Works For Me: Elephant Ear Washing Kit
>> Tuesday, February 3, 2009 –
Health and Fitness,
Life and Family,
Quick Tips
This post is for anyone who has ear wax problems...or, if you're like me, you have a child with an ear wax problem.
I can hardly imagine a more glamorous way to begin a blog post, can you?
One of my little ones has chronic ear problems. If he doesn't have an infection, then he has wax buildup that's blocking his hearing and/or causing him pain.
I've brought him to the doctor many many times for what I thought was an infection, but it just turned out to be wax stuck in his ear. One time, the nurse went and grabbed her "ear washer" as she called it, and proceeded to squirt warm water into his ear. I couldn't believe what she was able to remove without causing him discomfort!
I said something like, "I gotta get one of those!". And she said, "It's called an 'Elephant Ear Washing Kit', and I'll bet you could find one online."
Well...no DUH! Why didn't I think of that?!
Sure enough - I found a kit on line for less than $50 (washer, replacement tips, basin, and shipping). It keeps the wacky ears cleaned out, and has saved an untold amount of time and money in trips to the docs office.
If you'd like to order one, you can find one HERE.
Or you can cruise THESE links to see what you find.
I also recommend getting some alcohol-based ear drops to prevent swimmer's ear so you don't exchange one ear problem for another by squirting all that water in an unsuspecting ear canal.
I'm sure it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: If in doubt, bring your child to the doctor. This is no substitute for medical care. And if your child is running a temp along with that ear pain, then it's a pretty safe bet that they have an infection. You should be able to use this product without causing pain in the child...use common sense and great caution!
Thanks for posting this. My daughter (2 1/2) always has earwax buildup. We took her to an ENT and to clean her ears they strapped her to a table and used a long needle thing while looking in a microscope. Not a good time. I have been looking for something to use on a more regular basis so that it doesn't get that bad again. Thanks!!
My son has a problem with ear wax too. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this. I have several including my husband that need this.
A bulb syringe works well too. My doctors office actually used one on me years ago, and I've been doing it at home on occasion ever since.
Just make sure that it doesn't have any left over baby boogies in it before you use it on your ears! (ewww)
You might hate me for this, but while I was searching for info on ear wax removal, I came across this:
http://maniacworld.com/ear-wax-extreme-closeup.html
EWWWWWWW!
I looked at that video, Kim. Woah. Ewww is right! I couldn't believe that!
I was talking about this with a nurse once, and she told the story of an elderly woman from India who had come in for something unrelated. She brought a friend to sign for her because she had been deaf for 30 years. When the looked in her ears, they saw lots and lots of wax. They pulled it out, and viola! She could hear perfectly! Imagine that...
If you put plain hydrogen peroxide into the ear first it will bubble like mad (and tickle) while it softens and loosens the wax. Leave it in the ear for 3-5 min. You might not need to flush as often if you do this on a weekly basis
I've never used hydrogen peroxide - it scares me! I know of someone who did the HP thing regularly until, one day, it got into his inner ear. I guess he had an infection or otherwise weakened membrane. He said it was absolutely excruciating. I don't doubt it!
Hydrogen peroxide might very well work, but please check with your doctor about it first...and again, use great caution when it comes to your kids' ears!
I've never heard of this! Thank you for sharing. We have a little bit of wax buildup here too. If I use this on my boys they won't have an excuse for not hearing me anymore. :)