it?"

Or do you know another one?

[Pierre ZFP]

So, getting back to the original thread,   what method is used to get bees wax? hook or whoosh?

[Cassis]

I think this question has been answered before on the forum but I will repeat it as best I recall.  The bees are attracted by the beekeeper blowing a beehunting horn, which emits sound at a frequency too low for the human ear to detect (unless recently "whooshed") but which carries for up to 50km and is irresistible to bees.  When the bees arrive they are lined up in order of size and are then placed in a centrifuge and spun at up to 20,000 rpm.  This causes the wax to fly out of their ears, followed by the honey.  The two are separated using a special "beeswax skimmer" shaped like a canoe on its side.  After a brief recovery period, the bees are released into the wild again.  This process is repeated at 10-15 day intervals depending on the daylight hours and average daytime temperature (I can't remember the exact formula).